Know-How Protection - Siemens SIMATIC S7-1500 System Manual

Protection

8.5 Know-how protection

8.5 Know-how protection
Application
You can use know-how protection to protect one or more blocks of the OB, FB, FC type and
global data blocks in your program from unauthorized access. You can enter a password to
restrict access to a block. The password offers high-level protection against unauthorized
reading or manipulation of the block.
Readable data
If a block is know-how protected, only the following data is readable without the correct
password:
● Block title, comments and block properties
● Block parameters (INPUT, OUTPUT, IN, OUT, RETURN)
● Call structure of the program
● Global tags without information on the point of use
Further actions
Further actions that can be carried out with a know-how protected block:
● Copying and deleting
● Calling within a program
● Online/offline comparison
● Load
Global data blocks and array data blocks
You cannot provide global data blocks (global DBs) with know-how protection. Users who do
not possess the valid password can read the global data block but not change it.
You cannot provide array data blocks (array DBs) with know-how protection.
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Automation system
System Manual, 09/2016, A5E03461182-AD