Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue When I try to reload a backup into an AC256 controller I get several Bad Reload Block errors with a hexadecimal code. Environment AC256 AC8 AC256Plus AC8Plus Cause Poor serial connection. Corrupt backup file Insufficient line delay parameter. Resolution Bad reload blocks errors when reloading an AC256 dump file can occur for several reasons.  Poor serial connection: Try reloading from a laptop PC directly at the CIU to eliminate the serial cable run from the equation. Corrupt backup file: When a Bad Reload Block error occurs the first portion of the failed line is displayed.  View the backup file in Notepad.  Do a search for the code that was displayed with the error. In the terminal emulation application (Hyperterminal, ProComm etc)  Increase the line delay parameter for sending text two or three milliseconds. 

Issue Synchronizing time across many networks and multiple time zones Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cyberstation Cause Guidelines for implementing an efficient yet compact Cyberstation PE program to synchronize time on large installations consisting of many Continuum networks across multiple time zones. Resolution The solution presented here requires that in each network the time master (controller with the lowest ACCNetId) is identified by setting its description to PTM. (Primary Time Master) It is also recommended that the controller with the second-lowest ID is identified as the STM. Obviously, the program itself could identify the time master for each Network but doing this outside of the program makes for a simpler, more robust implementation. To implement the solution, simply create a program in one of the Continuum Cyberstations and insert the code provided below. Configured the HOUR System Variable in the Cyberstation to trigger the program. The program, as written, will sync the time once a day at 3:00 AM There is a local variable (Verbose) that controls the level of information the program prints to the message window, recommends this be set to print everything when the implementation is first put in place to ensure it is operating as expected, then print only errors afterward. 'This program synchronizes time between Cyberstation and controllers across Networks and time zones. 'Program is triggered by the HOUR system variable 'SETUP 'In each network, the controller with the lowest ACCNetID must be identified as the Primary Time Master ' by setting its description to PTM 'Optionally, the controller with the second-lowest ACCNetID can be identified as the Secondary Time Master ' by setting its description to STM 'v1.0 SE PSS 1010 1011 1110 - FOR PROOF OF CONCEPT PURPOSE ONLY '-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Object theCX Object theNetwork Object theWS 'The Workstation where the program is running Number WS_UTCOffset 'The UTC Offset of theWS Number syncDone Number Verbose 'Prints to theWS message window. Set to 1 to print errors only, set to 2 to print synchronization information. Line INIT If Hour <> 3 then Stop 'sync time once a day at 3am theWS = CurWorkstation() 'get the name of the Cyberstation where the program is running WS_UTCOffset = getname("root\" ; theWS Alias ; " UTCOffset") 'and theWS UTC Offset Verbose = 0 'default to silent operation Goto SynchronizeTime Line SynchronizeTime If OpenList("Network", theNetwork) is Success then While GetObject(theNetwork) is Success 'for each Network... If Verbose = 2 then Print "Syncronizing time on NETWORK: " ; theNetwork Alias If OpenList("InfinityController", theCX, theNetwork) is Success then While GetObject(theCX) is Success 'for each CX controller in the network... syncDone = False 'reset the sync done flag 'Print theCX alias REMOVE COMMENT TO PRINT CX NAME, HELPFUL WHEN DEBUGGING THIS PROGRAM If theCX Description = "PTM" and theCX CommStatus = OnLine then 'is this controller the time master and if so, is it ONLINE? If Verbose = 2 then Print "Time syncronized on NETWORK: " ; theNetwork Alias ; ", CONTROLLER: " ; theCX Alias ; " (Primary Time Master)" getname(theNetwork Alias ; "\" ; theCX Alias ; "\Date") = Date + ((theNetwork UTCOffset - Cyber221 UTCOffset) * 60) 'synchronize its time syncDone = True 'we're done with this network... Break '...so break out of the inner while loop Endif If theCX Description = "STM" and theCX CommStatus = OffLine then 'look for a secondary time master if primary not online If Verbose = 2 then Print "Time syncronized on NETWORK: " ; theNetwork Alias ; ", CONTROLLER: " ; theCX Alias ; " Secondary Time Master" getname(theNetwork Alias ; "\" ; theCX Alias ; "\Date") = Date + ((theNetwork UTCOffset - Cyber221 UTCOffset) * 60) 'synchronize its time syncDone = True 'we're done with this network... Break '...so break out of the inner while loop Endif Endwhile CloseList(theCX) If syncDone = False and Verbose > 0 then Print "No time master found online for NETWORK: " ; theNetwork Alias ; "," ; Date Else If Verbose > 0 then Print "ERROR, can't open Controller list " ; Date Endif Endwhile CloseList(theNetwork) Else If Verbose > 0 then Print "ERROR, can't open Network list " ; Date Endif Stop Line E If Verbose > 0 then Print "Program hit ERROR line, " ; Date Stop

Issue Following a successful configuration of the Continuum Transition Tool (CTT) it has been noted that some ongoing changes in Continuum do not seem to then be migrated through to the Security Expert database. Product Line Andover Continuum Security Expert Environment Continuum Transition Tool Security Expert Data Sync Cause It would appear that on occasion, some changes made to Continuum Areas after the initial CTT Transition is completed, fail to be exported from the Continuum DB by the CTT in its periodic update, This can be verified by examining the actual CSV output and seeing that certain known changes to Areas  are simply not present.  The actual Security Expert Data Sync is working correctly but if the changes are not exported by the CTT then they cannot then be imported by the Data Sync Service Resolution Although this is not currently resolved, it is documented as a limitation of the Andover Continuum System. Page 21 of the Transition Guide Security Expert - Continuum Database - Transition Quick Start Guide states that the Last Changed field of an Area object is only updated if the object is edited in a specific way. Since the CTT uses the Last Change field to decide what new object changes need to be exported, this legacy issue in Continuum directly affects the update to Security Expert if the changes are not made as advised above.

Issue On occasion IT Professionals may wish to know if Continuum can be installed/deployed via Microsoft System Centre Configuration Manager (SCCM). Product Line Andover Continuum Environment IT Installation/Deployment Cause Microsoft SCCM is a well-established platform for the deployment and management of installed software in an IT Environment, but since Continuum is now an older Legacy Schneider product it is unclear if it supports being deployed in this way. Resolution While Continuum 'may' work when deployed via SCCM, it is untried and untested at this time. Also given that Continuum is a Legacy product, there are no plans to test and support SCCM in the future.

Issue Implementing a pre-entry access card anti-passback using Plain English program Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Net Controller II Continuum ACX 2 Controller Continuum ACX 4 Controller Cause The anti-passback implementation in Continuum engages when the credential holder enters the area as detected by the door switch/contact. (if no door switch is configured, then the credential holder is considered to have entered the area immediately after access has been granted by the system) When doors are located in close proximity to each other, as is the case with a bank of turnstiles, for example, the built-in anti-passback scheme is easily defeated as a cardholder is able to unlock multiple nearby turnstiles before triggering the door contact and engaging the built-in anti-passback functionality. Resolution The simplest solution to the issue described above is to configure the door objects WITHOUT a door switch/contact, this, however, is not always possible depending on on-site requirements. A second solution is to take control of the doors using Plain English. The solution presented here is for a bank of three turnstiles, (A, B, and C), it uses a PE program per turnstile. The solution can easily be adapted for a bank of less or more turnstiles. NOTE: The PE programming here is provided as a sample, for guideline purposes only, the programs are not intended as a complete solution, significant modifications may be required for site deployment. Program code for door/turnstile A 'This program implements a pre-entry antipassback strategy to prevent a credentail holder 'from granting access at multiple access points (i.e turnstiles) that are physically located in close proximity to each other. '| | ' __/-\_______/-\_______/-\___ ' | | ' | Main Lobby | ' | Turnstiles | ' | | ' |_____X______X______X______ | ' ^ ^ ^ ' A B C 'OPERATION 'Upon detecting a Valid Attempt at say turnstile A, the program will deny access to the card used at turnstiles B and C 'until one of following two conditions takes place: '1-The person attempting access goes thru turnstile A as detected by the door contact. (this activates the regular ' built-in antipassback functionality if engaged) '2-The door strike time at turnstile A expires, and the system re-locks turnstile A ' 'Each turnstile requires its own program, the programs will be identical except for the 'initialization line which specifies which objects the program uses 'Program written for 3 turnstiles, can be easily modified for 2 or for more than 3 ' '11/30/2020 v1.0 SE PSS 101010111110 **THIS PROGRAM PROVIDED FOR SAMPLE AND GUIDELINES PURPOSES ONLY** 'Program is LOOPING/AUTOSTART ' 'OBJECTS USED 'DOORs '*** All the doors are configured with Door Output Channel set to ZERO Object thisTurnstile, theTurnstileB, theTurnstileC 'OUTPUT '*** Output wired to door striker to lock/unlock the door Object thisDrOutput 'NUMERICs Object thisLastCard, theLastCard_B, theLastCard_C, thisAlarmPoint 'DATETIMEs Object thisLastCrdTime, theLastCrdTime_B, theLastCrdTime_C Line SETUP 'ENTER THE PATH TO THE 3 DOORS HERE thisTurnstile = Turnstile_A theTurnstileB = Turnstile_B theTurnstileC = Turnstile_C 'ENTER THE PATH TO THE INFINITYOUTPUT HERE thisDrOutput = Trnstl_A_Striker 'ENTER THE PATH TO THE INFINITYNUMERICs HERE thisLastCard = Trnstle_A_CrdNum theLastCard_B = Trnstle_B_CrdNum theLastCard_C = Trnstle_C_CrdNum thisAlarmPoint = TurnstileA_ALM 'ENTER THE PATH TO THE INFINITYDATETIMEs HERE thisLastCrdTime = Trnstle_A_EvntTm theLastCrdTime_B = Trnstle_B_EvntTm theLastCrdTime_C = Trnstle_C_EvntTm Goto MONITORING Line MONITORING thisDrOutput Value = 0 'LOCK THE DOOR If thisTurnstile ValidAttempt then 'ACCESS HAS BEEN GRANTED AT THIS DOOR... thisLastCard = thisTurnstile EntryLastCard 'RECORD THE CARD # USED... thisLastCrdTime = (Date + 0) 'AND THE TIME OF THE TRANSACTION Goto VALID_ATTEMPT Endif Line VALID_ATTEMPT 'IF SAME CARD USED AT ANY OF THE OTHER 2 DOORS WHILE THE CURRENT TRANSATION IS IN PROGRESS DENY ACCESS If (thisLastCard Value = theLastCard_B Value) and (Date - theLastCrdTime_B Value) < theTurnstileB DoorStrikeTime then Goto PASSBACK If (thisLastCard Value = theLastCard_C Value) and (Date - theLastCrdTime_C Value) < theTurnstileC DoorStrikeTime then Goto PASSBACK thisDrOutput = thisTurnstile DoorStrikeTime 'UNLOCK THE DOOR If thisTurnstile DoorSwitch = Opened then Goto PROCESSENTRY 'PERSON HAS OPENED THE DOOR If TS > thisTurnstile DoorStrikeTime then Goto MONITORING 'VALID ACCESS NO ENTRY Line PROCESSENTRY 'VALID ACCESS WITH ENTRY If TS > 0 then thisDrOutput = Off 'RELOCK THE DOOR Goto MONITORING 'GO WAIT FOR NEXT ACCESS ATTEMPT Line PASSBACK 'ANTI PASSBACK VIOLATION thisDrOutput Value = 0 'LOCK THE DOOR TurnstileA_ALM = TurnstileA_ALM + 1 'SEND ALARM '------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Goto MONITORING Line E If TS > 10 then Goto MONITORING Program code for door/turnstile B 'This program implements a pre-entry antipassback strategy to prevent a credentail holder 'from granting access at multiple access points (i.e turnstiles) that are physically located in close proximity to each other. '| | ' __/-\_______/-\_______/-\___ ' | | ' | Main Lobby | ' | Turnstiles | ' | | ' | ______X______X______X____ | ' ^ ^ ^ ' A B C 'OPERATION 'Upon detecting a Valid Attempt at say turnstile A, the program will deny access to the card used at turnstiles B and C 'until one of the following two conditions takes place: '1-The person attempting access goes thru turnstile A as detected by the door contact. (this activates the regular ' built-in antipassback functionality if engaged) '2-The door strike time at turnstile A expires, and the system re-locks turnstile A ' 'Each turnstile requires its own program, the programs will be identical except for the initialization line which specifies 'which objects the program uses 'Program written for 3 turnstiles, can be easily modified for 2 or for more than 3 ' '11/30/2020 v1.0 SE PSS 101010111110 **THIS PROGRAM PROVIDED FOR SAMPLE AND GUIDELINES PURPOSES ONLY** 'Program is LOOPING/AUTOSTART ' 'OBJECTS USED 'DOORs '*** All the doors are configured with Door Output Channel set to ZERO Object thisTurnstile, theTurnstileA, theTurnstileC 'OUTPUT '*** Output wired to door striker to lock/unlock the door Object thisDrOutput 'NUMERICs Object thisLastCard, theLastCard_A, theLastCard_C, thisAlarmPoint 'DATETIMEs Object thisLastCrdTime, theLastCrdTime_A, theLastCrdTime_C '------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Line SETUP 'ENTER THE PATH TO THE 3 DOORS HERE thisTurnstile = Turnstile_B theTurnstileA = Turnstile_A theTurnstileC = Turnstile_C 'ENTER THE PATH TO THE INFINITYOUTPUT HERE thisDrOutput = Trnstl_B_Striker 'ENTER THE PATH TO THE INFINITYNUMERICs HERE thisLastCard = Trnstle_B_CrdNum theLastCard_A = Trnstle_A_CrdNum theLastCard_C = Trnstle_C_CrdNum thisAlarmPoint = TurnstileB_ALM 'ENTER THE PATH TO THE INFINITYDATETIMEs HERE thisLastCrdTime = Trnstle_B_EvntTm theLastCrdTime_A = Trnstle_A_EvntTm theLastCrdTime_C = Trnstle_C_EvntTm '------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Goto MONITORING Line MONITORING thisDrOutput Value = 0 'LOCK THE DOOR If thisTurnstile ValidAttempt then 'ACCESS HAS BEEN GRANTED AT THIS DOOR... thisLastCard = thisTurnstile EntryLastCard 'RECORD THE CARD # USED... thisLastCrdTime = (Date + 0) 'AND THE TIME OF THE TRANSACTION Goto VALID_ATTEMPT Endif Line VALID_ATTEMPT 'IF SAME CARD USED AT ANY OF THE OTHER 2 DOORS WHILE THE CURRENT TRANSATION IS IN PROGRESS DENY ACCESS If (thisLastCard Value = theLastCard_A Value) and (Date - theLastCrdTime_A Value) < theTurnstileA DoorStrikeTime then Goto PASSBACK If (thisLastCard Value = theLastCard_C Value) and (Date - theLastCrdTime_C Value) < theTurnstileC DoorStrikeTime then Goto PASSBACK thisDrOutput = thisTurnstile DoorStrikeTime 'UNLOCK THE DOOR If thisTurnstile DoorSwitch = Opened then Goto PROCESSENTRY 'PERSON HAS OPENED THE DOOR If TS > thisTurnstile DoorStrikeTime then Goto MONITORING 'VALID ACCESS NO ENTRY Line PROCESSENTRY 'VALID ACCESS WITH ENTRY If TS > 0 then thisDrOutput = Off 'RELOCK THE DOOR Goto MONITORING 'GO WAIT FOR NEXT ACCESS ATTEMPT Line PASSBACK 'ANTI PASSBACK VIOLATION thisDrOutput Value = 0 'LOCK THE DOOR TurnstileA_ALM = TurnstileA_ALM + 1 'SEND ALARM Goto MONITORING Line E If TS > 10 then Goto MONITORING Program code for door/turnstile C   'This program implements a pre-entry antipassback strategy to prevent a credentail holder 'from granting access at multiple access points (i.e turnstiles) that are physically located in close proximity to each other. '| | ' __/-\_______/-\_______/-\___ ' | | ' | Main Lobby | ' | Turnstiles | ' | | ' | ______X______X______X____ | ' ^ ^ ^ ' A B C 'OPERATION 'Upon detecting a Valid Attempt at say turnstile A, the program will deny access to the card used at turnstiles B and C 'until one of following two conditions takes place: '1-The person attempting access goes thru turnstile A as detected by the door contact. (this activates the regular ' built-in antipassback functionality if engaged) '2-The door strike time at turnstile A expires, and the system re-locks turnstile A ' 'Each turnstile requires its own program, the programs will be identical except for the initialization line which specifies 'which objects the program uses 'Program written for 3 turnstiles, can be easily modified for 2 or for more than 3 ' '11/30/2020 v1.0 SE PSS 101010111110 **THIS PROGRAM PROVIDED FOR SAMPLE AND GUIDELINES PURPOSES ONLY** 'Program is LOOPING/AUTOSTART ' 'OBJECTS USED 'DOORs '*** All the doors are configured with Door Output Channel set to ZERO Object thisTurnstile, theTurnstileA, theTurnstileB 'OUTPUT '*** Output wired to door striker to lock/unlock the door Object thisDrOutput 'NUMERICs Object thisLastCard, theLastCard_A, theLastCard_B, thisAlarmPoint 'DATETIMEs Object thisLastCrdTime, theLastCrdTime_A, theLastCrdTime_B '------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Line SETUP 'ENTER THE PATH TO THE 3 DOORS HERE thisTurnstile = Turnstile_C theTurnstileA = Turnstile_A theTurnstileB = Turnstile_B 'ENTER THE PATH TO THE INFINITYOUTPUT HERE thisDrOutput = Trnstl_C_Striker 'ENTER THE PATH TO THE INFINITYNUMERICs HERE thisLastCard = Trnstle_C_CrdNum theLastCard_A = Trnstle_A_CrdNum theLastCard_B = Trnstle_B_CrdNum thisAlarmPoint = TurnstileC_ALM 'ENTER THE PATH TO THE INFINITYDATETIMEs HERE thisLastCrdTime = Trnstle_C_EvntTm theLastCrdTime_A = Trnstle_A_EvntTm theLastCrdTime_B = Trnstle_B_EvntTm '------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Goto MONITORING Line MONITORING thisDrOutput Value = 0 'LOCK THE DOOR If thisTurnstile ValidAttempt then 'ACCESS HAS BEEN GRANTED AT THIS DOOR... thisLastCard = thisTurnstile EntryLastCard 'RECORD THE CARD # USED... thisLastCrdTime = (Date + 0) 'AND THE TIME OF THE TRANSACTION Goto VALID_ATTEMPT Endif Line VALID_ATTEMPT 'IF SAME CARD USED AT ANY OF THE OTHER 2 DOORS WHILE THE CURRENT TRANSATION IS IN PROGRESS DENY ACCESS If (thisLastCard Value = theLastCard_A Value) and (Date - theLastCrdTime_A Value) < theTurnstileA DoorStrikeTime then Goto PASSBACK If (thisLastCard Value = theLastCard_B Value) and (Date - theLastCrdTime_B Value) < theTurnstileB DoorStrikeTime then Goto PASSBACK thisDrOutput = thisTurnstile DoorStrikeTime 'UNLOCK THE DOOR If thisTurnstile DoorSwitch = Opened then Goto PROCESSENTRY 'PERSON HAS OPENED THE DOOR If TS > thisTurnstile DoorStrikeTime then Goto MONITORING 'VALID ACCESS NO ENTRY Line PROCESSENTRY 'VALID ACCESS WITH ENTRY If TS > 0 then thisDrOutput = Off 'RELOCK THE DOOR Goto MONITORING 'GO WAIT FOR NEXT ACCESS ATTEMPT Line PASSBACK 'ANTI PASSBACK VIOLATION thisDrOutput Value = 0 'LOCK THE DOOR TurnstileA_ALM = TurnstileA_ALM + 1 'SEND ALARM Goto MONITORING Line E If TS > 10 then Goto MONITORING        

Issue Epibuilder Dynamic Text fields are not displaying in a badge layout or Errors related to EpiBuilder or EPIDesigner Product Line Andover Continuum Environment EpiBuilder Badge Layout Cyberstation Cause Install didn't make the connection properly or badging wasn't enabled during the initial Continuum installation or Windows permission restrictions  Resolution From Make Edit badge in Continuum, Open Badge layout in EpiBuilder (If you have a problem opening Badge Layout see Note #2 below) View Options> Data Fields Select Use the data fields defined in a database If nothing is there, click the Other Database button Select Use an ODBC database Select the Data Source button Select System DSN tab and then select EPISDK then OK Click the Select button add the path to SDKNoDB.mdb (C:\Program Files\Continuum\EpiBuilder\Data) Click Open, Click OK All fields should now be available or the error should no longer happen on startup If receiving: ** Error Opening EpiDesigner Configuration Database error when selecting MakeEdit Badge,    Note #1: Permissions can affect the configuration of the Data Sources. If some options aren't configurable or have been changed from the default like buffers are not set to 2047 then try the configuration with increased permissions. Start>run odbc32.exe and check that the System DSN had EPISDK, If not, add it and then follow the instructions able to set the SDKNoDB.mdb  If the site is utilizing hard drive encryption on the hard drive.  Move the sdknodb.mdb to an unencrypted network share to correct the errors after updating the episdk datasource.  Note #2:  If you cannot perform step #1 from above check the following: On a 32 bit system run the following command from either the run window:  odbcad32.exe and check that the User DSN has an EPISDK entry with the datasource set to SDKNoDB.mdb .  The file should be located at the following path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Continuum\EPIBuilder\Data\ On a 64 bit system run the following command from either the run/search window:  C:\Windows\SysWOW64\odbc32.exe and check that the User DSN has an EPISDK  entry with the datasource set to SDKNoDB.mdb . The file should be located at the following path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Continuum\EPIBuilder\Data\

Issue Error displayed: Enhanced Alarm Delivery "There appears to be a problem with the configuration of this system. Please check to make sure that you have correctly installed MSMQ. The system will now shutdown."   Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Windows OS Cause The issue is that MSMQ is not installed on the machine or the installation is corrupted. MSMQ is a windows component that needs to be installed for enhanced alarm delivery. Resolution Install MSMQ from the Windows Control Panel > Add/Remove programs or Add/Remove Windows Components Reinstall Continuum NOTE: There have been instances where uninstalling MSMQ from Add/Remove Windows Components then allowing Continuum to install MSMQ resulted in a successful installation of the MSMQ.

Issue Need to export Access Events automatically to a file format that a third party system can then import. This needs to be triggered at a set interval such as once a day. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Access Control Cause Events can be exported from Continuum using a Listview of AccessEvents and then exporting to .CSV format file but this needs to be set up and manually run by the user. There does not appear to be an automatic method to get the same results from a listview into a file format. Resolution There is a method that can be used to export AccessEvent data to an external file without user intervention. The file format will be in HTML or XML format. A file format of XML is the obvious choice as it is usually easier for third party systems to import from an XML format. To do this, you will need to: Create a Report object with a Datasource set to "AccessEvents" or "Listview". These would then be configured with the AccessEvent attributes that you want to export. Once the desired Report is created, configure it so that it is run automatically using Windows Scheduled Events and the ReportCmdLine.exe application that is available for this purpose. See the article here for detailed steps on how to set this up.

Issue Using the %D and %N on the FeedBack tab of an AlarmEnrollment and it is not filling in the Name or Description of a point. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cyberstation Alarm View Cause Enhanced Alarm Logging has not been enabled. Resolution Make sure that you have selected Enhanced Alarm Logging on the Database Initialization screen. This is a requirement to use %D and %N in AlarmEnrollments.  

Issue LDF file of a database is growing rapidly. SQL Database Recovery Modes Explained Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum  SQL Server Cause Recovery Mode setting could allow all transactions to be logged. Resolution The Full Recovery Mode basically logs all transactions successfully, failed, table creations, columns created etc... When the Continuum database is created, there are no additional tables added or columns added unless there is an update to the database to a different version. Some sites will require Full Recovery Mode but for most sites, we only need to know when an error occurs when updating or altering rows occurs and Simple Recovery Mode will log those. The Continuum Databases are created with Simple Recovery Mode. It is up to the individual site whether they need Full Recovery Mode. Most sites run with the default Simple Recovery Mode since there is no need to log every successful transaction but only want to catch the transactions that have an error. The Recovery Mode is especially important if your site is a single-user setup. Single user databases are limited in size and if you fill-up the .LDF log file, you can exceed Microsoft's database limitations in a short period of time. As for Enterprise versions of SQL for Continuum Lan systems, you'll need to watch your available disk space. Check what the Recovery Mode is set to by using SQL Server Management Studio Express, right-click your ContinuumDB and select properties, go to the Options tab, and check the Recovery model. See the image below for details.   Furthermore, if you have selected Full Recovery Mode in the past and now have a large unwanted .Ldf file that is causing you issues, then selecting Simple Recovery Mode at this point will also truncate your original Log file down to a more usable size retrospectively.  (Although it may take a few hours before you see any changes).

Issue What is the Network ID-UDP Setting required for and does this need to be changed when commissioning a new BACnet Continuum controller? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment bCX4040 bCX4000 Cause Require information on the Continuum BACnet Network setting (physical layer). Resolution Each network segment in a BACnet network is assigned a unique integer as an identifier for ease of routing packets between these networks. For more information see Effect on a BACnet network if the Network Id - UDP setting in bCX40x0 have been set to different values   BACnet Network ID-UDP Setting This defines the ID number of the BACnet/IP network on which this controller resides. When creating a Continuum BACnet controller the default UDP Net ID is set to 1. This setting would need to be the same for all BACnet controllers that want to communicate with each other across the network.   Why would you want to change it? You may have a site for example that already has a BACnet network running on the ethernet and not want to communicate on the same BACnet UDP Net Id as their BACnet devices do. In this case you could change the UDP Net Id for your BACnet communications but it needs to be the same for all of your BACnet devices since the routing tables in the controllers would need to know which UDP Net Id to route to. If you changed the UDP Net Id to 2 then all controllers would need to be set to 2 to make sure they were able to communicate efficiently with each other.

Issue Can TAC BACnet (Viconics) thermostats have identical names or device ids within sub networks using their default names? Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Viconic BACnet Thermostats BACnet BCX B4 MSTP Cause Viconic stats need a unique address and unique name across the entire BACnet network. Resolution BACnet Viconics thermostats must have a unique name and device id across the entire BACnet network. The BACnet data link layer has two key parameters: the device object name and the device object ID. The device object name must be unique from any other BACnet device object name on the BACnet network (i.e. not just the MS/TP sub-network). Typically this question comes up because a thermostat will not come online. Run an acctrace during the Find and you will probably see a duplicate MAC address. Once you have given unique names and comm addresses to each of the thermostats on the entire BACnet network, these devices should communicate and come online properly. Each of the Viconic stats are given a unique name that includes the address (once it has been made unique) To change the communication address: Hold down the menu button until the option for menu comes up Answer the questions for the various options and eventually you will be brought to change comm address. Change Comm address, select Yes and then use the up or down arrows to give this MSTP Viconic stat a unique address. There is a Configuration Tool to access and edit the name and device id unique naming scheme. Click here for ViconicsConfigurationTool.zip. Installing and using the Viconics Configuration Tool on a Windows Laptop  You will need a serial adapter connection to tie into the MSTP bus that the thermostat(s) are connected to Select the Viconics folder > ViconicsConfigurationTool.zip You can install this ZIP file in any directory you wish, but the bacdocm.ini file must be installed on your C:\Windows directory. Use the bacdocm.ini file to configure your network settings at the Configurator Tool level. You can set the MAC address of your tool, the baud rate of your connection (max 38400 - limited by the RS-232 to RS485 port and Windows) etc. The "Our Device Instance" value represents the MAC address of the tool which must be unique on the MSTP network. Also the "MaxMaster" value must be set to a higher value than the highest MAC value on the MSTP network. You can edit this INI file to modify your settings OR you can modify the settings by going though the BACdoor Configuration Tool. Once you launch the Configuration Tool, you'll notice a white applet appearing at the right bottom of your screen. That is the BACdoor MSTP sniffer that actually looks for devices and objects. If you click on that icon, and select the "Configure" tab, a configuration window will be displayed. Select the baud rate at which you want to communicate with your device. This BACdoor configuration does the same thing as changing the BACDOCM.ini file (if properly located in C\Windows). Launch the Configurator Tool application. It automatically looks for devices on that network (at the baud rate set in the bacdocm.ini file or in the BACdoor Configuration window). If no device is detected an error message will pop-up after 1-2 minutes. All discovered devices will show up in the "Device List" you have to "Connect to device" in order to list all the objects of that device. After you changed the Baud Rate, you have to click on the "Apply changes" button. Don't forget that the max speed of this tool is 38400. For the first connection, you need to power cycle the thermostat (if it was running at 76800 previously) so that it auto-detects the 38.4 network. Once you set it to 76.8, you can not connect to that thermostat with the tool because of that 38.4 limitation. Also this tool does not support Read Multiple Property so it reads every property of every object one at a time. In its default mode of operation, the device will automatically match its baud rate to the baud rate of the network. Automatic baud rate detection will occur when the MS/TP communication port is initialized (on power up). If the network speed is changed, the device will keep listening at the previously detected speed for 10 minutes before resuming auto-bauding. Re-powering the devices will force right away auto-bauding. SE7xxx series requires the tool. The SE8xxx series does not as access is available through the menu on the device.

Issue Can Strings be used in all controller types? Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment All Continuum Controllers b3, i2 Controller (EcoStruxure Building Operation) Cause Some Controllers do not support strings Resolution The String class of object are supported in the following products: CX series (including all Netcontrollers), bCX series, CMX series, ACX series, i2 series (except i2885, i2887), BACnet series (except b3885, b3887), DCX 250, CyberStation.

Issue When opening a BACnet AnalogInput  from (the Blue) BACnet device side, the value of the object displays as 3 decimal digits by default. The format can be changed in the format field as desired, however when clicking the "Apply" button, an error prompt box pops up with the message "An attempt has been made to write a property defined as inaccessible through the BACnet  protocol write services". if the "Apply" buttonis clicked again, the error disappears and the format is been changed successfully. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum BACnet BCX1 B3s Cyberstation V2.02 and earlier. Cause Format is not a standard BACnet property, it is a Continuum attribute and when the format is changed Cyberstation sends a command to change the "present value" of the point in the controller. The present value of AnalogInput cannot be written so the error occurs. When clicking "apply" or "OK" for the second time Cyberstation only writes the attribute of the point in the database rather than the controller. Therefore we can get a successful change of format for AnalogInput by clicking "Apply" twice. For AnalogValue, the "present value" of  AnalogValue can be written in BACnet, so there is no error when changing the format of an AnalogValue. Resolution Ignore the error when making the change, click the "Apply" button twice after updating the "Format". Or upgrade to V2.03 where this issue has been resolved.

Issue Are 64-bit operating systems supported on the Andover Continuum product line? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation webClient Cause Compatibility requirements for Andover Continuum with 64-bit operating systems Resolution Release 1.93 and earlier: For all machines with CyberStation or webClient software installed, only operating systems running in 32-bit environments are supported. 64-bit environments are not supported.  However, for the Database Server on a LAN system where no Cyberstation or webClient software is installed, a 64-bit version of Windows Server 2008 (SP2) or Windows Server 2008 R2 may be used on systems running V1.92 and above. These will also require Microsoft SQL 2008 running in 64-bit mode. Release 1.94 and later: Release 1.94 supports 64-bit Operating Systems, however, Microsoft recommends the 32-bit version of Office 2010 because it prevents potential compatibility issues with other 32-bit applications, specifically third-party add-ins that are available only for 32-bit operating systems. Please refer to the release notes for compatibility notes in specific versions.

Issue Which printers, signature pads, and capture devices are supported with the badging editor? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Epi-Suite Epi-Builder Cause Determine which ImageWare systems (Epi-Suite or Epi-Builder) to use with the Continuum system. Resolution Continuum OEM's third-party badging software from Image Ware Systems are Epi-Suite and Epi-Builder. If your using Continuum version 1.8 and newer versions, Continuum uses the Epi-Builder version. For versions of Continuum 1.74 and prior, they use Epi-Suite as the badging editor. The hardware compatibility list for the Image Ware products can be found on their website. www.iwsinc.com Once on their website select Support/Customer Service/ either IWS Epi-Builder or IWS Epi-Suite. The page that is displayed after these selections you'll notice a link on the left-hand side of the page for Compatible Hardware. The lists for printers, capture devices, and signature pad readers can be displayed when clicking on the links for each. The peripherals can be found at: https://www.iwsinc.com/support/epi-suite-builder-hardware-compatibility/

Issue When using the Modbus RTU and Modbus IP XDrivers it is important to determine which controller and port can support the electrical standards used by the 3rd party device. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Netcontroller II and bCX1 controllers that have been XDriver enabled. XDriver, Modbus RTU, IP, Infilink, Infilink200, B-Link. RS-232, RS-485 JBUS Cause Controller ports and 3rd party devices come in various electrical standards (RS-232, RS-485, RS-422), which ports support the various standards? Resolution There are two Continuum Modbus XDrivers: Modbus RTU: This allows the connection of 3rd party Modbus RTU slaves via the serial data RS-232, RS-485 or RS-422 electrical standards. RS-232 is a point to point connection to 1 device, RS-485 & RS-422 support a bus topology for connection of multiple 3rd party devices. The Continuum controller will be the Modbus RTU Master and will poll the 3rd party device that must be a slave. The bCX1-CR controllers have 2 ports that can be configured for Modbus: Comm1 RS-232 Comm2 RS-232 or RS-485 port The Netcontroller II controllers support: Comm1 - RS-232 or RS-485 Comm2 - RS-485 Comm3 - RS-232 Comm4 - RS-422 The ACX57xx controllers support: Comm1 - RS-485 Notes An Infilink200 or B-Link may be used to convert RS-232 to RS-485 if required. The J Bus protocol is a subset of the Modbus protocol and so the Modbus XDriver is used for J Bus Systems. Modbus IP: The bCX1, ACX57xx and the Netcontroller II all support the Modbus IP protocol that connect via the Ethernet IP connection. This XDriver can be configured to support either Client or Server modes. Although the communication is physically via the Ethernet port, one of the Serial ports is required to be X Driver enabled to load the software, this serial port is then no longer available for other purposes. This XDriver requires Ethernet X Driver support to be enabled on the port. NOTE Netcontroller II and bCX1 can have an XDriver ENABLED on more than a one Comms port, however only one IP XDriver should be INSTALLED on each controller, also only one Modbus RTU XDriver should be INSTALLED on each controller. It is possible to INSTALL a Modbus RTU and a Modbus TCP/IP XDriver on a single controller, but it would be very easy to overload the controller, so this setup is only suitable for smaller networks. (note the difference between enabling XDriver support and Installing an XDriver) See Articles Can multiple Modbus TCP/IP XDrivers be installed on a single 2nd Generation NetController? and BCX Controller can use Comm 1, Comm2, or both ports for Modbus RTU X-Driver  

Issue How to determine if SU (single-user), LAN, or WEBC (WebClient) license keys are required for your project. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cyberstation Continuum WebClient Cause The Engineer is unsure as to which Continuum License Keys are required for a new site or if additional Cyberstations or WebClient users can be added to an existing site. Resolution Depending on how large your system is and how many Cyberstations are required, you will have one of the four system configurations described below: A stand-alone system, which is comprised of up to three (3) PCs; (PC 1) Requires a SU key allowing SQL Express + Continuum. (PC 2) Requires LAN key allowing Continuum. (PC 3) Requires LAN key allowing Continuum. Note1: When changing from a LAN configuration to a SU configuration, an existing LAN key can be used in place of having to purchase a new SU key.) A stand-alone system with WebClient, which is comprised of up to three (3) PCs; (PC 1) Requires a SU key with WC1 or WC2 option allowing SQL Express + Continuum + one or two WebClient browser users. (PC 2) Requires LAN key allowing Continuum or no key allowing WebClient browser user connection. (PC 3) Requires LAN key allowing Continuum or no key allowing WebClient browser user connection. Note2:  In a stand-alone system there can be a maximum of 3 client connections; 3 Cyberstations OR 2 Cyberstations and 1 WebClient OR 1 Cyberstation and 2 WebClients. Note3:  When using this option of having WebClient running on the same system as the Cyberstation and SQL Server, make sure that the system has enough resources to adequately support these resource-hungry processes. A LAN system, which can be comprised of many PC's; (PC 1) No key required. Allows SQL Server only. In a LAN environment the Continuum Cyberstation is not installed on the same PC where SQL Server is installed). (PC 2) Requires LAN key allowing Continuum (PC 3) Requires LAN key allowing Continuum (PC 4) Requires LAN key allowing Continuum (PC 5) Requires LAN key allowing Continuum etc... A LAN system with WebClient, which can be comprised of many PC's; (PC 1) No key required. Allows SQL Server only. In a LAN environment, the Continuum Cyberstation is not installed on the same PC where SQL Server is installed. (PC 2) Requires WEBC key allowing WebClient on dedicated IIS server (up to 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, or 25 WebClient user(s) licenses available). (PC 3) Requires LAN key allowing Continuum (PC 4) Requires LAN key allowing Continuum (PC 5) Requires LAN key allowing Continuum etc... Note4:  An SU key cannot be used in a LAN system as it does not allow a remote SQL connection. To connect to a remote SQL Server a LAN key is required.)   For more information on Cyberstation License Key part numbers and the different options available for these keys, see "CyberStation & web.Client v2.0 PA-00353" or similar on ExchangeOnline.

Issue Getting error 'One or more errors occurred' when transitioning Continuum access control related objects into AX sub instance.   In the screenshot above, the tool is attempting to transition objects into the PSS sub-instance under the root instance.   Product Line Access Expert Environment Access Expert Premise Software Access Expert Hosted Software Cause The transition tool GUI is misleading in terms of where specific information should be entered.  Resolution Due to an issue in the tool, only the instance field should be populated, in the case of a sub-instance specify the name of the sub-instance in the 'Instance' field.  

Issue How can an Airlock door system be implement in Continuum? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cyberstation Continuum Net Controller II Continuum ACX 2 Controller Continuum ACX 4 Controller Cause Sample PE program is needed as a general guideline on how to implement an Airlock control system in Continuum. Resolution The use case and implementation details are documented in the comment section of the PE program.   Here is the actual PE code to implement, please note that this PE program is provided as a sample only, to serve as guidelines and proof of concept, considerable changes may be necessary to make the program adequate for your particular application and site.    Numeric Green Numeric Red Numeric StrikeTimer Line INIT Green = Unlocked Red = Locked 'LOCK ALL 3 DOORS PerimDrStriker = Locked IntDr1Striker = Locked IntDr2Striker = Locked 'MAKE ALL DOORS AVAILABLE FOR ACCESS TO THE AIRLOCK PerimeterDoor = Green InteriorDoor1 = Green InteriorDoor2 = Green 'ALLOW CREDENTIAL ACCESS PerimeterDoor DisRdrKpAccess = False InteriorDoor1 DisRdrKpAccess = False InteriorDoor2 DisRdrKpAccess = False 'ALLOW EXIT REQUESTS PerimeterDoor OpenOnExitReqst = True InteriorDoor1 OpenOnExitReqst = True InteriorDoor2 OpenOnExitReqst = True Goto Monitor1 Line Monitor1 If PerimeterDoor ValidAttempt or PerimeterDoor ExitRequest then 'ACCESS ATTEMPT AT PERIMETER DOOR StrikeTimer = PerimeterDoor DoorStrikeTime 'UNLOCK THE DOOR... Goto PerimActive 'AND MAKE THE PERIMETER DOOR ACTIVE Endif If InteriorDoor1 ValidAttempt or InteriorDoor1 ExitRequest then 'ACCESS ATTEMPT AT INTERIOR DOOR1 StrikeTimer = InteriorDoor1 DoorStrikeTime 'UNLOCK THE DOOR... Goto Interior1Active 'AND MAKE THE INTERIOR DOOR1 ACTIVE Endif If InteriorDoor2 ValidAttempt or InteriorDoor2 ExitRequest then 'ACCESS ATTEMPT AT INTERIOR DOOR2 StrikeTimer = InteriorDoor2 DoorStrikeTime 'UNLOCK THE DOOR... Goto Interior2Active 'AND MAKE THE INTERIOR DOOR2 ACTIVE Endif 'CHECK FOR FORCED ENTRY If PerimeterDoor DoorSwitch = Opened or InteriorDoor1 DoorSwitch = Opened or InteriorDoor2 DoorSwitch = Opened then Goto AirLockForced Line AirLockForced 'MUST HANDLE FORCED ENTRY HERE DUE TO VALUE OF DOOR BEING SET TO UNLOCK TO MAKE LED GREEN AirLockAlarm = 1 'SEND THE ALARM 'MAKE ALL DOORS UNAVAILABLE PerimeterDoor = Red InteriorDoor1 = Red InteriorDoor2 = Red If PerimeterDoor DoorSwitch = Closed and InteriorDoor1 DoorSwitch = Closed and InteriorDoor2 DoorSwitch = Closed then 'FORCED ENTRY CLEAR, RESET THE AIRLOCK AirLockAlarm = 0 Goto INIT Endif Line PerimActive 'ACCESS REQUESTED AT PERIMETER DOOR, DISABLE CREDENTIAL AND REX ACCESS AT THE INTERIOR DOORS InteriorDoor1 DisRdrKpAccess = True 'DONT ALLOW CREDENTIAL ACCESS AT THE INTERIOR DOORS InteriorDoor2 DisRdrKpAccess = True InteriorDoor1 OpenOnExitReqst = False 'DONT EXIT REQUESTS AT THE INTERIOR DOORS InteriorDoor2 OpenOnExitReqst = False InteriorDoor1 = Red InteriorDoor2 = Red 'UNLOCK THE PERIMETER DOOR PerimDrStriker = PerimeterDoor DoorStrikeTime 'WAIT FOR PERSON TO PHYSICALLY OPEN THE DOOR If PerimeterDoor DoorSwitch = Opened then Goto PerimInactive 'DOOR NEVER OPENED, RESET AIRLOCK If TS > PerimeterDoor DoorStrikeTime then Goto INIT Line PerimInactive 'HANDLE ACCESS REQUEST WHILE DOOR OPENED, EXTENDED DOOR UNLOCK TIME If PerimeterDoor ValidAttempt or PerimeterDoor ExitRequest then PerimDrStriker = (PerimDrStriker + 1) If PerimeterDoor DoorSwitch = Closed then Goto INIT 'WE'VE BEEN HERE TOO LONG, SEND ALARM If TM > 0 then AirLockAlarm = 2 Line Interior1Active 'ACCESS REQUESTED AT INTERIOR DOOR1, DISABLE CREDENTIAL AND REX ACCESS AT THE PERIMETER DOOR PerimeterDoor DisRdrKpAccess = True PerimeterDoor OpenOnExitReqst = False PerimeterDoor = Red InteriorDoor2 = Green 'UNLOCK THE INTERIOR DOOR1 IntDr1Striker = InteriorDoor1 DoorStrikeTime 'WAIT FOR PERSON TO PHYSICALLY OPEN THE DOOR If InteriorDoor1 DoorSwitch = Opened then Goto Interior1Inactiv 'DOOR NEVER OPENED, RESET AIRLOCK If TS > InteriorDoor1 DoorStrikeTime then Goto INIT Line Interior1Inactiv 'HANDLE ACCESS REQUEST WHILE DOOR OPENED, EXTENDED DOOR UNLOCK TIME If InteriorDoor1 ValidAttempt or InteriorDoor1 ExitRequest then IntDr1Striker = (IntDr1Striker + 1) If InteriorDoor1 DoorSwitch = Closed then Goto INIT 'WE'VE BEEN HERE TOO LONG, SEND ALARM If TM > 0 then AirLockAlarm = 3 Line Interior2Active 'ACCESS REQUESTED AT INTERIOR DOOR2, DISABLE CREDENTIAL AND REX ACCESS AT THE PERIMETER DOOR PerimeterDoor DisRdrKpAccess = True PerimeterDoor OpenOnExitReqst = False PerimeterDoor = Red InteriorDoor1 = Green 'UNLOCK THE INTERIOR DOOR2 IntDr2Striker = InteriorDoor2 DoorStrikeTime 'WAIT FOR PERSON TO PHYSICALLY OPEN THE DOOR If InteriorDoor2 DoorSwitch = Opened then Goto Interior2Inactiv 'DOOR NEVER OPENED, RESET AIRLOCK If TS > InteriorDoor2 DoorStrikeTime then Goto INIT Line Interior2Inactiv 'HANDLE ACCESS REQUEST WHILE DOOR OPENED, EXTENDED DOOR UNLOCK TIME If InteriorDoor2 ValidAttempt or InteriorDoor2 ExitRequest then IntDr2Striker = (IntDr2Striker + 1) If InteriorDoor2 DoorSwitch = Closed then Goto INIT 'WE'VE BEEN HERE TOO LONG, SEND ALARM If TM > 0 then AirLockAlarm = 4 Line E If TS > 30 then Goto INIT    See also attached dump file of program code.