Issue
How to be redundant with your intelligent Building Management System (iBMS)
Product Line
Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation, Field Devices, Satchwell Sigma, Security Expert, TAC INET
Environment
- Existing intelligent Building Management System
- Open Mind High Availability Solutions (Deprecated by manufacturer)
- everRun MX
- ztC Edge
Cause
In engineering, redundancy is the duplication of critical components of a system with the intention of increasing the system's reliability. To be redundant with an intelligent Building Management System (iBMS) would take on two possibilities.
- Have an alarm on critical points alerting personnel who move into action quickly replacing control boards or devices in the event of failure.
- Have secondary backup controllers which upon failure, which are used to control devices resuming functionality. This is accomplished through programming the BAS with event sequences triggered from alarms or flags noting the failure.
Redundancy capabilities and feasibility are site specific. Ascertaining failure in boards, points, or devices is crucial to creating secondary measures to keep seamless processes going and resume with functions.
Error detection and correction with maintenance is often the best practice for preventing failure. Worn components are the leading cause of failure, followed by a lack of planning and consideration in the protection of electrical components through power surges or failures.
For the database, backups including automated backups for MSDE, SQL Express, and Full SQL are available. For further information on database backups and options, take a look at Microsoft SQL Management Studio.
For Host Computer backups, look at adding a secondary computer which replicates the database and can capture transactions and messages should a failure with the primary host computer take place. Also work with the local IT department to keep machines up to date, safe, and clean of 3rd party applications which may interfere with integrity.
Schneider Electric’s building management systems are designed such that building control continues even when controller to server communication is disrupted. The BMS server is home to a database of alarm and historical data, as well as system parameters and programs. When a server or its network connection fails, the collection of data from building controllers halts until the problem is resolved. For data critical applications, this solution provides an environment capable of preventing the data loss that results from these types of failures.
Although we do support its use with EcoStruxure Building Operation, Security Expert, Continuum, I/NET, Vista, Sigma, and I/A Series as a disaster recovery solution, we do not provide direct support for EverRun.
Resolution
For Open Mind High Availability Solutions guide please look at the following link; Open Mind High Availability Solution guide
For everRun MX solution guide please look at the following link; everRun MX guide
For ztC Edge solution guide please look at the following link; ztC Edge guide
