Recent content by mtoecker

Hi Rob, Your question requires more detail and analysis than you probably thought going into it. My short answer is "It depends, but it's possible but not likely". First, a normal computer virus written for a Windows based system will not traverse a serial based MODBUS link. Things like...

I think we are talking past one another... The OP (original poster) was asking about a specific application, one that required his RTU to talk with 3rd parties. This is a FAR different use case than some of the other posters have assumed, a common case where all communications are held onsite...

Look, I know the automation fellahs on this forum are really pro-modbus, but it's really not a good idea for distributed grid type applications. For Several Reasons. 1. Modbus has ZERO security. Period. If someone can access the modbus TCP port or the serial->ethernet converter, the system...

hi Pedro, Arduino's are always a good choice, and there is apparently some code (not sure of quality) for them on the Modbus front. http://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=176142.0 Mike

CSA, thanks! I guess I've gotten complacent, assuming that my personal experience with trip points and Bently is the norm, and not part of a larger ecosystem. Most of the systems I've looked at over my career (8 years, so not that long in the grand scheme) have had vibration trip settings...

Lynn, Bad guys are well aware of the 'switch port numbers' trick, they invented it. This isn't security, it's the equivalent of telling someone not to bump the non-covered big red trip button that is conveniently located near butt level in a claustrophobic and busy turbine shack. The best...

I'm kinda keying on your use of 'units' in this post as an indicator of power generation, so I'm hoping I'm wrong.... If this is power generation example, your client may have a reason for NOT allowing you access, and that reason is regulatory requirements under NERC CIP. Specifically...

A little offtopic, but potentially helpful.... This exact problem was featured in POWER magazine's September issue. You can check it out at http://www.powermag.com/considerations-when-upgrading-gas-turbine-hmis/ Mike

Any system capable of modbus communication will work. The important piece is this.. What are you doing with the data? If you are just displaying it, get an HMI. If you are storing it for historical records, get a historian system. If you are doing SCADA, for the love of all that is holy, get...

Hi, Post the full packet captures please. If you need help getting them on a site, I'll be happy to assist. Can't do much reversing without all the data. While that's going on, what TCP ports are in use? Have you tried applying different dissectors (use the 'decode-as' feature in...

A few questions: 1. What PLCs? Make and model please. 2. What protocols are you using? CIP? Modbus? DNP3? It's just a theory, but if those PLCs are accessible over the internet, they could be the targets of some massive Internet based scans that have been conducted for automation...

Well, you're going to be learning how to program. There's no way to simply click a button, or configure a widget that I know of to pull data from COM port into a database. Google: "How to program in visual basic" https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+program+in+visual+basic Using COM...

Are you running under a Demo license? 15 minutes is a common demo time. I'm not familiar with this control system software, is 'TCP' the manufacturer/vendor? Mike