Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue The user installed the PCT on a machine and after running it, the following error pops up: “VM Module INITIALIZING_ Failed to refresh versions”     Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Project Configuration Tool (PCT)  Cause An installed and enabled antivirus may have corrupted the PCT installation. Resolution By verifying the PCT Virtual Box logs, we can see the folloiwng error:    ERROR [COM]: aRC=E_FAIL (0x80004005) aIID={xxxx-xxxx-xxxxx-xxxx-xxxx} aComponent={MachineWrap} aText={The virtual machine 'Project Name' has terminated unexpectedly during startup with exit code -1073741819 (0xc0000005)}, preserve=false aResultDetail=0   This indicates that the antivirus may have corrupted the PCT installation if it remained enabled during the installation. Now the PCT cannot communicate with the Virtual Machine. To resolve this, users will need to re-install the PCT while the antivirus has been disabled temporarily.

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 for assistance. Issue During the installation of the EBO package, an error is displayed about PCT_temp.vbox already in existence.   ERROR_(3), UNABLE_TO_EXECUTE__COMMAND(99), reason=VBo xManage.exe: error: Machine settings file Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Project Configuration Tool (PCT) Cause Leftover folder/file from previously failed installation Resolution Close PCT if running Take note of the folder/file that the error refers to, in this case "C:\Users\sesaxxxxxx\.VirtualBox\PCT_temp\PCT_temp.vbox Make a backup of the folder/file as a precaution (in case it has to be put back) Delete the folder or file, in this case, delete the PCT_temp folder Re-launch PCT and attempt to install the EBO package once again

Issue Can not logon with the Mobile App Building Operation Technician Tool.  Logon screen appears but app closes after selecting Logon No objects are displaying in my Custom View folder or other locations  Can not view or acknowledge alarms My alarm display colors as set in Workstation are not displaying correctly in the mobile app  Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Technician Tool 1.0.0 / 1.1.0 Building Operation Enterprise Server and SmartX Server 1.9.3 and below Cause May be various cause that are not allowing the Mobile App to connect to the server (Enterprise or Automation Servers), including EcoStruxure Web Services (EWS) Configuration Setting, folder names, User permissions and Alarm configuration.  Please review the different options below for assistance. Resolution Please note: Mobile experience to be replaced with EcoStruxure™Building Operation v2.0 WebStation For further information, please refer to Notice of Withdrawal of the Building Operation Technician Tool   When logging into the Technician Tool it times out This has been seen before and was caused by the Windows Firewall. If you are able to ping back and forth between the enterprise server and iPad/iPhone, then it may be a firewall issue. You can either shut down the Windows Firewall or use Creating Windows Firewall rules to allow StruxureWare Building Operation to communicate on the TCP port to set up firewall rules.  Unable to connect to server or "Contact  technical support" message given When logging in to the Technician Tool, specify the HTTPS port in the SERVER field (EX: 192.168.10.20:446).   The mobile app uses the feature from Building Operation StruxureWare call EcoStruxure Web Services, as such a majority of issues can stem from this setting.  If you are having issues logging into the Enterprise Server or Automation Server using the Technician Tool check the following: Software installed on both the Enterprise and Automation Servers must be 1.3.0.938 or later? Ensure the EWS Server Configuration settings are enabled in the server. As a minimum Serve Value and Serve Alarm must be set to true Browse allows object to browsed if not set, no objects will be displayed Ensure the user has sufficient permission to log in and MUST be member of the default domain Values are not displaying in the Custom View folder or other locations Custom View folder must be located in the root directory of the Enterprise Server Check the EWS Configuration settings and ensure Browse is set to true - refer to item 2.2 above. In the EWS Configuration there is a tab labeled "Filter Hardware Folder"; Filters can be assigned By Path or By Object, check that the nominated folder or object has been filtered. Can not view or acknowledge alarms In the EWS Configuration settings ensure that the Alarm Acknowledge setting is set to true. Also check that the Alarm has no additional 'Enforcement', such as Cause / Action - these alarms can only be acknowledge through Workstation. My alarm display colors as set in Workstation are not displaying correctly in the mobile app Unfortunately the Alarm colors are hard coded within the Mobile App - this feature may be provided in a future release.  Date for this is currently unknown.

Issue Where can I find information on EWS? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Enterprise Central Building Operation Automation Server Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled SmartConnector Cause Documentation required Resolution Documents can be downloaded from The Exchange Download Center - EcoStruxure Web Services EcoStruxure Web Services Specification can be found at: SmartConnector Server

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 Want to change the sound that is played in Workstation when an audible alarm is triggered Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Workstation Cause Need to attach individual alarm sounds to different alarms. Resolution EBO V2.0 or higher: You can add a custom audible alarm alert to EBO, which is an audio file that is played when an alarm is triggered. Refer to: Custom Audible Alarm Alert Workflow   SBO V1.9 or lower: The alarm sound is hard coded to the file C:\Windows\Media\notify.wav, and can't be changed from Workstation. The solution is to replace the notfify.wav file with another wave file. Please be aware that if the file is deleted, Workstation will crash when an alarm triggers. To change the file, you need to take over the ownership of the file as described here. The procedure is also described below. Browse to the folder C:\Windows\Media Right click the file "notify.wav" and click "Properties" Click "Advanced" Click "Edit" Select "Administrators" and click "Save" You get the following dialog. Click "OK", and close the properties. Open the properties again, and set the "Administrators" group to have full control Now rename the "notify.wav" file, and paste the wave file you want into the Media folder and rename it to "notify.wav"

Issue Is it possible to monitor the status of a Modbus interface/device from within a TGML graphic? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation WorkStation Building Operation WebStation Building Operation Server Serial Modbus device Cause It's a very common requirement to monitor Modbus devices and interfaces and show this value on a TGML graphic page. Resolution The attached TGML graphic gives a simple example of how to do this. The screenshot below shows the property to bind the TGML binding to. To see the property "NetworkStatus" for the Modbus network in the binding view double click on Modbus Master Network. To see the property "Status" for the Modbus device double click on the Modbus device in the binding view.   

Issue Is it possible to have different stop bit settings in different Serial Modbus devices on the same bus? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Modbus serial communication Cause In Building Operation there is an "Auto" setting for the Serial Modbus communications "Stop Bit" setting. This could be interpreted as "automatically" detecting the Serial Modbus devices stop bit setting. Resolution The "Auto" setting is only designed to detect how many stop bits are required in certain circumstances, such as when the parity setting is set to none and therefore 2 stop bits must be used. The settings used are the Serial Client settings for the entire bus and all the Modbus devices have to be set to match the Serial Client.

Issue The Modbus Server / Client is unable to read the values from address of a 32 bit Modbus register in a Building Operation server Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation server Modbus Cause The original Modbus/JBUS protocol specifies the use of 16-bit integer registers for Analogue Inputs and Analogue Outputs. The number range able to be represented in 16-bits is: Unsigned: 0 to 65353 Signed:     -32768 to 32867    In order to represent larger numbers, it is common for 16-bit registers to be combined to represent 32-bit or 64-bit numbers. When a Modbus Client or Server reads a 32-bit Modbus value, it will be reading two consecutive 16-bit registers. An error will occur if  two 32-bit Local Modbus registers are created in Building Operation using consecutive register addresses since only the starting modbus register address is used for the request.  Resolution When configuring 32-bit Local Modbus registers in Building Operation, the next register address should not be used. Create the next Local Modbus register using the 3rd available Modbus register address. 

Issue What register type should be used for the type called INT64 in the documentation Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation Modbus PM Energy meter Cause It is not clear what  Modbus register type should be configured for INT64 Resolution For reading the INT64 on this range of power meters the register definition you need to apply is the "64 bit signed swapped".   Note that this register type is not available in Building Operation versions earlier than 1.5. For further information on Modbus Register Types see the Point and Value Configuration EBO Webhelp topic

Issue When numerically evaluating in a program, what day = 1? Is Sunday or Monday the first day of the week? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Script Editor Building Operation Builder for Function Block Building Operation Function Block Editor Cause What is the first day of the week in EBO, this may be required when using ">" or "<" logic in the program. Resolution Script programs handle this differently from Function Block programs.  Function Block programs use Monday as the first day of the week and therefore assign a value of 1 to Monday. Refer to: WDAY – Week Day Script program uses Sunday as the first day of the week and therefore assigns a value of 1 to Sunday. These differences are not handled by the regional settings of the local workstation. WEEKDAY *Exercise caution when using Script or Function Block programming which relates to the first day of the week. 

  Issue The shadow schedule in subordinate AS-Bs is not following the lead Schedule in the ES. When ES transitioned to occupied all of the Shadow Schedules went into Fault and did not transition, leaving the required spaces unoccupied. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Building Operation Workstation Cause The "Gameday Schedule [Shadow-Read only]" configuration shows that the Exceptions at Priority 10 do not have names.  As such, don't have access to the 'properties'.   Resolution By detaching the server and deleting the binding to the 'Lead object', we can delete these events and the fault condition will disappear. As a workaround, delete these exceptions from the Lead Schedule, save, and then add them back (with a name)

  Issue Site upgraded SmartX IP Controller from 2.00.03.1203 to  v3.02.03.02109. When the upgrade was completed, they attached the SmartX room sensor to the controller.  The sensor appeared to update but the screen display was distorted.             Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment • Building Operation Multi-purpose VAV • Building Operation SmartX Living Space Sensor • Building Operation Workstation   Cause With a blank database, an MP-V with firmware V2.00.03.1203, when the sensor is connected the screen is distorted, but  after upgrading the MP- V to firmware V3.02.03.02103 , the screen display shows up with no issues Something is breaking for the site when attempting to go from 2.0.3.1203 to 3.2.3.02103 Resolution Upgrade the firmware to a higher version (ex 4.x). After the MP-V is upgraded, the sensor will upgrade automatically which takes about 10 to 15 minutes and the status will be operational. The screen will then display properly.

Issue The Enterprise Server shows that licenses are not available on the license server which is installed on the local host machine. The Flexnet server webpage shows that licenses are available but have not been used by the Enterprise Server.   Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Cause In some cases, the Enterprise Server may have trouble resolving the @LocalHost address. It is not known why this affects only some licenses. Resolution On the License Server Address page of the License Administrator enter the IP address or computer name of the local host machine instead of @localhost.      

Issue When trying to change the Debug Mode from False to True for enhanced Troubleshooting the setting is returning back to False and no extra Debug Data is generated. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, Other. Environment Web Services Cause For troubleshooting of the Web Service Handler application, a Debug Mode can be enabled by editing the settings.xml file in the installation directory and changing the Debug Option from False to True.  The Service needs to also be stopped before the change is made and saved.     However, users can find that even when the Service is stopped and the Debug Option is changed and saved,  as soon as the Service is restarted the Debug setting reverts back to False and no Debug Data is generated.  Resolution If users are using the Configuration Dialogue to Stop the Service and then leave that Dialogue open it locks the settings.xml file and the change to Debug Mode cannot be saved.     If all Dialogues are closed before the settings.xml file is changed/saved, the Debug Mode change to True is successful and a new debug.log file is generated in the installation directory as soon as the Service is started.

Issue The connection to the MQTT broker is not working and the MQTT client in the ES is offline following an upgrade from EBO 2022 to EBO 2023. The following error message can be seen in the ES trace.log: nsp.csc.mqtt.MqttNetwork Connection failed: TCP/TLS connect failure  Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Enterprise Central MQTT integration Cause The reason for the connection issue is that the client certificate that is used is (self-signed) signed using SHA1. Since OpenSSL 3.0 this is forbidden at the default security level (which EBO is using) due to it having less then 80 security bits. See text in picture below taken from https://www.openssl.org/docs/man3.0/man3/SSL_CTX_set_security_level.html The default level is 1 and that is the setting EBO is using. Resolution Change the client certificate to one not using signing signature MD5 or SHA1. The certificate signature can be checked using the following OpenSSL command: openssl x509 -in cert.pem -noout -text Below is an example of how to use OpenSSL to check the certificate signing signature on the client certificate:

Issue The System License Information screen has a lot of useful data on the status of licenses in the EBO system. Is there a way to export or screenshot the entire System License Information page? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Central Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Automation Server Cause Unable to save or export the System License Information screen Resolution There is no option to print or export the Control Panel System license Information screen. It is possible to get a reasonably close facsimile by viewing the LicenseStatus item in System>LicenseManager and adding columns for Required Licenses, Checked Out Licenses, Installed Licenses, Available Licenses, and License Violation.   This can then be Exported in XLSX format for future reference or if required by Product Support  

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 AS status LED solid red for a few seconds followed by a quick blink. Device administrator and/or event log shows system alarm ..."Error - Upgrade using DFU mode"  Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server, AS, ASP, ASB Building Operation Device Administrator Building Operation WorkStation Cause The indication of "Error – Upgrade using DFU mode" occurs due to the fact that a possible problem with writing to the file system has been detected when booting the system. This error can be seen in WorkStation as an Alarm Event, in the Server Logs, or in Device Administrator. Nosync errors are usually seen in the system log. The configuration of the system could have been compromised as a result, although the issue is not necessarily fatal and therefore the AS is allowed to run and the situation is indicated via the red status light. A system alarm is also generated as a warning as seen in the screenshot above. Resolution Since the AS file system could have been compromised, it must be re-initialized from scratch. To clear the red light: Make sure a backup of the AS is available. Attach the Device Administrator to the AS via USB and put the AS in DFU mode (press the reset button 3 times in rapid succession) Install a new database Once the AS has had its FW and database reinstalled, restore the backup using Workstation. NOTES See Error – Upgrade Using DFU Mode  If this error occurs, especially if it occurs multiple times on the same server, check the site installation include Grounding/Earthing and power supplies and for possible EMC issues (Electromagnetic Compatibility)

Issue When trying to use WriteProperty to a 3rd Party BACnet device the following error is generated : "An attempt has been made to write to a property defined as inaccessible through the BACnet protocol write service" Product Line Andover Continuum Environment BACnet  Cause The error can be seen when using WriteProperty OR when attempting to Manually Command a BACnet Point on a 3rd Party Device Resolution The property that is being commanded, is not available to be written to in the 3rd party device. Many properties and object classes cannot be written to on BACnet devices, this is often defined in the devices PIC Statement which has hopefully also been BTL Tested. Some BACnet devices allow writing to be enabled/ disabled, but this must be set up on the 3rd Party device itself depending on the site requirements.  An example of this is in the Jace unit where there is a regular BACnet user that has no write capabilities from 3rd party devices, so to allow this requires a tick a box for "Super user".

Issue When the EWS is installed on the same machine using the service then all packets will be going to the localhost and will not hit the NIC so will not be captured in a Wireshark packet capture. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Automation Servers (AS-P, AS-B) Cause Packets sent between services on the same machine (like SOAP and EWS) do not hit the NIC and therefore cannot be captured with the default configuration of Wireshark using the WinPcap packet sniffing library.  Resolution Replace WinPcap with Npcap to emulate a loopback NIC for packet capture. Go to https://nmap.org/npcap/ for details on the library. Download the library installer from https://nmap.org/npcap/#download Uninstall WinPcap. Install Npcap. Npcap will then create an adapter named Npcap Loopback Adapter. In Wireshark choose this adapter to capture, loopback traffic will be the seen the same way as other non-loopback adapters. This can be tested by typing in commands like "ping 127.0.0.1" (IPv4)  or "ping ::1" (IPv6).

Issue How to associate BACnet IO points created under the BACnet Interface of the Automation Server with IO points on the Automation Server's IO bus. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Servers 1.4 and above Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Automation Server Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Cause Connect physical IO points to BACnet network controllers. Resolution BACnet Association Tool (EBO V3.0 or higher) BACnet Association Tool will map properties of a central IO point with corresponding properties of a BACnet point. The tool is capable of mapping a single IO point with a single BACnet point, optionally by also creating a BACnet point, and removing the association between IO and BACnet points. To open the BACnet Association Tool, Select the IO Bus or IO Module, BACnet Interface, Application Folder, or the BACnet point, then in the Actions menu, click BACnet Association Tool. Most useful is the ability to associate multiple IO points with their corresponding BACnet points in one operation. The tool can be run from a variety of different container types in the WorkStation Tree view, including an IO point, BACnet Point, CIO Module, or the entire IO Bus (as shown below). For more information refer to WebHelp articles: Creating and Associating BACnet Points to I/O Points (se.com) and Associating or Updating BACnet Point Associations to I/O Points (se.com) NOTE: Please be aware applying the BACnet Association Tool retrospectively, to an already configured site, can remove bindings to outputs.  For example output bindings in Script or Function Block programs.  As shown below, if the tool is used to create a BACnet Associated point for an output already bound to a program (1) the Requested Value will be replaced by the Associated Value of the BACnet point (2). This is due to how the BACnet Association Tool uses the bindings, where the newly created BACnet point should be used instead of the IO point.  The solution is to update the removed program binding (3) to use the BACnet Associated point value (4).   SBO 1.4 to 2.x To associate BACnet IO points created under the BACnet Interface of the Automation Server to points in the IO Bus in SBO 1.4 and above... The association is made via a read reference, so if we think of the two objects as one being the source and the other the destination you configure the association from the destination object so in the case of an output you configure the association from the BACnet object (in this example BO1). In the case of an input, you'd configure the association from the IO Bus input as that would be the destination object, in other words, the recipient of the value. (NOTE: for versions prior to 1.4 see Bacnet and StruxureWare Building Operation Central IO points) Create the points. In this example, we are associating an IO output point named 'Digital Output 1' with a BACnet Binary Output named BO1. From the properties page of the IO Bus point (Digital Output 1 in this example) click on the gear icon to the right of the 'Requested value' field. In the 'Requested value' editor click the navigation icon (...) to the right of the 'Reference' field and navigate to the 'Associated Value' of the BACnet point. Save the configuration changes. Now that the values have been associated setting the BACnet output value (BO1) will drive the IO Bus output (Digital Output 1)