Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Is there a way to backup a Niagara R2 UNC or Enterprise Server station from a web browser? Environment Niagara R2 UNC Enterprise Server XML-capable browser (IE 4.x or higher) Cause Need to save the station's database on the PC for possible restoration. Resolution Yes but note that this method will only backup the station database.  It will open the entire station database in XML format on the webpage.  Depending on the size of the station it may take a long time.  It is best to use this method if Workplace Pro is not available. Follow the steps below to create a station backup of a UNC or Enterprise Server via a web browser: Log into the station via a web browser Navigate to the following URL:  http://[ip-address]/prism/backup. Watch the lower left hand corner of the web browser.  The web pager loader indicator must finish. Once the web page indicates that it is done, save the page as a XML file to your PC.  Use the “Save As” choice to do this step. For more information review Appendix B of the Niagara Browser Access Guide.

Issue Settings for the USRobotics 5686 series for use with a DMS panel. Environment USRobotics 5686 series DMS panel Cause For the modems to communicate, V.92 protocol needs to be disabled. Resolution The V.92 protocol must be disabled when using these modems with older modems. To disable the V.92 protocol on a USRobotics 5686 series modems, enter the following setup string (without the quotation marks), in addition to any string specified in the referenced bulletin, before saving the settings: " AT +PIG=1 +PMH=1 +PQC=3 ". Refer to Bulletin 00-19

Issue What replacements are there for the old T99 sensors for use with the DMS system? Environment T99 sensors DMS system Cause An equivalent replacement part number is needed for the T99 sensors. Resolution Replacement sensors can be ordered through the Sourced Products group.  RobertShaw Part Replacement Description T99-301 BAP-BA / 2K-O Outdoor Air temperature Sensor T99-304 BAP-BA / 2K-D-(4) ( 4" ) Duct (application) temperature Sensor BAP-BA / 2K-I-(4) ( 4" ) Immersion (application) temp. Sensor T99-308 BAP-BA / 2K-D-(8) ( 8" ) Duct (application) temperature Sensor BAP-BA / 2K-I-(8) ( 8" ) Immersion (application) temp. Sensor T99-318 BAP-BA / 2K-D-(18) ( 18") Duct temperature Sensor T99-330 BAP-BA / 2K-S Strap-on temperature Sensor T99-340 None Unitary temperature Sensor

Issue Is WorkPlace Tech 5.x compatible with Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional and Visio 2002? Environment WorkPlace Tech 5.x Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Visio 2002 Cause WorkPlace Tech 5.x system specify Visio 2003. Resolution WorkPlace Tech 5.x is designed to function with Visio 2003. However, considerable development testing was done on Windows 2000 Professional with Visio 2002 platforms to verify functionality and compatibility. WorkPlace Tech 5.x appears to be fully functional with Windows 2000 Professional with Visio 2002.

Issue When compiling a WorkPlace Tech application, the error message "Error-Failed to create nci file" appears. Environment WorkPlace Tech Cause NCIs value is out of bounds. Resolution Typically, this occurs when an out-of-range "NA" or "NaN" value is written to a NCI by a Niagara station, LonMaker, LNC or some other head-end device. If this issue occurs, check the values of all NCIs on the application drawing.  Any NCI displaying out-of-range values (i.e. 1.#QNaN, 1.#INF or etc.) should be reset to normal values or "NA".

Issue The following error message appears when adding a LON application to a project in WorkPlace Tech 5.x from the pre-engineered "WPT Applications" zip file: AppXMLAddon Error Code: -2032465751 Code meaning: Unknown error 0x86DB08A9s. Environment WorkPlace Tech 5.x WPT Applications.zip Cause Workplace Tech encountered one or more values in the application that contain invalid characters. Generally, the most common value that causes this issue is the nciLocation SNVT. The value that should be in this SNVT is "/0", but through a previous Microsoft Visio conversion, it was replaced with a "vertical bar" character. Resolution Locate the invalid characters Replace them with valid ones or delete them. Once this is done, select "Application - Rebuild Application" from the drop-down menu.

Issue Can the existing communication wiring from a NETWORK 8000 (ASD) or DMS (Microsmart) project be re-used for a BACnet MS/TP trunk? Environment NETWORK 8000 (ASD) cable DMS (MicroSmart) cable BACnet MS/TP Cause Using ASD cable become an issue as baud rates increases pass the range of 9600 or 19.2 k. Resolution Testing has shown that existing communication wiring of a NETWORK 8000 (ASD)or DMS (MicroSmart) system is compatible at a speed setting of 9600 baud.  It is unlikely that this wire will work at higher baud rates or at extended distances.  Communications will be limited to the slower baud rates (9600 or 19200 baud) on these systems.

Issue Can third party BACnet/MSTP devices be placed on the same MSTP bus with MNB controllers? Environment MNB controllers MSTP communication bus Third-party BACnet/MSTP devices Cause Have not test MNB controllers and third-party BACnet/MSTP devices on the same BACnet MSTP communication Bus. Resolution There has not been thorough evaluation to know if third party devices can co-exist with MNB controllers. It is not currently recommended by the factory. The best solution is to create a separate BACnet network under a UNC/ENC to support the third party devices.

Issue A LON SNVT on a shadow object in a Niagara R2 UNC station takes 2-3 minutes to update after an override command is issued from a graphic. Environment Niagara R2 UNC LON SNVT on a shadow object Cause Minimum and maximum send times are not set correctly. Resolution Verify the maxSendtime and minSendtime parameters in the Local Lon Device > Config tab have the appropriate values (default values are 100 and 5 seconds respectively).   The minSendtime parameter specifies the minimum amount of time that the controller will wait before updating values. Re-upload the affected LON object from the LON controller. Re-bind the Lon object in the Lon Link Manager.

Issue The Mail Service in a Niagara R2 UNC station is configured correctly.  However, e-mails do not get sent to the SMTP server. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment Niagara R2 UNC station Cause The Niagara station needs to enable mail.smtp.auth in system.properties. Resolution In the station, the following lines need to be added to the system.properties file if authentication is required: mail.smtp.auth=true mail.useUTF=false Once these lines are added and the UNC is re-booted, the UNC will successfully send emails to the SMTP server.

Issue A Binary Output object has just been created in a Niagara R2 UNC station.  The Prioritized Output of the object defaults to a state of "Active" at a priority 10. Environment Niagara R2 UNC Cause It can be a corruption issue with the station database. Resolution Re-load the UNC station database from Workplace Pro (convert the .db file to .sns in the Admin Tool) to resolve the issue.

Issue How can a modem be configured to receive calls on a Windows XP PC? Environment PC running on Windows XP Modem (dial-up connection) Niagara systems Cause Using PC to directly dial into the Niagara systems. Resolution Open Network Connections Under Network Tasks, click Create a new connection, and then click Next. Click Set up an advanced connection, and then click Next. Click Accept incoming connections, click Next, and then follow the instructions in the New Connection Wizard.

Issue How can the version of the Cloudscape database that is running on a Niagara R2 Enterprise Server be determined? Environment Niagara R2 Enterprise Server Cloudscape database Cause The Cloudscape version can be found in Database Service properties. Resolution In Workplace Pro, Right-click the Database Service in the station, click Go then Properties In the General > Status tab, the databaseProductVersion field will have the Cloudscape version.

Issue Why is the BACnet/MSTP controller MAC address displaying an incorrect value in Workplace Pro? Environment BACnet/MSTP Controller Workplace Pro Cause MAC address on MSTP used number from 1 to 253 Resolution In the Niagara BACnet Integration guide (page 3-8), the MSTP MAC address is expressed as a number from 1-253. Upon entering a number larger than 99, this field will cut off the hundreds digit and keep the remaining two digits. The remaining value will also be expressed in hexadecimal. A decimal 253 would display as hexadecimal 53. To correctly populate this field enter the MSTP MAC address in hexadecimal.

Issue Is there a limit to the number of BACnet objects programmed into a MNB controller? Environment MNB Cause There are two limits to keep in mind.   Resolution The first limit is the memory range of the controller.  Each object type has a specific memory size that it consumes when it is loaded in a controller. The WorkPlace Tech Tool 5.x Engineering Guide Supplement provides memory ranges for each BACnet object. The second thing to consider is the BACnet Instance Number ranges available to each type of object. MNB controllers have a fixed number of available Instance Numbers for each object type.   Refer to the Workplace Tech Tool 5.x Engineering Guide Supplement for each of these ranges.

Issue A BACnet Binary Input object cannot be added to a Niagara R2 container. Environment Workplace Pro Cause In Workplace Pro, BACnet objects must be placed under BACnet devices. Resolution Copy a BACnet Device from the Local Library (/tridiumx/BACnet/objects/BACnetDevice) into the container Add the BACnet object under the device. For more information, refer to the BACnet Integration Reference.

Issue When logging into a Niagara R2 Enterprise Server station, the default web page displays the following error: ERROR: Invalid template: db/Bacnet522/BACnetTemp/Josh_Plant/JoshIndex. The file does not exist on the server. Environment Niagara R2 Enterprise Server Cause There must be a background HTML page specified in the WebUIservice default template URL field in order for the web pages to display correctly. Resolution Right click the WebUIservice > Properties > Config tab The default template that comes with a new station is /tridium/services/defaultTemplate.html Verify that this is correct For further information, refer to the Niagara Web Solutions Guide.

Issue When attempting to open a Niagara R2 UNC station in Workplace Pro, a pop-up error explains that the station was "Not Found (404)". Environment Niagara R2 UNC Workplace Pro Cause Generally, this error indicates that TCP port 80 is blocked on the PC accessing the UNC. Resolution Most frequently, it is the Windows Firewall blocking the port, although there are other applications that can block the port (e.g. remote access software, antivirus software, Microsoft's IIS). The best way to resolve the issue is to disable the offending application while accessing the UNC. If this is not feasible, then create an exception policy in the application that will allow port 80 communications for the IP address of the UNC. Specific procedures vary from application to application.

Issue Some older modems will successfully connect with the USRobotics 5686 series V.92 modems on the first call, but will fail to connect on subsequent attempts. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment USRobotics 5686 series V.92 modems Cause The V.92 protocol must be disabled when using these modems with older modems.  Resolution To disable the V.92 protocol on the USRobotics 5686 series modems, enter the following setup string in addition to the string specified in the referenced bulletin, before saving the settings: AT +PIG=1 +PMH=1 +PQC=3

Issue When should the MSTP bias resistors be enabled on a MNB-1000? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment BACnet /MSTP trunk under an MNB-1000 Cause RS-485 biasing rules apply to BACnet / MSTP Resolution An MSTP network requires at least one set of bias resistors but no more than two sets. If a UNC device exists on the network it will provide one set of resistors.  No others are needed. If one or more MNB-1000s are on the network, enable only one set of bias resistors.