Building Automation Knowledge Base

Warning Potential for Data Loss: The steps detailed in the resolution of this article may result in a loss of critical data if not performed properly. Before beginning these steps, make sure all important data is backed up in the event of data loss. If you are unsure or unfamiliar with any complex steps detailed in this article, please contact Product Support Services for assistance. Issue Software installation problems with Windows 7 OS and above Configuration problems also known as UAC / User Account Control These problems occur when you receive an error message stating that you do not have the correct administrative rights to continue. Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Expert, EcoStruxure Building Operation, Satchwell MicroNet, Satchwell Sigma, TAC INET, TAC Vista Environment Windows 7 Windows 8 8.1 Windows 10 Server 2012 Cause Windows 7 and above user administrator privilege settings (UAC) Resolution The solution to this issue is to turn off the user admin settings before the software is installed by following these instructions: Go to Start > Control Panel. Set the view to "small icons" to show all Control Panel icons Click on "User Accounts." Make sure that the account used for installing the software is a full admin user. On this page, click on "Change User Account Control settings", a slider bar that starts with "Never notify" up to "Always notify" by default will be set to "Notify me only when programs try to make changes to my computer" Set it to "Never notify." This will disable all the admin blocks that pop up in installing and configuring software Once set, restart the PC and then continue with your software installation and configuration Once all is installed and working, the feature may be turned back on if required. Additional requirements for Windows server 2012 and Windows 10. Please note: this process may open the "Windows 10 Firewall up" For Windows Server 2012 and Windows 10, additional steps are required to disable User Account Control. Although the slider bar can be set to “Never Notify”, the User Account Control does not disable completely. The User Account Control can be disabled for any user by setting the system registry value “EnableLUA” to zero in the system registry under the registry key “HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\system”. A Windows registration file has been included in the Continuum 2.01 release in order to expedite these additional steps. Or the attached file EnableLUA.zip can be used, unzip and execute.  Supplement: Using the right click "run as administrator" instead of this is not the same. The right click will only run that .exe as an administrator and not the whole install/configuration package, i.e. SQL2005 manager will fail to run if you do not do as instructed above. You will always get an error stating that you do not have permission to run this program.  Alternate Windows 10 Admin. to User privilege for I/Net Seven:   Go to this path: C:\Program Files (x86)\ Inet Seven 1) Rename and move to a new folder these files.       A) INetIoSrv.exe.manifest       B) INetW.exe.manifest       C) If there is a file equalization client, then there is INetEqzMerge.exe.manifest to do this change on as well.  2) Change the DbCreate by doing this:       Another problem for non-admin users will be logging into and using DbCreate. A work-around for that would be to create a new login into the SQL database that could be shared among all DbCreate users and would provide the necessary rights.       Alternate Windows 7 Admin to User privilege for I/Net Seven:  See the attached Document and Manifest Files  

Issue Need to mirror a switch port in order to capture controller data with Wireshark.   Product Line Access Expert, Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Expert, EcoStruxure Building Operation, TAC IA Series, TAC INET, TAC Vista Environment NETGEAR Prosafe Plus Switch Cause Need a step-by-step guide to set up a mirrored port and an understanding of how it works.  Resolution View the attached video.   Use the link to the original post in Area360 to get written instructions.

Issue Different Continuum products are approved to different approval standards and where are copies of these certificates held? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment All Hardware products: Standards listings to UL, BTL C-Tick, CE Cause Copies of the approval certificate or clarification on the different standards are required. Resolution The Agency listings each controller is approved against are defined on the datasheet, for more information see How do I get the part numbers and datasheets for Continuum products?. An example of the approvals for the bCX1 controllers are: UL/CUL 916, UL 864 9th Edition, FCC CFR 47 Part 15, ICES-003, EN55022, AS/NZS 3548, Class A, VCCI, EN61000-6-1, CE   All of the Regulatory Compliance documents including: UL, CUL, ISO,  European CE Certificates, Australia/ New Zealand  C-Tick Certificates and WSP Cert can be downloaded from The Exchange Download Center -  Regulatory Compliance   Confirmation of BACnet testing can be seen at the BTL website: http://www.bacnetinternational.net/btl/ European Standards - Continuum has been tested to the following as part of the 89/336/EEC Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive and over the years the standards have changed. Emissions -Continuum is tested against EN55022-Class A This is the emission standard for Information Technology equipment and another emission standard is the EN50081-1 but this is a generic emission level and less stringent than the IT standard that Continuum complies with. Immunity - These standards have changed over the years, older controllers were tested against the International IEC1000-4 and we state the specific levels our controllers are tested against, then when it was released in 2000 we used the EN50082-1 standard which replaced the IEC standard in Europe. But newer controllers have now been tested against the EN61000-6-2  standard that have since replaced the other immunity standards.    There is also the EN60730-1 standard that Continuum is approved to, this defines the standard controls specifications it can perform. These standards are required for us to apply the CE marking to our products.

Issue How long and what topology can the IOU bus be on a Netcontroller? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment IOU Modules Netcontroller Cause Maximum cable distances and topologies required. Resolution The Standard RS485 modules can only be connected in a bus (Daisy Chain) topology, no star or "T" topology can be used. The maximum distance from the Netcontroller to the last module in the bus is 600M using a low capacitance cable like the Belden 9729. If you have to create a free topology network with a star or "T" topology then you must use FTT-10A Netcontroller and IOU Modules. See What is the advantage of having a Doubly Bus Terminated Topology segment VS Free Topology in a LON FTT 10A setup? for details on the FTT-10A module wiring or the I/O System Reference Guide for further installation details.

Issue Once the controllers UTC setting is set and and committed in the Controller Configuration webpage, when they are rechecked they have returned to the default setting of 0. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CX99xx CX9680 ACX57xx BCX9640 BCX9680 CX9702 Cause This is a known issue. Resolution Since the controllers UTC setting cannot be set properly from the controller web page, it must be set from a Plain English program in the controller.  See Set the UTCOffset of a controller using a PE program.

Issue There is often a requirement to pass live data values between a Continuum and a Vista system, how can this be achieved? Product Line Andover Continuum, TAC Vista Environment Continuum BACnet systems Vista LONMark systems LON XDriver, X Driver, X-Driver, Bridge, Gateway Cause Continuum and Vista inherently use different open protocols. Resolution One method of passing data between a Continuum and Vista system would be to use a Netcontroller II with the FTT option, then load the LONMark XDriver. This will allow you to pass analogue and digital data between the two systems using SNVT's. You would then use LONMaker to bind the Continuum X Driver points to the Vista / Xenta points. See the LONMark X Driver manual for configuration details. Also reference Can LONMark Devices be used with Continuum? for further details. Another option would be to use a Xenta913 as a gateway to the BACnet IP network used by Continuum, this would also allow analogue and digital BACnet point types to be exchanged between the Xenta913 and Continuum Workstations or BACnet bCX1 controllers. Both of these methods use the gateway principle to pass data between the systems, this will require corresponding points being created in both systems with associated mapping / binding between them.

Issue Web pages that previously worked now just get a blank page Product Line Andover Continuum Environment 9680 BCX Cause A change has been made to the 9680 configuration that is affecting the processing of the web pages. Resolution First check the controller error log for evidence of a specific issue. Check to see if the html code can be accessed from another PC. If the html code can be accessed then refer to Unable to open config pages on a web enabled controller that previously worked in order to address the issue with the PC that is not working. Note: If a node has been added to the controller, but it is a 0 node controller, it can cause the html pages to not work because it is taking up controllers cycles to deal with the mismatch of the hardware and software.

Issue Trying to order a controller part number that has been discontinued due to low volume sales / duplicate part numbers. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum IP level Controllers NetController II Series bCX1 Series ACX Series Cause Discontinuation of duplicate and low volume parts has removed a number of previously existing part numbers from the Continuum catalog. These parts are still available but will need to be ordered as a base unit and then upgraded through Repairs. Resolution The IP level controllers were part of a roll up of the product numbers where low volume part numbers were discontinued. These parts can still be obtained but will need to be chosen from the list of available parts and then get an upgrade through Repairs to add the additional features that may be required. See Active Network Level Controller Part Numbers, and Discontinuance of Low Volume Part Number Configurations - Andover Continuum - PA-00269A on this which includes the currently available part numbers. To order a BCX1-CR-127-SA part which is no longer available, you will need to order the base unit BCX1-CR-127 and then have Repairs add the -SA (SNMP) option to that controller. Note: for further Continuum parts that have been discontinued see What Continuum products have been discontinued?.

Issue No one can get through the door using the reader. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Pinpoint Cause User may have inadvertently selected "disable keypad/reader access." This mode shuts down the reader. The REX works and left-clicking on the Pinpoint animation allows unlock, and right-clicking stills allows timed and permanent unlock.  Resolution Right-click on the Pinpoint door animation and click on "Enable Keypad/Reader Access" See Key for the standard Door Control Graphic for a description of the various animations used in the Pinpoint Door Control.

Issue A message indicates only one Personnel record processed when using the PIU Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Windows XP Windows 7 Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 Cause By default the CSVtoContinuumTransformation.xsl transform file sets the alias column to concatenate (TAC + SerialNumber).  Resolution The transform needs to be edited in a text editor (not IE) to change the concatenate line to be a unique alias. Example: (Before) This displays the alias records in the preview as TAC < select="concat(‘TAC’, SerialNumber) " value-of=""> (After) This will import the records correctly < select="concat(‘TAC’, EmpNumber) " value-of=""> If all was working at one point and the site was upgraded then the old PC may have the CSVtoContinuumTransformation.xsl that was working. If this is a new install, select a number that will be unique for the records. For more information on editing the PIU see the following article: Personnel Import Utility documentation

Issue Can Blade Servers be used? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum installation at site on Blade servers. Not to be confused with virtual servers or environments. Cause A customer would like to use a blade server to install Windows Server 32-bit directly on to run Continuum. Resolution Not to confuse Virtual Servers with these Blade Servers, but there is no official support for Virtual servers on Continuum up to release 1.94. The Compatibility matrix details all the full supported system configurations that are qualified by our R&D department. Any systems running on Virtual servers are un-qualified. For the Andover Continuum Compatibility Matrix, visit Software and Firmware compatibility matrix for older versions of the traditional product lines. Now, to Blade servers; Blade Servers have not specifically been targeted with problems as long as the system meets the requirements found in the install guides. Be reminded that the Workstation need to have a USB security key port which needs to be seen by the Cyberstation software. The minimum hardware requirements for the latest Cyberstation 1.93: Intel CoreTM 2, Duo, 1.66 GHz or better 2 Gb RAM or higher 15 Gb free space CD ROM drive Video resolution: 1024 x 768 pixels Parallel or USB port Recommended Quad Core, 2 GHz or better 4 Gb RAM 30 Gb free space CD ROM drive Video resolution: 1024 x 768 pixels Parallel or USB port Blade Servers are often more energy efficient and save space in server racks.

Issue Error while creating the Continuum DataBase in 64-bit Operating System. SQL Server Installation Package cannot be opened. Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Setup SQL Server 2005 Setup cannot continue because the installation package could not be opened. The installation package has a missing file, or you are running a 32-bit only Setup program on a 64-bit computer. To continue, verify the SQL Server 2005 package you are running is supported on WOW64. If you are certain that you are running a supported SQL Server 2005 package, and you continue to see this message, contact the application vendor. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum 1.93 and below 32-bit Operating Systems Cause Continuum 1.93 and below versions do not support in 64-bit Operating Systems. Resolution Install Continuum in a supported Operating System. Read and follow the Continuum compatibility matrix before installing.   Download the Andover Continuum Compatibility from Software and Firmware compatibility matrix for older versions of the traditional product lines.

Issue When saving program changes adding new data sharing points an error is displayed; Infinity controller error: The controller has reached its BACnet binding limit. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cyberstation Cause The controller has reached its known devices limit and is rejecting any further target devices from being added. The known device limits are 255 for bCX controllers and 32 for b3 controllers. See Limit of how many devices a Bacnet controller can know about (Known devices)  for more details. Resolution Make a change in the controllers to reduce this number of known controllers by modifying how much data is shared and/or reduce the number of Workstations that alarms are delivered to. Once this is done then restart the controller for the known devices table to be rebuilt.

Issue When installing Cyberstation V1.93 with a Single User Security Key fitted the following message may be displayed when starting the install: The current version of Continuum is setup to use a database that is not on this computer, but the security key is Single User and does not allow remote databases There is an option to continue installation. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Cyberstation V1.93 Cause The Workstation has previously been configured to operate as a LAN workstation connecting to a database on a separate server. Resolution Select the continue option, Cyberstation V1.93 should then install correctly, run the database initialization and the Workstation initialization, then you should be able to start up Cyberstation. By re-installing all of the files will be updated and the system will then operate as a single user as required. Also see How to identify what is enabled on a Continuum Security Key to check that the Security Key does have the configuration as expected.

Issue Exported PE program from SX8000 and imported into Continuum but the PE program will not compile in Continuum Error: Total number of characters used in line labels exceeded maximum. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation All CX controllers All i1 controllers All b3 controllers Cause Difference in PE program line labels limits between Infinity and Continuum. Resolution There is a slight difference in line labels limit between Infinity and Continuum, the PE program is exceeding the line labels limit for Continuum, eliminate some line labels to make the PE program compile. See Plain English program limitations on number of characters in program and line labels for PE programs limits in Continuum.

Issue After using the PIU there are duplicate cardholders Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum PIU Windows XP Windows 7 Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 Cause A unique alias must be specified with the transform or duplicate records will be created Resolution Each alias must be unique. Information that is updated for a personnel object will be triggered off the alias. If the alias already exists in the database, then just the new information is added. If the aliases are not unique, a new record will be created. (See “Saving a Configuration and Importing Data into CyberStation.”) To verify this, when previewing your data, make sure that every alias name under the "Alias" column is unique before importing. See Personnel Import Utility documentation for more information

Issue A dialog box pops up in Pinpoint that says "Too many panels opened. Please close some to continue." when attempting to open more than 8 panels. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cyberstation Pinpoint Windows XP Windows 7 Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 Cause A limitation has been built into 1.94 to restrict the number of panels open.  Having too many panels open can cause instability with the Pinpoint application. This is a restriction in the code. Resolution There can only be 8 panels open in Pinpoint. Add points to another panel. Monitor system performance. There should be less 100 links per panel. See also, Pinpoint crashes when jumping between Graphic panels.

Issue How to use the beeper in a card reader to beep a different pattern for valid access and invalid attempt. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment AC1Plus ACX5720 ACX5740 CX9702 Cause Continuum access controllers such as the AC1Plus or the ACX5740 do not have a way to drive the beeper of a card reader directly, however the beeper can be driven using the same lines that drive the LED on the card readers, using this method different beep patterns can be accomplished to audibly differentiate between valid access and invalid attempt for example. Resolution Typically the reader will have a wire labeled as beeper. Connect the beeper wire to the reader LED termination on the card reader connector at the controller. Select the reader led pattern that gives the best results for your application, see Description of LED patterns on access readers, and how to change them for steps on selecting a reader LED pattern.

Issue Over 25 user Web Clients are required Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Web Client Cause Web Client licenses are only available for 1 , 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25 users Resolution Each Web Client session can support up to 25 concurrent browser sessions, for a large system that requires additional sessions additional Web Client servers can be used, each supporting up to 25 Users. Each Web Client server however will have a different IP address / URL, so if a user finds one server fully utilized, they will then need to connect to a different server/ address to connect to the system. Also see How to determine if SU, LAN, or WEBC security keys are required for your project for information on Licensing.

Issue Standalone v1.93 system has about 1000 points being extended logged for site commissioning. There are "holes" in the extended log data. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Standalone CyberStation v1.93 Cause Standalone v1.93 system has about 1000 points being extended logged for site commissioning. There are "holes" in the extended log data. The points are being logged at 2 minute intervals. Partner added a second (temporary) workstation to help with extended logging. This is still a standalone (SQLExpress) system. Extended log data is being extracted using Excel on the standalone server.   Even with the second CyberStation helping with the load, there are still holes in the log data. Resolution The workstations cannot handle the extended logging of ~1000 points at 2 minute intervals. Not using SQL Express on a single user even with a second workstation. See also Extended Logging gaps, performance and load balancing. This article mentions 2000 points per workstation but it is likely that this was all based on 15 minutes intervals and running full SQL Server. At 2 minutes intervals you need to gather 720,000 entries/day or 8.333 entries/sec. At 15 minute intervals you need to gather 96,000 entries/day or 1.111 entries/sec. This is a big difference. In addition, the Excel script is reading from the same extended log table being written to, at 8.333 entries/sec.   The controller log engine is completely independent of the extended log engine. The controller logs never send their data to CyberStation; CyberStation has to go get it. The extended log engine uses the general preference settings. In this case the settings are as follows and appear fine. 7. Extended log database check interval (minutes): 5 8. Extended log maximum LAN buffer interval (minutes): 30 10. Extended log automatic purge interval (days): 5   CyberStation is constantly trying to gather data from logs well before the “deadline” when the log fills and is about to be overwritten. While doing this, CyberStation also has to monitor time in the controllers, to make sure it is not too far out of sync, and this may potentially take place on field bus controllers on many network controllers, which may even be in different time zones. It also has to know when controllers have gone offline, or for some reason extended log values have not been updated. In this case, CyberStation must try to play catch up when the controllers come back online (remember, these offline controllers have most likely continued to log data). And the same “catch up” has to take place if one or both workstations are turned off, or are busy doing other tasks like running reports or polling points via Pinpoint or Listviews. The bottom line is that the CyberStation extended log data collection engine is sophisticated and complicated. To get a sense of this run AccTrace.exe (in the \Continuum folder) on a system busy with extended logs and you'll see it firsthand.  When a SQL Express system with one or two workstations is trying to collect the logs and do everything else that CyberStation does (listviews, reports, schedules, pinpoint, etc), at times, some data may get dropped. The recommendation at this site was to lighten up the CyberStation load by changing the log interval to 15 minutes and monitor if the extended log holes get eliminated.