With the new firmware version 1.9, the SIMATIC CC7 IoT gateway supports the following functions in addition to the previous range of functions:

• Support for connecting to several different cloud systems: Up to three connections to different MQTT-based cloud services can be activated in parallel.
• More flexible integration into web-based and cloud-based applications: Process data can now also be transferred to web or cloud services via http-based (REST API) interfaces (POST, PUT, PATCH).

These new features increase the flexibility of the cloud interface and enable additional applications.

With the firmware V1.8, the SIMATIC CC7 IoT gateway supports the following additional functions:

• Network structure: Supports subnetworks on the process level by means of up to 20 static routers. This also allows the CC7 to be integrated in a plant’s network structures across cells.
• Configuration: Displays the outputs of an MQTT Payload format in a preview, making it possible to validate the desired format offline as well as to detect and correct any misconfigurations ahead of time.

CloudConnect 7 now also supports MQTT brokers that work with MQTT v5 (optional MQTT v5 features are not currently supported). With the new “Collect” function,  process data can also be collected before it’s transferred to the cloud. This means that the data of applications whose process values change very quickly can still be transferred to the cloud with optimized volume and bandwidth. Another innovation: With firmware update 1.7, up to seven process stations can now be configured for the same PB address at CC716. As a result, up to 3,500 data points can also be monitored for S7-PB stations.

With firmware update 1.6, the data model of the OPC server of the CC7 can be defined by importing a standardized or specific information model in the Nodeset XML format. The mapping of the individual data points to the information model takes place via a simple drag-and-drop interface in the web-based user interface of the CC7. This flexibility enables even easier integration into existing IT/MES systems. OPC data models/Nodeset XML files can be imported to OPC UA client process stations in order to assign the data points to the process station. Information that is available in array formats on the process level can be transferred directly to the OPC server or the cloud interface (MQTT) as a single data point. This eliminates the need for complex configurations for individual access while at the same time ensuring optimal utilization of the configuration limits of the data points.

In addition to the previous support of Modbus TCP, S7, and Profibus-based automation systems, process stations based on OPC can also be integrated as data suppliers. This greatly expands the range of supported devices to include other Siemens products (SIMATIC S7-1200, S7-1500 with OPC Server, SIMATIC RFID Reader) as well as third-party suppliers. The options for customizing the MQTT Payload for each topic have also been extended and allow flexible adaptation to customer-specific specifications. With the update, the size of data buffering can also be set individually for each MQTT Topic and independent of the Quality of Service Level (QoS) used. This allows up to 250,000 publish messages to be buffered in the event of problems connecting to the cloud provider.