Lanier
Not merely has BMW electrical architecture adjusted more than the last ten years, but so has the tools to company them. The machines has improved, the interfaces have altered as well as the complexity of set up and use. More info Click Here.
Early instruments
Back during the 1990's, the Group Tester 1 (GT1) was launched. There were some versions, like DIS Furthermore (stationary set up), even so the GT1 is among the most popular and is particularly what will be referenced listed here. The GT1 is really a portable product which contained a rechargeable battery. It's a touchscreen display screen for easy use. It contained application for Diagnosing in addition to experienced software program identified as TIS (Technical Facts Show) which happens to be the Support & Repair Information. Early versions of Diagnostics also contained computer software referred to as Coding, Programming & Individualization (CIP). So from the same tool, you could Diagnose the problem, look up how to replace the component and then perform the needed initializations for the new part. Two interfaces were used: EDIC (yellow interface) and the OPS (orange interface). Later variations of the OPS were being known as OPPS, since they carried additional diagnostics for the Byteflite system and they were being also yellow, but much bigger than the EDIC. Authentic GT1s are on the transportable touchscreen unit. There are many "cloned" units out there, adapted to work on a PC. Either genuine or cloned, the interfaces work the same and connect via an Ethernet port.
Later variations of the GT1 software program removed CIP, and moved it to a separate computer (for storage), but still accessible from the GT1. This new program was referred to as Progman (short for Program Manager). This new application contained all of the CIP functions and added new features like multiple car programming and dual channel programming for each car (DIAGBUS and MOST bus simultaneously).
Third Generation equipment
Fast forward to about 2008 when the Third Generation (3G) of tools was released: ISIS. The contents of ISIS are so large, that dedicated servers are installed at the dealership. An online version is available to the aftermarket for a fee, termed OSS. It can be found at BMW's tech website. With the introduction of ISIS comes a new interface, called ICOM. Previous interfaces (EDIC & OPS) won't work with ISIS. ISIS consists of a couple of parts, since it completely replaced GT1 & Progman. The main part of ISIS that is used inside the shop is called "ISTA", which can be further broken down into two parts: ISTA/D for Diagnosing vehicles and ISTA/P for Coding, Programming & Individualization.
Comparison
GT1s can be found just about anywhere, including eBay for very cheap. BMW realized that the tool was easily cloned and sold worldwide. Many levels of security have been put into the creation of ISIS to prevent this, in both resident servers and online versions. This makes it much harder for non-dealer shops to work on the newer cars. A person would think that since the GT1 was discontinued in 2009, you could just keep using that for several more years until the newer system became more available, even so, BMW stayed just one step ahead! Whenever a car is programmed with the new ISTA/P, it upgrades the computer software beyond the level of what Program can recognize. That means, once a car has been updated with ISTA/P, you can NEVER use Progman on it again, rendering the "cloned" variations useless on that particular car. Also, when a new module is installed, the computer software that is pre-installed on that module is also newer than what Program can recognize, which can stop the entire programming process, forcing the car to be programmed by ISTA/P.
