Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue bCX shows BACnet Network Number zero in the Continuum Explorer Device Editor even though the BACnet Network Id - Comm2 shows value such as 2765 in the bCX configuration web page. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation bCX4040 bCX4000 b4920 b3 devices Cause bCX sits on IP level network which Cyberstation identifies as network 0. Resolution The value entered in the bCX's BACnet Network Id - Comm2 from the configuration webpage is the number of the network the bCX will host on its MSTP port.  The bCX itself is located on the IP level network that CyberStation identifies as Network 0. BACnet devices located in the MSTP field bus of the bCX will show their BACnet Network Number as the value configured in the bCX's BACnet Network Id - Comm2 (default value 2765)

Issue How to get server date and time into a datetime variable. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Building  Operation Enterprise Server Cause Documentation Resolution Create a 'Value' object of type 'Time Stamp Value' in the server. Right click on the server's name and select 'Edit bindings' Find the time stamp value created in step 1 in the object tree on the right. Bind the value of the time stamp object to the server's time as seen in the screen shot below.

Issue Update OS, changing a controller, BACnet to Infinet or Infinet to BACnet Can b3 controllers be converted to i2 controllers? Can i2 controllers be converted to b3 controllers? Converting between bCX4040 and bCX9640   Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment i2 b3 Controllers - See Compatibility Matrix bCX Controllers - Continuum 1.7 onwards Cause Only a limited number of controllers can be converted, BACnet to/from Infinet, using Update OS. Resolution The following controllers can be converted between Infinet and BACnet, using the appropriate firmware files: bCX (bCX4040 to/from bCX9640) (options like Xdrivers, node count, IO modules and expansion IO modules are not effected) i28xx-V - b38xx-V (i2865-V to/from b3865-V, i2866-V to/from b3866-V, i2885-V to/from b3885-V) Please see link for swapping the firmware of non -V model i2/b3 Attempting to flash (Update OS) any other controllers BACnet to/from Infinity is not recommended. In nearly every instance, the result will be a non-functioning controller.   UPDATE: A procedure is now available to convert the non -V i2s to b3s in the field https://community.se.com/t5/Building-Automation-Knowledge/Conversion-of-Continuum-devices-from-i2-to-b3-and-vice-versa-in/ta-p/416712    (Note: In the bCX controllers, the ACCNetID will revert back to the default of "1", you may need to change this in the Controllers configuration webpage back to what it should be.  See Will IP settings persist when flashing a bCX4040 (BACnet) to a bCX9640 (Infinet)? for details.)   Please refer to Exchange for specific firmware: BACnet Firmware Infinet Firmware The following can be used as a general rule to determine which OS is currently running in the controller. bCX only. (b3 & i2 CPU is green) CPU LED is Green = BACnet OS CPU LED is Yellow = Infinet OS

Issue How to reset an ACX 57xx model controller Product Line Andover Continuum Environment ACX 57xx Cause While upgrading/downgrading the controller firmware, communications were lost and the controller is not communicating afterwards. Resolution Consult How to reset a ACX 57xx controller to reset the controller and then re-commission.

Issue When creating an ETL task the "Run Once" option works, but when configured to run as a service, it doesn't work and an error occurs in the error log: 2015-05-22 17:13:59,069 ERROR ETLEngine (TaskName) - Thread ID (119) - Power Monitoring Expert Load Task: Task Power Monitoring Expert Load Task failed System.ApplicationException: Failed to populate the MetaDataSet. ---> System.Data.SqlClient.SqlException: Cannot open database "ION_Data" requested by the login. The login failed. Login failed for user 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM'. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, Other Environment Power Monitoring Expert Energy Expert (formerly Power Manager) ETL Tool Cause When testing the ETL task using "Run Once", the Windows account currently logged in, will be used to access the SQL database. However, when the same Task is then configured to run as a service, the account configured on that Service will be used to access the SQL database instead.  By default that account is the built-in account 'NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM'.   The Position values for all of the mapped trend logs are set to an unreasonable timestamp. The timestamp is either very old or a date the preceeds the oldest values in the database.  Resolution Changing the Windows system account for the ETL service Either give the system account access to the database, or change the account used to run the service. Correct/Adjust the timestamp values in Positions tab of ETL The timestamps can be changed all at once by setting the Initial value field at the top of the "Positions" window in the ETL tool. 

Issue Seeing "An Object_Identifier has been specified for an object that does not exist in the object database of the addressed BACnet device", when trying to open a BACnet Device in Continuum Product Line Andover Continuum Environment bCX 4040 BACnet Cause When trying to send a controller's obejcts to the Database on the BACnet side the following messages are seen in the Distribution Properties window. 10/10/2013 12:50:07 PM The operation 'Save to Database' is finished. 10/10/2013 12:50:07 PM Unable to save objects to the database from Id:36922175.           An Object_Identifier has been specified for an object that does not exist in the object database of the addressed BACnet device. 10/10/2013 12:50:07 PM The operation 'Save to Database' is starting.   In the case of the affected controller being a bCX, all b3's underneath the bCX are able to be seen and their objects opened, but a user is unable to open any of the objects in the bCX itself on the BACnet side of the Continuum system tree.  Some/all objects are either not located in the BACnet side of the bCX Device or they have been malformed as they were initially created. Resolution The Device needs to be removed and re-discovered Delete the BACnet side of the bCX Device. Perform a "Find new BACnet Devices" from the Root. Then "Send to Database" on the BACnet side to upload all of the BACnet objects back into the Database.  

Issue How can a BACnet b4920 be reset back to its factory default IP address? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment BACnet b4920 Cause There is no Reset IP switch on the b4920 Resolution There are 2 ways of accomplishing this.   Method One - The first method resets the controller to factory default address settings: IP Address: 169.254.1.1 Subnet Mask: 255.255.0.0 Gateway: 0.0.0.0 Webserver Port: 80 Web User Name: acc Web User pwd: acc EnergyNet ID: 1 BacNetMstpNetId: 2764 BacNetUDPNetId: 2765 During controller startup, there is a 2 minute window in which the controller will be restored to factory defaults based on the following: Seconds since startup is < 120 A Ping packet is received by the controller with a matching Ethernet address but unmatched IP address. Ping payload size of 255 bytes. Prior to running the procedure, the controller must be on the same network as the PC that that is used to issue commands.  The engineer will need to have on hand (1) IP address that is both valid and NOT in use on the network that the PC and Controller are connected to.   Get the Controller's MAC Address Each controller has a 6 byte hardware address, also known as the MAC address or Ethernet address. The address is represented in HEX. The first three bytes of the MAC address are constant and represent Andover Controls vendor ID : 00-40-11 The last 3 bytes of the MAC address are derived from your controller’s serial number. The controller’s serial number is printed on the board and is represented as an Integer value. You must convert this value to HEX in order to obtain the last 3 bytes of your controllers MAC address. Ex. Integer Serial Number: 1033394 Converted to Hex: FC4B2 Controller’s MAC: 00-40-11-0F-C4-B2   Create a batch file Create a batch file named Acc.bat with the following content: arp -s %1 %2 ping -l %3 %1 arp -d %1   Restart the b4920 Controller Within 2 Minutes of restarting, run the batch file with the 3 arguments: Acc.bat IP_Address 00-40-11-XX-XX-XX 255 Where IP_Address = valid IP on the network Where XX-XX-XX = last 3 bytes of controller’s MAC Where 255 = Ping Payload size   After Issuing the command, the controller should restart, and the factory default address settings are restored.    Method Two - Capture the Controllers Currently Configured IP Address This second method is easier to do and is currently recommended because of its ease. Download and install a network sniffing application, such as Wireshark which can be downloaded from their website here. Connect a Cross over Ethernet cable between the b4920 and a PC running the network sniffing application. Start up the network sniffing application and then reset the b4920 by hitting the reset button on the controller. On start up, the controller will send out the IP address (Gratuitous ARP Packet) which it currently has assigned to it.  Once this IP address is captured with Wireshark etc the IP of the Workstation can then be changed to allow connection to the controller's web configuration page to change its IP address as required.  

Issue What has to happen for CyberStation to generate an offline controller alarm. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation Infinity Controller Offline alarms Cause Receiving offline controller alarms yet controller appears to be online. Resolution Controllers can be offline for many reasons, such as a broadcast storm or will not come online, but consider the following points: In order to determine whether a controller is offline, a CyberStation will send out a probe to the controller.   The frequency with which CyberStation sends out the probe is determined by the value of the Probe Time field on the General Page of the workstation configuration. If an Infinity Controller does not respond to a probe, CyberStation will wait until a probe can be sent to all other Infinity Controller nodes in the system.  If the controller fails to respond to a second probe the controller is designated as Offline by CyberStation. Each CyberStation evaluates the commstatus of all controllers and reports alarms to the database.  Occasionally a CyberStation will show a controller as being offline while another CyberStation will show the same controller in an online state. When more that one workstation detects that the same controller is offline, this information is negotiated so that there will normally not be multiple offline alarms for the same controller.  Some versions of Continuum handle this better than others.  When an offline controller responds to a probe it is marked as Return to Normal. The controller may also be marked as Return to Normal if the workstation receives some other communication from the controller.

Issue The localhost cannot be opened in the R2 Admin Tool. The error messages: “Cannot open admin session. java.net.ConnectException: Connection refused: connect” is displayed in the popup. The error messages “Niagara service could not be started.” when attempting to start WorkPlace Pro via the console. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment Niagara R2, WorkPlace Pro Cause The WorkPlace Pro PC has AVG software installed. The AVG software stripped out the “niagarad.exe” executable file during the installation of WorkPlace Pro. The Niagara R2 service could not be started without the niagarad.exe file. . Resolution Turn off AVG software and then reinstall the WorkPlace Pro software.

Issue When trying to open the admin tool in Niagara R2 Workplace Pro, the following error message appears: Cannot open admin session Java.net.connect Exception:Connection refused:connect Product Line TAC IA Series Environment Niagara R2 Workplace Pro Cause This error occurs because the local Niagara service is not running. Resolution Open the console of the desired version Type admininstall install /start Now you should be able to log into an Admin tool session.

Issue What type of objects can be viewed using "Edit in Spreadsheet" mode Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Edit in Spreadsheet mode Building Operation WorkStation Cause The objects that can be edited in Spreadsheet mode vary depending on the device or object you are viewing Resolution When you are viewing the AS IO Bus or an AS IO module, then clearly the only objects that cab be configured are Points. Below you can see the "IO" tab, but the "New" tab is greyed out. When viewing a "Folder" in an AS then possible tabs are "Alarm", "Value", "Folder" or "Trend". Below this can be seen (v1.3) LON device, Modbus Devices etc. will allow different access via the spreadsheet mode. This will vary for different versions If you need to find out what spreadsheet access is possible with your chosen device/folder, then it is best to navigate to the relevant Object, folder or device, enter Spreadsheet mode, then check what tabs are available when "New..." is select NOTES: If there is only a single possible spreadsheet object type, then even if there are zero of these object types created, then a blank spreadsheet is shown. If there is more than a single possible spreadsheet object type, and none of these object types are created, then no blank spreadsheet is shown. "New..." needs to be selected. When a row is selected, then an entry modified, all the text data in that row that is visible will be modified. Most EBO objects can be edited using Spreadsheet View with the exception of BACnet Objects. It follows that all objects that exist within MP/RP series controllers cannot be edited in Spreadsheet View as these are all BACnet Objects (This would include Modbus objects within the RP controllers that are actually BACnet objects) For further information refer to the Spreadsheet Overview EBO Webhelp topic  

Issue  Interstation links between UNC and Enterprise Server are not functioning. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment Windows 7 Windows Vista Windows XP Niagara R2 Cause Windows Firewall is enabled by default on desktop operating systems post Windows XP SP1. The Windows Firewall must be configured to allow unsolicited messages such as alarms and inter-station links from UNC's to be received by the Enterprise Server. Resolution WINDOWS FIREWALL OVERVIEW Windows Firewall is a “state-full packet filter” firewall by default. This means that all TCP packets trying to enter a system with the Windows Firewall enabled will be discarded unless those packets are responses to queries from that system, or if the packet is destined for a port that has an exception create for it. In other words, unless an exception is created, or the Windows Firewall is disabled a valid message such as an alarm or an inter-station link from a UNC will be blocked by the Windows Firewall and won’t be received by the Enterprise Server. Windows Firewall allows for exceptions to be created for particular ports and from particular ranges of IP addresses. For example, one could create a rule that accepts unsolicited packets on port 25, but only from the range of addresses from 192.168.0.1 through 192.168.0.254. There are two kinds of exceptions: program exceptions and port exceptions. A program exception is where the Windows Firewall is instructed to open ports that a certain program needs for unsolicited communications. This is the preferred method since Windows Firewall is only open while the program is waiting to receive the connection. In contrast, a port exception is the Windows Firewalls' way of acting like a port-filtering router. In other words, Windows Firewall can be configured to let in any traffic on a particular port whether it's solicited or not. Creating a Program Exception Windows XP Open Windows Firewall from the Control Panel and from the exceptions tab click "Add Program..." Click the browse button Navigate to the c:\Niagara\Version\Nre\Bin folder. Select the file “nre.exe” adding it to the list of programs. To specify which TCP/IP devices can use the port, click Change Scope and select one of the following To allow connections from any device, including those on the Internet, select “Any computer (including those on the Internet)”, and then click OK. (This is the default and least secure option) To allow connections from your local subnet only, select “My network (subnet) only”, and then click OK. (This is more secure than the previous option but will still allow a malicious attack from a PC on the network) To define a custom list, select “Custom list”, and then type a list of IP addresses separated by commas. (This is the most secure option) Click OK. The program will appear selected on the Exceptions tab under Programs and Services. Click OK to finish. Windows 7 Open Windows Firewall from the Control panel then select Advanced Settings: Right click Inbound Rules and select New Rule Select program and click Next. Click the Browse button Navigate to the c:\Niagara\Version\Nre\Bin folder. Select the file “nre.exe” and click Open to add it to the list of programs. Click next. Select Allow the connection and click next Select the Network profiles that the rule applies to and click next Domain The domain profile applies to a network when a domain controller is detected for the domain to which the local computer is joined. If you select this box, then the rule applies to network traffic passing through a network adapter connected to this network. Private The private profile applies to a network when it is marked private by the computer administrator and it is not a domain network. Newly detected networks are not marked private by default. A network should be marked private only when there is some kind of security device, such as a network address translator or perimeter firewall, between the computer and the Internet. The private profile settings should be more restrictive than the domain profile settings. Public The public profile applies to a network when the computer is connected directly to a public network, such as one available in airports and coffee shops. The public profile settings should be the most restrictive because the computer is connected to a public network where the security cannot be as tightly controlled as it is in an IT environment. Name the exception and click Finish Creating a Port Exception Windows XP Open Windows Firewall from the Control Panel and from the exceptions tab click "Add Port..." In the Port number field type 80 Select TCP. Type a short name for the port To specify which TCP/IP devices can use the port, click Change Scope and select one of the following. To allow connections from any device, including those on the Internet, select “Any computer (including those on the Internet)”, and then click OK. (This is the default and least secure option) To allow connections from your local subnet only, select “My network (subnet) only”, and then click OK. (This is more secure than the previous option but will still allow a malicious attack from a PC on the network) To define a custom list, select “Custom list”, and then type a list of IP addresses separated by commas. (This is the most secure option) Click OK twice. The Port will appear, selected, on the Exceptions tab, under Programs and Services. Repeat the procedure to add an exception for port 3011 Click OK to finish. Windows 7 Open Windows Firewall from the Control panel then select Advanced Settings: Select  Connection Security Rules: From right side menu, select “New  Rule” Select Rule Type then select Custom then click Next: Select “Protocol and Ports” then select the TCP protocol type, specify required ports, then click Next. This screen capture     shows the configuration for the I/A Series (Niagara) R2 required ports: On the “When does this rule apply screen, click Next, leaving all three areas checked. On the next screen, name the rule “Niagara 80, 3011 TCP” and click “Finish”. Repeat steps 3 through 7, above, selecting UDP instead of TCP.  All other entries are the same except in step 7 the rule name will be UDP instead of TCP. After completing step 8, the Connection Security Rules will be displayed in the center section of the program window.  You should see the following two rules:  

Issue System memory usage stays high after exporting projects in PCT (Project configuration tool) Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Project Configuration Tool Cause The exporting process increases memory usage but is still withheld by the project after the process finishes.   Resolution Close the project exported.

Issue NC2 and ACX57xx controllers with network security applied will no longer respond to a ping command after upgrading to newest firmware. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Network Security ACX5740 ACX5720 NC2 CX9680 Cause The ping command was used to monitor controllers offline/online status.  CX9680 and ACX57xx controllers (with network security applied) stopped responding to  a ping command after respective firmware versions  v2.100048 and v1.100052 were applied. Resolution This is functioning as designed due to the hardening of the controller's firmware for security reasons when network security has been applied.

Issue As of Continuum version 1.82 the standalone Database Engine is SQL Express, which offers inbuilt backup and restore functionality via Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS). What is the process for backing up and restoring Databases prior to 1.82? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Standalone CyberStation v1.81 and below. Backup/Restore  Cause As of Continuum version 1.82 the standalone Database Engine is SQL Express. Prior to that it was MSDE. What is the procedure to backup/restore an MSDE database? Resolution Visit the Download Center for MSDE Database Utilities:  MSDE Database Utilities Move SQL DB to a different hard drive

  Issue For an AS-P running on EBO 4.0.3.176, in Device Administrator, it is showing the State-Ready (Device crash logs available). When trying to download the debug info, it populates the below error and does not get rid of the logs.   ERROR: Failed to run devadmin3 command cmd with arguments -u -m devadmin3 --sa -v cmd 172.20.214.78 -b *** "rm -f /var/sbo/log/crash/coredump_SM222432005_nsp_servers_2022-09-03_110836.tgz" :rm: can't remove '/var/sbo/log/crash/coredump_SM222432005_nsp_servers_2022-09-03_110836.tgz': Permission denied   Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment • Building Operation Workstation • Building Operation Automation Server Cause Not running Device Administrator correctly Resolution When opening Device Administrator, ensure to run as administrator as below. This will clear device logs.  

Issue Enterprise Server is taking a very long time to run after restoring the database. Example: in EBO 3.2.3, It would start after 2.24 hours with about 20,000 trend logs, and with 10,000 it would take about an hour. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Cause When restoring the configuration only of a Database, specifically one that has a lot of Trend logs configured, EBO initializes the Trend DB before starting the ES. Resolution Select to restore ALL DATA of the database, thus the Trend Database has already been initialized and the Enterprise Server will Run.  

Issue The site has a program that writes to a Value where the value is bound to Priority 16. The graphic maps to that same point at Priority 16. Previously they were able to click on the point on the graphic and edit the value, and the program could still count it down or clear it out. But they cannot do that anymore. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment • Building Operation Workstation • Building Operation Automation Server Cause Prior EBO versions allowed to modify the value property of the BACnet object bound to priority 16 and vice versa, however as of 3.1 the system now makes each property read-only. Resolution There are a couple of options : It is recommended to use Numeric Public in the script Program. It will allow the modification without having to Force the value. There is also a feature in EBO 4.0 that will allow the change of the value without having to force it

  Issue EBO 4.0.3.176 When trying to import anything (Custom type, Script Program, etc.), Workstation will crash immediately with an error stating "The path is not a legal form.". You cannot navigate to the location that the file will be imported from. It will generate a Workstation error after clicking import. The issue only occurs on Windows 11 machines.     Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation WorkStation Cause The wrong file format might have been used Resolution When you select "import", WorkStation looks in the bin file for the last path used. If it finds a path entry it tries to use that path. If it can't find that path, it defaults to the users' Documents folder. In this case, there was no entry in the bin file, which means WorkStation defaulted to MyDocuments. For some reason, the MyDocuments path on that PC could not be parsed, and WorkStation crashed.   The resolution is to manually add an entry in the bin file (you can get the file from support), pointing to the user's desktop. That means, that when the user selects "import", it first tries to open the user's desktop, and when it succeeds, it never falls back to the MyDocuments folder.

Issue How many concurrent users can connect to the system Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation Cause In the datasheet it is unclear how many concurrent users can connect to an AS without affecting performance Resolution The intent in the guidelines is to provide the concurrent user connections given that the clients are not all accessing data through the same Automation Server to the same Field Controller.  Therefore, if the load is distributed –  ES Clients viewing data from the ES (or a scattered variety of Automation Servers and below) AS Clients viewing data from that AS  Then it should be safe to add the client totals for all AS and ES clients together. The local AS connections are intended to help with scaled use of clients at a site-wide or multi-site system. The typical use case is for operators within a building, floor or tenant to connect locally to the AS, while central operators connect to the ES without impacting each other.  If all ES Clients and all clients on a single AS are all accessing data from that AS and below then the performance could drop below acceptable levels.