Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Can an alarm be generated if a Niagara R2 Enterprise Server loses connectivity to the Vykon Alarm Service (VAS)? Environment Niagara R2 VAS client Cause To trigger an alarm when VAS connection changes, create a program object and link to clientActive. Resolution In order to alarm on the status of a VAS connection, do the following: Create a program object in WorkPlace Pro, and paste in the following code: //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // VAS Active clients // This object monitors the number of active VAS clients. // Revision History: // 07 August, 2007 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// // Inputs // flex input int ActiveClients // // Outputs // output FloatStatusType Clients // Processing Clients.value = ActiveClients Link the clientActive property of the VykonAlarmService to the ActiveClients property of the program object Create a comparison object, and link the output of the program object to Input A of the comparison object In the comparison object, configure the function so that A < B, and set defaultB to 1 Create a BI object, and link the status out of the comparison object to the status in of the BI Configure the alarm properties of the BI

Issue Which BACnet (MNB) and Micronet (MNL) controllers are half-wave rectified and which are full-wave rectified? Environment BACnet (MNB) controllers Micronet (MNL) controllers Cause Information about products rectifier helps avoid equipments damage connected with improperly wiring. Resolution In the current MNB controller line, the MNB-1000 is full-wave rectified. The MNB-300, MNB-70, and MNB-Vx are half-wave rectified. In the current MNL controller line, the MNL-800 is full-wave rectified. The MNL-5Rxx, MNL-1xRxx, MNL-20Rxx, and MNL-VxRxx are half-wave rectified. An early version of the MNL controllers were full-wave rectified: MNL-Pxx, MNL-Uxx, and MNL-Vxx (firmware V1.x). The same controllers were upgraded to firmware V2.x and re-designed for half-wave rectification. Both firmware versions of this controller line are obsolete.

Issue Extreme care must be used when using PE programs to perform an automatic flash backup on a controller Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Infinet Controller BACnet Controller Cause An incorrect code in the program can cause issue to the controller and require a full reload. Resolution BEWARE of PE programs that set the flag to flash a controller Infinet and BACnet controllers that have the ability to have their objects backed up to flash and running a program to reflash them when the application data changes should be used with extreme caution. If you accidently created a program that looped and continuously wrote Accstatusbackup = accbackupnow and tried to change the application data such as creating a point or editing a program you will receive an error stating "OMS database not currently available (Backing Up)" This type of program is very bad, and can reset the controller requiring a full reload. This is not to say that such programs shouldn’t be created to reflash a controller when needed, just create them as a fall thru or stop the program at the end of execution and have them triggered ie... a certain time of the day and test to see if there needs to be a reflash ie... If accstatusbackup = accbackupneeded then Accstatusbackup = accbackupnow Endif Also keep in mind that flash memory circuits are rated for a maximum of 100,000 write operations and there is an automatic software based circuit breaker that will set the accstatusbackup to accbackupdisabled when 10,000 writes occur. This should be considered a safety net that the controller has been flashed 10,000 times, that would be a good point to ask "WHY". You can reset this by setting the accstatusbackup = accbackupenable and you’ll be able to continue to write to the flash. It would be a good practice to have a numeric that is alarmed to notify in the event of the controller excessively writing the flash. This number could be whatever you think your threshold for writes should be ie.. if you wanted to know when the controller has been flashed > 20 you would know that something is probably happening and maybe you should address it.

Issue A PCI I/O board added to allow a parallel port for a security key is not recognized by the key. Environment Continuum Windows XP Windows Vista Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 Cause The default setup for the Sentinel driver does not configure the PCI port Resolution After adding a PCI I/O board to allow a parallel key, the security key is not recognized. Even if a printer works on this parallel port and another machine reads the key perfectly, the security key does not work. Uninstalling and reinstalling the Sentinel driver does not make a difference. The Sentinel driver needs to be configured to allow the parallel port to be accessed via the PCI bus. By default, only the ISA and USB port types are shown. Follow these steps to add the port for the installed PCI board: From the Control Panel, double-click the System icon to open the System Properties page. Click the Hardware tab and then the Device Manager Button to open the Device Manager. Click the + sign next to Ports (COM & LPT) to expand the tree. Double-click on PCI Card (LPT1) to open the property sheet for the PCI adapter. Click on the Resources tab to see the resources used by the adapter. Under Resource Settings, make note of the first number in the range of the first line. Ex. I/O Range 0378-0374 (the number to make note of is 0378) Next, Start the driver configuration utility, SetupSysDriver.exe. It is usually located at C:\Program Files\Rainbow Technologies\Sentinel System Driver Click the "Configure Driver" button, then click the "Add" button. Enter the I/O address of the PCI parallel port adapter into the "Bus Address" field. Ex. 0378. For Port type select PCIbus and Click on OK It will show that a User Created port has been added at address 0378. The Sentinel System Driver should now be configured to use the Parallel PCI adapter.

Issue How can the true/false output from a Boolean object (i.e. Tstat) be changed to a numeric 0 or 100 in Niagara G3? Environment Niagara G3 Cause Represent a boolean on/off value with a numeric that can be used to drive other logic. Resolution Open the kitControl palette under the Util folder Use an object called NumericSwitch Link the output of the Boolean object into the InSwitch property of the NumericSwitch In the properties of the NumericSwitch object, set the "in true" value to 100 and "in false" value to 0 (or vice versa if reverse acting). The output of the NumericSwitch will be a numeric type.

Issue This video details the steps required to install Vista 5. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Vista 5 Cause Installation can sometimes fail if things are done out of order or incorrectly. This video demonstrates the proper steps to take when installing Vista 5. Resolution

Issue Can a Niagara R2 station be started from a command prompt? Environment Niagara R2 Cause Another option to start Niagara R2 station. Resolution Add the Niagara bin folder to the computer path or change directories to be in that folder. Then run "station ". The command window can be minimized, but closing it will stop the station. When the station is started in this method, it will not show "running" in the admin tool. An example of a batch file to start station "Lon522" is shown below: C:\cd\Niagara\r2.301.522\nre\bin station Lon522  

Issue Is there surge protection available for a BACnet/MSTP or RS-485 trunk? Environment BACnet/MSTP RS-485 trunk Surge protector Cause Install surge protector to prevent devices from abnormal electrical spike, which might damage devices. Resolution In the Network 8000 Hardware Installation Practices manual (F-23061) pages 21-26, the GCMA-131-1 is used for data line surge protection in conjunction with the AS-8969-21 capacitor grounding the shields as shown. The same components and procedures apply to BACnet/MSTP or RS-485 trunks. If there are power line issues, review the PAS-29901-400 lightning arrestors. The GCMA-131-1 and its associated installation shown on pages 22-23 of the above manual can be used.  Also, the E-1001-111 transzorb shown on page 26 can be used. It is important to have a GOOD earth ground when applying these devices.

Issue Are B-link or Infilink repeaters required every 32 nodes on an RS-485 bus when using i2 or b3 controllers? Infinet 1 controller had this requirement Environment Continuum Cause Infinity version 1 controllers required a repeater every 32 nodes. i2/b3 controllers do not have this same node count requirement. Resolution If you are going to be using i2/b3s with no 3rd party bacnet controllers on the segment, it’s less than 4000ft with approved cable, the runs are totally daisy chained without any "Y's" or "T's" in the network runs, then no Infilink/B-link repeaters are needed. The reason for this is that Continuum uses 1/10th load transceivers allowing the full 127 nodes to be used. If you are mixing b3s with 3rd party non-Andover controllers or mixing infinity version 1 infinet controllers with i2s, then you will need a repeater every 32 nodes and every 4000ft. If the distance exceeds 4000 ft, you will need a repeater.

Issue Changes in I/NET Seven Rev 2.15 Video Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Seven Rev 2.15 Cause Video tutorial for Changes in I/NET Seven Rev 2.15 Resolution I/NET Seven Rev 2.15 has three changes: The number of individuals per tenant has been increased from 24,000 to 32,000 The maximum number of online records in AMT has been increased to 20 million A new editor has been added to host passwords that allows limiting operator permission based on groups These changes will be demonstrated and explained in this video.

Issue Registering RVCTL.DLL Video Product Line TAC INET Environment DVR Servers RVCTL.DLL CCTV Cause This video will illustrate how to install the RVCTL.DLL files on your PC. The RVCTL.DLL files are no longer installed automatically. Resolution The old and new RVCTL.DLL files are located in a folder within the support directory on the installation CD. To start, go to CD > Support > and select the RVCTL.DLL folder. Open the RVCTL.DLL text file and follow the instructions on it. This will install your files and allow your DVR to function properly with I/NET. Determine which rvctl.dll is required. Copy the files from the CD folder Support\RVCTL\"Your version folder" into the INET Seven root folder at X:\Program Files\INET Seven; where X = the windows os Open a cmd prompt. User Start > Run, type cmd and select OK Type the following: cd\ <cr> cd Program Files\INET Seven <cr> regsvr32 rvctl.dll <cr> You will see a message box with the message DllRegisterServer in rvctl.dll succeeded. The rvctl DLL is now registered and can be used for Integral DVR servers to INET.

Issue Description of LED patterns on access readers, and how to change them Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum site Cause Description of LED patterns on access readers, and how to change them Resolution How to control LED patterns on access readers ****For all Continuum controllers that support access control and modules except AC1 and AC-1A**** NOTE: AC1 and AC1A only support the Alternate LED pattern. Card Reader LED Patterns The LED pattern of the card reader is determined by the creation of an InfinityNumeric called AccessLEDPattern. TAC LED Pattern (AccessLEDPattern=0) This pattern is transaction based, meaning the reader LED indicates the state of the access transaction. Solid Red No door configured for this reader channel. The system will not process any transaction coming from this reader. Solid Green Door configured on this reader channel. System is ready to process an access transaction. Solid Red for 3 seconds following an access transaction Invalid attempt. Rapid flashing following an access transaction Valid access Slow flashing following an access transaction System is waiting for information needed to process the transaction. For example, transaction is being processed (remote validation) or the system is waiting for user entry. (PIN needed after card swipe.)   Alternate LED (Default) Pattern (AccessLEDPattern=1) This pattern follows the state of the door lock itself. This is the default LED pattern.  Solid Red Door is locked Solid Green Door is unlocked Rapid flashing following an access transaction Invalid attempt Slow flashing following an access transaction System is waiting for information needed to process the transaction. For example, transaction is being processed (remote validation) or the system is waiting for user entry. (PIN needed after card swipe.)   The above LED patterns are the most commonly used. LED Patterns 3 and 4 are for CardKey and Dorado Model 780 ABA Reader/Keypad please refer to the documentation in the ACX II Controller Operation and Technical Reference Guide for more information on these readers and further information on LED Patterns

Issue SNMP Flashing options for Netcontrollers and BCXs Product Line Andover Continuum Environment All Continuum master controllers Cause Documentation Resolution BCXs & Netcontrollers can be in 3 states: SNMP Standard is how all controllers are shipped by default. This means that the controller model and some other object info can be obtained via SNMP. SNMP Alarming Enabled means Standard SNMP as well as SNMP Alarming is enabled in order to send alarms to a network management system. This is a paid for option either initially when the controller is ordered or by contacting repair. To enable this option in the field, repair sends a file and instructions after payment. SNMP Disabled means that no SNMP information will come from the controller. Upgrading controllers with future firmware versions Depending on which SNMP option state the controller is in will determine the application flash that should be used going forward. Selecting the incorrect file can disable or re-enable SNMP options. Netcontroller v1.5300x SNMP Not Set means no SNMP options will be changed when upgrading firmware v1.5300x Standard SNMP means use with Standard SNMP (default) v1.5300x SNMP Alarming Enabled means use when SNMP Alarming is enabled (Not Set could be used also since it will not change the enabled option) v1.53 SNMP Disable means this will disable All SNMP traffic, Standard and Alarming BCX Use the default firmware upgrade after SNMP is enabled. If you use the BCX SNMP Disable flash files and then upgrade to a newer version of firmware, you will have to run the disable flash file again to disable SNMP. NOTE: The flash files used to disable SNMP are posted on The Exchange. Note2: If the flash file doesn't enable the options because it was sitting at resetting controller,  Reload the controller which will force a reset and then try the flash file again.

Issue Webpages were able to be viewed from controllers in the past but no longer work. The controller can be pinged which indicates that it is online. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment B4920 BCX 99xx Windows OS Cause If running the latest versions of Microsoft Office, there are a lot of extensions installed in the registry under accepted documents which create a very long string for a HTTP request. Resolution In a test environment, Microsoft Office suite 2007 was installed for testing. Webpages could be opened from the bcx and 9702 controllers but not from the b4920 or webpages on a 9900. The latest Microsoft Office packages added a few accepted document extensions that allow things like word docs and spreadsheets to be opened in Internet Explorer. If the extensions are removed, the docs and xls files can still be downloaded and can be opened locally instead of through the browser. The TCP streams below show the different http request. Request with latest extensions: GET / HTTP/1.1 Accept: image/gif, image/x-xbitmap, image/jpeg, image/pjpeg, application/x-shockwave-flash, application/vnd.ms-excel, application/vnd.ms-powerpoint, application/msword, application/xaml+xml, application/vnd.ms-xpsdocument, application/x-ms-xbap, application/x-ms-application, */* Request with default extension: GET / HTTP/1.1 Accept: */* If running the latest versions of Microsoft Office, there are a lot of extensions installed in the registry under accepted documents which creates a very long string for a HTTP request. In order to work around this, you can edit the registry. Editing of the registry should be done with extreme caution. Be sure to export a copy of your registry. Look under the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Accepted Documents Then you can export all of the keys under the above location and delete all but the default key. Once this has been done, restart your browser and you should be able to open your controller's webpages.

Issue How many ASD buses can exist on a Niagara R2 UNC 520? Environment Niagara R2 UNC 520 Cause Knowing the total number of ASD bus supported helps with system architecture. Resolution The ASD driver only supports 2 ASD buses on a single UNC-520.

Issue What are the rules for linking objects between Niagara R2 Stations? Environment Niagara R2 stations Cause Additional information on linking rules to correctly linked objects between Niagara R2 Resolution The following are the Niagara R2 link rules for inter-station and external station links:   Link as many inputs to a single output as needed (“one-to-many”). For any input property that is already linked, no further link to it is permitted unless the property is a priorityArray type or trigger type (or certain types of Lon properties). Only then is a “many-to-one” link allowed. External links (between stations) have further restrictions. The following types of external links are not permitted (nor are they shown in the Link Editor): Links between prioritizedOutputs and priorityArray input properties. Links between properties using triggerType data species. Links from a GxText object to an internal property of another object (only inputs or outputs are available).

Issue Video Server and Video Layout not displaying in the Continuum Explorer Tree View Environment Continuum System Cause The issue is that the security key is not enabled for video. Resolution There have been a few reports of later versions of Continuum that will not display the video server or video layout class folders in the continuum explorer. If you have keys that were ordered after Continuum 1.7 the option should be enabled. For keys that have been upgraded through the Continuum versions prior to 1.7 the option may not be turned on. If the option is not selected in the key, the video class folders will not display. Some sites do not use video or are hvac sites only and have no need for this feature. The option being turned off has no effect on Continuum's performance and does not causes any issues. If you are in need of using the video server and video layout classes in versions greater than 1.7 and they are not displayed in the Continuum Explorer tree view, contact Product support for a file to enable the option.

Issue Alarms are being logged but are not being delivered to all Cyberstations Environment CyberStation, MSMQ Cause MSMQ issues Resolution When enhanced alarm delivery is selected and Cyberstations are taken offline, they will not receive alarms until Cyberstation is restarted. Occasionally you can get into a state where even though Cyberstation has been restarted you no longer receive alarms and there are a lot of messages building up in the MSMQ queues. Event Notifications Eliminate Cyberstations that no longer exist or are often offline and are setup as recipients on event notifications. These Cyberstations should be removed as recipients to avoid alarm messages from building up in the MSMQ queues. Three Reasons MSMQ does not deliver messages and some analysis tools According to MS there are several reasons why MSMQ messages do not get sent/received and in order of precedence are Connectivity, Security and Resource depletion Connectivity In Control Panel>Administrative Tools>Computer Management>Services & Applications>Message Queuing>Private Messaging>accalarmchannel, columns can be added to the queue messages line by right clicking, select View, add/remove columns Add Recipient queue and Response queue This gives you visibility into what workstations are receiving messages Ping - The amount of time that a ping test takes to respond can indicate a problem, as can the fact that such a test succeeds only intermittently. (The latter would indicate such issues as name resolution failing and the computer falling back to doing broadcasts for name resolution or network saturation). ping machinename -t this will run until stopped by pressing Ctrl-C, some baselines on each of the machines to the other machines would be good. Once a machine starts building up messages in queues, perform this ping command again to see if there's a difference. Ethereal (now Wireshark) Use Ethereal on one of the machines that is building up messages in a queue, it would be helpful to get an ethereal capture to look at the MSMQ traffic. Security A Firewall can affect MSMQ delivery. Some firewalls allow configuration down to which specific machines are allowed for the MSMQ service. Here's a Microsoft link to what ports need to be opened for MSMQ in addition to what we require for Continuum. http://support.microsoft.com/kb/183293 Resources MSMQ has a size limitation for the total amount of space used by queuing messages. If this total size has reached 1.4 Gig then more than likely the storage capacity of MSMQ has been exceeded and the MSMQ service may not start and therefore not deliver messages. Determine if the MSMQ capacity has been exceeded On each of the WS that should receive messages, go to My Computer c:\windows or c:\WINNT\system32\msmq\storage, right click on the storage folder and go to properties, note the Size. Perfmon- is a utility that can be run to take a look at resources on a machine and the MSMQ Service attribute Total Message can be added. Go to Start> Settings> Administrative Tools> Double click on Performance Keep the defaults that are listed, there should be 3 items listed for memory, Physical Disk and Processor Click on the "+" button to add a counter In the performance object drop down, select MSMQ service and under Select counters, select "Total messages in all queues" Click Add, then Click Close Right click on Total Messaging and select properties, select a color and width that will stand out, click Ok Keep an eye on the resources that are being used and adjust the machine or add resources accordingly. Logging - if it is determined that you need to log some of this info, there are some additional instructions from Microsoft on doing that at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/150934

Issue Steps to upgrade MSDE SP3a to SP4 Environment SQL Server Service Pack Cause Upgrade the current Service Pack to the latest and update Service Pack 4 Resolution If you have an existing Continuum db, get a backup first. Download file SQL2000.MSDE-KB884525-SP4-x86-ENU.EXE from Microsoft’s web site. Copy the file to a new folder on a hard drive called C:\MSDESp4 Run the .exe to extract the files and selected this new folder by the browse button Open a DOS prompt (Start>Run>cmd) Use the CD command to navigate to the location where the files were extracted (C:\MSDESP4\MSDE) Execute the following command to install SP4 C:\MSDESP4\MSDE>setup /upgradesp sqlrun blanksapwd=1 *Note: If you have a password on the sa account then use SAPWD="yourpassword" instead For more information and additional options see the following link: http://download.microsoft.com/download/1/B/D/1BDF5B78-584E-4DE0-B36F-C44E06B0D2A3/ReadmeSql2k32desksp4.htm#_3467464_upgrading_existing_instances_of__fzpy

Issue Creating a new cardholder in webClient gives the error 'Response XML String is Corrupt' Environment webClient Cause A modification must be made to the ServerUtils.aspx file. Resolution Have all users log out of webclient On the webclient machine, go to c:\program files\webserver folder, make a copy of ServerUtils.aspx. Edit the existing copy of ServerUtils.aspx and add the following text to the first line. validateRequest='false' Note: There are brackets < >at each end of the following lines in the ServerUtils.aspx file Original line: %@ page language="c#" inherits="WebClient.ServerUtils, App_Web_w0emuixz" % Edited line: %@ page language="c#" inherits="WebClient.ServerUtils, App_Web_w0emuixz" validateRequest='false' %   Close Internet Explorer if it was open Log back into webclient and then create a new cardholder and no error will show.