Protection
9.4 Know-how protection
Distributed I/O system
160 System Manual, 09/2019, A5E03576849-AJ
9.4 Know-how protection
Application
You can use know-how protection to protect one or more OB, FB or FC blocks as well as
global data blocks in your program from unauthorized access. Enter a password to restrict
access to a block. The password offers high-level protection against unauthorized reading or
manipulation of the block.
Password provider
As an alternative to manual entry of password, you can connect a password provider to
STEP 7. When using a password provider, you select a password from a list of available
passwords. When a protected block is opened, STEP 7 connects to the password provider
and retrieves the corresponding password.
To connect a password provider you have to install and activate it. A settings file in which
you define the use of a password provider is also required.
A password provider offers the following advantages:
● The password provider defines and manages the passwords. When know-how protected
blocks are opened, you work with symbolic names for passwords. A password is marked,
for example, with the symbolic name "Machine_1" n the password provider. The actual
password behind "Machine1" remains hidden from you.
A password provider therefore offers you optimum block protection as the users do not
know the password themselves.
● STEP 7 automatically opens know-how protected blocks without the direct entry of a
password. This saves you time.
You will find more information on connecting a password provider in the STEP 7 online help.
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 in a program
● Online/offline comparison
● Load
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