Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Modifying protection status of Vista 4.2x database objects Environment Vista Workstation 4.2.X Cause Vista allows you to enable protection of database objects which restricts your ability to change the object or delete it. Protected database objects are displayed with grey text and unprotected objects are displayed in black text. While the majority of protected objects are those created by the system there are times when a user has elected to make an object protected. Resolution The method used to enable protection is: Right click on the object and selecting "Authority" Inside the "Authority" dialog box is a check box labeled "Protected database object" Check this box and select OK. You will see no change in the Vista Workstation. To make the change go into effect, refresh the display by pressing F5 or right clicking and selecting "Refresh"

Issue US Robotics 56k V92/V90 Modem Settings (Non - NPR Dial) Environment I/NET site with need for Modem Cause What are the US Robotics 56k V92/V90 Modem Settings (Non - NPR Dial) settings? Resolution DIAL = TONE B0 F1 M1 X0 BAUD = 9600 PARITY = N WORDLEN = 8 &A0 &B1 &G0 &H0 &I0 &K0 &M0 &N6 &P1 &R1 &S0 &T5 &U0&Y1 S00=001 S02=043 S03=013 S04=010 S05=008 S06=004 S07=060 S08=002 S09=006 S10=014 S11=070 S12=050 S13=000 S15=000 S19=000 S21=010 S22=017 S23=019 S25=005 S27=000 S28=008 S29=020 S30=000 S31=128 S32=002 S33=000 S34=000 S35=000 S36=014 S38=000 S39=000 S40=001 S41=000 S42=000 Set the configuration at the Host Modem and site Modem to the same configuration as shown above. Take out any initialization strings you may have added in windows “ Phone and Extra Settings” dialogue. Select “Change Default Preferences” in the same dialogue and change the defaults to port speed 9600, Data Protocol to Standard EC, Compression disabled, and Flow Control to none. Make sure in the Modem properties dialogue to Maximum Post Speed is set to 9600 baud. This needs to be performed for the Host Modem and Site Modem. Switch settings 1, 5, 6, 7 are in the “UP” position. Note: Non - NPR Dial Note: US Robotics 56k faxmodem V92 and V90 standard technologies PN:USR5686E

Issue Serial Communication with Xenta Units (511, 527, 911, 913): Environment Xenta Servers Xenta 511, 527, 701, 711, 721, 731, 913 Cause Incorrect cables can cause improper ground references between the PC and the Xenta unit, which will disable serial communication. Resolution The Xenta units that utilize a web interface all have a certain amount of setup that is done with a direct serial connection via HyperTerminal. This communication however can be problematic at times due to grounding between the Xenta unit and the computer. If both devices do not share a common earth ground reference, then communication will not occur at all. There will be no indication that either side is receiving the transmissions from other device. This is most commonly encountered when using the incorrect cable since the proper cable provides a conductor for ground and thus a common ground reference. An OP panel cable is not the proper cable to use in such a situation. Instead you should be using the cables found in the TAC Xenta programming Serial Kit. If you are using a cable made by someone other then TAC the most likely cause is your cable having the improper or insufficient connections. When stuck in a situation where the proper cable is not available and working with a laptop computer we recommend that you plug the computer’s power supply in preferably to the same power supply as the controller to try to establish the common earth ground. Any other attempts to stabilize the differing grounds will be at your own risk.

Issue LonMaker 3.1 re-synch CPs causes the template configuration parameter settings & some Xenta 100s to be corrupted. Controllers subsequently modified by LonMaker can also be corrupted. Environment LonMaker 3.1 Xenta 100 series controllers, Revision 1.2X Cause LonMaker 3.1 handles this operation differently than 3.0. At one point we recommended that you avoid "Reset device to default values" and "Set device template defaults from device" commands, but "Upload values from device" was ok. We've since learned that any resynch CPs command can cause problems. Resolution Until this is changed in a future revision, don't do ANY resynch CPs command. (This does not refer to resynching the Lonmaker drawing and the database. Those operations work correctly and are necessary to construct your LNS network.)

Issue "Completion event failure" and/or "Waiting for unit to restart" errors are received when attempting to download a controller which has already been commissioned and contains an existing Menta application. Product Line TAC Vista Environment LNS Network Xenta Programmable controllers Xenta 280, 281, 282, 283, 300, 301, 302, 401, 401:B System Plug-in Cause The controller is busy responding to all other requests for communication and is not able to focus solely on the download. Resolution Before downloading, right-click on the controller and select Manage Set the node status to offline Download the controller Set the node status back to online. Alternatively, Before downloading, de-commission the unit. Select “Preserve neuron ID" to allow the plug-in to communicate with the controller and to avoid having to re-enter the ID or service pin. Download the controller Re-commission the device. This will prevent the controller from performing other communication while trying to receive the download and thus being unable to keep up.

Issue Problems finding all defined Holiday charts using the TAC Vista 4.20 editor Environment TAC Vista 4.2 Time Schedules Holiday Charts Cause Find all holiday charts to review scheduled holidays for the year. Resolution There is a feature in the time schedule editor that shows all schedules in a table format instead of a the calendar format. Press CTRL + SHIFT + D keys while the editor is open you will be able to edit all time schedules in one table.

Issue Intermittent "Completion Event Failure" Xenta controllers go offline and come back online randomly Environment Vista Workstation LNS Database LonMaker / NL220 Cause Completion event failure can occur for many reasons: not using Lon cable terminators, too much network traffic, "acknowledged" type SNVT bindings to a node, etc. Resolution "One to many" bindings set as acknowledged can cause data storms, download failures, completion event failures, X'ed values in graphics, and communication problems because controllers are busy re-sending information. The reason the controllers might be resending is because they did not get a response from one of the recipients or did not get a response in time. It then resends the packet to all of the recipients, not just the unresponsive node, and waits for acknowledgments from all of them. If one of them is offline, there will be a lot of unnecessary network traffic being generated. When "one to many" bindings are required it is almost always preferable to select unacknowledged or repeated as the binding type. Note that the default binding type for programmable controllers is acknowledged. If you still have problems with completion event failures after making sure that the network is correct, you can change the number of retries in the Network object. In TAC Vista Workstation, right click on the Lonworks Network object, go to Properties, select the Timer tab, under Networks timer change the retry from 2 (default) to 4. If using LonMaker, right click on the LNS Network Interface, go to Properties, select the time tab, set the Non Group Receive Timer to the recommended 6144ms. If NL220 is being used, double click the LNS Network Interface, go to the Network tab, change the Non Group Timer to the recommended selection 11 - 6.144s.

Issue Access Control Application Issues including: Using large number keys Translation tables - when and how Importing and converting existing I/NET 2000 databases Environment Access Control Application Cause Getting started with an access control application. Resolution Detailed information described in: I/NET Getting Started Guide (TCON298 Chapter 1) I/NET Technical Reference Guide (TCON300 Chapter 9) Upgrade.txt file included on I/NET Installation CD.

Issue Deny Entry Select transaction / message received when using Secondary Schedules. Environment I/NET Seven DPU Controllers 7910 7920 1284 Cause To use any of the features, listed below, requires that the DPU be a 7920 w/ MIP board or the SCU1284. 7910 and 7920 w/o MIP board will still work with the I/Net system but they cannot use these functions.  The host prevents the download of these features to any DPU revision prior to 3.10. Feature 1: Secondary schedule. Feature 2: Shift management. Feature 3: Extended elevator control to support up to 79 floors.   Resolution Secondary Schedules can only be implemented on 7920 (Mipped) 48K boards. If a Secondary Schedule is set up for an individual on doors that are controlled by a 7920 DPU that use the standard EPROM chip, a “Deny Entry Select Message” will be generated in the Transactions. If 7910s are present then the same above rule applies.

Issue File Equalization not working even though I/NET indicates Equalization is online. A balloon message pops up saying that Equalization is Online but the data is not shared between Client and File master. Environment Windows XP I/NET Revision1.10 - 1.14 Cause There is an issue with Equalization when using Windows XP as File Master and Clients with I/NET Seven Revision 1.14. Once a Client is connected to the file master, a balloon message pops up saying that Equalization is Online, but it never gets the snapshot from the File Master.  Resolution To correct this issue the following will apply: Verify that the user has full access right on their Windows user Password. Go to My Network Places, Right Click and select Properties. Select the Advanced Tab, verify that there are no checked boxes for the Firewall. Go to Administrative Tools, Local Security Settings. Local Policies, Security Options, Locate the policy "Network Access: Sharing and Security Model for local Accounts" Change the security setting to "Classic – local users authenticate as themselves". Apply changes, shut down and restart the PC.

Issue There have been some reports of problems encountered when LonMaker is installed in locations other then the default directory. These problems can include failure of LonMaker .dll files to register as well as plug-in registration failure. Environment Echelon LonMaker Cause LonMaker is not installed in default directory. Typically this refers to the C:\ drive, but it doesn't necessarily have to. Resolution Restrict the LonMaker installation to the default directory and the default LonWorks folder. Example: C:\LonWorks

Issue Printing a recently modified badge results in an error message: "This is not an active card." Environment ID Works 4.0 I/NET rev 1.1x Cause Making a change to an existing badge, data, or picture. Resolution Any time an existing badge, data, or picture is changed, these changes must be saved to I/NET before printing the revised badge.

Issue Sunrise/Sunset Time Schedules I/NET Seven rev 1.xx and 7780 Lighting Controllers. Environment I/NET Seven 2.30 and lower Model 7780 DLCU Firmware 5.09 and below. Cause There was an issue in I/NET 2.3 and lower where the Time Schedule for Sunrise and Sunset would not work on 7780 Lighting Controllers. Resolution To work around this issue in 2.3, these steps should be followed: Go to the Resident IO Point that is controlling the Lights. Go to the TS Extension and Modify. Add a Start action on #3 at midnight. This would re-enforce the timer to start again. This has been corrected in firmware release 5.10 for the Model 7780 DLCU (Firmware release with I/NET Seven 2.31). To eliminate the issue, and upgrade will be required.

Issue Door Transactions defined in the Door Editor are not dialing back to the host Environment I/NET Cause Only distribution group 1 messages will cause a dial tap to dial out. Keep this in mind if your system is configured to use the 7806x tap to report to a remote host. Resolution Ensure that all doors and reader points use group 1 for messaging.

Issue Someone held a door open and the "Door open too long" did not report the alarm, what could cause this? Environment I/NET Cause If you are running I/NET 2.2x version there could be three reasons for this. In the door editor, there is a new alarm point defined for the "DOTL" that needs to be populated. The other possible cause is, if the door is in the unlock mode, the "DOTL" will not alarm.  The door sense switch is not working correctly. If you are running I/NET 1.xx then the "b & c" answers could be the problem. Resolution If you are running I/NET 2.2x version there could be three reasons for this. In the door editor, there is a new alarm point defined for the “DOTL” that needs to be populated. Connect to the controller Select Edit>Controller Doors Modify the Door Change the DOTL setting to "Alarm"  The other possible cause is, if the door is in the unlock mode, the “DOTL” will not alarm.  Check the state of the doors DO point Change the door schedule so that the door will be locked The door sense switch is not working correctly. If you are running I/NET 1.xx then the b & c answers could be the problem.

Issue I have door points defined in the I/NET system, but they do not show up in the Door Summary page. What is wrong? Environment I/NET Access Control Cause As part of the Access Control database process, before any Door configuration can be done they must be saved within the SQL database, and more specifically within I/NET's Network Configuration. Within the Network Configuration, the Door Names can be different to the Point Names, its these Door Names that are then used within the I/NET Access Control Database. Resolution In addition to meeting all the door point criteria, the points must also have been saved in the Network Configuration Editor before they will appear in the door summary list.

Issue I tried to modify a door point and I/NET gives me the following dialog box explaining that any changes to the door extension will be stored in the SLI. What would cause this dialog box to occur? Environment I/NET Cause If the communication between the SLI and the DPU is currently unavailable, this will cause the dialog box to occur. Please note that once the communications between the SLI and the DPU have been re-established the stored changes will be sent to the DPU. Resolution Select Edit MCU configuration to verify communication failure Not any Red text, as these addresses are offline Troubleshoot and repair physical communications

Issue How long will I/NET 2000 be sold? Is I/NET 2000 still supported? Environment All Revisions of I/NET 2000 Cause The last release of I/NET 2000 was Revision 2.34 which was released in April 2003. Microsoft has announced that it will terminate all Windows® 98 support in 2006. Resolution As of January 1, 2006, support for I/NET 2000 is no longer available. Please review the following Customer Advisory available on The Exchange Download Center which details support information for I/NET 2000. All I/NET 2000 customers should upgrade to the latest revision of I/NET.

Issue The Domain Name serves what purpose for the NPR? Environment I/NET NetPlus Router (NPR) Cause The Domain Name reflects the domain hierarchy. Domain names are written from the most specific (a host name) to the least specific (a top-level domain), with each part of the domain name separated by a dot. A fully qualified domain name (FQDN) starts with a specific host and ends with a top-level domain. For example, peanut.nuts.com. is the FQDN of workstation peanut, in the nuts domain, of the com domain. Resolution This field indicates the name of the internet or intranet domain the NPR is connected to. An example domain name is schneider-electric.com. If the NetPlus Router is connected to a private network, this field may be left blank.

Issue One of the established DPUs is now offline, but the other DPUs appear to be operating except the transactions have stopped coming to the host. Alarms and messages are still working. A DPU restore to the DPUs has been performed. QP has been checked, and the AC files have been repaired.. Environment DPU Cause In AMT, there is most likely a Failure to Download message. Resolution To correct the transaction symptom Go to the data directory of I/NET Look for a file named ACSAVE.TMC Delete it.