Building Automation Knowledge Base

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.

Issue After a Sigma transition into EBO, alarm clears are requiring acknowledgements. In the Sigma Interface, the object alarm and hardware alarm 'Type of Acknowledgement are set to 'Extended' and cannot be changed to 'Single' Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, Satchwell Sigma Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Satchwell Sigma Cause Alarm Clear Controls 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 clear acknowledgement type is set to a specific type. If acknowledgement on alarm clears is no longer required in EBO then it will need to be changed on the Sigma server,   To change to 'Single' so that alarms only are able to be acknowledged, in Sigma: Open the Alarm Manager and go to the menu options: Configure > Alarm Controls.   Uncheck the 'Alarm Clears Acknowledgeable' box.   Redo the Data Import, the 'Type of Acknowledgement' is now seen to be set to 'Single'. However, If it is now showing 'No', then the KB article Type of Acknowledgement set to 'No' on Sigma Interface object alarm will explain how to change this.

Issue The specifications and setup details of the EH series humidity sensors. Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation, Field Devices, TAC IA Series, TAC INET, TAC Vista Environment Humidity Sensor Cause The EH Series Room, Duct and Outside humidity sensors are a universal Relative Humidity transmitter that can be powered with either a +15 to 36 Vdc or 24 Vac supply voltage. The EH series sensors are designed with a field selectable 4-20 mA, 0-5 Vdc, or 0-10 Vdc output signal that is equivalent to 0 to 100% RH. The EH Series is used in building automation system, humidity chambers, and OEM applications and is compatible with Vista, Continuum, I/Net, I/A, and SmartStruxure systems. Resolution EH Series Humidity Sensors Click the below links to look at the documentation for these sensors including the dip switch settings. EH Series Humidity Sensor Data Sheet EH Series Humidity Sensor Installation and Operation Instructions Old EH Series Humidity Model For information on the older style of dip switches (models with two separate sets of dip switches), see the document below. Old EH Series Humidity Sensor Installation and Operation Instructions

Issue SBO WebStation has stopped loading with an ERR_SSL_VERSION_OR_CIPHER_MISMATCH error (Chrome & Edge Browsers)   or an SSL_ERROR_UNSUPPORTED_VERSION (Firefox browser)   Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation WebStation Chromium release 91 and above Firefox version 78 and above Cause Chrome and Edge browsers In Chromium release 91 an alert was shown on the browser regarding the security of unsecured connections. In Chromium 98 support for TLS 1.0 and 1.1 was removed.   Firefox Browser Starting in Firefox version 78, the minimum TLS version allowed by default is TLS 1.2. The error page may also include a button, Enable TLS 1.0 and 1.1 that will allow you to override the minimum TLS requirement. Note: Mozilla plans to remove this option and permanently disable TLS 1.0 and 1.1 in a future version of Firefox. Resolution Modern browsers don't allow SSL versions lower than TLS 1.2 [1] [2]   The site can temporarily use a HTTP rather than HTTPS connection to bypass this issue, however, this is not advisable on a permanent basis for Cyber Security reasons.   Using an older browser like Internet Explorer can also be used as a workaround since this is no longer being updated and won't have the latest Cyber Security policies.   Ideally, the site will need to upgrade to SBO 1.9 or above to allow TLS1.2 support.   [1] https://chromeenterprise.google/policies/?policy=SSLVersionMin [2] https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/secure-connection-failed-firefox-did-not-connect

Issue Data not passing from Enterprise Server to Reports Server after upgrading to 1.6 Reports folder does not appear on new 1.6 Reports installations Logon failed at attempt no. XX User account has been temporarily disabled. Contact your administrator. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation WebReports 1.6 and above Cause New features require additional configuration to allow Reports to function. Specifically, the Reports installation requires that the SystemReportsService user account be enabled before installation.  If this is not done, the steps below must be taken.   For Issue #3: If the user account used to access WebReports is changed through WorkStation, WebReports is still using the previous account password to access the Enterprise Server, this will lock the user account out and if used to log in to WorkStation will indicate that the account is disabled To verify that this is what is causing the lockout, open the Report Agent log StruxureWareReportingAgentLog and check for Logon Failed at attempt xx Reason: User account temporarily disabled.... error is shown. The default path for this log file is: C:\Program Files (x86)\Schneider Electric (StruxureWare)EcoStruxure\Building Operation Resolution During the installation of WebReports, you will see the popup message below. In order for the installation to work correctly, the SystemReportsService account must be changed to enabled before clicking OK. Ensure that SystemReportsService user account is enabled in the Enterprise Server before you proceed with the installation process further. To correct this error after installation: If running stop the Repot Agent Service and wait 1 minute before proceeding Log into Workstation using the admin account Modify the user "SystemReportsService" (or user account used) that is part of the Local domain Check/Change the property "Disabled" is set to "False Change/verify the password Close WorkStation On the Report Server open the program "Building Operation WebReports Administrator" Enter the newly created password for the SystemReportsService (or account used) Click Apply - a successful update should be reported. Click Save Close Building Operation WebReports Administrator Restart the Reporting Agent Service. Verify logins now work. For additional Authentication issues please see the online help topic: Authentication Failed (se.com)

Issue How to create an offline alarm if the AS-P or RP-C loses the connection to a Zigbee sensor (SED-MTH-G-5045, SED-WDC-G-5045, and SED-WLS-G-5045) connected to AS-P or RP-C. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium (AS-P) Building Operation Room Controller (RP-C) Greenpower sensors SED-CO2-G-5045 and SED-TRH-G-5045 non-Greenpower sensors SED-MTH-G-5045, SED-WDC-G-5045, SED-WLS-G-5045 Cause The Zigbee device will communicate the measured data with a time interval, if EBO doesn't hear the data it should mark the device as offline and generate an offline alarm Resolution In general, the RP-C or AS-P will listen for communication from the Zigbee device and if it doesn’t hear any communication for a certain time period, the Offline timeout (which can be specified in the properties for the Zigbee device in EBO) will set the device offline and an offline alarm will be displayed in the alarm list. How often the Zigbee device will communicate the measured data depends on the Zigbee device. It is possible to see and configure how often it should send the data in EBO but depending on the device it can be found in different places in EBO. For the Greenpower sensors SED-CO2-G-5045 and SED-TRH-G-5045 it is found here: The default value can be found in the specification sheet for the sensor. And for the non-Greenpower sensors SED-MTH-G-5045, SED-WDC-G-5045, SED-WLS-G-5045 It can be found here:   It is possible to change the interval for how often the sensor will send the data but this may cause the battery in the sensor to drain faster. It is recommended that the Offline timeout is set to more than twice the heartbeat interval from the sensor so that it will not be set as offline if only one message from the sensor is missed by the RP-C or AS-P.