Skip to content
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

Rockwell Product Lifecycle Status Meanings

All Rockwell products have a Lifecycle status category, but what do they mean?

 The definitions and meanings of the following replacement Product Categories used in the Product Lifecycle Status Tool are:
  • Direct Replacement
  • Functional Replacement
  • Engineered Replacement
  • No Planned Replacement
The Product Lifecycle Status tool uses the following Replacement Product Category definitions for a recommended replacement product when existing products are obsolete and discontinued.

Direct Replacement

A new product or product family that can be used in place of an earlier product without any user modification or adjustment. Form, fit, and function are backward-compatible, and no additional tools, configuration or application changes, or software or product updates are required to the product or any system-related products. Often referred to as a drop-in replacement, a Direct Replacement product does not noticeably affect system functionality.

Functional Replacement

A new product or product family that can be used in place of an earlier product with minimal changes to an existing application. Form, fit, or function remain backwards-compatible, but include alterations that may require software or firmware updates, configuration changes, or minor mounting and electrical modifications. The new product/family may have features or functions to provide increased capability, but whose usage is optional. A functional replacement does not noticeably affect system functionality.

Engineered Replacement

A new product or product family that can be used to migrate from an earlier product, but requires engineering changes to existing applications. Form, fit, or function have changed and are NOT backward-compatible, requiring engineering effort that may include additional software/hardware tools and products or architectural modifications. Services to support these replacements may be available from Rockwell Automation or our partners.

No Planned Replacement

Typically this is a business / product area that Rockwell Automation has chosen to exit for business, technology or market change reasons. 

 

Differences between a Functional Replacement and an Engineered Replacement

The following table includes specific product changes by category that fall into either the Functional Replacement or Engineered Replacement use cases.

Change Category Functional Replacement Engineered Replacement
Device Mounting The new product fits within the same height, width and depth as the previous product. Use of an adapter kit (available as a standard catalog number) to line up new product with mounting of previous product is acceptable Height, width, or depth dimension of the new product is greater or smaller than the previous product. Requires user to re-drill mounting holes or install a custom adapter.
Device Wiring The new product supports the same quantity and type of wiring points. Wiring terminal locations are such that customer can reuse wires from installation of previous product. Use of an adapter kit (available as a standard catalog number) to line up wiring of new product with previous product is acceptable. Different quantity or type of wiring points is supplied with the new product. Terminal locations require user to route new wire or install a custom adapter.
Device Connectivity The new product supports the same network type/specifications, but connectors are located on a different part of the new product. The new product supports different network types or specifications. Cables, connectors or other related network components need to be replaced and rerouted.
Power Source for the Device The new product supports the same in-coming power supply source and power requirements, but rewiring is required. The new product supports different power supply source and power requirements. New wiring and/or power supplies are required
Software The new product utilizes the same software package as previous product, but may require a new version of the software package or updated device Profile. The new product requires a new software package or configuration tool (not used on previous product).