Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue A program in bCX or b3 is writing/reading to/from a second device, the write/read operation is not working and the second device is not listed on the list of known devices in the bCX/b3 that has the program. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation BACnet bCX b3 Cause Device is not answering to WHO-IS message. When a reference is made in a device (A) to a second device (B) a WHO-IS message is sent from A to B, when the I-AM is received the devices is added to the list of known devices. If no I-AM is received then the device remains unknown and cannot be listed, as a consequence write/read messages (among other things) will fail. In the screen shot below device b3.810 know about itself and one other device (b3.867). If a program in b3.810 performs a WriteProperty operation to a third device C, the WriteProperty operation can not succeed until C has been added to the list of known devices via the internal mechanism explained above. Resolution Use Wireshark to check whether the device with the reference is sending out the WHO-IS and more importantly whether an I-AM is coming back from the destination device. In the case that originated this ticket, the destination third party device would not consistently send an I-AM when operating at high baud rate, the MSTP baud had to be lowered to 19200 .

Issue What are the valid Electrical Types for the smart sensor input on a controller Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment BACnet b3 controllers Infinet i2 controllers Smart or Room Sensor Input b3/i2 controllers excluding b3/i2 608, 824 and 885V Cause What are the valid Electrical Types for the smart input on a controller? Resolution Input X (SmartSensor) valid Electrical Types are:- ACC_TEMP_DEGF ACC_TEMP_DEGC Digital Note If using a Smart sensor then ACC_TEMP_DEGF or ACC_TEMP_DEGC should be used The temperature range is limited, thus room sensors can be used but not duct or pipe sensors as the temperature range is limited to 0-50DegC  

Issue Preventing access to a controller via the built-in web server. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CX9680 Cause Limiting access to controller configuration Resolution Starting in version 2.100028 of the CX9680 (NC2) controller the web server can be disabled using the following procedure: Access the controller Web Server through a Web browser (using the configured IP or if the IP has not yet been configured, by using 169.254.1.1) Select the “Controller Configuration” page Change the Web Server Port (default is 80) to 0 Click on the “Submit to Controller” button Select the “Commit Changes” page and click on the “Commit Changes/Restart Controller” button NOTE: To re-enable the web server the controller must be reset to factory defaults using the reset ip switch. NOTE: On a 99xx to disable or enable contact repair and there is a charge. A flash file can be sent.

Issue Which Infinet controllers support flash backup? Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Infinet controllers i1 SCX, LCX, TCX & i2 Cause Not all controllers support flash backup. Resolution All i2 controllers can be backed up to flash but none of the i1 controllers SCX,LCX, TCX etc have flash memory fitted. Controllers with a grey icon (i2) on the Continuum Explorer view can be backed up to flash where the orange icons (i1) can not.

Issue Site has a third party BACnet router and B-OWS, want to connect brand new b3s on the MSTP of the BACnet router and configure an application in the b3s using the third party B-OWS. Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment b3 Third party BACnet system Cause Documentation Resolution Configuring a new b3 using a BACnet system other than Continuum or EcoStruxure Building Operation is NOT supported. Brand new b3s are shipped from the factory without a valid master MAC id, which means the b3 will not participate on MSTP communications until it has been assigned a valid mac id via a proprietary LEARN mechanism. b3s do not support dynamic object creation of IO points or programs which can only be created using Schneider Electric's Continuum or EcoStruxure Building Operation BACnet BMS.

Issue How can I determine which comm port on my Infinity Controller has been Xdriver enabled. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Infinity Controller CX9900 (NC), CX9980 (NC2), bCX9640, bCX4040, ACX5720 ACX5740 XDriver, x-driver Cause Need to determine if the comm port(s) on a controller are XDriver enabled. Resolution View the controller options page in CyberStation or from the controllers webpage.  NC2 (NCII, NetController 2, CX9680) Option tab - example NC2 Xdriver Comm1 : 00000009 (0000)  (XDriver enable and but not loaded) Xdriver Comm2 : 00000000 (0000)  (XDriver not enabled) Xdriver Comm3 : 00000000 (0000)  (XDriver not enabled) Xdriver Comm4 : 00000000 (0000)  (XDriver not enabled)   bCX bCX9640 bCX4040 - NOT bCX4000 The bCX has two comms ports, the XDriver functions can be enabled on none, either or both at the time of ordering (add X1, X2 or X12) Option tab - example bCX Xdrvr Comm1:00000009 (DF23)  (XDriver enable and loaded) Xdrvr Comm2:00000000 (0000)  (XDriver not enabled) ACX ACX5720 ACX5740 The ACX57x0 has a single comm port, the XDriver functions can be enabled at the time of ordering (see the Option tab - example ACX57 Xdriver Comm1 : 00000009 (0000)  (XDriver enable and but not loaded) NOTES (00000000=XDriver not enabled, 00000001=CommPort only, 00000009=CommPort & Ethernet enable) The four digit number in bracket shows which Xdriver is load and corresponds to "Xdriver valid" at the bottom of the xdriver.xdr file. If Ethernet support is required on the port then this should be requested at the time of ordering. XDrivers like Modbus TCP/IP and Bacnet IP are loaded on to a comms port but communicate via the Ethernet port, therefore the XDriver Ethernet support needs to be enabled for these XDrivers to operate.

Issue What is Domain Name Service (DNS)? Product Line Andover Continuum,EcoStruxure Access Expert,EcoStruxure Building Expert,EcoStruxure Building Operation,EcoStruxure Security Expert,Satchwell BAS & Sigma,Satchwell MicroNet,TAC IA Series,TAC INET,TAC Vista Environment TCP/IP Networks Cause DNS is a distributed hierarchical system for resolving host names into IP address. Under DNS, there is no central database with all of the Internet host information. The information is distributed among thousands of name servers organized into a hierarchy similar to the UNIX file system. DNS has a root domain at the top of the domain hierarchy that is served by a group of name servers called the root servers. Source: TCP/IP Network Administration by Craig Hunt, O’Reilly & Associates, Inc. Resolution Short for Domain Name System (or Service or Server), an Internet service that translates domain names into IP addresses. Because domain names are alphabetic, they're easier to remember. The Internet however, is really based on IP addresses. Every time you use a domain name, therefore, a DNS service must translate the name into the corresponding IP address. For example, the domain name www.example.com might translate to 198.105.232.4. The DNS system is, in fact, its own network. If one DNS server doesn't know how to translate a particular domain name, it asks another one, and so on, until the correct IP address is returned.  

Issue When using CIDR (Classless Inter Domain Routing) or Supernetting it is not always obvious what range of IP addresses can be used. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Device Administrator Building Commissioning Tool Cause When subnet masks with values other than 255 are used it is not always obvious what is the range of valid IP addresses allowed.  There is a need for an easy way to determine the range of valid IP addresses for the Subnet Mask being used. Resolution The IP address range can be calculated mathematically but the simplest method is to use a subnet calculator.  The website links below are both examples that will calculate the range of valid addresses for any specified subnet value.   http://www.subnet-calculator.com/cidr.php https://www.calculator.net/ip-subnet-calculator.html   Visit either of the websites for a CIDR / Supernet calculator, enter an IP addresses in the network along with a subnet mask and the calculator will provide the range of addresses that can be used within the subnet.   In addition to online calculators, a number of different subnet-calculator programs are available for Android, Apple and Windows Smartphones.  

Issue Often data is required to be exported out from the Continuum system for record keeping or for further analysis, what keywords can be used to help with this? Environment Cyberstation Plain English programs - all versions. Microsoft Excel Product Line Andover Continuum Cause Specific help is available in the product for specific keywords but how can these be put together to export data to .CSV format. Resolution As we do not advocate 3rd party system trying to directly extract data from the Continuum database, you should create a Plain English program in a Workstation that can export logged data directly from the controllers out to a .CSV or .TXT file.   Keywords to use for this purpose are: OpenFile WriteFile CloseFile   Details of the above Keywords are available in the Cyberstation internal help pages.   The attached example dump file could be run on a daily basis to extract temperature logs from a controller and save them to files with a date stamped naming convention.   Click to download the example WriteFile dump file. 

Issue Reload of BCX receives error "Infinity controller error: Controller has no assigned Infinet port An error was detected while attempting to set an attribute in a remote Infinity object" Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cyberstation BCX 9640 BCX4040 Infinet controller b3 Cause Reloading of a BCX 9640 resulted in error "Infinity controller error: Controller has no assigned Infinet port.  An error was detected while attempting to set an attribute in a remote Infinity object"   Suspected that a learn on the commport was performed or infinet controllers were manually created causing no assigned comm port. Resolution As with any edit of the Continuum system, please make sure to backup the database.   Follow these steps: Send BCX to text file  Add commport to each Infinet controller entry as below Import newly edited text dump file into the BCX. Reload BCX   Example of an original dump file exported in step 1 and the new dump file after the commport is added in step 2. Original Dump File New Dump File Object : Spare   Type : InfinityInfinetCtlr   LastChange : 1/11/2011 4:01:19 PM   DeviceId : Zoo\GreenHouse   Alias : Spare   CreateTime : 8/24/2010 8:28:22 AM   CreatedBy : Root\Acc   TimeLocked : 2/15/2011 12:53:26 PM   InstanceId : 7015/7167   CntrlType : 851   Description : Spare Controller No Points   InfinetId : 1   Location : Control Cabinet   NetworkId : 11   SerialNum : 12345   VersionNum : 2.160000  EndObject   Object : Spare   Type : InfinityInfinetCtlr   LastChange : 1/11/2011 4:01:19 PM   DeviceId : Zoo\GreenHouse   Alias : Spare   CreateTime : 8/24/2010 8:28:22 AM   CreatedBy : Root\Acc   TimeLocked : 2/15/2011 12:53:26 PM   InstanceId : 7015/7167   CntrlType : 851   Description : Spare Controller No Points   InfinetId : 1   Location : Control Cabinet   NetworkId : 11   Port : comm2   SerialNum : 12345   VersionNum : 2.160000  EndObject  

Issue What resources are available to get more information on the Modbus protocol? Product Line Andover Continuum,EcoStruxure Building Operation,Field Devices,Satchwell BAS & Sigma,Satchwell MicroNet,TAC IA Series,TAC INET,TAC Vista Environment Modbus ASCII/RTU Modbus TCP/IP Cause The Modbus protocol information is available on www.modbus.org Use the menu on the left and select Technical Resources. Select the Modbus Specifications. Resolution Found on www.modbus.org are the protocol specifications: Modbus ASCII/RTU Modbus TCP

Issue A newly installed program does not run and could be using a port on the host computer that's already assigned to another running program or service.  How can current port usage on the host computer be determined quickly? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, EcoStruxure Building Expert, Satchwell MicroNet, Satchwell BAS & Sigma, TAC INET, TAC I/A Series, TAC Vista, Andover Continuum, CCTV, Field Devices Environment Microsoft Windows Cause A port conflict is suspected. Resolution Open a command prompt and type: netstat -a -n -p tcp -b This command will display all services running, protocol used, local and foreign address, state, and program name.   netstat -p tcp -ano This command will display all services running, protocol used, local and foreign address, state and PID (process identifier). Use Task Manager to match the PID to the program using the port. netstat -p tcp -ano | findstr :80 If a specific port number is necessary, this command will interrogate the system for the program currently using that port number:

Issue In order to troubleshoot random network issues, it is sometimes necessary to set up Wireshark to capture network traffic for an extended period of time. As Wireshark runs it decodes packets and its data structures grow. This causes performance issues and eventually, Wireshark may simply run out of virtual memory and stop capturing or crash. Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Wireshark Cause Need to capture network traffic using Wireshark for an extended period of time. Resolution Open Wireshark and follow these instructions: From toolbar, select Capture -> Options On the Input tab, select input adapter. If necessary set capture filter. On the Output tab, perform the following: Browse capture file location and provide a filename. A timestamp will be added to the filename as a suffix. Ensure output format = pcapng Check Create a new file automatically Check After 1 and change seconds to hours Check when time is multiple of 1 and change seconds to hour Check use a ring buffer with X files. (Recommended settings are 96 hours (4 days) or 168 hours (1 week) so can retrieve files after long weekend or 1 week, respectively).  On the Options tab, perform the following Check last selection and change to 744 hours. (Recommended to capture for 31 days without stopping).  When an event happens, gather a capture with the timestamp before and after the event. One can ZIP the .pcapng files to save space when transferring.   NOTE: More recent versions of Wireshark ( 2.4.1.21317 ) make it very easy to set up a ring buffer from the Output tab of the Capture options. For older versions of Wireshark 1.x use the steps below When capturing data, Wireshark actually uses a capture utility called DumpCap to do the actual data capture. DumpCap does not decode packets as they come in and thus has a smaller memory footprint which remains constant. The only remaining concern is the size of the capture file or files which can be specified when starting the ring buffer to keep them from growing too big. DumpCap is found at the location where the Wireshark program resides which can be seen if you go to Help\About Whireshark\Folders Determine the index to the Ethernet adapter you need to capture on. In this example, the traffic seen by the Broadcom NetXtreme Gigabit Ethernet adapter will be captured. Index 1 is specified when starting DumpCap. Execute DumpCap with the following options dumpcap -i 1 -b files:3 -b filesize:10 -w C:]temp\abe.pcapng -i 1 specifies tp capture on the network adapter with an index of 1 -b file: 3 specifies to use a 4 file ring buffer. -b filesize:10 specifies to limit the file size to 10 KB (*** for a real life capture this number would be much bigger like say 100/200 MB) -w c:\temp\abe.pcapng specifies location and prefix for the three files In the screenshot below we can see the files in the ring buffer being used, once a file reaches the specified limit, the capture continues at the next file, files are names using the specified prefix as well as a date-time stamp that is updated each time utility dumps captured data in the file. Care should be taken to stop the capture as soon as possible once the issue under investigation takes place and before the ring buffer wraps around and overwrites the data.

Issue A network level controller is shown offline. Can a flash upgrade (Update OS) be done to it? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment BCX ACX5720 ACX5740 NC2 CX9900 Cause A bCX needed a flash upgrade but was offline in CyberStation. How can we update the OS? Resolution The Update OS function can sometimes be completed even if the controller indicates that it is offline. If it cannot be pinged from CyberStation, it will not likely be able to be upgraded in its current state and may require returning for repair. But if it can be pinged it, try doing the Update OS. Follow the progress in the Distribution window. If it completes, the controller will likely come back online a few minutes after the update is complete Completing this "Blind Update OS" can often restore to normal operation a controller that has its Operating System corrupted not allowing the Web page to be accessed, as long as you know the ACCNet ID and IP address (a reset IP can be performed) this process may be attempted. It is also possible to flash an offline controller if it has reverted to the default IP address (169.254.1.1) and ACCNet ID of 1 if the Workstation is set to be in the same subnet so it can ping the controller and these default settings are used for the controller configuration. If after a full cold restart and at least 2 attempts to flash the controller fail, then the controller may need to be returned for Repair. Some possible causes of this problem are listed in What can cause a controller to reset, cold start or lose data.

Issue How to get an MSTP capture file so it can be analyzed for comm activity on an MSTP bus How to determine if a site is using bad COV management How to determine if a controller has poor bus design or installation How to determine if a site has multiple BBMD's on the same subnet Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment bCX4000, bCX4040, ASP, ASB b3 controllers Third party BACnet MSTP devices Wireshark Cause Analyze MSTP traffic via capture. Resolution To capture MSTP communication activity to a capture file that can be analyzed using a network sniffer application such as WireShark you will need the following.   Hardware One is required to have an RS-485 Adapter to connect to the MS/TP trunk USB to RS-485 Adapter USB-RS485-WE-1800-BT FTDI, Future Technology Devices International Ltd | 768-1041-ND | DigiKey  RoamIA or RoamIO Any other RS-485 adapter compatible with BACnet MS/TP and baud rates used Software Download and install the following applications: BACnet MSTP Capture Application WireShark Configuration If using the USB to RS-485 Adapter Connect the USB adapter cable to the USB port on a laptop PC Connect the RS232/RS485 adapter to the 9-pin end of the USB adapter cable. Attach a length of MSTP bus cable to the wire terminal on the RS485 adapter. If using the FTDI Connect the TDI RS-485 adapter to the USB port on a laptop PC Connect the cables to the MSTP trunk where Orange = Data+ (A) and Yellow = Data- (B) Ensure the RS-485 adapter driver is installed in Windows by opening Device Manager and ensuring that it is listed as expected under Ports (COM and LPT). Record the COMx being reserved by the adapter.  If using Wireshark with MSTPcap.exe to capture Ensure MSTPcap.exe is installed in the Wireshark Extcap folder per MSTP Capture Application link above NOTE: Wireshark may need to be rebooted if MSTPcap.exe was added while it was open Launch Wireshark Select gear next to BACnet MS/TP on COMx Set known baud rate Click to start a capture.  If using MSTPcap.exe via Command Prompt to capture Copy the MSTP Capture application to C:\ Open a command window. Launch the application by entering C:\> Mstpcap com# ###### where com# is the PC's serial port (Com1, Com2, etc.) and ##### is the current baud rate the bCX/AS MSTP bus is configured for (19200, 38400, etc.). The command window will indicate the name of the file the activity is being captured to. Once done, close the command line window The capture data can be viewed by running Wireshark. Select File > Open and navigate to the folder the capture file was saved to and select the capture file. With the higher-end MSTP capture tools such as tools developed by PolarSoft and Cimetrix, MSTP captures at 76.8K baud are possible. Lower-end capture applications like MSTPCap typically are only able to capture MSTP packets from networks running at bus speeds at or below 38.4K baud. Also, check out the BACnet-Capturing MS/TP Traffic Quick-Help video on the Exchange. This video uses the older pipe method that was used before Extcap was available in Wireshark.

Issue Definition of number of nodes and points allowed using Modbus TCP/IP or RTU xdriver. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Modbus Protocol Cause Definition of number of nodes and points allowed using Modbus TCP/IP or RTU xdriver according to the modbus protocol. Resolution The maximum number of nodes is 254. The address range for points is 1 through to 65535. The number of addresses is limited by the controller memory. We have had ~6000 points but please note the Modbus is a polled protocol so the more points you have the longer the poll rate.   Specific Modbus RTU Details Our Modbus RTU XDriver supports the node range from 0-255. According to the Modbus specification, the node range is from 0 – 255, with 0 being the master, 1-247 being the slaves, and 248-255 being reserved addresses. After 32 nodes (1 master + 31 slaves), you may need RS-485 repeaters to ensure proper communications. This depends on a number of different items, including if the RS485 transceivers are full or quarter load. You can find the Modbus serial standard at the link below for further details. http://www.modbus.org/docs/Modbus_over_serial_line_V1.pdf

Issue Unable to connect to a BCX configuration page Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum BCX9640 and 4040 Cause 404 Page not found error accessing the configuration page using the controller IP in a browser Resolution Note: This document is for troubleshooting help, it is not a comprehensive BCX setup guide. Please refer to the BCX1 Technical Reference for detailed setup instructions.   Using a LAN or a cross-over cable? If the BCX is on a LAN and was working before, remove the LAN cable from the BCX and try to ping the BCX. If you get a response then you have a duplicate IP. Same subnet? Make sure DHCP is disabled on your computer. Use a straight-through or cross-over cable to access the BCX directly. Has this cable been used successfully before? Reset the BCX to the default IP. The button is under the cover, top right. Be sure to hold down the IP reset button for about 20 seconds Is the controller in bootloader mode? This can be seen by observing the CPU light flashing rapidly, approximately two times a second (2 Hz at 50% duty). Flashing the application through Cyberstation may fix this and enable you to get back into the controller. Even though access to the config page is not available, the update OS button in Continuum using the controller's Network setting and ACCNet ID may be accessible to perform a firmware upgrade. Ping the IP from a DOS prompt, can the BCX be pinged? Ex. Ping 169.254.1.1 Use Ipconfig /all to see your PCs network settings. The best case scenario is to be on the same subnet or connect directly. Are there multiple NIC cards on the PC? (Ex. Ethernet and wireless on a laptop) Disable the wireless adapter or other adapters. Continuum does not support a multiple NIC card configuration. Run Wireshark to get a capture between the BCX and The PC. Remove power from the BCX and reapply power. When the BCX starts it sends a gratuitous ARP that will indicate the IP address within the BCX. It may be a different IP than expected. Did the issue of not accessing the web page happen after a power outage? Is the CPU light flashing amber and it was flashing green before and no one has flashed the controller? Is the CPU light solid amber? If so, contact support for assistance.

Issue BACnet MSTP Capture Application Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation, TAC IA Series, TAC Vista Environment Any Bacnet MSTP Network Cause The BACnet MSTP capture application provides the ability to analyze data communications between devices anytime issues are suspected on the network. Resolution Download the latest version. Browse to Steve Karg's  BACnet Protocol Stack - Browse /bacnet-tools at SourceForge.net Select the version folder Select bacnet-tools-[n.n.n].zip file to download it From the zip file, extract mstpcap.exe Now you can use it via command prompt as described below or install it in C:\Program Files\Wireshark\extcap if want to use with modern Wireshark version.   To capture data follow these steps: Unzip file Open command prompt with window pointing at location of mstpcap.exe file.  For example:  c:\MSTP Tool> Daisy chain RS-485 adapter to trunk or connect Roam I/A to jack on MNB device. Command syntax is as follows:  mstpcap comx baudrate# do not type baudrate just speed. Control C to stop Example: If Using Roam I/A it requires highest baudrate available on the interface. ROAM I/A Serial port mstpcap comx 115200 If using Roam I/A Bluetooth mstpcap comx 76800 If using an RS-485 adapter it will not support 76,800. This is a PC hardware limitation not a software limitation for further information or instructions on how to use baudrate 76,800 consult text file titled mstpcap.txt or Steve Karg's website: http://steve.kargs.net/bacnet/wireshark-and-bacnet-mstp .  Example: mstpcap comx baudrate speed The capture file can be analyzed with WireShark Protocol Analyzer.  WireShark software is available at: http://www.wireshark.org

Issue An error is received 'Error connecting to server' while testing a Digital Sentry DVR connection with Cyberstation 1.90 or 1.91. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum 1.90 Continuum 1.91 Windows XP Windows Vista Windows 7 Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 Cause The DS Connex version of newer Digital Sentry DVRs are not compatible with Continuum 1.90 or 1.91 Resolution The DSConnex version of newer Digital Sentry DVRs are not compatible with Continuum 1.90 or 1.91 unless the following hotfix is applied. Click here to download the hotfix

Issue Cannot Delete Personnel  Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum  1.8X & 1.9X Windows XP Windows 2003 Server Continuum ACX5740 Microsoft SQL 2005 Cause Stored Procedure packPersonneldeletion failed to run Resolution Duplicate personnel.   Remove Areas from the personnel object. Delete duplicate personnel objects.