Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Default IP Address for AS,TCP/IP IPv6, and StruxureWare Building Operation Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation site Cause Attempted to ping AS and got "Request timed out." (AS does not have a default IP address) After going through StruxureWare Building Operation Device Administrator's Open Console which is also referred to as PuTTY(outlined below #1), the configuration has the proper: Hostname DHCP enabled/disabled IP address Subnet mask Default gateway DNS server Domain name Still the ping of the AS IP address receives "Request timed out"  Is this from a Virtual environment? See Resolution 6 below. Resolution Check the following settings: Use Device Administrator to set a static IP address for an Automation Server. Connect the Automation Server to the PC's USB port In Device Administrator, select the Automation Server you want to set the IP address for. On the View menu, click Console which opens console or PuTTY.  See NOTE below if Console icon not shown. If you are prompted to type a login name, default is "admin". Press Enter. If you are prompted to type a password, default is "admin". Press Enter. Type "setip". Press Enter. If you want to change the host name, delete the current host name and type a new host name. Press Enter. Type "no" to use a static IP address. Press Enter. Type the IP address for the Automation Server. Press Enter. Type the subnet mask. Press Enter. Type the default gateway address. Press Enter. Type the DNS server address. Press Enter. Type the domain name. Press Enter. Type "yes" to write the configuration. Press Enter. After the Network settings, "successfully updated" message is displayed, Type "exit" to log off. Press Enter. Rather than connect through a router or switch, plug the Ethernet cable directly into the AS. Ethernet port is AutoSensing (No Crossover Cable required). Adjust IP settings to close proximity IP and Subnet, such as the following example: Computer IP=192.168.1.2 Computer Subnet=255.255.255.0 Automation Server IP=192.168.1.5 Automation Server Subnet=255.255.255.0 Have only one NIC or network card enabled in Network Settings on this computer In Network Settings, uncheck the Internet Protocol Version 6 (TCP/IPv6), which will disable. TCP/IP Version 6 is the latest version of the internet protocol which provides communication across diverse interconnected networks which is not necessary for this configuration. If you are using a virtual environment, exit that virtual environment and attempt the configuration from the real-world environment.  If AS hangs or comes up with the Status light in red: Start Device Administrator and establish a USB connection between the computer and AS. Press the reset button on the AS three times in a row to place it in DFU mode. The AS will disappear from the Device Administrator and re-appear in DFU mode. Perform Upgrade device operation. The AS can be configured using DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) using Device Manager. It is recommended to not use DHCP but rather Static IP addresses. If the IP of the AS/ES changes, then reconfiguration of other AS/ES, or BACnet/IP, Modbus/IP interface needs to be changed also. NOTE: Beginning with StruxureWare Building Operation release 1.4.0, the Device Administrator no longer displays the "Console" icon on its toolbar. You can still access the PuTTY console by holding down the shift key and right-clicking on the automation server. You will have the option to open 'Console'. NOTE: Some network configuration setting changes may be prevented by the connected network. If you have issues getting the AS to save changes, disconnect the AS from the ethernet and use the USB connection only.

Issue Unable to upload the same Lua script to multiple Room Controllers at the same time Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, EcoStruxure Building Expert Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium SSL SE8000 (all) Cause The alternative method of uploading the script to each of the room controllers using a USB cable Resolution To upload a script to multiple Room Controllers, follow the below steps: (This procedure assumes the BACnet MSTP network is already setup) 1 - Log in to Building Operation Workstation 2 - Right-click on MSTP network and click "Search" 3 - Search for "Lua program 1" or any other Lua program object 4 - Highlight all the Room Controllers that the script will be transferred to then click on the "show/hide property grid" button. 5 - Expand the "Basic" tab and copy the Lua script in the "Description" field then click Save. 6 - The script will be uploaded to each of the Room Controllers one at a time and will be played automatically. Recommendations & Limitations: - Each Lua Program can take up to 460 bytes of text (per script). (Total of 10 Lua programs) - Script must be placed on a single line. Use semicolons ( ; ) as carriage return - Use multiple Lua programs if the 460 bytes limit is exceeded - Encapsulate logic inside the following if statement if the logic is intended to run once: if not init then    ---Script logic here    init = true end For general information about Lua programming for SE8000 Room Controllers, refer to the following guide: Custom Programming Guide for SE8000 Series Room Controllers - Application Guide

Issue Unable to access SE7000 parameters as shown in the user interface guide. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, EcoStruxure Building Expert Environment Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Automation Server SSL SE7000 Cause Parameters to configure SE7000 are inaccessible Resolution To access SE7600 and SE7300, press and hold the middle key until the thermostat display Pswd set? Y/N. To access SE7200, press and hold the override key until the thermostat display Pswd set 0. For SE7200, use override keys to select parameters and use up or down arrows for configuration. For SE7200, use the middle key to select parameters and use up or down arrows for configuration. For SE7600, use YES and NO keys to select parameters and use up or down arrows for configuration.  

Issue When converting b3/i2 Tristate outputs to EBO Multistate, care must be taken to convert to the appropriate Multistate OR Multistate Pulsed output type Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Continuum b3850 Controller Continuum i2850 Controller Cause Continuum Tristate outputs controlling dampers need to be converted to EBO Multistate pulsed  Resolution The tool will convert to Multistate or Multistate Pulsed based on the "Format" property of the Continuum Tristate output.   To have the tool convert to Multistate Pulsed, change the 'Format" property of the Continuum output From $### to #.# or another applicable format that does NOT include the "$"   This can be done in the dump file that is to be used for the conversion.

Issue Windows System Information may be requested by Technical Support to assist with a reported issue. Product Line All Product Lines Environment Microsoft Windows Operating System Cause Unspecified cause. Resolution Press WINDOWS + R on the keyboard of the Windows system that you wish to obtain the report from. The Windows key is usually located between the CTRL and ALT keys and has a picture of a flag on it. Type Msinfo32.exe and click OK The System Information tool will start. Click on File > Sav When prompted, save the *.nfo file to an accessible location. Email the *.nfo file to your support representative.    Note: This application can also be accessed from Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and System Information. Using this method will open the System Information for XP and Windows 7, 32 and 64-bit computers. Refer to: Description of Microsoft System Information (Msinfo32.exe) Tool

Issue I/A Series Micronet LON controllers (MNL) SNVTs list Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series Micronet LON (MNL) controllers Cause The SNVTs available in an I/A Series MNL controller are not listed on the datasheets.  Resolution The SNVTs list for various MNL controllers' LonMark profiles can be found in the WorkPlace Tech 4.0 Engineering Guide appendix B. 

Issue Unable to add an Automation Server into the Device Administrator via IP. Error seen - Could not logon to server x.x.x.x This can be caused by providing the wrong password or the password has expired on the server.  If the password has expired, log on to the server using WorkStation and change the password. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Device Administrator Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Building Operation Automation Server Cause Failed attempts of connecting to an AS-P, AS-B, or any IP controller with device admin will trigger the EBO security feature of SSH console lockout. This security feature defaults to 15 minutes and since the device admin uses SSH for communication, it will not allow the connection to an automation server while in this lockout state.  Resolution If a site is experiencing communication issues, then the SSH console lockout could be going into effect before a good connection is established. Reducing the SSH console lockout time period will allow for a connection to be made sooner without waiting out the default setting of 15 minutes. Use Workstation to log in to the server experiencing the issue. Go to Control Panel. Click on "Security settings" under the Security and Communication title. Locate the "SSH Console Lockout" configuration setting and adjust the lockout time to a shorter duration such as 1 second. Click Save. Open Device Administrator and add the Automation Server using IP.

Issue As of EBO 4.0.1.86 it is not possible to bind to the "Restart" property of a b3/Infinet Script program Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation - Continuum Interface Cause Unable to bind directly to the "Restart" property of b3 or Infinet Script program. Resolution While the issue may be resolved in a future version of EBO there is a simple workaround. The workaround consists of binding via an intermediate value object.   EXAMPLE: A b3/i2 program (MasterProg) needs to run a second b3/i2 program (SlaveProg).   Create a digital value in the device (ProgReStart), Instead of binding in MasterProg directly to the Restart property of SlaveProg, bind to the value of digital value ProgReStart, then bind the value of ProgReStart to the Restart property of SlaveProg.   Here are the resulting bindings for the intermediate value object (ProgReStart)     The sequence will then be as follows: 1. When MasterProg needs to run SlaveProg, it sets its output binding (bound to the value of ProgReStart) to 1. 2. Upon a change in its value from 0 to 1, ProgReStart will then set the Restart property of SlaveProg to 1 causing it to run.   NOTES 1. Do not use Active/Inactive, it won't work, must use 1/0 instead. 2. MasterProg will need to reset ProgReStart to 0 before running SlaveProg a second time

Issue What actions should be taken if the alarm "Missing response from server" appears in the Enterprise Server? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation 2.0 and later versions Cause ES/EC is waiting for a response from another server(most likely AS/AS-P/AS-B) for more than 120 minutes. Might lead to deadlock and starvation of resources. Can potentially replicate through the system and affect other servers. Examples of problems that could occur are: Values in graphics that reside in a sub server (most likely AS/AS-P or AS-B) are not updating.  Not possible to login to ES/EC Resolution Acknowledge the alarm "Missing response from Server" If not triggered again after 15 minutes then it is not a problem anymore (or at least less likely) If triggered, then continue below In the Alarm view, locate which server the alarm "Missing response from Server" comes from and log in directly to that server. Is the server responding? If not, restart the server. If it is responding, unplug the network cable to the server for a few minutes. Plugin the cable again and acknowledge the alarm. If it triggers again after 15 minutes, then Take 2 core dumps on the server (for investigation of why this problem occurred). Contact your local Product Support contact for instructions on how to do that. Restart the server (should fix the problem)

Issue String Bindings between Infinet Controllers fail Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Infinet Controllers I2 Controller String Transfer Cause Direct string transfers between Infinet Controllers were possible in Continuum (via an import PE Program), but not in EBO via Script Program Resolution Following a Continuum Conversion, direct string transfers (via an import PE Program) downloads correctly but the Strings do not update. This type of transfer is not seen often, but was possible in Continuum. See the Knowledge Base article Passing InfinityString object between Continuum controllers Details in "Infinet Troubleshooting" in "Technical Reference Guide" from version 4.0.2 Also see WebHelp The workarounds are Bind string values direct (object to object), but this will force an EBO transfer via the ASP, so if the AS is not available the transfer will fail. Also more bandwidth is used. Rewrite the script to avoid using string transfers, by using numerical Objects

Issue Details on how Modbus IP Multiple Queries and Multiple Query Packets work Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation SmartX Servers Modbus IP Cause Understanding of how the Modbus synchronous and asynchronous transport layers differ. Resolution By default, the Multiple queries is Disabled, this is the synchronous transport layer. To enable the asynchronous transport layer the Multiple queries must be Enabled within the Modbus TCP Network properties as shown below. Setting to "Enabled" allows multiple queries (packets) to be sent to multiple Modbus devices, thus reducing wait times.  It also enables further settings in the Modbus Device properties "Maximum concurrent queries" and "Multi-query packets".   The maximum concurrent queries and multiple-query packets as shown below are configurations for the Modbus asynchronous transport layer. The Maximum concurrent queries setting is only enabled if the "Multiple queries" is enabled in the Network Properties. When enabled, this allows the "concurrent queries" to be sent as a single packet.     Modbus Synchronous Transport Layer Each Modbus query is sent out one after the other. Before sending out the next query the transport layer waits for a specified period for the previous query. Example Poll Sequence Device No. Objects 1 2 2 1 D=Device, Q=Query, R=Reply D1 Q1 Send D1 R1 Receive  D2 Q1 Send D2 R1 Receive  D1 Q2 Send D1 R2 Receive  If it takes 1 second for the device to reply, then this sequence would take 3 seconds. Modbus Asynchronous Transport Layer With the asynchronous transport layer enabled, the queries are transmitted to multiple devices at the same time. The maximum number of queries that are transmitted to that one device is controlled by the “Maximum concurrent queries” setting. The “Multiple-query packet” specifies whether the queries are transmitted in one TCP frame or not. Simple Example Poll Sequence Device No. Objects Multiple-query packet Maximum concurrent queries 1 2 False 1 2 1 False 1 D=Device, Q=Query, R=Reply D1 Q1 Send D2 Q1 Send D1 Q2 Send D1 R1 Receive  D2 R1 Receive  D1 R2 Receive  If it takes 1 second for the device to reply, then this sequence would take 1 second Complex Example Poll Sequence Device No. Objects Multiple-query packet Maximum concurrent queries 1 10 True 5 2 4 False 2 D=Device, Q=Query, R=Reply D1 Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, Q5 Send D2 Q1 Send D2 Q2 Send D1 R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 Receive  D2 R1 Receive  D2 R2 Receive  D1 Q6, Q7, Q8, Q9, Q10 Send D2 Q3 Send D2 Q4 Send D1 R6, R7, R8, R9, R10 Receive  D2 R1 Receive  D2 R2 Receive  If it takes 1 second for the device to reply, then this sequence would take 2 seconds   NOTES The use of this feature should be avoided before EBO v3.1, there is also a defect in EBO v3.2 that means v3.2.3.5000 should be used (minimum) Some Modbus devices do not support multiple queries or multiple query packets, so the feature should be tested on an individual basis. (Some devices may even go offline until manually reset) This feature will increase the CPU usage on the EBO server. It should be avoided on EBO Servers that are already heavily loaded This feature also has the ability to reduce the system stability, it is usually better to optimize the use of Modbus Register Groups to increase performance

Issue How to discover MNL Lon devices or other Lon devices in an SmartStruxure Automation Server. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Automation Server Cause Use the below instructions when you need to find all Lon devices on a Lon network. Resolution To discover a LonWorks device In WorkStation, in the System Tree pane, select the server that is connected to the device you want to discover. Click the Device Discovery view. In the Select device type box, select LonWorks. Select the Devices folder. Right click on the Devices folder and take "Scan network for devices" In the Device Discovery view, ensure that the LonWorks device is displayed in the Devices folder. This may take up to 5 seconds. Drag the discovered device to the System Tree pane: Drag to an existing device to associate it with the discovered physical device. Drag to the LonWorks network to create the device.   NOTE: You cannot drag a standard MNL LonWorks device to the System Tree pane if the discovered device is in an unconfigured state For more information, refer to the Creating and Configuring a LonWorks Network with MNL LonWorks Devices [102423].pdf document 

Issue SmartConnector 2.5 uses the Flexera licensing model. Version 2.4 and below used native licensing. How can the existing license be upgraded for SmartConnector 2.5? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, Flexera Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Flexera FlexNet Operations Cause SmartConnector 2.5 uses the Flexera licensing model. That means you will license SmartConnector using the License Administrator interface. Prior to version 2.5, SmartConnector licensing used a native licensing model.   Resolution SmartConnector 2.5 will still support the native licensing structure that we have for SmartConnector today for its core license. The way this works is as follows...   There are two parts to SmartConnector licensing.  There is the core, or runtime license which is used to license the web portal and the windows service. There is a second part that licenses the integrations and SmartConnector extensions.  These are licensed separately. When installing SmartConnector for the first time at version 2.5 a single comprehensive license (incorporating the core and integrations licenses) is purchased.  This license is applied using the License Administrator application.   In cases where SmartConnector is being upgraded from a pre-2.5 version, the core license will remain installed as a native license. Your integrations license upgrade would be installed using License Administrator.   Obviously, with SmartConnector you could run lots of different extensions on the same machine. You would still only have one SmartConnector core license but you would license your extensions individually. So you could have many integration licenses running on the Flexera server, while your core license remains in place.

Issue How to find out if a user has created a personal and/or a public dashboard Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation Workstation Cause Customers may want to know if there is a personal or public dashboard (or both) under a user Resolution We can search in Workstation to know if a user has created a personal or public dashboard (or both). Enter “Dashboard” on the “Include type” and search over the whole server.   Public dashboards can be created by any user anywhere under the server except under the system tree. In the following example, any results that appear under the “/Server 1/System/Domains” is a personal dashboard since it is tied to the users, and the rest are public dashboards.     Please note that creating a personal dashboard requires a Personal Dashboard License.    How Dashboards Work  Public vs Personal Dashboards  

  Issue When adding an Enterprise Server (ES) to Enterprise Central (EC), the process fails with Error - Object Does not exist Domain: Data Access. Details: Modules: Connect Plugin Module Code 73 Trace log shows the following text: nsp.csc.csm.ChangeSetTransaction Rollback due to Data Access Error: Object_Does_Not_Exist (0x40004) in module Connect_Plugin(73), moduleCode=73. "" nsp.csc.cspclient.AddServerCommandPassThrough Execute: Data Access Error: Object_Does_Not_Exist (0x40004) in module Connect_Plugin(73), moduleCode=73. "" nsp.csc.cspclient.ConnectionPool Terminating. GetConnection aborted [IP Address: port#] Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Central  Building Operation Enterprise Server  Registered System Cause In this instance, the ES added to the EC is currently registered.  Registered Servers can only be the parent server and therefore cannot be added to a non-registered system or a different system.  Parent servers can only be registered, and any sub-servers inherit this registration from the Parent sever.    Resolution The registration should always be on the parent server. To remove the registration from the ES, the SystemID needs resetting as per the following procedure:  Resetting the System ID Once reset, the system is no longer registered, and adding the ES to the EC will be successful. 

Issue There isn't enough documentation on how to disable the different connection protocols. I.e. TLS or SSH. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Central Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Automation Server Cause Increase the security of the system. Resolution SSL Communication Security Settings: You can edit SSL configuration in WorkStation Control Panel's Security Settings or in the Device Administrator SSL Security Settings tab. SSLv1,v2,v3 are all implicitly disabled. In EBO 2022 (4.0) or higher, TLS 1.3 is available and used as default when logging on with WebStation and for server-server communication with HTTPS. TLS 1.0 and TLS 1.1 are by default disabled but can be enabled in Control Panel. WorkStation is using TLS 1.2, disabling it would prevent logging on to WorkStation. In WorkStation, the only valid protocols are shown when you hover the mouse over disabled protocols. See below.   SSH Port: Port used for communication with Device Administrator can be disabled or changed so that the automation server communicates on another port using SSH. It is also possible to disable all SSH communication. SSH communication settings are available in Automation Server Properties – Network Tab, as shown below. Refer to Disabling Port 22 on SmartX Server and Adding an Additional SSH Port for a SmartX Server .  For more Security guidelines,  refer to EcoStruxure Building Management - System Hardening Guide, Security Overview, and Information Technology System Planning Guide 

Issue SoapEwsRestProvider serves data sourced from any EWS Server using the standard EWS SOAP protocol. The architecture for the SmartConnector REST Extensions integrates Swagger to provide a rich self-documenting API. Below errors indicate configuration issues. The User Name or Password were incorrect. "Message": "Authorization has been denied for this request. " "Message": "The HTTP request was forbidden with client authentication scheme 'Digest' " Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation. Environment Building Operation Automation Server Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Enterprise Central Cause Smart Connecter or EBO Incorrect configuration. Resolution Make sure that SboEwsRestProvider is started and has a correct port that is not used by any other Smart Connector data provider or other application.   Make sure that EWS server address has the following format: HTTP: http://ipAddress:port/EcoStruxure/DataExchange HTTPS: https://ipAddress:port/EcoStruxure/DataExchange For ES/EC, check software administrator to make sure there is no port conflict: Software Administrator shows red outline (box) on the Communication Ports (HTTP / HTTPS) - Communities (se.com) In EBO, make sure EWS server is enabled: Enabling the EcoStruxure Web Service Server Check if username and password used for the SOAP provide has correct permissions and can be used to login to EBO server. If the user is not located in the default domain, make sure to add the domain name in the Username string, ex. "Domain/User". If HTTP protocol is used (not recommended), check the following: In EWS server configuration, make sure that "Enforce Secure Communication" to Disabled. In Security Manager, make sure that "Enable Incoming http communication" is enabled.

  Issue Using active directory with Change Control  feature does not authenticate when signing  Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation release 3.1 and above Building Operation Enterprise Central  Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation SmartX Controllers Cause The interaction of Active Directory and Change Control is not clearly defined in the documentation when both are in use.  Although Active Directory within Building Operation Domains can use both the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) and Netbios Windows Domain names it is recommended that only the Netbios Domain name be used if Change Control is implemented. Refer to EBO Known Issues & Solution topic  Change Control and Windows Active Directory not authenticating - Communities (se.com)  for updates.   Resolution When using Active Directory with Change Control only add the Windows Netbios name to the Building Operation Windows domain name entry:   Using the Full DNS Domain Name (examples include - apa.gad.schneider-electric.com ; pss.apa.local etc.) although these will allow user accounts to log on to servers it currently does not work when used to authenticate change control.    The easiest way to identify which domain name to use is to open WorkStation and refer to the name shown next to:  Log on as:    Secondly when authenticating change control actions with active directory user accounts, irrespective of the Default Building Operation Domain selected, the user account name must be prefixed with the Windows Domain Name 

  Issue TAC Xenta devices suddenly indicate that they Needs commissioning. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation. Environment • Building Operation Workstation • Xenta 401 • Xenta 301 • Xenta 281 Cause The flag "Needs commissioning" is suddenly set.     Resolution If the property "Needs commissioning" is set, something has changed in the settings. This could be Subnet/Node address in the Domain table, or a change in any LonWorks binding, that caused a change in the Selector, Address, and or Alias tables.   The property Needs commissioning may also be set after a TAC Vista upgrade (conversion) or similar situations.  

Issue After Sigma transition into EBO, upon alarm and alarm clear there is no requirement to acknowledge the alarm. In the Sigma Interface, the object alarm 'Type of Acknowledgement is set to 'No' and cannot be changed. Product Line Ecostruxure Building Operation, Satchwell Sigma Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Satchwell Sigma Cause Alarm Priorities are incorrectly set in Sigma Alarm Manager. Resolution During the Data Import into EBO, the settings of the Sigma Alarm Manager is checked and the alarm acknowledgement type is set to a specific type. If no alarm priorities are set for acknowledgement in Sigma, then this is repeated in EBO.    To change to 'Single' so that alarms and alarm clears are able to be acknowledged, in Sigma: Open the Alarm Manager and go to the menu options: Configure > Acknowledgement Groups   Redistribute the alarm priorities into the the different acknowledgement groups as per the site requirement. The image below shows the default view on a new install of Sigma.   Redo the Data Import, the 'Type of Acknowledgement' is now seen to be set to 'Single'. However, If it is now showing 'Extended', then the KB article Type of Acknowledgement set to 'Extended' on Sigma Interface object alarm will explain how to change this.