Hardware software is the layer of software that is inseparable from the industrial hardware it enables — the runtime environment that turns an HMI panel touch display into a functional operator interface, the firmware that controls how a PLC CPU executes its programme and communicates with I/O modules, the operating system image that allows an industrial PC to run SCADA or machine vision applications, and the communication drivers that connect hardware devices to data collection and visualisation systems. Unlike standalone SCADA or PLC programming tools which operate on general-purpose engineering workstations, hardware software is hardware-specific: a Siemens SIMATIC HMI panel running WinCC Runtime Advanced requires the exact matching runtime version, a Mitsubishi GOT2000 terminal requires a GT Works3 licence matched to its firmware version, and an industrial PC shipped without the correct OS image cannot be commissioned without the appropriate software package.
DAS Company supplies hardware software as an integrated part of hardware procurement — providing matched runtime licences, firmware packages and OS software alongside the physical hardware items from our authorised brand portfolio, eliminating the disconnected sourcing of hardware from one supplier and software from another that creates version mismatches, licence management problems and commissioning delays.
Every HMI touchscreen panel requires two distinct software licences: a development (engineering) tool used on the engineer's PC to create screens and configure communication, and a runtime licence embedded in the panel itself that executes the HMI application and provides the operator interface at runtime. The runtime licence is hardware-bound — it runs only on the specific panel it is licensed for and cannot be transferred to a different device without re-licensing.
Siemens WinCC Runtime (Advanced and Professional) runs on SIMATIC IPC industrial PCs to provide PC-based HMI and SCADA applications — separate from the WinCC Comfort and Unified runtime pre-licensed in SIMATIC KTP and TP hardware panels. WinCC Runtime licences are available in I/O point tiers: 128, 512, 2048, 8192 and Unlimited tag options for applications scaling from single-machine PC HMI to plant-wide PC SCADA. Mitsubishi GT Works3 Runtime is pre-loaded in GOT2000 series panels at purchase; firmware updates (GT2000 system program packages) are required when upgrading panel features or ensuring compatibility with new GX Works3 PLC application versions — firmware and software version matching is mandatory for stable GOT-to-PLC communication. Rockwell FactoryTalk View ME Runtime licences activate PanelView Plus 7 terminals for FactoryTalk View Machine Edition HMI applications; the runtime licence is panel-specific and must match the FactoryTalk View Studio version used for application development. Omron NA-series HMI Runtime is pre-loaded in NA5-series panels; firmware updates from Omron's support portal require an authorised Omron distribution account for download access.
PLC firmware is the embedded operating system of the controller CPU — governing how the processor executes IEC 61131-3 logic, manages memory, handles communication interrupts and interfaces with I/O modules. Firmware version mismatches between a PLC CPU and its programming software are the most common cause of unexpected connection failures during commissioning and maintenance: TIA Portal V18 projects cannot be downloaded to a Siemens S7-1200 CPU running firmware below V4.5 without a firmware update first; GX Works3 structured text functions require minimum FX5U firmware V1.200; Studio 5000 V34 projects cannot be downloaded to CompactLogix controllers running firmware V30 without an upgrade.
Siemens SIMATIC firmware packages (S7-1200, S7-1500, ET 200SP CPUs) are available as authorised downloads for registered TIA Portal licence holders — DAS Company provides firmware download access as part of SIMATIC hardware supply and TIA Portal licence orders. Rockwell Automation firmware files for CompactLogix and ControlLogix processors are available through the Rockwell Compatibility & Download Center to registered Rockwell accounts; DAS Company facilitates account registration and firmware access for customers purchasing Allen-Bradley hardware. Mitsubishi MELSEC firmware (FX5U, NJ-series) is available via the Mitsubishi FA Global Website download portal with product registration. DAS Company's engineering team provides firmware version compatibility checking before hardware dispatch — confirming that the firmware version on shipped hardware matches the programming software version the customer's engineering team is using, eliminating the first-day commissioning firmware mismatch that delays project start-up.
Industrial PCs (IPC) used as HMI workstations, SCADA servers, machine vision platforms and edge computing nodes require an industrial-grade operating system — typically Microsoft Windows IoT Enterprise (formerly Windows Embedded Standard), which provides the standard Windows application compatibility that AVEVA InTouch, WinCC Runtime and other SCADA applications require, while adding long-term support lifecycle (10-year LTSC releases), write-filter technology (protecting the OS drive from application writes that degrade solid-state media), and OEM customisation capability for locked-down kiosk-mode deployments.
Windows IoT Enterprise licences for industrial PCs are hardware-bound OEM licences — they are licensed per device and are supplied as part of the IPC hardware order, not as standalone retail software. DAS Company supplies Windows IoT Enterprise activation licences alongside Rittal Lumia IPC, Siemens SIMATIC IPC and ESA Automation Lumia IPC hardware orders — ensuring the industrial PC arrives commissioned with the correct OS, write-filter configuration and required runtimes pre-installed where specified. For panel PCs requiring Linux-based operating systems (common on Teltonika gateway hardware, PLCnext controllers and certain embedded HMI platforms), DAS Company provides the manufacturer's Linux image and configuration guidance as part of the hardware commissioning package.
Communication drivers are the software components that allow SCADA, historian and data collection systems to read and write data from PLC and field device hardware — translating device-specific protocols (Siemens S7, Modbus TCP, EtherNet/IP, PROFIBUS, DNP3) into standardised OPC DA, OPC UA or database formats that the upper-layer software consumes. Without a compatible communication driver, a SCADA system cannot acquire data from the field regardless of how well-engineered the HMI application is.
AVEVA Communication Drivers (formerly Wonderware DAServer) provide the OPC-compliant driver layer for AVEVA InTouch and System Platform — supporting Siemens S7-300/400/1200/1500 (MPI, PROFIBUS, Ethernet ISO-on-TCP), Rockwell CIP EtherNet/IP, Modbus TCP/RTU, ABB, Omron, Mitsubishi and 200+ additional device protocols. AVEVA Communication Drivers are licensed separately from InTouch and System Platform and must be selected to match the device protocols used in the installation. Kepware KEPServerEX (now PTC) is the market-leading third-party OPC server, available as a standalone product or embedded in various SCADA platforms — providing OPC DA, OPC UA and MQTT connectivity to 150+ protocol drivers for mixed-brand installations where a single SCADA platform's native drivers do not cover all required device types. DAS Company provides KEPServerEX licences as part of SCADA system supply where required by the application protocol mix.
The interdependency between hardware firmware versions and software tool versions is one of the most frequently overlooked factors in industrial automation commissioning. A PLC purchased 18 months ago from a distributor's existing stock may carry firmware that predates the current programming software version — creating a compatibility error when the engineer attempts to connect. An HMI panel ordered as a direct replacement for a failed unit may carry a newer firmware than the existing application was developed on — requiring a firmware downgrade or application migration before the replacement panel will load the existing project. A SCADA communication driver version that worked correctly with PLC firmware V2.0 may lose specific function block access after a PLC firmware update to V4.0 due to changed data structures.
DAS Company's engineering team performs version compatibility checks as standard for hardware orders where software interaction is declared — confirming PLC firmware against stated TIA Portal/Studio 5000/GX Works3 version, GOT firmware against GT Works3 version, and WinCC Runtime version against reported SIMATIC panel configuration before dispatch. Customers commissioning replacement hardware or integrating new hardware into existing systems are encouraged to declare their current software versions at the time of order to enable this pre-dispatch compatibility verification.
For automation systems subject to regulatory validation — pharmaceutical manufacturing under FDA 21 CFR Part 11, EU GMP Annex 11, or medical device manufacturing under IEC 62304 — firmware and software version control is a mandatory validated system attribute. Every firmware version installed on a PLC or HMI in a validated system must be documented in the validated system configuration, tested during IQ/OQ validation and formally controlled through a change management procedure for any subsequent update. DAS Company provides firmware version documentation (manufacturer batch documentation, firmware version certificate) on request for hardware supplied to pharmaceutical and regulated industry customers — providing the traceability records required for IQ (Installation Qualification) documentation in validated automation systems.
Contact DAS Company's engineering team for hardware software sourcing — including HMI runtime licence sizing, PLC firmware version compatibility verification, IPC operating system specification and communication driver selection for specific device protocol requirements across your automation project.
