An HMI software upgrade fits one installed build. Split the version into software version, build number and build letter, and match all three against the package's stated starting version in the live release notes. When a download page contradicts itself, verify there before installing anything, and never change the installed software to fit a typo.
An HMI programming software upgrade fits exactly one installed build, and the build letter is part of that address. Before you download anything, read the full version string from the software on your workstation, split it into its three parts, and match all three against the package's stated starting version in the publisher's live release notes. When a download page names two different starting builds for the same file, the page is wrong in one place, and the release notes settle which line to trust. Nothing in that conflict is a reason to change software that is already installed and working.
What the version string says
A version written 1.21 Build 6.18A carries three facts in order. The software version is 1.21. The build number is 6.18. The build letter is A, and it marks the revision inside that build number, so an upgrade that moves A to E moves from one revision to a later one inside the same build.
6.16A is not another spelling of it. The note-line build number is 6.16, a different build, and the letter does not carry that difference. One wrong digit pair in a prerequisite line is the whole distance between a package that fits your workstation and a package that names a machine you do not have.
An upgrade package states two versions: the starting build it updates and the target build it produces. The starting build is the prerequisite. The installed software must match the prerequisite, and the target must be the build you want.
Symptoms and what each points to
- The installer reports an unexpected version. The installed build does not match the prerequisite in the package notes. Stop the install and re-read both strings down to the build letter, part by part.
- The page names two starting builds for one package. The headline names the installed build, and a note line says the workstation must have 1.21 Build 6.16A installed. One of the two lines is a documentation error, and the package stays unresolved until the live release notes name one starting build.
- Two files sit on the page. The full install carries the whole program at the target build, so it has no starting-build test. The upgrade carries one starting build and fits only the workstation that already runs it. The stated starting build decides which file is yours.
- The software reports a build you never installed. The wrong package ran, or the first install was interrupted and a second was stacked on it. Restore the workstation from the backup you made, then start again at the version check.
- The panel stops communicating after the workstation update. The workstation software and the panel's own firmware are independent numbers, checked separately. Work through the checks for a panel that will not communicate after an update before you touch the project again.
Example: choosing the file for a workstation at 1.21 Build 6.18A
Inputs. The workstation runs the panel's programming software, which reports 1.21 Build 6.18A in its version display. The publisher's download page lists two files. File 1 is a full install that installs build 6.18E. File 2 is an upgrade whose headline says it updates that installed build to 6.18E, and whose note line adds that the workstation must have 1.21 Build 6.16A installed for the update to work. The installed string comes from the software itself; the rest comes from the page as published.
Rule. Split every version string into 3 parts: software version, build number, build letter. An upgrade fits only when all 3 parts of the installed string equal all 3 parts of its stated starting build. The full install has no starting-build test.
Comparison. Installed parts: 1.21, 6.18, A. Against the headline starting build: 1.21 = 1.21, 6.18 = 6.18, A = A, 3 matches out of 3 parts. Against the note-line starting build: 1.21 = 1.21, 6.18 ≠ 6.16, A = A, 2 matches and 1 mismatch out of 3 parts. On the page as a whole, two lines name the headline build as the start and one line names 6.16A, so the page contradicts itself until the release notes name one starting build.
Result. The installed build matches the upgrade's headline prerequisite on all 3 parts, and the target 6.18E is the later build. The 6.16A line is the single conflicting line.
Decision. When the live release notes name the headline build as the starting build, download the upgrade from the publisher's own page and install it; the workstation ends at build 6.18E. If the live notes still print 6.16A, install nothing: report the conflict and keep the working installation.
Checks before you install
Plan about 30 minutes for the version check, the backup and the install, and keep 2 copies of the project backup: one on the workstation and one on separate media.
- Read the installed version. Open the programming software on the workstation and write down the complete string, build letter included. If a project transfer follows the upgrade, run the firmware revision check before a project transfer first.
- Open the live release notes on the publisher's current download page. A saved copy or a printed list can carry a prerequisite line that has since been corrected.
- Match all 3 parts against the stated starting build, as in the example above, and confirm the target build is the one you want.
- Back up the project on the workstation and keep the previous installer as the recovery path. A backup that will not open is no recovery path; when a project backup from CD-R refuses to open, clear the read-only flag on the project backup first.
- Download only from the publisher's own page or its authorized distributor.
Run it and verify
Run the matched upgrade on its own. Do not interrupt the installation and do not start a second package while the first is running. If the installer reports an unexpected version, stop there: forcing an update past that warning on the workstation that programs a production line turns a fixable mismatch into a dead workstation mid-shift. Take the installed string, the target version and the exact installer message to the publisher.
After the install, reopen the software and confirm it reports the target build. Open a copy of the project and confirm it loads. The installation, the project load and the panel checks are separate steps with their own confirmations, so finish all three before the updated workstation drives production.
Recommendation: before any HMI programming-software upgrade, read the installed version string down to the build letter, match all 3 parts against the upgrade's stated starting build in the live release notes, and run the installer only on a 3-out-of-3 match. With the workstation at 1.21 Build 6.18A and the live notes naming that build as the starting build, the upgrade to 6.18E is the correct file. If no upgrade package names your installed build, take the version string and the page text to the publisher before installing anything, and keep the full install for a machine that has no copy of the software yet.
Questions
Where do I read the installed version from?
Read it from the programming software's own version display on the workstation, and write down the complete string including the build letter. The panel's own firmware revision is a separate number stored on the panel; the two are independent. If a project transfer follows the upgrade, check the firmware revision against the transfer requirements in the panel documentation before you send anything.
Who corrects a wrong prerequisite line on a download page?
The software's publisher does, once the conflict is reported. A page that names two starting builds for one package carries a documentation error in its text, and publishers fix such listing errors. Until the correction is live, treat the package as unresolved: use the release notes, which carry one prerequisite per package, and send the publisher the installed version, the target version and the conflicting lines. Never change a working installation to satisfy a typo.
What if no upgrade package names my installed build?
Then the publisher's notes document no upgrade path for that combination, and the supported route runs through the publisher: send the full installed version string, the target version and the page text or the exact installer message. Keep the full install for a machine that has no copy of the software yet, and keep the project backup and the previous installer until the path is confirmed.
Planning information, not legal or engineering advice. Rules differ by place: check codes and permits with your local authority and your licensed trades.