Getting started: Siemens TIA Portal (part 1)

This series will cover how to get started with PLC and HMI programming using legal licenses of Siemens TIA Portal. Specifically, we are going to go through a simple tour of the software, along with example for each section. If you already know the basics of programming, this is not the series for you.

Why Siemens TIA Portal? At the time of this writing, Siemens has a 21-day free trial for it's software. I want you to be able to walk through these steps with me, even if we have a slightly different version or user interface.

Pro-tip: If you are doing work at a professional level for a company, you need to use a properly licensed system. This is not just for ethical reasons, but also because the vendor will give you working software. Systems that have license issues, often because you are working with a cracked key, likely have other issues. A clever adversary would benefit dramatically from direct access to your (or your customer's) OT network. If you walk the adversary through the door, expect issues.

Why read this blog, instead of the free training at TIA University? TIA University is great and free. I highly recommend it. It is hosted by Siemens and will have technical experts give every lecture. It does have a set number of seats and a schedule, hence this set of posts.

What should I do after this series? It is a good choice to look up the brands you have in your region, industry and/or company. You can start by watching some videos on the topic, reading blog posts and maybe even some manuals, but life is a lot different when you actually have a system to play with. The basics will be fairly similar, even if the interfaces are radically different.

How do I start?

Go to the Siemens website

Create and account

Search for TIA Portal downloads

Go ahead and download the ISO file itself.

Run the ISO file. If you are in Windows, you can right click on it and select Mount. This will make it seem like a CD-ROM.

Now try installing as if it was a normal CD-ROM (or DVD). Once you are done, take your well deserved break.