Why Can't You Add Ads on Beckhoff? Exploring Various Causes of ADS Failure.

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The inability to add routes to ADS is the most frequently asked question by Beckhoff users.  I hope this document can help colleagues and customers get rid of this simple but time-consuming issue.  Please feel free to forward and reference it.

If you find that the ADS route is not working, check the following three steps in order:

  1. Whether it can be ping
  2. Whether the broadcast is available
  3. Whether to add routing
There may be different reasons and corresponding solutions for obstacles encountered in different stages, which are explained in the following order.

1. Check if Ping works

The ability to ping the IP of the controller from the PC indicates that the network is connected.

If it does not work, the following points need to be confirmed:

Confirm that the PC and controller IP addresses are in the same network segment and the mask settings are correct.

  • If you do not know the IP address of the controller, please refer to Attachment 3: How to confirm the IP address of the controller.
  • After confirming the controller IP, set the IP address of the network card connected to the PC so that they are in the same network segment. The principle is: if the controller IP is 169.254. x.x, then the IP of the PC can be set to DHCP; Otherwise, the IP of the PC is set to only the fourth segment, with a mask of 255.255.255.0.When the 
  • Win7 system's Beifu industrial control computer leaves the factory, the firewall is open, and the PC may not even be able to ping the controller, but it can be found during Broadcast. 

2. Ping works but cannot broadcast

The following points need to be confirmed:

  • Manually enter the IP at Enter Host Name/IP.
  • Confirm that the TwinCAT service for the PC and controller has been started, and the Tc icon should be blue or green.
  • Confirm that both parties allow TwinCAT data to pass through the firewall.If there are dual network cards on the PC, it is best to disable the wireless network card and open it after adding ADS routing.
  • If it is a situation where we were able to add it before but cannot add it now, the simplest way is to restart.Confirm that neither network card used for connection is configured as EtherCAT,The best controller's TwinCAT is in configuration mode, 

If all the above steps are completed and still cannot appear in the list, you need to manually add a route.Refer to Chapter 4, Attachment 1: Routing Table Manager. 

3.  Broadcasting works, but no routing 

addedThe mark for successful addition is the "x" appearing under the Connected column. If it does not appear, the following points need to be confirmed:

If "x" does not appear, but there is no error prompt, then you can "Update Status" or rebroadcast, it is possible that the addition has actually been successful.

For non CE systems, confirm that both the current users of the PC and controller have administrator privileges and password protection.

If the route cannot be added, you can also add a user to the controller, set a password, and add a new route.

For CE systems, it is recommended to add them using IP Address as some lower version controllers may not support By Host Name.

The best controller's TwinCAT is in configuration mode,

This is to rule out the possibility that the PLC program has too much computation to respond to ADS requests.

Confirm that the IP and NetID of the existing table entries in the routing table between the PC and the controller are not duplicated with the target controller.

Confirm that the IP, NetID, and computer name of the PC and controller are not duplicated. 

If all the above steps are completed and the addition is still unsuccessful, you need to manually add the route.Refer to Attachment 1: Routing Table Manager. 


Attachment 1: 

Routing Table ManagerWin7 or XP systemRight click on the TwinCAT icon | 'Property' and select the AMS Router page.

Win CE systemRun Explorer.exe and run ' HARDDISK  SYSTEM  TcAmsRemoteMgr. exe'.

If you want to clear the routing table, select each item in the Remote Computer and click "Remove" in sequence.

If you want to manually add routing table entries, click "ADD" and fill in the other party's Name, IP, and NetID as required.

Attachment 2:

 Remote DesktopIf the controller is Win7 or XP,

You can use the built-in remote desktop tools for developing a PC:Attachment | System Tools | Remote Desktop ", or run" mstsc. exe "

Enter the IP or computer name, as well as the username and password of the other party as required to display the remote desktop.

The default Remote Desktop function for Win7 systems with C69 or CP62 is also turned off and needs to be turned on in the control panel.

If the controller is WinCE You need to use the CE remote desktop tool CERHOST.exe for microsoftware. 

CERHOST only requires the IP and mask settings to be correct, and filling in the IP or name in the above figure is sufficient. 

Temporarily turn on the remote desktop function on the CE controller

Since the beginning of 2015, in order to save CPU resources, Beifu's CE controller has been factory set with the CERHOST function turned off, so it is best to connect the monitor before adding routing.

  • Method 1: Run the PLC program.This method is suitable for situations where there is no display, but routing can be added. You can directly open the program: EmbaleCERD.pro and download it to the PLC to run.

  • Method 2: Using the Telnet commandThis method is suitable for situations where only IP is known but routing cannot be addedc: Windows  eyestem32  cmd.exeTelnet 192.168.0.110Welcome to the Windows CE Telnet Service on CX_ 06A056Login: guestPassword: 1Pocket CMD v 6.00\>CD Windows\Windows>cerdisp.exe

Attachment 3: 

How to Confirm IP AddressProgramming PCs always program and configure PC Based controllers through Ethernet, and like communication between other PCs, both communication parties must be in the same network segment. To achieve this, it is necessary to first determine the IP address of the controller before setting the IP addresses of the programming PC and controller to the same network segment.

There are the following methods for controlling the IP address of the Beckhoff controller:
  • Method 1: Suitable for all situations,If you do not know the IP address and do not have a monitor, use the attached Ethernet packet capturing tool "NetScan 1.04. exe"
  • Method 2: Suitable for newly purchased controllers or controllers that have been rebooted from the operating system.When the controller leaves the factory, the IP allocation method is DHCP, which means that the address is assigned by the external router. If there is no router in the network, the default IP address is 169.254.X.X. If the IP address of the PC is also set to 169.254.X.X and the mask is 255.255.0.0.
  • Method 3: Applicable to controllers that have already been used, but do not confirm the IP address, WinCE operating system.Power off, unplug the CF card, use the card reader to delete the folder Document and Setting, and delete all files under  TwinCAT  Boot. Please make a backup before deleting.Then insert the CF card back, power it on again, and handle it according to the default settings.
  • Method 4: Suitable for controllers with DVI interfaces and connected to displays, or for control panels of BeifuFrom the display, enter the Control Panel, locate the Network settings item, and modify the IP settings.