In March of 2022, Rockwell Automation released Studio 5000 Logix Designer version Thirty-Four.
As I tend to do with each release, I recently downloaded the software, read the release notes, and set out to install and test any new features that would be relevant to me in my process control endeavors.
Image by: Brandon Cooper – v34 Installation
Operating Systems:
The preferred operating systems for Studio 5000 v34 are Windows 10 Professional or Enterprise (64-bit,) and Windows Server 2019 Standard & Datacenter
That said, the software is expected to run and operate correctly (not tested) on other versions of Windows 10 (64-bit), Windows 7, Server 2008 R2, Windows 8, and Windows Server 2012 & 2016.
The main take-away here is that version 34 will not allow installation on any 32-bit system (including Windows 10) nor any Windows 7 system, period.
So if you have not upgraded your Windows 7 programming terminal, you will not be able to install version 34.
Prerequisite Software:
As with other versions, check the software requirements for other Rockwell Software products that will be installed to be sure that those products are compatible with the prerequisite software installations with Studio v34. I have found in more than one instance where software compatibility is a challenge after upgrading certain pieces of software.
Editor’s Note: Always remember to take a snapshot you can roll back to before installing updates! Of course this assumes you are wisely using virtualization software like VMWare or Virtual PC.
Prerequisite Software Includes:
- Factory Talk Services Platform v6.30
- Factory Talk Activation Manager v4.06
- Factory Talk Linx v6.30
- RSLinx Classic v4.30
- Factory Talk View SE & FLEX Ex communication software are required for full alarming capabilities
Support for Redundancy in 5570 and 5580 Controllers
As with version 33, version 34 contains redundancy for both L7X and L8X ControlLogix controllers – see the release notes for exact models and information about minimum releases.
- For L7X Controller Redundancy, you will download the redundancy kit for v34.051
- For L8X Controller Redundancy, you will download the redundancy kit for v34.011
Mitigation for Microsoft DCOM Hardening Patch:
In response to Microsoft Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM) Hardening Patch (MS KB5004442), the minimum DCOM authentication level used by Rockwell Automation products was raised to Packet Integrity.
For the Product Notification about this from Rockwell Automation:
- https://rockwellautomation.custhelp.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/1133982
- https://rockwellautomation.custhelp.com/app/answers/answer_view/a_id/1133991
For the DCOM Changes from Microsoft in response to the security vulnerability in CVE-2021-26414:
Image by: Brandon Cooper – v34 Flash
New Device Support:
There are many new devices supported, some of them from Rockwell Automation and some are from other vendors like Zebra (Barcode Scanners) and Prosoft (MVI56E Communication Module).
One that I make note of is the 1 GB Ethernet Module – 1756-EN4TR which is now supposed to be supported in a redundant chassis as well. See the full release notes for more products that you may find useful.
Image by: Brandon Cooper – New Project
For full Release Notes, follow this link:
Conclusion
Personally, I have been very happy with version 33 and version 33 redundancy. This new, version 34 release contains many fixes for past anomalies, especially around unresponsive software and conditions that freeze the Logix Designer Application or cause fatal errors.
With the amount of items that are repaired in this version and the Microsoft Hardening Patches, it will definitely need to be on any Rockwell user’s list of things to do to check it out, download and make plans for the future.
Editor’s Note: From my perspective, v34 seems like a “patch” release, especially when I read the following statement in the patch notes: Logix Designer application version v33.01 has the same new and enhanced features and new supported hardware as v34.00.
Written by Brandon Cooper
Senior Controls Engineer and Freelance Writer
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