Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Force door and DOTL alarms not received in the correct filter (Routine, Priority, Critical) in AMT. Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Seven 2.2x and above. Cause I/NET distribution group and masking has not been set correctly.  There are two locations that this exists when dealing with Access Control and Doors, and must be set correctly to achieve the correct / desired results. Resolution The Force door, DOTL, Door normal, Door relocked, SLI not Available, Mode messages and Request to exit messages use the masking and distribution group that have been defined within the "Resident I/O Point editor" for the specific Door DO point. All other messages use the masking and the distribution group that is in the Door editor.  See picture below: Additionally you must also ensure that Door Normal message type is set correctly. Refer to Acknowledge and purge a "Force Door" alarm in AMT for further information.

Issue Is there a document that describes the SQL terms used as part of I/NET Seven's File Equalization feature? Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Seven File Equalization SQL 2000 all editions Cause An overview of SQL Server Systems which can be used to describe the SQL terms used within I/NET Seven's File equalization feature.  Resolution SQL Server Systems Overview (I/NET Seven) A SQL Server system can be implemented as a client/server system or as a stand-alone desktop system. The type of system you design will depend on the number of users that will be accessing the database simultaneously and on the kind of work they will be doing. Generally the most typical environment is a tier 2 configuration consisting of a SQL Server 2000 software configured on a PC with client connections over ethernet Desktop System SQL Server can also be used as a stand-alone database server that runs on a desktop computer or a laptop. This is referred to as a desktop system. The client applications run on the same computer that stores the SQL Server engine and the databases. Only one computer is involved in this system. Therefore, no network connection is made from client to server; the client makes a local connection to its local installation of SQL Server. The desktop system is useful in cases in which a single user accesses the database or in which a few users who share a computer access the database at different times. For example, in a small store with one computer, several employees might access the store’s database to insert customer and sales information, but they must take turns accessing the system. Also, as in this example, desktop systems are useful when the database or databases are small. Designing a Microsoft SQL Server System Before you even begin loading the operating system and Microsoft SQL Server, you should have a good idea how you want to design your SQL Server system. By carefully designing your SQL Server system, you can avoid costly downtime caused by having to either rebuild the system or reinstall SQL Server with different options. By comparison, when we talk in general about a system, we mean all of the hardware and software that make up all of the computers working on behalf of the user in order to access data from one or more SQL Server databases. Security Today’s computing environments have differing security requirements. Windows 2000 allows you to customize the level of security to meet your needs. The following features assist you in securing both your computer and network access: Windows NT file system (NTFS) The Windows NT file system is the core security technology in Windows 2000. NTFS provides file security at a group or user level. Required for I/NET Seven Installations. Windows NT security model This feature permits only authorized users to access system resources. This model controls which user or users can access objects, such as files and printers, as well as which actions individuals can take on an object. In addition, you can enable auditing to track and monitor actions taken, as well as to track actions that a user attempted that would have violated a security policy. Encrypting file system (EFS) This feature encrypts files with a randomly generated key. The encryption and decryption processes are transparent to the user. EFS requires your disks to be formatted with NTFS. IP Security (IPSec) support IP Security helps protect data transmitted across a network. This is an integral component for providing security for virtual private networks (VPNs), which allow organizations to transmit data securely across the Internet. Figure 2-1 displays the IP Security configuration dialog box. Kerberos support This feature provides an industry-standard, highly secure authentication method for single-logon support for Windows 2000—based networks. The Kerberos protocol is an Internet standard and is highly effective when you are integrating Windows 2000 systems into an environment with a different operating system, such as UNIX. Microsoft SQL Server Replication: Overview and Snapshot Replication Microsoft SQL Server database replication technology is designed to help you distribute data and stored procedures among the servers in your company. Replication allows you to configure systems to copy data to other systems automatically. Using database replication, you can copy as much or as little data as you want, and you can allocate data among as many systems as you want. Because the replication process is automatic and because during replication a database stores data about the state of the replication as well as the replicated data, there is no danger in losing data. If a replication procedure is interrupted (say, due to a power failure), replication resumes from the point of failure as soon as the systems are running normally again. What Is Database Replication? Database replication is the act of copying, or replicating, data from one table or database to another table or database. Using this technology, you can distribute copies of an entire database to multiple systems throughout your company, or you can distribute selected pieces of the database. When SQL Server replication technology is used, the task of copying and distributing data is automated. No user intervention is needed to replicate data once replication has been set up and configured. Because the data replication and processing is done from within a SQL Server database, there is additional stability and recoverability. If a failure occurs during replication (or while any other SQL Server transaction is being performed), operations resume at the point of failure once the problem is fixed. Because of this, many people prefer replication to other methods of moving data between systems. Replication Components Microsoft SQL Server 2000 replication is based on the publish-and-subscribe metaphor first used to implement replication in SQL Server 6. This metaphor consists of three main concepts: publishers, distributors, and subscribers. A publisher is a database system that makes data available for replication. A distributor is the database system that contains the distribution database, or pseudodata, used to maintain and manage the replication. A subscriber is a database system that receives replicated data and stores the replicated database. Publishers The publisher consists of a Microsoft Windows system hosting a SQL Server database. This database provides data to be replicated to other systems. In addition, the SQL Server database keeps track of which data has changed so that it can be effectively replicated. The publisher also maintains information about which data is configured for replication. Depending on the type of replication that is chosen, the publisher does some work or little work during the replication process. This will be explained in further detail later in this chapter. A replicated environment can contain multiple subscribers, but any given set of data that is configured for replication, called an article, can have only one publisher. Having only one publisher for a particular set of data does not mean that the publisher is the only component that can modify the data—the subscriber can also modify and even republish the data. Distributors In addition to containing the distribution database, servers acting as distributors store metadata, history data, and other information. In many cases, the distributor is also responsible for distributing the replication data to subscribers. The publisher and the distributor are not required to be on the same server. In fact, you will likely use a dedicated server as a distributor. Each publisher must be assigned a distributor when it is created, and a publisher can have only one distributor. NOTE Metadata is data about data. Metadata is used in replication to keep track of the state of replication operations. It is also the data that is propagated by the distributor to other members of the replication set and includes information about the structure of data and the properties of data, such as the type of data in a column (numeric, text, and so on) or the length of a column. Subscribers As mentioned, subscribers are the database servers that store the replicated data and receive updates. Subscribers can also make updates and serve as publishers to other systems. For a subscriber to receive replicated data, it must subscribe to that data. Subscribing to replication involves configuring the subscriber to receive that data. A subscription is the database information to which you are subscribing. Types of Replication SQL Server offers three types of replication: snapshot, transactional, and merge. These replication types offer varying degrees of data consistency within the replicated database, and they require different levels of overhead. Snapshot Replication Snapshot replication is the simplest replication type. With snapshot replication, a picture, or snapshot, of the database is taken periodically and propagated to subscribers. The main advantage of snapshot replication is that it does not involve continuous overhead on publishers and subscribers. That is, it does not require publishers to continuously monitor data changes, and it doesn’t require the continuous transmission of data to subscribers. The main disadvantage is that the database on a subscriber is only as current as the last snapshot. In many cases, as you will see later in this chapter, snapshot replication is sufficient and appropriate—for example, when source data is modified only occasionally. Information such as phone lists, price lists, and item descriptions can easily be handled by using snapshot replication. Transactional Replication – ( Is not applicable to I/NET Seven) Transactional replication can be used to replicate changes to the database. With transactional replication, any changes made to articles (a set of data configured for replication) are immediately captured from the transaction log and propagated to the distributors. Using transactional replication, you can keep a publisher and its subscribers in almost exactly the same state, depending on how you configure the replication. Transactional replication should be used when it is important to keep all of the replicated systems current. Transactional replication uses more system overhead than snapshot replication because it individually applies each transaction that changes data in the system to the replicated systems. Merge Replication Merge replication is similar to transactional replication in that it keeps track of the changes made to articles. However, instead of individually propagating transactions that make changes, merge replication periodically transmits a batch of changes. Because merge replication transmits data in batches, it is also similar to snapshot replication. Merge replication differs from transactional replication in that it is inherently multidirectional. With merge replication, publishers and subscribers can update the publication equally. Transactional replication also allows subscribers to update the publication, but the two replication types function quite differently. Introduction to Merge Replication Merge replication performs multidirectional replication between the publisher and one or more subscribers. This allows multiple systems to have updatable copies of the publication and to modify their own copies. A modification on the publisher will be replicated to the subscribers. A modification on a subscriber will be replicated to the publisher and then replicated to the other subscribers. Unlike transactional replication, merge replication works by installing triggers on the publisher and on the subscribers. Whenever a change is made to the publication or a copy of it, the appropriate trigger is fired, which causes a replication command to be queued up to be sent to the distribution database. This command is eventually sent to the distribution database and then sent to participating systems. Because merge replication operates this way, it requires much more overhead, especially on the publisher, than does transactional replication. As you will learn in this chapter, the key components involved in the merge replication system are the Merge Agent and the distribution database. The Merge Agent reconciles (merges) incremental changes that have occurred since the last reconciliation. When you use merge replication, no Distribution Agent is used—the Merge Agent communicates with both the publisher and the distributor. The Snapshot Agent is used only to create the initial database. The Merge Agent performs the following tasks. The Merge Agent uploads all changes from the subscriber. All of the rows without a conflict (rows not modified on both the publisher and the subscriber) are uploaded immediately; those with a conflict (rows modified on both systems) are sent to the conflict resolver. The resolver is a module that is used to resolve conflicts in merge replication. You can configure this module to resolve conflicts based on your needs. All changes are applied to the publisher. The Merge Agent uploads all changes from the publisher. All of the rows without a conflict are uploaded immediately; those with a conflict are sent to the conflict resolver. All changes are applied to the subscriber. This process will repeat as scheduled. With push subscriptions, the Merge Agent runs on the distributor. With pull subscriptions, the Merge Agent runs on the subscriber. Each merge publication has its own Merge Agent. Publications A publication is a set of articles grouped together as a unit. Publications provide the means to replicate a logical grouping of articles as one replication object. For example, you can create a publication to be used to replicate a database consisting of multiple tables, each of which is defined as an article. It is more efficient to replicate a database by replicating the entire database in one publication than by replicating tables individually. A publication can consist of a single article, but it almost always contains more than one article. However, a subscriber can subscribe only to publications, not to articles. Therefore, if you want to subscribe to a single article, you must configure a publication that contains only that article and then subscribe to that publication. Push and Pull Subscriptions Replicated data can be propagated in a number of ways. All propagation methods are based on either push subscriptions or pull subscriptions. A subscriber can support a mixture of push and pull subscriptions simultaneously. Push Subscriptions The distributor is responsible for providing updates to the subscribers. Updates are initiated without any request from the subscriber. A push subscription is useful when centralized administration is desired because the distributor, rather than multiple subscribers, controls and administers replication. In other words, the initiation and the scheduling of the replication are handled on the distributor. Pull Subscriptions Pull subscriptions allow subscribers to initiate replication. Replication can be initiated either via a scheduled task or manually. Pull subscriptions are useful if you have a large number of subscribers and if the subscribers are not always attached to the network. Because subscribers initiate pull subscriptions, subscribers not always connected to the network can periodically connect and request replication data. This can also be useful in reducing the number of connection errors reported on the distributor. If the distributor tries to initiate replication to a subscriber that does not respond, an error will be reported. Thus, if the replication is initiated on the subscriber only when it is attached, no errors will be reported. Replication Agents Several agents are used to perform the actions necessary to move the replicated data from the publisher to the distributor and finally to the subscriber: the Snapshot Agent, the Log Reader Agent, the Distribution Agent, the Merge Agent, and the Queue Reader Agent. Snapshot Agent The Snapshot Agent is used for creating and propagating the snapshots from the publisher to the distributor (or snapshot location). The Snapshot Agent creates the replication data (the snapshot) and creates the information that is used by the Distribution Agent to propagate that data (the metadata). The Snapshot Agent stores the snapshot on the distributor (or anywhere that you specify). The Snapshot Agent is also responsible for maintaining information about the synchronization status of the replication objects; this information is stored in the distribution database. The Snapshot Agent is dormant most of the time and might periodically activate, based on the schedule that you have configured, and perform its tasks. Each time the Snapshot Agent runs, it performs the following tasks: The Snapshot Agent establishes a connection from the distributor to the publisher. If a connection is not available, the Snapshot Agent will not proceed with creating the snapshot. Once the connection has been established, the Snapshot Agent locks all of the articles involved in the replication to ensure that the snapshot is a consistent view of the data. The Snapshot Agent establishes a connection from the publisher to the distributor. Once this connection has been established, the Snapshot Agent engineers a copy of the schema for each article and stores that information in the distribution database. This data is considered metadata. The Snapshot Agent takes a snapshot of the actual data on the publisher and writes it to a file at the snapshot location. The snapshot location does not necessarily need to be on the distributor. If all systems involved in the replication are SQL Server systems, the file is stored as a native bulk copy program. If mixed types of systems are involved in the replication, the data is stored in text files. At this point, synchronization information is set by the Snapshot Agent. After the data has been copied, the Snapshot Agent updates information in the distribution database. The Snapshot Agent releases the locks that it has held on the articles and logs the snapshot into the history file. As you can see, the Snapshot Agent is responsible for only creating the snapshot; it does not distribute it to subscribers. Other agents perform this task. Distribution Agent The Distribution Agent propagates snapshots and transactions from the distribution database to subscribers. Each publication has its own Distribution Agent. Merge Agent The Merge Agent is used in merge replication to reconcile (merge) incremental changes that have occurred since the last reconciliation. When you use merge replication, the Distribution Agent and the Snapshot Agent aren’t used—the Merge Agent communicates with both the publisher and the distributor. Backing Up Microsoft SQL Server Backing up the database is one of the DBA’s most important tasks. Having backup files and carefully planning for disaster recovery enable the DBA to restore the system in the event of a failure. The DBA is responsible for keeping the system up and running as much as possible and, in the event of a system failure, for restoring service as quickly as possible. Downtime can be both inconvenient and extremely expensive. Getting the database back up and running as soon as possible is essential. Backup Terminology Before we look at backup techniques, let’s review some terminology. In this section, you’ll learn some basic facts about backup, restore, and recovery operations. Backup and Restore Backup and restore operations are related and involve saving data from the database for later use, similar to the backup and restore operations that can be performed by the operating system. During the backup, data is copied from the database and saved in another location. The difference between an operating system backup and a database backup is that the operating system backup can save individual files, whereas the database backup saves the entire database. Usually, a database is shared by many users, whereas many operating system files belong to individual users. Thus, a database backup backs up all of the user’s data at once. Because SQL Server is designed for maximum uptime, the backup process is designed to work while the database is up and running, and even while users are accessing the database. During the restore, the backed up data is copied back to the database. (Don’t confuse restore with recovery; these are two separate operations.) Unlike the backup process, the restore process cannot be done while SQL Server is up and running. In addition, a table cannot be restored separately. Recovery Recovery involves the ability of the relational database management system (RDBMS) to survive a system failure and replay (recover) transactions. Because of the delay in writing changes to disk, a system failure might leave the database in a corrupted state, because some changes made to the database might not have been written to disk or changes written to disk might not have been committed. To maintain the integrity of the database, SQL Server logs all changes in a transaction log. When SQL Server restarts after a system failure, it uses the transaction log to roll forward transactions that were committed but not written to disk and to roll back transactions that were not committed at the time of the failure. In this manner, data accuracy is guaranteed. SQL Server must be prepared to handle several types of transactions during recovery, including the following: Transactions that are queries only No recovery is necessary. Transactions that changed data in the database and were committed but were not written to disk During recovery, SQL Server reads the data pages from disk, reapplies the changes, and then rewrites the pages to disk. Transactions that changed data in the database, were committed, and were written to disk During recovery, SQL Server determines that the changes were written to disk. No other intervention is required. Transactions that changed data in the database and were not committed During recovery, SQL Server uses the transaction log to undo any changes that were made to data pages and restores the database to the state it was in before the transactions started. When SQL Server restarts from a system failure, the recovery mechanism starts automatically. The recovery mechanism uses the transaction log to determine which transactions need to be recovered and which do not. Many of the transactions will not need recovery, but SQL Server must read the transaction log to determine which transactions do require recovery. SQL Server starts reading the transaction log at the point where the last checkpoint occurred. System Failure You might be wondering whether backups are really necessary if you use technologies such as Microsoft Cluster Services and RAID fault tolerance. The answer is a resounding “yes.” Your system can fail in a number of ways, and those methods of fault tolerance and fault recovery will help keep your system functioning properly through only some of them. Some system failures can be mild; others can be devastating. To understand why backups are so important, you need to know about the three main categories of failures: hardware failures, software failures, and human error. Hardware Failures Hardware failures are probably the most common type of failure you will encounter. Although these failures are becoming less frequent as computer hardware becomes more reliable, components will still wear out over time. Typical hardware failures include the following: CPU, memory, or bus failure These failures usually result in a system crash. After you replace the faulty component and restart the system, SQL Server automatically performs a database recovery. The database itself is intact, so it does not need to be restored—SQL Server needs simply to replay the lost transactions. Disk failure If you’re using RAID fault tolerance, this failure type will probably not affect the state of the database at all. You must simply repair the RAID array. If you are not using RAID fault tolerance or if an entire RAID array fails, your only alternative is to restore the database from the backup and use the transaction log backups to recover the database. Catastrophic system failure or permanent loss of server If the entire system is destroyed in a fire or some other disaster, you might have to start over from scratch. The hardware will need to be reassembled, the database restored from the backup, and the database recovered by means of the data and transaction log backups. Software Failures Software failures are rare, and your system probably will never experience them. However, a software failure is usually more disastrous than a hardware failure because software has built-in features that minimize the effect of hardware failures, and without these protective features, the system is vulnerable to disaster if a hardware failure occurs. The transaction log is an example of a software feature designed to help systems recover from hardware failures. Typical software failures include the following: Operating system failure If a failure of this type occurs in the I/O subsystem, data on disk can be corrupted. If no database corruption occurs, only recovery is necessary. If database corruption occurs, your only option is to restore the database from a backup. RDBMS failure SQL Server itself can fail. If this type of failure causes corruption to occur, the database must be restored from a backup and recovered. If no corruption occurs, only the automatic recovery is needed to return the system to the state it was in at the point of failure. Application failure Applications can fail, which can cause data corruption. Like an RDBMS failure, if this type of failure causes corruption to occur, the database must be restored from a backup. If no corruption occurs, no restore is necessary; the automatic recovery will return the system to the state it was in at the point of failure. You might also need to obtain a patch from your application vendor to prevent this type of failure from recurring. Human Error The third main category of failure is human error. Human errors can occur at any time and without notice. They can be mild or severe. Unfortunately, these types of errors can go unnoticed for days or even weeks, which can make recovery more difficult. By establishing a good relationship (including good communication) with your users, you can help make recovery from user errors easier and faster. Users should not be afraid to come to you immediately to report a mistake. The earlier you find out about an error, the better. The following failures can be caused by human error: Database server loss Human errors that can cause the server to fail include accidentally shutting off the power or shutting down the server without first shutting down SQL Server. Recovery is automatic when SQL Server is restarted, but it might take some time. Because the database is intact on disk, a restore is not necessary. Data loss This type of loss can be caused by someone’s accidentally deleting a data file, for example, thus causing loss of the database. Restore and recovery operations must be performed to return the database to its prefailure state. Table loss or corrupted data If a table is dropped by mistake or its data is somehow incorrectly changed, you can use backup and recovery to return the table to its original state. Recovery from this type of failure can be quite complex because a single table or a small set of data that is lost cannot simply be recovered from a backup. Data Base Backups All SQL Server backups are performed for a specific database. To completely back up your system, you should back up all databases in the system and their transaction logs. Don’t forget to back up the master database as well. And remember, without good backups, you might not be able to restore your data in the event of a failure. Full Backups As mentioned, a full backup involves backing up an entire database. All of the filegroups and data files that are part of this database are backed up. If you have multiple databases, you should back up all of them. A full backup is probably the most common technique for backing up small- to medium-size databases. Depending on how large the databases are, this process can be quite time consuming, so if time is an issue, you might consider performing differential backups or filegroup backups, as described next. Once you start a backup, you cannot pause it—the backup will continue until the entire database is backed up. Conclusion It is very important to understand when using SQL Server 2000 full version that this application requires more specific knowledge in deployment and configuration of this software program.

Issue Understanding how the NPR functions in a corporate WAN / LAN environment NPR network Issues What information can we provide to IT (MIS) departments that will explain what the NPR is doing on their network. Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Seven Series 2000 NetPlus Router (NPR) Cause This advisory discusses the interaction of a Series 2000 NetPlus Router (NPR) with a corporate LAN/WAN. It is intended to alleviate any concerns MIS personnel may have regarding Ethernet network loading or LAN/WAN security.  Resolution For information on the Series 2000 NetPlus Router (NPR) when used on a corporate LAN / WAN refer to the attached Customer Advisory CA-2004-01.  This advisory includes more detailed information of the following topics: The NetPlus Router and Dial Security Protocols Packet Routing TCP/IP Communication Network exposure I/NET Ethernet Network Loading Network Utilization The NetPlus Router and Network Configurations Network Configuration for Proxy ARP:

Issue Considerations for I/NET Seven File Equalization Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Seven Cause Knowing about the suggestions in this document prior to configuring file equalization will avoid many of the most common pitfalls and save considerable time and headaches. Resolution I/NET Seven SQL Server Setup and Password During the I/Net Seven Install process you should have been presented the following password. Be sure to remember this password. It must be known in order to perform certain functions using the DbCreate Utility. When assigning a password to the SQL server this password needs to be unique (DIFFERENT) password among all the passwords used in the system. For example, do not duplicate the passwords that you already use to log into your computer, log into the network, log into I/NET, or connect to the I/NET file master. The next time you use this password, is when you try to do a function in the DbCreate Editor. The Default user name is SA. The password is the one defined above. I/NET Seven File Equalization Setup and Passwords There are some Notes that need to be stated at the beginning of this document. Before upgrading an I/NET Seven file master or client to a newer host software build, ensure that you first demote the workstation back to standalone status. Otherwise, you risk corrupting the database contents among all equalized workstations. You must have Windows Administrator rights in order to make any changes to your I/Net configuration that will effect file equalization. File equalization is NOT available on the workstation if your Link type is NetPlus Router, Integrated Dial or Integrated NPR Dial. Password Protection Of the File Master When you activate the File Master box in the IOServer editor, see example of this editor below. Please note the File Master name that Inet puts in the Name box (it is grayed out) above. You will have to know the exact way this is listed, including the case. After you OK this editor you will be presented a request for a File Master Password. There are some rules that need to be discussed here. When assigning a user and password to a File Master, ensure that these are different than any other user name and password on your system. For example, do not duplicate the windows computer name or the user name and password that you already use to log into your computer, log into the network, or log into the Inet Seven, or the SQL (DbCreate) password. The File Master “USER” name can contain up to 128 characters. However, the following characters CANNOT be used within the “USER” name: “ /\ [ ] : ; | = , + * ? < > The Unique (different) Password can contain up to 128 characters. All keyboard characters are valid for use within this password. Immediately after you close the Inet Configuration Profiles dialog, Inet attempts to configure your workstation as a File Master. You may also receive a message explaining that the I/O server must be shutdown and restarted before your workstation can become a File Master. As the workstation is being configured, various balloon-style messages appear near the I/O Server System tray ICON. These messages provide information on the current status of the configuration process. When the configuration process is complete, the I/O Server System tray ICON will change to a symbol that looks like a 2-drawer file cabinet. The system automatically creates a “snapshot” of this workstation’s current database as soon as it finishes configuring itself as a file master. This snapshot, along with any changes that may have occurred since the snapshot was created, will be sent to the other workstations as they are being promoted from a standalone workstation to an equalized client. While the database snapshot is being created, no client will receive updated information from the file master. During this time, the I/O Server ICON in the file master System Tray changes to a CYAN color, indicating that the server is busy. Promoting a Standalone Workstation To an Equalized Client You must have Windows Administrator rights in order to make any changes to your I/Net configuration that effects File Equalization. If you are promoting your workstation to be an equalized client (i.e., you have entered the name of the File Master workstation in the File Master Name field). You are presented a dialog box for the Workstation password. Enter the USER name that has been assigned to the File Master PC. Enter the File Master PASSWORD. Select OK If you correctly enter the user name and password defined for the selected File Master, the Workstation will be automatically promoted to an equalized client. The I/O Server system tray will indicated balloons with the status of Clients ICON. The User Names and Passwords are examples in this case. These are examples only and may not be the Actual User or Password in a system.     File Master PC Client #1 PC Client #2 PC SQL       Username SA SA SA Password P@ssword1 P@ssword1 P@ssword1 PROMOTE       Username Fileq Fileq Fileq Password Fileq Fileq Fileq I/NET       Username tac tac tac Password dacs dacs dacs WINDOWS       Username tom larry chuck Password dog cat fish NETWORK       Username tomp larryc chuckv Password 1234 5567 2526   The User Name and Password for each PC above in the vertical list MUST BE DIFFERENT. The User Name and Password for each PC above horizontally CAN BE the same. In the case of the Promotional Password, they MUST BE the same Horizontally. Otherwise File Equalization will not occur. In the case of the SQL Password, they MUST BE the same Horizontally. Otherwise File Equalization will not occur.

Issue What does a Card-View Plus device look like? Product Line TAC INET Environment Card-View plus Cause Ordering and identifying this equipment. Resolution See picture below:

Issue What HHC (Hand Held Console) cable do I need to connect to a DCU, UCI, or PCU? Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET HC7410 HHC (Handheld Console) Cause Can not locate documentation to indicate which cable is required. Resolution Original HHC: The part number is 602135-0003. It is a six foot (or 1.8 m) coiled, silver modular cable. Refer to the appropriate controller TCON for more details.   HHC (Hand Held Console) is also called the HC7410. Refer to TCON 073 for more details. Updated USB HHC: This is the replacement for the HHC. TCON318 has more information. The HHC-USB-IF cable allows you to connect the hand-held console (HHC) port of a TAC I/NET device to the USB port of a PC. You can then use the HHC emulator running on the PC to configure the I/NET device’s controller LAN address, tap emulation, baud rate settings, monitor and control points, and perform the other typical local maintenance functions supported by the earlier HC7410 console product. The HHC-USB-IF cable can be used with the model 7716, 7718, 7756, 7780, 7790A, 7700, 7740, and 7750 Distributed Control Units (DCUs), and the model 7760 UCI

Issue Can I configure (translate) the I/NET Software into another language besides English? Is I/NET supported in different languages? I/NET Seven ver 2.41 supporting the user interface for either Chinese Language (Traditional) and Chinese Language (Simplify).   Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET 2000 I/NET Seven Cause I/NET is provided in U.S. English language. Translation into other languages is possible with some limitations. Resolution There has been some success observed in translations using a product called Passolo. Although Passolo is not supported by Schneider Electric, you may employ it as a translation tool at your own discretion. More information is available at SDL/Passolo. Note: Passolo does not modify Windows® dialog boxes - this is managed by the language used during installation of the Operating System. This Customer Advisory CA-2001-09 - Update INET2000 and Languages.pdf discusses various items on this issue. Customer Advisory 2001-09 dated 10/1/2001. Within the I/NET Seven CD there is a folder called Inet7-Translation which contains the relevant file used with any translation software.  Update from 2011: for I/NET Seven Ver 2.41 and its support of the user interface for either Chinese Language (Traditional) and Chinese Language (Simplify). Answer: If you are talking about translating language then, yes, it should be translatable through the 3rd party translation program. Although we do not test translation in the lab. Update 2013: There are freelancers who could be of assistance to help your site. https://www.upwork.com site with potential low cost translators.  

Issue Access older I/NET 4.xx *.pag files from page markers in new pages made in I/NET 2000 Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET 2000 Cause Access older files from new pages made in I/NET 2000. Resolution Go to the Graphic Editor, right click on the page-marker, then select Properties. The next screen is called Graphic Page Marker. In the File Details section check path of the file name of the file extension type If they are not correct then click on Destination page. Select and then open your file. (You may select *.pag or *.gpg files.) Make sure the correction is now in the File Details then click Okay. Save the graphic and close Graphic Editor. Test your page marker. Your page should appear. For conversion up to StruxureWare Building Operation, import the original pag files and convert to gpg. Then using the graphics converter from Building Operation, convert the graphics pages.

Issue Defined a Special Day for the door mode schedules, but no one gets access, not even a person with a 24/7 schedule. AMT shows Denied Entry Schedule Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Seven Cause In access control, there are two types of schedules:  Door Mode Schedules Personnel Schedules If there is a special day defined, there must be corresponding special day entries in all time schedules. Issue Special Days are causing the Elevator to show Denied Entry Schedule in AMT. Resolution Modify the existing personnel schedules Add an entry for the special day If it is a system that includes HVAC controls, their associated time schedules will need special day entries as well. If no instructions are given to them for what to do on a special day, they will do nothing. For further information on setting up Special Day schedules including screen captures, see Special Days Setup I7 updated.pdf.

Issue When upgrading an IMI Video system to the newer Datacard (ID Works) system, are there any files or utilities needed besides the ID Works software? Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Seven IMI Video system Datacard ID Works Cause Converting the IMI Video Badging system to Datacard system Resolution There are 3 files that you need. Click Convert.zip to download them. Also, INET Application Guide AG-2002-01.pdf has additional information on this process. When converting the IMI Video Badging system to Datacard system, the first step in the IMI system to begin the convert process is to re-index the database files before attempting to batch export the data. If you have multiple tenants you must perform this procedure for each tenant. ID Works ODBC String. Type the string as you see it including the case: UPDATE ACP001 SET FIELD16 = 'C:\Photo\' + cardnumber + '.JPG' Make sure the case and spaces are just like the above to avoid any problems. Make the path anything you like, but remember the C: string cannot exceed 50 characters.

Issue Sales literature shows the use of NV202, are these the only supported device and are these provided by Schneider  Product Line TAC INET, Security Expert Environment Security Expert SP-C I/NET Access Control Hardware   Cause The NetSys NV202 product was sourced to provide a solution for a large I/NET Site that had multiple 7798B / 7798C controllers communicating back to a single Xenta 527.  As these I/NET Controller LAN devices only communicate via RS-485, a method of using this existing RS-485 cabling to support the SP-C Ethernet connection needed to be sourced.  Tests were carried out to see their performance, which is provided in the resolution below.  These devices are provided by NetSys and if necessary should be purchased directly through their distribution centers.  Documentation for this device is also provided on their website.  Resolution The following shows the tests, methods, and results performed with the NetSys NV-202 on a transition I/NET Database with over 25,000 users and over 5,000 doors. Testing and Validation of proposed NV-202 based RS485 Network Replacement Solution Test Equipment 49 Netsys NV-202 devices and power supplies 25 SP-C Controllers Security Expert Software 4.2.251.19 installation on a PC with the following specification: Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-3820 CPU @ 3.60GHz Installed RAM 16.0 GB 240m Belden 9842 Twisted Pair cable PLUS 50 Ohm resistances for line length simulation to an equivalent run length of 840m 100Mbps switch for interconnection of server PC and controller LAN Test Scenario 30 NV-202 units and in the following network topology. Figure 1: Test System Topology Method The Security Expert server was loaded with a database backup from an I/NET Transitioned Site, which was then modified to include: Connection to the SP-C’s on the IP range 192.168.1.200-192.168.1.224. by modifying existing real-world controller records to match (Database ID’s 149 onwards) Increasing the record load on each controller to the full set of users in the database (21,522) to be downloaded by adding an Access Level containing a door on each controller to each User A Status Page containing an All Events window All controllers were connected to the same 100Mbps switch as the test PC containing Security Expert The last controller in the daisy chain had one input wired into Relay 1 of the controller; this was used to validate input change timing. Download was forced to all controllers Timing for each required parameter (as noted in Figure 2) was measured using the final controller at the end of the cable run, having worst-case characteristics of bandwidth/latency due to maximum number of daisy-chained NV-202 devices Figure 2: Tested Timing Parameters Results Command Response Time Manual commands (by right-clicking and selecting ‘Unlock Door’) were performed on the first door programmed on the SP-C. 25 activations were run and the worst-case results selected. Command response time is less than 2 seconds as stipulated. See Wireshark capture: Figure 3: Packet capture of a Manual Door Unlock command to the worst-case SP-C from Security Expert Software Status Changes Response Time Relay 1 of the SP-C was activated, which is wired to Input 1 of the same SP-C in order to close the input and trigger a status change. 25 activations were run and the worst-case results selected. Status Change response is less than 1 second stipulated. Door Status Changes response time Manual commands (by right-clicking and selecting ‘Unlock Door’) were performed on the first door programmed on the SP-C. 25 activations were run and the worst-case results selected. Door status change response is less than 1 second stipulated. Retrieve access data or user’s data Not applicable. This data is stored in the server database. Generate any single ad-hoc reports Not applicable, reports are generated by the server using data from the server database. Multiple access control levels Not Applicable to this test - Security Expert can store unlimited Access Levels, and associate any of them to a given User. Access Level/User quantity limitations are not affected by the NV-202. EOD download time: A Force Download operation was performed on the SP-C, and the time to completion recorded. 25 activations were run and the worst-case results selected. Maximum download time: 58 seconds per controller (noting 21,522 Users) Time synchronization – maintain synchronism Time update packets are successfully sent, Server and controller time maintained within 1 second. Time synchronization – accuracy Not Applicable to this test – time is updated periodically (not constantly) so not significantly affected by bandwidth or latency.

Issue Poor communications, communications failure or packet being corrupted Product Line Andover Continuum,EcoStruxure Building Expert,EcoStruxure Building Operation,Satchwell MicroNet,Satchwell Sigma,TAC INET,TAC Vista Environment Communications networks, BACnet MSTP, LON FT10, Infinet, Modbus RTU, Ethernet EMC (Electromagnetic compatibility) VSD Variable Speed Drive, VFD Variable Frequency Drive, Inverter Drive Cause Electrical Interference from Inverter (variable speed drives or VSD) Radiated or Induced RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) Resolution A VSD has the potential to create a large amount of electrical noise, to avoid causing issues it is vital they are installed as the manufacturer's instructions.  (Other devices also have this potential) Our systems are often used to control VSDs on fan motors, so if poor communications is found during the commissioning process, then try stopping all the fans in the area then re-testing the communications. A recent example was seen where LON FT10 communication was working ok until some VSDs were started, at this point LON devices and Object went offline intermittently. When all the VSDs were stopped the communication become completely stable. It was then possible to find which VSD was causing the problem and correct the VSD installation. In this case a LON analyzer would also have helped diagnose the issue.

Issue A controller or controllers don't communicate reliably on an I/NET LAN, often somewhere in the middle of the network. Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Site Cause As the signal travels down the cable it is affected the "characteristic impedance" at a relatively constant amount. As the signal approaches the end of the network, that impedance increases to completely "open" at the end. According to Ohms law, the higher the resistance/impedance, the higher the voltage will be as the current is applied. Therefore the signal will gain enough energy to be reflected back up the cable as noise. The controller(s) that is (are) most affected are located at the point where the reflection from the end of the network arrive during the original signal. Resolution Placing a 120 - 180 OHM 1/2 Watt Resistor at both the physical ends of the Controller LAN will clamp those reflections since the resistor is fairly close to the characteristic impedance of most cables. The Sub-LAN works differently than the Controller LAN, so DO NOT use a 120 - 180 OHM resistor on the Sub-LAN. Instead, use a 620 OHM resistor placed at both physical ends of the Sub-LAN. The reason for this is that if you use a 120 - 180 OHM resistor at each end of the Sub-LAN wiring, you remove the bias needed by the "Mark-Space" signal on the Sub-LAN. The 620 OHM resistor is large enough to absorb some of the noise without messing with the Comm. However, you might notice a slight decrease in signal strength. Also, refer to the article I/NET Controller LAN (C-LAN) Requirements for additional details. 

Issue What are the cable requirements? What is the maximum wire length? When do I add a repeater? What is the maximum number of repeaters allowed? Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Controller LAN, C-LAN Cause Incorrectly run controller LAN wire can cause communication issues between I/NET controllers and hosts. Resolution C-LAN should be run using: Two wire, twisted pair, shielded cable 24 AWG (0.206 mm2) or larger 30 pF/ft. or less between conductors 55 pF/ft. or less conductor to shield 80 - 150 ohm impedance The maximum controller LAN length is 25,000 feet (7,620 meters) assuming 4 repeaters are used. A repeater should be installed: To segment every 32 controllers Or if the LAN length exceeds 5,000 feet (1,524 meters). The maximum number of repeaters allowed is 4.

Issue Direct Connect to Xenta 527-NPR Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Xenta 527 Xenta 527-NPR Cause Newer versions of Xenta 527-NPR with 5.1.0 and 5.1.1 revisions are unable to be directly connected to the system. Resolution Using the FTP connection through IE (Internet Explorer) to connect to the device. Log on using the root username and password Now go to sys/system/hwconfig.cfg Copy out the hwconfig.cfg file and open it with Notepad Modify the part that says serial_A_function="7" and change it to "5" Save this and now copy it back in again. Restart the device Start I/NET and the direct connect through the NPR to the system should be working now. Warning: Reloading the system program (such as performing upgrades) will remove this change.

Issue You are transitioning an I/NET security system to Security Expert The I/NET subLAN must be moved from a 779x controller over to an SP-C Product Line Security Expert, TAC INET Environment I/NET Controller (779x) Security Expert Controller (SP-C) Cause As you transition an I/NET system to Security Expert, you will reach a point where you are ready to start moving your I/NET subLANs over to SP-Cs. Resolution Use the following instructions to connect an I/NET subLAN cable to a Security Expert SP-C. At the I/NET 779x controller, disconnect the subLAN cable. At an SP-C, connect the subLAN cable as follows:       Attach the positive (+) wire to Reader Port 1 pin "D0".       Attach the negative (-) wire to Reader Port 1 pin "D1".                        If you wish to establish a closed-loop subLAN configuration, connect the other end of the subLAN wires to SP-C Reader Port 2 in exactly that same manner as you did at Reader Port 1.

Issue Can the I/NET SCU controller connect to Security Expert SP-C directly instead of being imported from the I/NET system? Product Line Security Expert,TAC INET Environment I/NET SCU 1284 Security Expert Controller Security Expert Cause Required to use New I/NET SCU1284 controllers on a Security Expert site. Resolution It is not possible to configure and commission SCU1284 door controllers without the use I/NET on Security Expert. Explanation of why this is not possible: In I/NET, door controllers i.e SCU1284 are on a subLAN that connects to a 779x host device. In the 779x host device, controller parameters such as its reader type, PIN functionality, LED operation, etc are configured for each door. The configuration parameters for each door controller gets stored in the 779x host device, then the host device’s data is saved to a SAV file (i.e., a backup file of the 779x device). To integrate I/NET door controllers with Security Expert, The subLAN (779x host device ) is then disconnected from the door controllers and connected to an SP-C (the SP-C replaces the 779x host device). The 7798x host device’s SAV file is then downloaded to the SP-C as a binary blob.  The SP-C needs this SAV file to know how to communicate with each door controller and to configure these devices if a cold restart is ever experienced.

Issue A message that can be intercepted by a guard at a monitoring station. When you configure your access control system to accept PINs, I/NET has the ability to detect PIN entries When you configure your access control system to accept PINs, I/NET has the ability to detect PIN entries made under duress conditions. For example, if an employee is being forced to provide an unauthorized individual access into a secure area, the employee can substitute the final digit of their PIN with a digit that indicates a duress condition. In this case, I/NET will allow access but will also silently generate a duress message that can be intercepted by a guard at a monitoring station. Product Line TAC INET Environment TAC I/NET Seven with Access Control using a pin pad. Cause Duress entrance causes a security guard to be notified that there is a situation to be resolved. Resolution Duress detection is active anytime a door is operating in a mode that requires the entry of a PIN. I/NET supports selectable duress schemes that you can assign on a per-tenant basis. The following duress schemes are available: Default — I/NET's default duress scheme detects when an individual substitutes their PIN with a substitute number. The default duress last pin is 9. The duress code is the user's PIN number with the last digit changed. For example, 12345 becomes 12349. Add n (where n is a value from 1 to 9) — I/NET detects when an individual substitutes a digit of their PIN with a predetermined digit. For more information on this sensitive topic, contact Product Support to begin a conversation about Duress Notification in I/NET.

Issue When printing a graphic page using the CTRL P feature, the page prints but then the page links stop working. Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET site with Graphics Pages Cause Printing out a graphic page causes the page links to no longer work. Resolution Press Ctrl+P and allow the page to print Right click once on the page marker Double left click on the Page Marker again. It should now work.

Issue Can a 7798C be used in an I/NET 2000 System? Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET 2000 I/NET Seven rev 1.16 and above 7798C SLI Cause AMT is different in I/NET 2000 than it is in I/NET Seven and any message and transaction from this SLI will not report correctly. Resolution This SLI cannot be used in I/NET 2000.  Even if 7798C Bin files are loaded into I/NET 2000, the SLI will not work. This SLI is designed to ONLY operate correctly in I/NET Seven Rev 1.16 and above.