Proficloud - Connecting to the service

Available from 2020.6 with AXC F 2152, 
from 2021.0 LTS with most PLCnext Control devices (see scope below)

In this topic, you read how to prepare your PLCnext Control for working with the Proficloud service.

Scope of the Proficloud

Proficloud offers an easy way of managing and maintaining remote PLCnext devices, such as controllers in off-shore wind power plants. Main functions are:

  • Showing a device overview with exact geolocation of all connected devices
  • Showing a health status of all connected devices
  • Showing key information for all connected devices
  • Reporting logs from the connected devices
  • Checking for firmware updates and updating on connected devices via the cloud
  • Using time series data (TSD) from a connected PLCnext Control

Availability on devices

Device(s) AXC F 2152 AXC F 1152, AXC F 3152, RFC 4072S, 
EPC 1502, EPC 1522 		BPC 9102S RFC 4072R
Firmware ≥ 2020.6 ≥ 2021.0 LTS ≥ 2021.3 ‒




 

Note: From firmware 2024.0 LTS on, PLCnext devices are able to connect to either the Proficloud service (described in this topic) or to other cloud services (AWS, Azure, or other MQTT brokers). For those cloud connections, see Connecting via MQTT.

Connecting to the Proficloud service

  1. Register as a user at Proficloud

    1. Open www.proficloud.io in a browser and register as a user
    2. Verify the user account by answering the email sent to the address given with the account

  2. Get a user certificate from Proficloud

    Note: The certificate will only be necessary if you want to perform firmware updates on your PLCnext devices via the Proficloud. This certificate is specific to the user account, so all devices in an account will run with the same certificate, but it has to be placed on each device that is meant work via Proficloud. Those preparations on the device will be done in a later step of these instructions.
    1. Log in to your user account at www.proficloud.io
    2. Click on the User icon at the upper right corner and choose Settings from the drop-down menu
    3. Click the DOWNLOAD USER CA CERTIFICATE button:

      ↪ The certificate .crt file is downloading to your computer
    4. If prompted by your browser, allow the certificate .crt file to be downloaded and note where you stored it for later use.

  3. Enable the Proficloud connection on the PLCnext device

    Note: If a PLCnext device is reset to factory defaults these steps need to be done again in order to use the device with Proficloud.
    1. This step is done via the Web-Based Management (WBM) on each PLCnext device, for more see Configuration - Proficloud Services in the WBM section.
      Note: To protect the Proficloud configuration against unauthorized access or changes afterwards, see Blocking access to the Proficloud configuration.

  4. Prepare the PLCnext device for Proficloud

    Note: If a PLCnext device is reset to factory defaults these steps need to be done again in order to use the device with Proficloud V3.
    1. Make sure the real-time clock (RTC) of the device is set to UTC0, not the time zone where the device is located. UTC0 is UTC±00:00 of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), which is also the default value of each PLCnext device, so usually nothing has to be changed in order to fit the Proficloud V3 needs. If the RTC needs to be set, see System time.
    2. Make sure that the network connection gateway is set up correctly so the PLCnext device can connect to services in the Internet.

  5. Register a Trust Store for Proficloud

    The Proficloud needs to be a trusted source, reflected by a certificate in a Trust Store. For more detailed information on this important security feature, refer to the Certificate Authentication topic.

    1. Add a new Trust Store named proficloudv3 (case-sensitive!):
    2. Add the certificate .crt file you got in step 2 of these instructions:

See also

  1. Proficloud - Managing devices
  2. Proficloud - Using time series data
  3. Proficloud - Using Device Management Service

• Published/reviewed: 2024-09-24   ☀  Revision 073 •