Siemens S7-1500 (and S7-1200 V4.5+) PLCs embed a native OPC UA server that can be configured directly from TIA Portal: expose or restrict variables, set Security Mode and Policy, manage certificates, all without any additional hardware.
True
The TIA Portal workflow for OPC UA on an S7-1500 is straightforward. In CPU properties, the OPC UA section enables the server. The integrator then picks the endpoint Security Mode (None, Sign, SignAndEncrypt), imports or generates the CPU certificates, configures user authentication (Anonymous, Username/Password), and finally maps PLC tags to OPC UA nodes using a UserDefined Type in a custom namespace. After compile and download, a MES such as Inductive Ignition or Siemens WinCC can read PLC values directly through OPC UA, with no custom driver in between.
Before enabling OPC UA on a production S7-1500, plan the certificate lifecycle: TIA-generated certificates are usually short-lived, and an expired server certificate silently breaks every OPC UA client at renewal time.
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