Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue In TAC Vista, we had a function for the OGC graphics called standard graphic. Do we have something similar in Building Operation? Product Line EcoStuxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation 2.0 and above Graphics  Cause All graphics connected to the standard graphic in TAC Vista changed if the standard graphic was changed. This is a very useful function when having many similar graphics.    In Building Operation, a new object was implemented in version 1.8 labeled shared Graphics, Custom Types superseded this in version 2.0, and this function is similar to shared Graphics but not identical. Resolution There is no direct function like this in Building Operation.  Custom Types is the only similar feature available in the currently supported versions of Building Operation. Additional information can be viewed in the online help topic Custom Types Overview.  

Issue How to configure two room sensors in ZBuilder. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment ZBuilder Cause It is possible to configure TAC Xenta 121 or TAC Xenta 122 to use two room sensors via the ZBuilder tool. Resolution In Zbuilder, under the tab Configuration, under Room unit, select the type of sensor you are going to use. Select the tab I/O Setup,  Right click on the sensor and select Duplicate. Move the sensors to the input you are going to use.   At the end of this session you will be able to: Configure TAC Xenta 121/122 to use two room sensors. Understand that the nvoSpaceTemp value is calculated as average value of the two sensors. Understand that it is not possible to see the actual value of a single sensor when using two sensors.    

Issue Extended Logs have stopped updating on the Enterprise Server. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Extended Trend Logs Cause Extended Trend logs have been set up on the site for some time and have operated correctly. Now some of them have stopped updating.  Resolution This issue can be caused by a Server backup being restored. Trend logs and Extended Trend logs are allocated sequence numbers, and if the sequence numbers do not follow the correct sequence, the Extended Trend log may not update. To confirm that this is the issue; Trend Log. Navigate to the Trend log and open it in a "Trend Log List" view. Add an additional column to show the Sequence number. Note the highest sequence number used. Extended Trend Log. Navigate to the Extended Trend log that is referencing the above Trend Log. Open it in a Extended Trend Log properties. Press and hold down the "ALT" key and click where the dot is indicated on the screen shot below, (just below the Basic tab).       This will show some more properties for the Extended Trend Log, the one you are interested in is “Last transferred sequence number”.   If the last transferred sequence number on the Extended Trend Log is higher than the Trend log’s highest sequence number, then that is why the Extended Trend Log has stopped. How can this issue be resolved? Increase the sample interval of the Trend log until it has caught up. The Extended Trend Log will only fetch new records that has a sequence number higher than the last transferred sequence number. So until the sequence has caught up, you will not see any new records in the Extended Trend Log, and only records created after you have caught up in sequence numbers will be fetched. Re-create the Extended Trend Log. The new Extended Trend Log will fetch every record the log has and continue from there, but you will lose the records the old Extended Trend Log had that the log does not have anymore. Backup / restore on the AS. The Trend log will be cleared but the Extended Trend Log will start fetching new records.    

Issue Is it possible to let the ES directly write the write to file notification into the Windows event database? Is there a rotation for the Write To File Notification file so that a new file is written when the file is bigger than xMB?   Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation  Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation - ES Cause Write to file notification can only be written to a file in the "db / notifications" folder on the server where the notification object is located. Unfortunately there is no rotation either. Resolution At this time it is not possible for an Enterprise Server to write directly to the Write to File notification in the Windows event database. There is also no rotation for the Write to File notification file so that a new file is written when the file is bigger than xMB.

Issue 3rd party BACnet device can send a reinitialize device request to an EBO server. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Building Operation Enterprise Server Cause EBO servers support the "ReinitializeDevice-B" Bacnet device management service. This allows BACnet clients, such as BACnet browsers or operator WorkStations, to initiate ReinitializeDevice requests, i.e. Warm Start or Cold Start. Resolution EBO currently does not support passwords for the ReInitializeDevice service. It is possible to create a whitelist for the EBO server and exclude a 3rd party BACnet device from that list, but this will block all communication with the 3rd party BACnet device.

Issue When changing values like Check-in interval (s) under Poll Control for Zigbee device SED-MTH-G-5045, the value seams not to have been change when opening the dialog again. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation. Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium (AS-P) Building Operation Room Controller (RP-C) non-Greenpower sensors SED-MTH-G-5045 Cause Setting is sent to the sensor only once every tenth minute. Resolution Open the dialog box again after 10 minutes to verify your changes.

Issue Using Download Wizard 32 with Application set to Clear Memory, one will get an error that "The application file could not be found! Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Workstation Xenta Programmable Controller Cause EBO Workstation does not include the Lonm<Model Number>.MTA file. Resolution There are two solutions: Create a minimal MTA file for the device type. Open Menta Editor Change the device specification for the appropriate Xenta Type. Add one PVR block Save the file. In DWiz, change Application selection to Download New and Browse in the new file. Perform the steps again with the expected files in the same folder as DWiz. Download the attached Lonm.zip (derived from Menta 5.1.9) Extract the files in the zip to the same Workstation folder where Dwiz.exe is found. Sample Location: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Schneider Electric EcoStruxure\Building Operation 3.2\WorkStation\DWiz.exe" Perform the download again with the same Clear Memory selection under the Application section.

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 Correcting failed links between programming objects after upgrading files from .vsd to .vsdx Product Line TAC IA Series, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment I/A Series WorkPlace Tech Building Operation Workstation (WorkPlace Tech Editor) Cause After existing .vsd files from pre-WorkPlace Tech 5.10 versions can have corrupted links that stay red when programming objects are added or modified. Resolution This video demonstrates how to correct binding failures that can occur when existing Visio drawings are converted from .vsd to .vsdx format when upgrading to Workplace Tech 5.10 and EBO 4.0 and newer WorkPlace Tech Editor. Note: The objects in the original drawing will no longer show a Master Shape reference (below) The frame around the object appears a little different as well.  The Mega Master will not be changed so this has no effect on the performance of these objects.

Issue Receive error "Property value out of range" when creating a BACnet interface on the Enterprise Server   Following problems after upgrading SmartStruxure servers to 1.5: Attaching an Automation Server to or detaching it from an Enterprise Server will fail with “Property value out of range” error. Changes to the ~/System/Interface Manager/BACnet fail to be propagated lead-shadow functions through to the child servers. Automation Server controllers dropping offline following an upgrade to 1.5 (BACnet command priority related  also may see numerous "Changeset Rollback errors") Product Line StruxureWare Building Operation 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5 and above Environment Enterprise Server (ES) BACnet IP Interface Windows XP, Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Cause Their may be various items that generate this error, checking the Enterprise Server (ES) system log in the Software Administrator may assist in pin pointing the error.  If you see an error that ends with ~/BACnet Interface/IP Network, then this error is generated when their is no valid IP Network.  For SmartStruxure 1.5 or above or planning to upgrade from 1.4 to 1.5 (and above)  This issue only occurs if a BACnet interface is used and the site has changed the BACnet "Default Priority Level" from the default value of 16, to 8 or a smaller numeric value in the Automation Server while running in V1.4. The "Property value out of range" message relates to the new Force priority level in 1.5 and the Default priority level in 1.4.1 being mismatched. Resolution The ES must be connected to an IP network. To resolve this error follow these steps: Close all Workstations (if running) Connect the Enterprise Server to a valid IP network (with a valid IP address). Stop and Restart the Enterprise Server service through the Software Administrator application. This should now allow the BACnet Interface to be created successfully For SmartStruxure 1.5 or above or planning to upgrade from 1.4 to 1.5 (and above) Please refer to TPA-SBO-14-0005.00 Before upgrading to 1.5 make sure the "Default Priority Level" within the Automation Server is set to 9 or higher.  If the system has been upgraded with the incorrect values, then: If the site uses single servers, or the ES/AS communication still operates correctly, then this can be corrected by changing the setting in both the AS and the ES to a value of 9 or higher.   If after upgrading a multi server configuration and the AS does not stay online, then a Hotfix can be used fix the problem using the following steps: Apply the hot fix #1.5.0.4301; available from Product Support Services Fix the multi-server (by detaching/re-attaching the servers) Correct the two properties (AS and ES). WARNING: It is essential for any BACnet system at 1.5 or later that the "Default Priority Level" must have a larger numeric value than the "Force Priority Level, otherwise some BACnet functions may not behave as expected. Note: This also applies even if the hot fix has been installed. The effects of not setting the Default above the Force Priority level are: If Force Priority Level is equal to the Default Priority Level: Changing the Value of a BACnet value or a BACnet output object will cause the Value to appear Forced. This applies to the BACnet objects in both SmartStruxure servers and those in 3rd party BACnet devices.   If Force Priority Level has a larger numeric value than the Default Priority Level: Changing the Value of objects mentioned above will cause the Priority Override icon overlay to be turned on next to the Value property in the WorkStation’s property grid.   

Issue Steps on how to setup BACnet Time Synchronization to 3rd Party BACnet controllers. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Opertaion Environment SmartX Enterprise Server (ES) SmartX Automation Server (AS) BACnet Cause It is not always clear what is required to setup BACnet Time Synchronization and how to confirm that EcoStruxure Building Operation is actually performing it properly. Resolution To use the Time Synchronisation you will need to bring the 3rd Party BACnet device (Eg. Continuum bCX) under the EBO BACnet Interface -> IP Network: Go to the BACnet Interface Time Synchronization Recipients Tab. Add a new Local time synchronization recipient with the '+' button. Select recipient type as 'reference' In the Recipient device object reference field browse for your BACnet Device. Press OK and then save the changes. Right-click on the BACnet Interface and select send time sync now. This will send out an unconfirmed-req TimeSynchronization to that specific Device only.   Test Scenario with a bCX setup as a third-party BACnet controller You will see a unconfirmed-req TimeSynchronization packet being sent from the ES in WireShark but with no response from the bCX.  You may not see responses back from other 3rd party devices. The time in the bCX should be seen to change from within Continuum, (assuming it was incorrect in the first place) 

Issue Removing software from a PC may leave behind unused / old registry entries and folders from the removed software, this in some cases may prevent software re-installation Product Line Andover Continuum,EcoStruxure Building Operation,Satchwell BAS & Sigma,Satchwell MicroNet,TAC INET,TAC Vista Environment All supported Operating Systems Cause This is due to the windows uninstall program not fully removing all elements for the software. Some of this is due to windows thinking the the software may have been removed unintentionally and therefor all the previous settings will still be saved in case of  re-installation. For example, when SQL is uninstalled the program folders that contain the database will remain intact. This may be an issue if, for example, the software is removed due to a problem with the original installation. This is when a complete removal off all components and registry entries may be needed. Resolution The best solution for removing all the unused registry entries is to use a program designed to remove obsolete registry entries and temporary files. Some examples of these are: CCleaner, which will allow you to clean up your PC by removing past installation components. Revo Uninstaller  which is useful for removing redundant folders / files / Registry entries.   It may be useful to use both of these programs to ensure a complete cleanup. Revo Uninstaller can be used to remove unused software and then CCleaner to get rid of all the Temp files etc.  Finally remove the relevant folders from within the windows explorer, Example: C:\Program Files (x86)\Continuum Once done you should then be able to install a fresh clean copy of the application software. This solution is current in all versions of Windows including windows 10  

Issue Are there drawing templates available for AS’s, modules, RPC etc for use in BMS wiring diagrams. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation equipment Cause Need for CAD drawings of PS, AS, or I/O Modules Resolution Drawings in AutoCAD format (DWG, DXF) are available on the EcoXpert Extranet. DXF files are able to be imported into Visio.

Issue Content Types are not working correctly. A Content Type that was just created appears under the ES but not under the AS in which it was created in. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Software 1.9 or greater Cause Problems with or changes to the network configuration are affecting both the function and the lead shadow relationship of Content Types. Resolution   The following video will help us, Understand the Lead/Shadow aspects of Content Types Diagnosis and correct possible issues regarding the Lead/Shadow Online help topic for further information is also available here: Content Types (se.com)  

Issue How to perform the activation of an embedded demo license Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium (AS-P) Cause The embedded demo License is a temporary license used for demonstration purposes, training, site engineering, when waiting on a permanent license order, or license support. This license file has a .Bin extension and can be downloaded from the EcoStruxure Exchange (ecoxpert.se.com) and is valid for a limited time (3 months). Resolution This video will demonstrate where to download, and how to activate an embedded demo license on an Automation Server using the Device Administrator.

Issue MQTT data points are no longer published to MQTT broker with "MQTT - Buffer overflow" alarm. System alarm: Buffer overflow - Not all MQTT messages have been sent Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Building Operation Enterprise Server Cause Long MQTT queue can be caused by, too many variables define in MQTT data groups, fast publishing, i.e. low interval or low delta value, Low CPU and RAM resources, or slow network. Resolution Once MQTT Buffer overflow alarm is generated, the below configuration shall be checked: Data points interval value, if the interval is enabled, make sure it is not a very low interval. Data points delta value, for event driven, make it is not very low value, especially for fast changing variables. Review the network performance. Make sure that the EBO server has sufficient CPU and RAM resources, and check Architectural guidelines for the effect of the Number of MQTT Data Points on the CPU Load. For Automation Server, the system memory usage should never exceed 80% and CPU usage should stay below 60%.

Issue There is no fully detailed explanation of how to install an SSL Certificate from an External CA Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Automation Server Cause When trying to install an SSL certificate from an external CA can fail Resolution Configure a DNS name for the AS/ES (This prevents the certificate from being locked down to a specific IP. I.E. Configure an A record for "AS_Name".com Purchase SSL Cert through a 3rd party, or use your organization's internal CA/ root CA Download and install OpenSSL or can use OpenSSL installed with EBO  Run Command Prompt as an administrator Use command "cd c:\program files\OpenSSL-Win64\bin Use OpenSSL to generate a CSR in order to obtain the certificate from the 3rd party openssl req -new -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout EcoStruxure.key -out EcoStruxure.csr Follow the prompts to fill out the information for the CSR Supply CSR, other certificate contact information, and a means of validating the request to the 3rd party CA Verify identity with CA (this may not be necessary if you use your company's internal CA/ root CA Receive host and intermediate CA certificates from 3rd party CA Make sure the CRT/CER files are in the C:\Program Files\OpenSSL-Win64\bin directory of Windows Explorer Use OpenSSL to convert the CRT or CER files into PEM files, as PEM is the only format EBO will accept openssl x509 -in certFileName.cer -outform PEM -out convertedCertFileName.pem Use OpenSSL to convert the private key file generated at step 6 from .key to .prv openssl rsa -inform pem -in filename.key -out filename.prv Run WorkStation as administrator In WorkStation, Control Panel > Certificates click on the server you are trying to add the cert to, either an AS or ES. Click on Manage Certificates > Add Existing  Put in a name for the certificate (it can be anything you'd like) Click the ellipsis next to host, intermediate, and private to add the appropriate PEM files and click ok  Select the newly added certificate from the drop-down and save the changes to activate Warm start the server After this process is completed, verify that connection to WebStation via HTTPS shows a secure connection/trusted certificate.

Issue In EBO BACnet device discovery, how is the BACnet MAC address defined? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Building Operation Enterprise Server Cause A BACnet device is uniquely identified by a network number and a MAC address. Resolution BACnet MS/TP A BACnet MS/TP device supports device MAC addresses in the range 0-127 for masters and 0-254 for slaves. Device MAC addresses are often configured using DIP switches or a configuration tool.   BACnet/IP MAC addresses for BACnet/IP devices are a combination of the IP address and BACnet/IP UDP Port expressed in hexadecimal notation. For example, if a BACnet/IP device is configured with an IP address of 192.168.1.5 and a UDP port of 47808 then:   IP address expressed in hexadecimal is 192 = C0, 168 = A8, 1 = 01, 5 = 05 UDP port expressed in hexadecimal is 47808 = BAC0   Therefore the MAC address will be, C0:A8:01:05:BA:C0   BACnet/SC BACnet/SC nodes are identified by their 6-octet virtual MAC (VMAC) address in form of a IEEE EUI-48 identifier which is randomly generated. A BACnet/SC device attempts to resolve its own VMAC in the network. If it detects another device is already using this VMAC, it will generate a new Random-48 VMAC address and try again.

Issue Metasys® N2 Integration to SBO Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Struxureware Building Operation Metasys N2 Cause This Quick Start Guide will assist the Schneider Electric branch or dealer installation team with the basic steps to bring the virtual BACnet devices emulated by the S4 Open: BACnet-N2 Router into the SmartStruxure environment as part of a Johnson Controls Metasys® N2 integration into SBO. This document is not intended to be a full tutorial or user manual for either the S4 Open: BACnet N2 Router or the SmartStruxure system. Refer to the manufacturer’s documentation for each of these systems for detailed information. S4 documentation, the complete Device Template library, and support utilities can be found on the support CD delivered with your S4 Open appliance. Please contact the S4 group for any questions on this process.  Resolution Step 1:   Follow the installation instructions provided with the S4 Open: BACnet-N2 Router to discover and publish the N2 devices in the Metasys® installation to BACnet IP. All operations in SmartStruxure will be against these emulated BACnet IP devices each representing the underlying N2 device. Investigate before you integrate! Validate the N2 bus to make sure that it is electrically in spec and that all N2 devices are working properly before starting the integration process. Assign a unique BACnet virtual network number to each S4 Open: BACnet-N2 Router. N2 devices connected to this S4 Open appliance are published as emulated BACnet IP devices under that network. The Configure Wizard in the S4 Open Management Console will assist you with generating a unique BACnet Device ID for each N2 device. Point instance numbers are included as attributes in our Device Templates for all application-specific controllers. Either of these can be manually overridden in the S4 Open Management Console to meet unique requirements. The S4 Metasys® Configuration File Conversion Utility can be downloaded from the S4 Group web site and will assist you in creating custom Device Templates for DX-9100 devices or application-specific controllers. You will need the corresponding .DMO or .PRN files as input to this utility. A detailed understanding of Metasys® N2 devices, the Metasys® system, and the associated configuration and commissioning utilities are necessary to support successful integrations. If you don’t have this expertise in-house, The S4 Group can recommend a consultant to assist you. NOTE: We highly recommend that you attend a two-day S4 Boot Camp to make sure that you have all the skills necessary to install and configure the S4 Open: BACnet-N2 Router. Step 2: Bring up the SmartStruxure BACnet discovery tab and select BACnet devices. In this example, you can see that the S4 Open BACnet-N2 Router was defined in Network 1 and the N2 devices are in Network 122. The other device in Network 1 in this example is a JCI NAE. The best practice is to assign the S4 Open: BACnet-N2 Router to the BACnet network that you are using as your BACnet backbone. As with any BACnet device, the BACnet-N2 Router must be assigned a unique BACnet device ID. Step 3: Expand the navigation pane to expose the BACnet Interface / IP Network folder. Then select and drag the N2 devices from the Device Discovery tab to the IP Network folder. SmartStruxure will tell you that an Upload is required. Respond OK. Step 4: Navigate to the IP Network folder, select the properties page for each device, and request an Upload operation. This will bring the device properties and point list for each N2 device into SmartStruxure. SmartStruxure will respond with the following confirmation as each upload is completed. Step 5: When the Upload process is completed for all N2 devices and the S4 Open: BACnet-N2 Router, you can continue your SmartStruxure installation process as you would for any BACnet device. Note that there will be no points published under the S4 Open: BACnet-N2 Router itself but you will be able to confirm the Operational Status of the system from SmartStruxure. The Schneider Electric support organization will supply pre-sales engineering support and first-level technical support for the Metasys® N2 to SBO integration solution. The S4 Group will be available to provide 2nd level support to these integration projects.  

Issue This tool will help calculate the required M&B conversion coefficient for a given analog value in I/NET. Product Line TAC INET Environment All I/NET Controllers I/NET Resident Point Editor Cause Need to calculate an I/NET Conversion Coefficient (M&B) for a special sensor Resolution Click here to download an Excel spreadsheet that has several functions for calculating the correct M&B.

Issue PCT error 'Hardware virtualization is not enabled. Please enable in BIOS before continuing' Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Project Configuration Tool Windows 10 Cause Windows Hyper-V is enabled Resolution Firstly, in BIOS check and confirm the computer’s Hardware Virtualization is enabled.  See the following article which may provide assistance with this.  PCT Intel Processor Virtualization.   Once confirmed that this feature is enabled within the bios then, within Windows, open Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features, in the left pane select “Turn Windows features on or off” Check to see if Hyper-V is enabled: If it is, uncheck the checkbox next to Hyper-V. This change will require the computer to be restarted for the change to take effect.   If Hyper-V does not deactivate properly and gets launched automatically at startup, you can instead disable Hyper-V through an elevated command prompt with the following command: bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off