Issue Procedure for changing the name of a FLO2 block in a Network 8000 GCM, and in the MicroFlo II controller Environment Unknown Environment Cause Unknown Cause Resolution The name comes from the FLO2 block in the GCM. Once the block is created and named, there is no direct way to edit the name, either in the GCM or from PSI. The name is saved in the backed-up PSI application file, and when the application is downloaded, the name in the controller changes to the name from the file. Download a different file, and the MFII gets a different name. To keep the programming intact, but change the block name in the GCM and in the controller: 1. Set the physical address of the existing FLO2 block (with the wrong name) = 0. 2. Copy the block, give the new FLO2 block the name you want. 3. Edit the new FLO2 block, set the physical address = the DIP switch setting on the MFII. 4. Reset the new block, created in step 3. This writes the new name to the MF2 controller. 5. Delete the original FLO2 block, that had the wrong name.

Issue Vista IV Webstation licenses are not releasing after logging out of the webpage. Environment Vista IV Webstation Aladdin Privilege Administrator 2.01 Vista IV Licensing Note: Beginning 2012, PSS will no longer support the Privilege License System. The Tamfs26 Server will be retired along with TAC License Server software. It would be wise to inform the customer of this important information to plan for future upgrade in the event that their site license has issues. Cause This problem appears to be caused by configuring to run Webstation IV under ASP.NET version 2.0.5727 rather then version 1.1.4322 which is the supported version. Resolution Open IIS manager on the Webstation PC Expand the local computer, Web Sites, and Default Web Site. Right click on Webstation and select properties. Click on the ASP.NET tab and change the ASP.NET version to 1.1.4322. It is possible that you might encounter some error messages when you log into Webstation and log out again. If so please run the following commands in a command prompt: C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\aspnet_regiis.exe -i C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v1.1.4322\aspnet_regiis.exe -c

Issue Infinity Schedule Standard days and exception days clarification Environment Infinity Cause Information on schedule Standard days and Exception days Resolution Schedule Standard days and exception days clarification When editing standard or creating exception days/range of dates it is important to understand what is really taking place here in order to avoid any issues. Standard days are recurring days from week to week. You can alter the week to week days if you want the same schedule week after week and also have multiple events on each day if desired. Exception days have a higher priority than standard days and once you assign an exception day or range of dates to a schedule you will be overwriting the standard day for the day/dates that your assigning to. For example... if you have a standard day of 8am-5pm and assign an exception day of 9pm - 10pm to one of the standard days, what will happen is that the date the exception is added to will have one event for that day of 9pm - 10pm. If you still wanted the 8am-5pm event as well, you would need to add that to the same exception list  

Issue Infinity controller error: 5363 when opening a schedule on a controller When attempting to apply changes or create a new schedule in a controller the error Infinity controller error: 5363 pops up. Environment Infinet Controller Cause Sometimes this happens when the Infinet controller has on an older version of firmware. Resolution Flash the controller to a recent version Test the schedule again.

Issue Templates cannot be changed for personnel because the option is grayed out in the Personnel Manager Environment Personnel Manager Cause This is an issue that was fixed in 1.82 and above. Resolution There are a couple of work arounds for this issue: Go into each template and select the Attribute data source tab Go to RefTemplate and change it from InheritFromTemplate to CopyFromTemplate Go back to the personnel and the ability to switch to other templates works The other option is to switch the Personnel Manager to False in the Cyberstation preferences to use the Personnel Editor. This is not an issue in 1.82 and above.

Issue With the BCX Controller you can use either the Comm 1 or Comm2 port for the Modbus RTU X-Driver or you could use both simultaneously. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment BCX Controller Modbus RTU X-Driver Cause Enable Comm port for X-Driver Resolution Use either Comm port for the Modbus RTU X-Driver as per page 16 of the Modbus RTU user guide. If you use Comm2 you forfeit the Infinet or MSTP port, you must also create the Communications Configuration Point (Function 99) to tell the X-Driver if it should use RS232 or RS485 on Comm2. This point is required because on the BCX Comm 2 the X-Driver needs to tell the BCX to use the RS485 port (if that is what you want to use) not the RS232 port it defaults to in its Operating System. If you did not create the point the driver would default to the RS232 port. RS485 is half duplex so when transmitting data out the RS485 port, the driver needs to turn off the receiver so that it does not receive its own transmission. Also normally RS232 is full duplex and does not have to do this. However be aware that on BCX's Comm2 both the RS232 and RS485 ports are Half duplex, which although does not normally cause issues with Modbus because it is a Master / Slave network where we never get unsolicited data, it could cause an issue on other protocols. You can have X-Driver enabled on either or both ports, and there is nothing to stop you from having 2 Modbus networks, one on Comm1 the other on Comm2. You could even use a RS232 to RS485 converter on Comm1 if necessary (An Infilink200 would work fine). NOTE: The ability to enable 2 comm ports using Xdrivers can be done, but is not recommended by the Xdriver developers nor supported by PSS. The RTU Xdriver is poll on demand. This type of driver can request a lot of data and starve the CPU on the controller which then makes the polling irregular. If 2 ports are being used then there are typically more devices being added and therefore more points increasing the requests and demand on the controller's CPU. Use one program to control the polling on both ports. Two programs attempting to control the polling asynchronously will cause communication issues. The BCX is able to run 2 X-Drivers but will be a little slower than having 2 BCX's. It is really down to the individual project. If it has big networks connected or update speed is critical then split across 2 controllers. If you just have a few devices on each port and the update time is not critical then you would be fine with 1 controller.

Issue If you are having an issue where a heavy TGML graphic is taking all your CPU power, you can adjust the TGML FPS (frames per second) in TAC Vista Workstation 5.1.1 and later. Environment Vista Workstation 5.1.1 and later TGML Graphics Cause A very large or complex TGML graphic can sometimes slow the system as it tries to render every object on the page so many times per second. Slowing this down, while decreasing quality slightly, can increase performance. Resolution Goto the this location in the registry editor: \HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\TAC\TAC Vista Workstation\5.1.1 (Replace 5.1.1 with the current TAC Vista version.) Change the MaxTGMLFPS Default is 15 frames per second. Decreasing this value will decrease the number of times the graphic is repainted in a second. If you decrease it to 10 frames per second, then any animations will travel the same distance, but with fewer repaints, making them appear more choppy, but using less of the CPUs resources. Values below 10 are not recommended.

Issue Upgrading from rev 2.1X to 2.16 Environment I/NET 2.1x site Cause desire to upgrade to newer release of I/NET Resolution When upgrading from revision 2.10 and higher to 2.16, there is an additional step that is required. If you get to 2.16, start I/NET and only question marks are displayed when you connect to the controller, or it takes a long time to connect. There are two work-around things to try for this. Run the 2.15 patch or reinstall 2.15 and then upgrade to 2.16. Run DB Create, force an upgrade to the database and verify that the database version does in fact match the revision that you are running. To get to the revision number, click on the header on DB Create, then select about, it would show this information. The other work around is to just close I/NET and I/O Server and restart them again.

Issue An error message "Cannot process DB Admin command; java.net connection refused" is displayed when attempting to back up a Niagara R2 UNC station using the DB Admin "Get" function. All other DB Admin commands also return the same error message. Environment I/A Series R2 station Cause This error occurs when the HTTP port for the UNC has been changed. Resolution In order to correct this, add a line in the station.properties file that references the new port number. Edit this file using the Admin Tool, as follows: where 'xxxx' is the same http port number changed in the station.  Be sure to type in the line with the capitalization as shown. If not already done, open the Admin Tool and log into the host that contains the station with the changed http port Right-click the station name (not the host name or address) and select Edit > Properties Add a line to the file that reads:  httpPort=xxxx From the file menu, choose File > Close.  If any changes were made, save them or, otherwise, the window closes. If prompted to save your changes, click Yes to save your changes. The file saves and the window closes. To enable the change, stop and start the station and verify that it is running. Test the functionality of the new port by initiating a database conversion.  If the error message is received, verify that the httpPort line was added correctly. For more information, consult the Niagara Networking and Connectivity Guide.

Issue Wiring detail for using the B&B Electronics model USOPTL4 converter with PSI / XPSI Revision 4.1 Product Line TAC IA Series Environment PSI (Personal System Interface) Revision 4.1 XPSI (Xtended Personal System Interface) Revision 4.1 B&B Electronics USOPTL4 converter Cause PSI / XPSI Revision 4.1 does not work with the Patton Electronics RS-232 / RS-485 converter, model 2089-bc, that was widely used with earlier versions of PSI (rev. 3.13) and XPSI (rev. 2.0). Resolution One converter recommended for use with PSI / XPSI Revision 4.1 is the B&B Electronics model USOPTL4. To connect directly to the RJ-12 jack on an ASD device, or on a stat: Cut the RJ-12 plug off one end of an RJ-12 cable. Connect Black and Yellow wires and tape back. Connect the Green wire to the RDB(+) on the screw terminal of the USOPTL4. Connect the Red wire to the RDA (-) on the screw terminal of the USOPTL4. All four switches of the DIP switch on the USOPTL4 must be in the ON position to allow it to work properly on the ASD bus.

Issue Customer gets a yellow warning message (a warning triangle) on the values presented in the graphic in Vista. The node is blinking for a while and then disappears. If mouse is held over the node when the warning comes they get message "WSAhost_not_found" This behaviour occurs from time to time and the data that are suppose to shown is then zero. After a while the data is updated again and shows the correct value. Environment Vista IV Workstation OGC Graphics Cause It appears customer is having a local workgroup in the building that runs the application's. There are several computer connected with different OS and known is that several of this computer is using NT. Since this message only occur time to time and only for a brief moment a conclusion be made that it is a network error. Resolution Possible solution: What needs to be tested in the location is what or whom of the computer's that has become the master browser since the master browser is holding the master list of the other computers in the network. NT system's are normally suitable of becoming a Master browser in the network since they are a "server OS" If several of this OS is on the same network a argue can occur between them who should be the master browser and this can be confusing when the clients is sending the network list to the master browser. When the client is sending the list they send it to the "server that responds first. Now when another client asks for information the server that responds first is sending the data, but this time another server can be the one answering first and don’t hold the updated list. A possible solution to this problem is to narrow down what computer's that is master browser's on the network and choose one that always should act as one "mainly a computer that is turned on all the time" If more master browser is needed after that (most common after 32 computers) the master browser will choose one to act as a "backup Master browser". This information can be read about on Microsoft homepage. NOTE: This can be the fault in the system, since the "list" talked about above is updated after a while when the Master browser is asking the client's on the network for a update. So when Vista make's another request of the value it works again since now the list is correctly updated.

Issue Problem when attempting to read/write trends and event. Environment Vista Workstation SQL Cause This could be because of a damaged COM+. Check the Windows eventlog for COM+ related errors.  TAC Vista uses COM+ to host DSS, the interface between TAC Vista server (TACOS) and SQL server, in versions from 4.3.0 to 5.0.1. As always, make sure to backup your computer before tampering with COM+! The COM+ catalog is a catalog of all the available COM+ applications, classes and attributes on a given system. Windows keeps this catalog to make sure that there's consistency between the various COM+ attributes and exposes it through various programming interfaces. If the catalog becomes damaged, programs that rely on COM+ won't work properly (or at all!). One example of such a service that depends on COM+ is the Volume Shadow Copy Service used by (among other programs) the Microsoft NTBACKUP application. NTBACKUP can make backups of system files or other locked files by using Volume Shadow Copy. However, if NTBACKUP fails with an error in the Volume Shadow Copy COM+ service, odds are the catalog has been damaged and needs to be repaired. (Another symptom of a damaged COM+ catalog is when many programs hang continuously for minutes on end, but this is a minor, less well-documented symptom.) Resolution To repair a damaged COM+ catalog, do the following: Locate the file %WinDir%\System32\Clbcatq.dll and rename it to ~Clbcatq.dll (note the tilde). %Windir% is an environment variable that usually translates to C:\Windows. Reboot the computer in Safe Mode. Open the Registry and delete the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\COM3. Look in the %WinDir% directory for a subdirectory named Registration. Delete Registration entirely, including any files inside it. Reboot the machine normally. At a command line, type regsvr32 %windir%\system32\ole32.dll, and click OK on the acknowledgement that comes up. Open Control Panel | Add/Remove Programs | Add/Remove Windows Components. Click Next to reinstall COM+. You do not need to select any components to add or remove; COM+ is reinstalled automatically as a matter of course. You shouldn't have to reboot after this; the re-registered COM+ services should work immediately.

Issue I/NET shortcut utility in Vista 5.1 does not create shortcuts when browsing in the I/NET link. Environment I2V Integration Vista 5.1 Cause The shortcut utility will fail if there is a "\" in any of the I/NET point names contained in the .sav files. This character is not a legal character in Vista, however the shortcut utility should replace it with an "_" and it doesn't. Resolution Change any "\" characters to "/" Re-run the wizard.  As always, it is good practice to only use Vista legal characters when integrating anything to Vista. Vista legal characters (space) [ ] _ : /

Issue New Door Attributes KeyPadString and KeyPadCommand in ACX57xx Environment Information about the new door attributes and configuration helps users with the capability. Cause ACX57xx Continuum V1.82 Resolution New Door Attributes KeyPadString and KeyPadCommand in ACX57xx in latest versions of Continuum Requires versions of Continuum V1.82 or above and Rev 1.1xxxxx ACX Entering an Input String at a Keypad for Use in PE Programs From a keypad connected to an ACX2 door, you (the user) may also send additional data to the controller, which in turn passes it to a Plain English (PE) program for execution in an Andover Continuum control application. This capability enables you to use the keypad to send input to a PE program for any purpose. For example: A user can enter a string that a PE program uses to turn lights or fans on or off, or to control other HVAC equipment. A user can enter a string indicating the user’s purpose for entering an area. The PE program can capture this information as input to a PE program for tracking reasons for activity in a secure area.  Handling String Input at the ACX2 controller Before you can use the keypad for PE program input, you must create a Plain English program that processes the string entered at the keypad and returns a value to the system based on the entry. The ACX2 door contains two attributes that are used by the PE program KeypadString door attribute. Your PE program reads this attribute to obtain the content of the string entered at the keypad. KeypadCommand door attribute. Your PE program sets this numeric value to provide feedback via the reader/keypad LEDs to the person entering the keypad code about the status of the operation. Other commands are also sent to the door via the KeypadCommand attribute such as enabling or disabling Keypad Input. Entering String Input from Keypad The process for entering string input at a keypad has the following steps: The user presents a valid access card and/or PIN (if a PIN is required) to the door reader. The controller for this reader accepts the user’s credentials, and the door unlocks. Within three seconds of the door unlocking, the user enters two consecutive asterisks ( ** ) at the keypad to enter escape sequence mode. The keypad LED flashes slowly to indicate that it is waiting for input. The user enters a numeric string of up to 30 characters (not including the two asterisks), and then terminates the string with the pound sign (#). For example: **10# or **6986310# The door makes the string available to a PE program via its KeypadString attribute. Entry Rules for String Input The following rules apply to using a keypad connected to a door to enter string input:   After the door unlocks for a valid access, if more than 3 seconds elapse before the user enters two asterisks, the door exits escape sequence mode. The user must begin the process for string input again. If a user enters more than 30 characters (not including the first two asterisks), the door detects when the 31st digit is entered. The door then replaces the 30th character with T to indicate Tamper, and sends the string to its KeypadString attribute (no # is needed). Subsequent characters entered as part of the string are ignored. For example, if the user enters **123456789012345678901234567890123, the door sends 12345678901234567890123456789T to its KeypadString attribute. The user can enter asterisks within the string if needed. These asterisks are converted to periods when sent to the door’s KeypadString attribute. For example: 69*8*6310 is converted to 69.8.6310 when sent to the door’s KeypadString attribute. If more than 4 seconds elapse between keystrokes, the door exits escape sequence mode. The user must begin the process for string input again. If a user presents an access card to the card reader while the door is in escape sequence mode, the door exits escape sequence mode. The user must egin the process for string input again. PE Feedback to the Door After the PE program receives the string input and interprets its value, the PE program assigns an appropriate value to the door’s KeypadCommand attribute. One of the following values is transmitted back to the door through its KeypadCommand attribute: 0 - Disable keypad Input at the door. 1 - Clear string. 2 - Recognize the escape sequence entry (success). 3 - Do not recognize the escape sequence entry (fail). 255 - Enable keypad Input at the door. NOTE: Clearing the string in the door using the Clear String command is recommended after each string input in escape sequence mode. Based on the numeric value returned to the door through the KeypadCommand attribute, the PE program uses the reader LEDs to indicate to the user whether or not the string input is valid or invalid. The LED pattern to indicate valid/invalid entry is the same as the selected access control LED pattern used to indicate valid/invalid card and PIN entry. Sample PE Program The PE program in the following example is used to unlock a door for unrestricted access for the amount of time specified in the Keypad Input String. For instance, at the door, the user enters 100*3600, the "*" gets translated to "." (period) so the keypad input string contains 100.3600. The program recognizes 100 as the door timed unlock code and 3600 as the time to unlock the door for (in seconds, 3600 is the number of seconds in an hour), thus entering 100*3600 at the keypad instructs the PE program to unlock the door for an hour. 'This program processes the 'Timed Unlock' keypad code (100) entered at a door's keypad 'The form of the code is 100.xxx where 100 is the command identifier and xxx is the amount of time 'to unlock the door for. String Str Numeric KypdCode, DrUnlockTime, SeparatorPos Line Init   Jetway1 KeypadCommand = 255 'Enable door for keypad input string   Jetway1 KeypadCommand = 1 'Clear any previous keypad input string Goto WaitForKypdCode Line WaitForKypdCode   'Wait here until something goes in the keypad string   If len(Jetway1 KeypadString) > 0 then Goto ProcessKypdCode Line ProcessKypdCode   'The string should contain 2 fields separated by a period   'Get the keypad code identifier which is to the left of the separator   SeparatorPos = search(Jetway1 KeypadString, ".")   Str = left(Jetway1 KeypadString, SeparatorPos)   KypdCode =StrToNum(Str)   'Now get the unlock time value which is to the right of the separator   Str = right(Jetway1 KeypadString, (len(Jetway1 KeypadString) - SeparatorPos))   DrUnlockTime = StrToNum(Str)   'The only keypad code this program handles is the time unlock (100)   If KypdCode = 100 and DrUnlockTime > 0 then Goto UnlockDoor Else Goto InvalidKypdCode Line UnlockDoor   Jetway1 KeypadCommand = 2 'Flash the valid access LED pattern to give   'feedback that the code has been accepted   Jetway1 TimeUnlock = DrUnlockTime 'Unlock the door for the time specified   'in the keypad code   Goto ClearStr Line InvalidKypdCode Jetway1 KeypadCommand = 3 'Flash the invalid attempt LED pattern to give   'feedback that the code is invalid   Goto ClearStr Line ClearStr   Jetway1 KeypadCommand = 1 'Clear the keypad input string   Goto WaitForKypdCode

Issue Getting error message in Vista that Menta is in 'stand alone' mode and cannot edit the .MTA Environment Vista Menta Cause This happens usually when Menta has previously been installed on the system in a "stand alone" fashion and then Vista was installed at a later time. Resolution Go to Start > Run and type "regedit" to open the Registry Editor Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > TAC > TAC Menta Double click the key named StandAlone. Change the value data to "No"   For a 64 bit OS, the path in the Registry Editor is HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE>SOFTWARE>Wow6432Node>TAC Menta

Issue Issues with some portions of Vista 5.1 on Microsoft Windows Vista Environment Microsoft Windows Vista TAC ToolPack TAC Signature TAC Webstation TAC OPC Server for Danduc Cause Not all portions of Vista 5.1 are supported on Microsoft Windows Vista. Resolution While TAC Vista supports Windows Vista in release 5.1.0 the following programs are not supported: TAC Toolpack TAC Signature TAC Webstation TAC OPC Server for Danduc Note: This is still true for version 5.1.1 despite this only being stated in the Vista 5.1.0 release notice.  

Issue Site 0 on DLA Applications Environment I/NET site Cause For future expansion of the system, address 0 has been reserved when implementing DLA (Distributed Link Architecture). This causes the Host to distinguish when making contact with an NPR, whether it is set up for DLA or not. There are certain flags that are set in this configuration internally by each device on the way it will communicate with other Hosts and NPRs Resolution It is recommended that address zero("0") be used for Non DLA applications and 1 to 63 for DLA. This should be implemented just to avoid conflicts with existing sites. Furthermore, it is also necessary to clear out the Routing tables for each device that this is being incorporated on.

Issue Pin Pad Functionality on HID Readers Environment I/NET site with HID Pin Pad Cause Incorrect wiring in the PIN Pad Resolution Using the PIN Pad function in HID Card Reader applications requires that the D1 and D0 wires be terminated on terminal 3 and 5 respectively. If regular door modes are being used i.e. Secr/Unlk/Lock then this does not affect how the DPU interprets the card read. If PIN is being used for Arm/Disarm or gain entry, then this termination needs to be addressed. If terminated improperly, a valid card read will be seen at the reader but a Deny Entry t/o will be registered in the Transaction Window of AMT and the desired function will not be accomplished.

Issue Trend Log Values in Xenta Server are not displayed in Trend graph but there are values if you select view data. Environment Xenta Server Xenta 511, 527, 701, 711, 721, 731, 913 Cause If the PC time and the Xenta Server times have gotten off, it may appear that there is no data for the selected time interval. Resolution Check that you have to same date and time settings in the Xenta Server and in the PC that you are viewing the trend chart in.

Issue In trend log page in Xenta Server I only see the name for one of the Y-Axis even though I have defined the name and range for both Y1 and Y2 Environment Xenta Server Xenta 511, 527, 711, 731 Trend Chart Cause If you want to display both Y-Axes 1 and 2 you have to have at least 2 logs in the chart. Resolution To see the 2nd Y-Axis you have to use it. Select the log that you want to use the 2nd Y-Axis and change the Display settings.