Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Understanding and configuring controllers for Access Control using SystemStatus and AccessServer system variables. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Access Control CX9702 ACX57xx Netcontroller Netcontroller II Cause Operators can be unsure what the various values for SystemStatus and AccessServer are and what they need to be set to for successful access control. Resolution 1. SystemStatus The first thing to realize is that there are four different modes that an Access controller can be set to, the SystemStatus indicates the mode controller is currently in. This is an Access-only system variable and will default to NoDatabase if left unconfigured. These four values are as follows: Normal — The controller is working normally. NoComm — Local controller has lost communications to the Workstations configured as Primary and Secondary Access Servers. NoDatabase — The Access server and the local controller have been reset or have otherwise lost connection to the database to check access card numbers and personal identification numbers (PINs). Can also indicate that the local controller has lost comms to the Access Server and has no local personnel database to authenticate to. ColdStart — Indicates the Access Controller SystemStatus initial value, before any door has been configured. The sequence for how SystemStatus gets set is as follows: On a ColdStart if the AccessServer = 1-190 it is set to NoDatabase when the first door is configured. When CyberStation finishes the personnel distribution, it explicitly sets the value to Normal.  On a ColdStart if the AccessServer  > 190 it is set to Normal when the first door is configured and the controller is communicating with the Primary and/or Secondary Access Server workstations. Note: Upon initial configuration, or a restart, the CyberStation can fail to set the SystemStatus to Normal; leaving the controller in NoDatabase mode. If this occurs, the value can be manually set to Normal to "kick start" the controller. 2. AccessServer The second thing to look at is that the value of the AccessServer SystemVariable has been set. This should be set to the ACC Net Id of the Workstation configured as the Primary Access Server (> 190) for local then remote validation or set to the controllers ACC Net Id for local validation only. 3. Door Object Additionally Door objects need to be configured to handle the above conditions, there are a number of ways they can require authentication when a card is presented, these are listed in the Entry Reader and Exit Reader tabs of the Door object in the form of check boxes. The main ones being validate site, validate card, valid pin, and Door Forced Lock Schedule. Tick whatever options are required.

Issue What is the correct procedure for replacing a Continuum bCX 4040 controller Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation bCX 4040 Cause Considering both Continuum and BACnet 'sides' replacing a bCX4040 can seem a complicated process. Resolution Commission new/replacement bCX through its default webpage just as the as old bCX except for the BACnet Configurable Properties section. Set the BACnet Device ID = The same ID in the old bCX (serial number of controller by default) Set the BACnet Port Number UDP = same as old bCX (BAC0 by default) Set the BACnet Network ID UDP = same as old bCX (1 by default) Set the BACnet Network ID Comm2 = same as old bCX (2765 by default) Set the BACnet MAC ID Comm2 = Same as old bCX (0 by default) Set the BACnet MS/TP Enhanced Mode = Same as old bCX (TRUE by default) Set BACnet BBMD Enabled/Disabled = Same as old bCX (False by default) Bring the bCX online in Continuum Explorer, Select menu item Options | Send to Controller options Select "Reload attached objects, but not attached controllers" - select ok Verify the bCX Comm2 settings and baud rate speeds. In Continuum Explorer, right click on the bCX and perform a "send to controller" Verify points and communications.

Issue Getting error "Communications failure due to routing device not available" when reloading BACnet Controller Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation 1.74 above b3 controllers BACnet bCX1 Cause Anti-virus applications can prevent the BACnet objects from saving into the Continuum Database (BACnet objects may also not appear on the BACnet side).   When you reload the BACnet controller which contains these objects, they are 'inaccessible' and the error is generated in the distribution property window Resolution Close Continuum CyberStation Disable all the Anti-Virus applications then restart Continuum CyberStation From the BACnet Device side, Right click the Controller you want to reload then select SendToDatabase, all the BACnet objects will appear under the controller. Reload the controller again.

Issue Device Administrator is not able to load new database version into AS-P. Error message “New database failed” Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Automation Server Cause The new McAfee firewall policy where Local the firewall is blocking ICMP6 to the PC. The device needs to be able to "call back" to the PC. If that doesn't happen, the upgrade will not continue and stop at exactly 70%. This is seen in 3.x, EBO 2.0 does not exhibit this issue The device may be defective due to software or hardware error. Resolution   The McAfee firewall issue can be resolved by:  Temporarily disabling the local firewall Trying another PC since McAfee policy or some restriction might have caused installing 3.2 to fail. Another possible solution for this issue which we have seen working is to first install version 3.1 using DFU mode and create a new database and then upgrade to version 3.2 using IP connection.   How to cross-testing and identify if the device is defective? Use the same PC and Device Administrator to install a new DB on a different AS-Ps.  If the same PC can install a new DB on a different AS-P then the issue is not on the PC. Use another PC with the same version of Device Administrator to install a new DB on the suspecting device. If it fails to install a new DB then RMA is needed. Remember to DFU the device before installing a new DB.

  Issue Instructions needed to configure the Card Format for 75-bit Wiegand PIV  Product Line EcoStruxure Access Expert Environment Access Expert Hosted V3 Cause Steps needed to configure 75-bit Wiegand PIV Class card format Resolution A site may have converted from Continuum or is a greenfield site needing to configure 75-bit PIV Smart cards. Below are the card format instructions: Access Expert Card Format snapshot Additional configuration tips: Keep Live monitoring open while configuring this format. Present a User's (Cardholder's) card and you'll see an "access denied entry". While setting this format, a "-1 as a facility code" will show when expanding access denied events while presenting a card in Live Monitoring. This is expected. In Live monitoring the encoded card number is shown. Type the card number into Notepad Copy the card number into the User's Card Assignments> Encoded Card Number field and Save.  Repeat for each cardholder and Test

Issue ACX5720 or ACX5740 backup to flash renders error message: "Unable to backup objects to flash for controllername_\XKD06.51_MCD.  Backup to flash failed.,WS3,conrollername_\XKD06.51_MCD" Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Flash Backup AXC5720 ACX5740 Cause Failure to backup to Flash Resolution Before claiming a faulty controller, it could be a corrupted point or program. Disable all the programs, and try backing up the controller. Disconnect everything except communication and power, and try to backup to flash again. If you have tried to re-flash and it still is giving this error, the controller might be the issue.   Email support with the results if this controller still will not backup to flash: product.support@buildings.schneider-electric.com For configuration and operation program write operations to flash, a counter is incremented for each save and you need to create the numeric INFFlashDisabled to monitor the number of write operations. When the 2000 limit is reached, INFFlashDisabled is set to a non-zero value and logs an error. Using CyberStation, reset this value to 0 and reboot the controller to enable write operations.

Issue What is the recommended process for Database and Workstation Initialization Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Database Initialization Workstation Initialization Cause Sometimes it is necessary to do Workstation and/or Database Initialization eg. following a Continuum service pack install Resolution Database initialization LAN systems (SQL is on a separate SQL server PC) Close all connections to the database (all cyberstations, webclient servers etc.) Open "Database Initialization" from Start/All Programs/Continuum Select "Server" Select "Update Existing Database", ensure Database Information is correct, fill in User Login Password Usually Enhanced Alarm Logging and Enhanced Alarm Delivery are ticked. Then select Continue Database initialization Stand Alone (Single User) systems (SQL is on a CyberStation PC) Close all connections to the database (all cyberstations, webclient servers etc.) Open "Database Initialization" from Start/All Programs/Continuum Select "Stand Alone" Select "Update Existing Database", ensure Database Information is correct, fill in User Login Password Usually Enhanced Alarm Logging and Enhanced Alarm Delivery are ticked. Then select Continue WorkStation Initialization Close the CyberStation on the PC being initialized (other CyberStation can be running) Open "Database Initialization" from Start/All Programs/Continuum Select "Workstation" Check both tabs and fill in the User Password Then select Continue See the Continuum Installation manual for further information   NOTE 1 With the some domains the following has been found - XP - "Right click" on the "Database Initialization shortcut" and “Run As” use local admin - Windows 7 - "Shift" & "Right click" on the "Database Initialization shortcut" and “Run as a different user”, use local admin To log on use the workstation name followed by user eg. WSUK1AB123ABC\dave   NOTE 2 Long CyberStation names can result in the error "Workstation name with invalid characters. Please enter it again" In this case use a shorter name, below 16 characters is best. This can occur even with an existing longer CyberStation name.

Issue How to configure the Security Expert system to use multiple Custom Credentials on the same door Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Custom Credentials Cause The older inbuilt Card Formats used Primary and Secondary Reader Formats to allow two Card Formats to be used on the same Door.  But how is this functionality achieved with Custom Credentials? Resolution It is possible to add two or more Custom Credentials to a single Door.  However, when you do this it is instructing the system to request the First Credential AND the Second Credential before granting access to that Door (perhaps even in sequence) If in fact the system is required to request EITHER the First Credential OR the Second Credential before granting access, then the Fallback Credential feature is used. This allows for as many Custom Credentials on a single door as needed.   Please see demo video below:

Issue How can a USB Camera be integrated into Security Expert Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment EcoStruxure Security Expert 4.3x or greater USB Camera (Example: Logitech C922 ProStream) Cause Twain Driver cameras are not supported in Windows10 or Security Expert for badging photos Resolution The following video will illustrate how to integrate a USB camera to take badging photos

Issue Error messages in Workstation saying "No valid license to add AS found", when trying to add one more AS-P to the ES. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Automation Server Premium (AS-P) Demo License file Cause The error message is caused by an expired demo license. When using the Demo License file, the ES checks the Licence at startup, and when doing some operations, like adding AS-Ps. If the Demo license expires, the ES may still work, but you cannot add any more AS-Ps. License Administrator is unable to locate the License Server by using @localhost or IP address(@xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx). Resolution Download a new demo license file from EcoXpert Extranet – The Exchange, and upload it to License Administrator. After the new Demo license file has been added to the License server, you may also need to restart the ES to make sure the new license file will be in use. For more information about the Demo license, please refer to the article EcoStruxure Building Operation Evaluation License for 2.0 and up. When using EBO 2022 v4.0.x and later, the error message (No Valid License to add AS found) can also be displayed if the attached AS-x embedded demo license has expired. Add a current embedded demo license to the device administrator and then re-activate the license to all AS-x servers that require it. Please refer to the article How to activate a demo license on an Automation Server at EBO 2022  Go to Control Panel> System and copy the Device Name Update @localhost in License Administrator > License Server Address to the @"Device Name" Reboot the System(PC) Example The Device Name is "computer1".     Update the License server address to "@computer1" since the Device Name is "computer1"  

  Issue In a system that is working normally for about 3 years EBO 3.1.1.312, appeared an alarm message saying there is a “Duplicate of Local Network” in “BACnet Gateway to network 1”.     Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment • Building Operation Workstation • Building Operation Automation Server Cause Sometimes there is a device (you can check under device discovery) possibly a router or a gateway where the primary network has NOT been configured as 1, and the secondary network was set as 1 which should be assigned a unique network ID. Also sometimes gateways only require configuring one network which also in this case should be assigned the unique ID, not 1. Resolution The main site network was set as Network 2 Another network, that was routed from the site network was set as Network 1 The main site network was changed to 1 and the other network needs to have a unique network number, so was changed to 2. They also have Cisco and Philips controllers which have their standalone networks and had already been configured with used network numbers so were changed to 3 and 4 accordingly. *Please Note: All controllers must be warm started after the Network number changes so the BACnet network can be remapped in the controller

Issue When DHCP network configuration is Enabled, the gateway changes when connected to an ADv3 through a Y-Cable. If other applications or devices need to route to the AS-P through the Gateway, the change of gateway will break the connection.       Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Advanced Display v3 Cause AS-P overwrites its Default Gateway when connected to an ADv3   Resolution Update the Address Method to Static then enter the IP and Subnet address manually.  

Issue Reader beeper needs to be disabled so the reader makes no noise during operation including when a card is being badged at the reader. Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert Smart card readers Cause When attempting to disable reader beeper by toggling the Disable buzzer processing option under Reader expanders Reader options tab the reader will beep when a card is read. Disable buzzer processing: When this option is enabled the reader expander will not control the reader beeper. The reader will beep once when a card is read, but will not beep additional times to indicate access granted or denied. The BZ output can be used for another function. Disable buzzer processing Resolution Unfortunately the reader beeper cannot be completely disabled, it will continue to produce a single beep when a card is read. This single beep on card reads is hardcoded into the reader firmware.  

Warning Potential for Data Loss: The steps detailed in the resolution of this article may result in a loss of critical data if not performed properly. Before beginning these steps, make sure all important data is backed up in the event of data loss. If you are unsure or unfamiliar with any complex steps detailed in this article, please contact Product Support Services for assistance. Issue For various reasons, it may be necessary at times to change a b3's Device ID (Object ID) to avoid a duplicate. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server (ES) Building Operation Automation Server (AS) BACnet Cause There is little or no formal documentation on steps to change the Device ID of an existing B3 controller. Resolution As seen in the screenshot below, once a b3 is added to the network, its Device ID, EBO Object ID, can not be changed.  The reason for this is that the Device ID references the device and objects contained within it.  Once the ID is changed, such references will become orphans. To successfully give the b3 a different Instance/Device ID the b3 must be deleted from the MSTP Network in the Building Operation database and recreated   Write down the b3's Serial Number, MAC Address, Model, and BACnet Name before deleting it. Right-click and Export all BACnet Objects within the b3's Application Folder to file (.xml) Delete the b3 from under the MSTP network. Re-create the b3 manually using its S/N, MAC, Model, Name, etc but enter the new Device ID Commission/Download the b3 to get the new ID to take effect Import the File (.xml) exported in step 2 back into the newly created b3's Application Folder Commission/Download the controller again Important: References to the old Device ID will no longer work and must be re-created.

Issue Workstation Device Node ID and BACnet Device ID settings Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Workstation BACnet devices Cause Require information on configuring the workstation Device Node ID and Bacnet Device ID Resolution When setting up a workstation two of the parameters to set are the Network ID and the Device Node ID.  The Device Node ID corresponds to the BACnet Device ID or BACnet Instance ID in the BACnet protocol. Essentially the workstation is a BACnet device and when setting the Device Node ID during setup in a BACnet installation, consideration should be taken into account when setting this number. By default Schneider BACnet controllers use their serial number as the BACnet Device ID but when using 3rd party BACnet controllers, some vendors use different means when setting their BACnet Device ID. In the past instances have been observed where the workstations Device Node ID is set to 1.   If the 3rd parties BACnet Device ID is set to 1 as well, that device will not be found when using find new BACnet devices. A method of avoiding this is to reserve 191 to 254 for creation of the workstations and set the Device Node ID to the same as the Network ID in the Database Initialization workstation configuration. Or set the workstations with the Device Node ID's starting with 1, but be aware of this setting when configuring any 3rd party BACnet devices.  The Device Node ID/BACnet Device ID must be unique within the BACnet network.

Issue Considering changing the bCX MSTP BACnet MAC ID to an available value in the 1-127 range as indicated in the bCX web page configuration. The online Help provides the following information on the setting. BACnet MAC ID - Comm2 Identifies the MAC (Media Access Control) networking address of the controller on its MS/TP network, using integers ranging from 0 to 127. The default address is 0 and it only necessary to change this value if the value has already been assigned to another device on the network. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment bCX4040 bCX4000 b3 devices BACnet 3rd party device Cause BACnet MAC ID 0 (zero) on MSTP network already in use by third party device. Resolution Due to a limitation in the b3 devices the bCX's MSTP MAC ID should not be changed unless the bCX will only host third party devices on its MSTP (Comm2) and will NEVER be in a situation where MAC ID zero is available during a b3 learn operation. The issue is that when ID zero is made available (by changing the default in the bCX) the LEARN process done on b3s will assign ID zero to one of the b3s, because of design constraints, a b3 will not operate correctly if assigned MAC id zero. Product Support strongly recommends that if a third party device is using MAC ID zero on the MSTP, that the device be re-assigned a different ID in order to keep the bCX at its default value of MAC ID zero.

Issue Are the Infilink and B-Link interchangeable or can they be converted? Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Infilink 200 B-Link Cause Both units are RS-485 repeaters; is there a difference? Resolution You cannot convert from an Infilink 200 to a B-Link. They are both RS-485 repeaters, but the circuitry is slightly different to handle the electrical requirements of the BACnet MS/TP and the Infinet. You must use the correct unit for the network type you have. The multiple ports on both repeaters (Infilink and B-Link) allow you to construct a star topology configuration, but note that devices in each spoke (port on the repeater) MUST be connected in a daisy chain topology. Neither product contains any firmware that can be changed.

Issue Before installing Access Expert on premise server software, the Mongo DB must be installed and the Mongo service started, this requires creation and editing of a configuration file where the data and log directories are specified. There have been many cases of YAML errors seen during V3 on premise installation when attempting to start the Mongo service. Product Line EcoStruxure Access Expert Environment V3 Mongo DB Cause The YAML parser that reads the "mongod.cfg" file is very sensitive to the format of the configuration file including some very strict rules about spaces, double quotes and back slashes. When editing the file, it helps to setup the text editor to display ALL characters which will show any hidden characters that might be causing a parsing error. Ex. In Notepad++: Select View>Show Symbol> Show All Characters Resolution Space is needed between key and value pair. Enclose paths in double quotes. Double back slash required in Windows systems.

Issue Values in EBO from a PM5000 series energy meter do not update Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, Field Devices Environment Building Operation Server BACnet PM5000 series energy meter Cause The EBO trace log shows a lot of BACnet related error messages, such as:   nsp.pin.BACnet.VariableProperty Subscription to ~/BACnet Interface/IP Network/PM 5340/Application/THD Current - Ph G attempted COV, but will POLL due to BACnet error: 0x00030013 (resources,no_space_to_add_list_element)   This error indicates that a Change of Value (COV) subscription is being attempted but has failed. This is due to a resource issue with the device, i.e., error class 0x0003 from error code 0x00030013. The error is no space to write property (0013 part) which suggests the subscription limit of the device has been reached. Refer to the Decoding BACnet Errors Knowledge Base article for further information on decoding the error code.   Reviewing the PM5300 series user manual reveals that the device only supports 20 COV subscriptions.     Resolution Remove BACnet objects that are not required in EBO, it is unlikely that fewer than 20 values will be practical. Disable COV for the device in EBO. This can be done via the service_blacklist as noted in the BACnet RULES implementation to disable features such as readPropertyMultiple, COVs etc How to disable RPM (readPropertyMultiple), COVs etc services in AS/ES BACnet interface. Knowledge Base article. The following is an example service_blacklist for the PM3450 <blacklist> <rule> <vendor>10</vendor> <model>PM5340</model> <no-cov/> <no-rpm/> </rule> </blacklist> Polling can put an unintended load on the polling device and the polled device. The polling intervals should be adjusted using the settings on the BACnet Interface. This is available from BACnet Interface -> Properties -> Advanced and scroll all the way to the bottom as shown below for an ES. If looking at the option for an Automation Server it will also have additional options for the RS485 communication ports. Minimum polling intervals in the range of 5,000 to 10,000ms are a good starting point.  

Issue Chinese characters in TGML graphic become odd characters in WebStation, but display fine in WorkStation Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, TAC Vista Environment TAC Vista Webstation EcoStruxure Building Operation WebStation Chinese OS Cause The encoding method of WebStation is different from the one used in WorkStation. So the font of the Chinese characters should be changed. Resolution Change the Chinese character to Chinese font, like YouYuan or SimHei, etc, then it will work fine.