GE Mark VIe Control Logic Backup: Archive vs PDF Guide
For a GE Mark VIe control logic backup, create a restorable ToolboxST system archive for recovery and use PDF output only as human-readable documentation. A PDF copy of application logic can support reviews, audits, and troubleshooting, but it is not a substitute for the engineering project archive.
This distinction is easy to miss when engineers move between DCS platforms. Some systems use the word “publish” for printable control logic. In the Mark VIe environment, the recovery artifact and the readable document serve different purposes.
Why a PDF Is Not a GE Mark VIe Recovery Backup
The Control.com discussion that prompted this guide started with a simple question: how can Mark VIe control logic be backed up as a published PDF?
Experienced contributor CSA separated two different requirements. ToolboxST can print application code for documentation. A system archive is the correct artifact for restoring the engineering project.
This matters because a PDF contains a representation of the logic. It does not preserve the complete project in a format that ToolboxST can restore and continue engineering.
| Artifact | Primary purpose | Restorable in ToolboxST? | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| ToolboxST system archive | Engineering recovery | Yes, when created and validated correctly | Disaster recovery, workstation replacement, project restoration |
| PDF logic print | Readable documentation | No | Review, troubleshooting, audit, markup |
| Network topology | Architecture record | No | Recovery planning, lifecycle review, troubleshooting |
| Software/version manifest | Environment record | No | Rebuilding the engineering workstation and validating compatibility |
| Hardware inventory | Installed-base record | No | Spare planning, lifecycle management, replacement engineering |
What GE Vernova Says About Mark VIe Engineering Software
GE Vernova describes ControlST as the software foundation for Mark VIe control applications. The suite includes ToolboxST for hardware configuration, control software configuration, diagnostics, and configuration management.
GE Vernova also states that ToolboxST includes configuration management tools for revision control and historical record tracking. That makes the engineering project more than a collection of printed logic sheets.
The Mark VIe control platform can span turbine control, plant control, HMI functions, networks, excitation systems, safety systems, and other components. A complete site backup should therefore preserve the engineering context around the control logic.
How to Create the Recovery Archive in ToolboxST
The exact menu wording can vary with the installed ControlST release. In the Control.com discussion, CSA points to the main ToolboxST project window and the File > Archive System… function.
The same discussion references Extract System Archive… for reopening an archived system later. Use the built-in ToolboxST Help for the installed release before performing the task.
- Confirm the project identity. Record the site, unit, controller, project name, and engineering workstation.
- Verify the project is current. Do not assume the files on the workstation match the as-running controller configuration.
- Create the system archive. Use the archive function provided by the installed ToolboxST release.
- Keep the default scope unless your procedure says otherwise. Avoid accidentally excluding configuration needed for recovery.
- Save the archive outside the active project directory. A backup on the same disk is not sufficient disaster recovery.
- Copy the archive to controlled secondary storage. Use an access-controlled engineering repository or approved offline medium.
- Record ControlST and related software versions. Recovery is easier when the engineering environment is documented.
- Test extraction on a non-production environment. Confirm that the archive can be opened without using the live controller as the test target.
Do You Need to Be Online With the Mark VIe Controller?
Creating an archive of the local ToolboxST project is fundamentally a workstation-side operation. The more important question is whether that local project represents the actual as-running configuration.
If the engineering project is stale, the archive will faithfully preserve stale data. A technically successful archive can still be the wrong recovery point.
Before declaring the backup complete, use your site’s approved procedure to establish that the engineering project matches the running system. This may involve a controlled compare, upload, or configuration verification process.
Do not connect online casually on an operating turbine. Access, compare, upload, and download actions should follow plant cybersecurity and management-of-change procedures.
What Is an “As-Running” Mark VIe Archive?
GE Vernova uses the term as running software archive in its current Mark VIe Lifecycle Review requirements. The company gives a site TCW file as an example of the software archive it may request from a customer.
That official requirement is useful because it confirms the recovery package should represent the plant’s current engineering state, not only the original as-shipped project.
File packaging can differ by ControlST generation and site configuration. Do not decide whether a backup is valid only from its extension. Validate it with the installed engineering tools and site procedures.
How to Create a Human-Readable PDF of Mark VIe Logic
If the goal is documentation rather than recovery, ToolboxST can print application logic. The Control.com discussion points users to the normal print function inside ToolboxST.
A PDF printer can then capture the printed output as a file. However, large turbine projects can produce hundreds of pages.
The printed result may also look different from the interactive logic view in ToolboxST. That is normal because a static document cannot reproduce every navigation, cross-reference, or live diagnostic feature.
For a useful PDF package:
- Print the application logic by controller or functional area.
- Include page titles that identify the unit and project revision.
- Record the ControlST version and archive date on the document set.
- Print configuration information needed to interpret the logic.
- Separate turbine control, safety, HMI, exciter, and other systems when appropriate.
- Store the PDF beside the restorable archive, not instead of it.
Why One PDF Usually Cannot Represent the Entire Mark VIe Plant
A Mark VIe installation can include more than one control domain. GE Vernova’s current platform covers turbine control and full plant DCS applications.
Related systems may include Mark VIeS safety, WorkstationST HMI functions, EX2100e excitation, static starters, network configuration, and plant-level control applications.
A single “control logic PDF” therefore cannot always describe the whole recovery state. The control logic is only one part of the engineering configuration.
This is why the archive should remain the primary technical backup. PDF documentation is a secondary layer for human review.
What Else Should Be Included in a Mark VIe Backup Package?
GE Vernova’s Lifecycle Review requirements provide a useful checklist for site documentation. In addition to an as-running software archive, GE requests several items when assessing a Mark VIe installation.
- As-running software archive, such as the site TCW file
- As-running network topology drawing
- Installed ControlST and CIMPLICITY versions
- Mark VIe, EX2100e, and LS2100e panel nameplate records
- Current installed hardware inventory
- HMI or OTArmor workstation and server information
- Operating system versions
- Network switch model information
These records are useful outside a formal lifecycle review. They reduce uncertainty when rebuilding an engineering workstation or planning an outage.
Recommended Backup Structure for a Power Plant
A strong control-system backup should make the recovery point obvious. Use a structured folder instead of leaving unrelated files on an engineering workstation desktop.
MarkVIe_Backup/
├── 01_ToolboxST_Archive/
├── 02_Logic_PDF/
├── 03_Network_Topology/
├── 04_HMI_and_CIMPLICITY/
├── 05_Software_Versions/
├── 06_Hardware_Inventory/
├── 07_Change_Record/
└── README_Backup_Manifest.txtThe manifest should identify the unit, backup date, engineer, ControlST version, archive filename, and known open changes. A checksum can also help confirm the archive has not changed during transfer.
Archive Validation Is More Important Than Archive Creation
A backup is useful only if it can be recovered. The archive process should therefore include a validation step.
Where site policy allows, extract the archive on a separate engineering environment. Confirm the project structure opens correctly and expected components are present.
Do not use the production controller as a restore-test target. A recovery drill should be designed so it cannot create an unintended plant change.
This validation mindset is also important during commissioning. See our PLC commissioning checklist for a broader handover and backup workflow.
Revision Control and Change Management
One archive labeled “backup” is not enough for a long-lived turbine control system. Keep dated recovery points around controlled changes.
A practical archive set can include:
- Baseline after commissioning
- Pre-outage backup
- Pre-modification backup
- Post-modification verified backup
- Major software upgrade backup
- Periodic validated as-running backup
Each archive should link to the corresponding management-of-change record. That connection makes it easier to understand why logic differs between revisions.
Control engineering increasingly depends on this documentation discipline. Our article on control engineering skills in AI-assisted automation explains why engineering context remains important even when software tools become faster.
Common Mark VIe Backup Mistakes
- Treating a PDF as a restorable engineering backup
- Archiving a local project without confirming it is current
- Keeping the only archive on the engineering workstation
- Saving logic but omitting network and software-version records
- Overwriting the previous known-good archive after every change
- Never testing archive extraction
- Using unclear filenames such as
backup-final-new.zip - Mixing as-shipped and as-running files without clear labels
- Ignoring Mark VIeS, HMI, excitation, or related system configuration
A Practical Naming Convention
Use filenames that tell the recovery story without opening the archive.
UNIT1_MARKVIE_ASRUNNING_2026-09-24_CONTROLST-vXX_REV03
UNIT1_MARKVIE_PRE-OUTAGE_2026-10-10
UNIT1_MARKVIE_POST-MOD_2026-10-18_MOC-2026-041Use the site’s actual revision and software information. Do not invent version numbers simply to fit a naming template.
FAQ
Is a PDF a valid backup of GE Mark VIe control logic?
No. A PDF is useful documentation, but it is not a restorable ToolboxST engineering project. Keep a system archive for recovery.
How should GE Mark VIe control logic be backed up?
Create an as-running ToolboxST system archive, store it outside the engineering workstation, and validate that the archive can be extracted in a safe environment.
Do I need to be online with the controller to create the archive?
You do not need a live controller merely to package a local ToolboxST project. However, you must verify that the local project represents the current as-running configuration before relying on it.
Can ToolboxST print Mark VIe control logic to PDF?
ToolboxST can print application logic. A PDF printer can capture that output for documentation, but large systems may create very large document sets.
What is a TCW file in a Mark VIe backup context?
GE Vernova currently cites a site TCW file as an example of an as-running software archive used for Mark VIe lifecycle review. Exact archive packaging can depend on the installed ControlST environment.
What should be stored with the Mark VIe archive?
Keep network topology, ControlST and CIMPLICITY versions, hardware inventory, workstation details, network switch information, change records, and readable logic documentation with the recovery package.
Should the archive be tested?
Yes. A backup should be validated through controlled extraction on a non-production engineering environment whenever site policy allows.
Technical Sources
Field discussion: In DCS GE MarkVIe how to make back-up of control logic in published pdf file?, Control.com. The thread was started by rollymts on February 22, 2022. The archive-versus-PDF distinction was explained by contributor CSA. A later follow-up from Ali Azeem Qureshi raised the online-versus-offline backup question.
OEM platform reference: GE Vernova Mark VIe Distributed Control System.
OEM software reference: GE Vernova ControlST Software Suite.
OEM lifecycle reference: GE Vernova Mark VIe Lifecycle Reviews.
Related AITUOS Controls guide: Manufacturing Data Connectivity Across Company Systems.
