Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Browsing between different records in the Security Expert Client is slow. It takes a longer than normal amount of time to see records update. Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert Client Cause There are a large number of unacknowledged alarms being stored in the SecurityExpertEvents database. When the Security Expert Client starts up it will process all of these unacknowledged alarms which can impact browsing the database. Resolution To resolve the immediate problem: 1. Reduce the size of the SecurityExpertEvents database by reducing the overall number of events that will be stored. Setting up automatic event purging and backup helps keep this in check. Under Global | Global Settings | General change the Purge Events older than from the default setting of "Never" to another value from the drop down menu. To backup these events before being purged, ensure the Generate Differential Events Backup option is checked. This is the default setting. 2. If there are more alarms to be acknowledged than can be done manually then contact Product Support mentioning this Knowledge Base Article. Remote access to the site and SQL Server will be required.   To minimize this from happening again: 1. Reduce the amount of events that are setup as alarms. Remove any alarms that are setup for All Events and review any configured alarms to ensure those events are required to be generating alarms. Double check all Inputs and Trouble Inputs to see if they have the Log to Event Buffer option enabled. Not all inputs will require this for normal operation and in some cases having this enabled can result in a large number of unwanted events being logged. This, in addition to an alarm setup to monitor the All Events event filter, is a recipe for disaster resulting in a large number of alarms being generated in a short amount of time. 2. Ensure that a large number of unacknowledged alarms are not allowed to build up over time. Alarms are not able to automatically acknowledged and will stay in the active alarms list until an operator acknowledges them. Operators need to acknowledge alarms on a regular basis. Note that it is possible to batch acknowledge blocks of alarms at one time in the Security Expert Client by doing a multiple selection then right-click acknowledge alarm. Note: If your system has already built up a large number of unacknowledged alarms and you want to quickly acknowledge them all at once to get back to a manageable starting point, then please raise a Support Case with your local Customer Care Centre and Product Support can assist in doing this with a 'one time' SQL Query direct to the Security Expert Database.

Issue With the same time interval as the trend log, the traffic on the LonWorks network increases for a short period. This can be seen by a spike in the LPA log when viewing the bandwidth. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Workstation Lonworks Cause The LonWorks traffic increases with the same time interval as the trend log. Resolution To ensure we could log values in the trend log from a LonWorks device, a subscription is set up about 30 seconds before the value should be logged. After the value is logged, the subscription is removed until the next log interval. A good solution to flatten a spike caused by this issue is to stagger the times of the LonWorks trend logs. This will ensure the subscription for all the logs do not happen at the same time.

Issue When comparing values of Modbus registers within WorkStation and Modscan the values do not match. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation. Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server. Building Operation Automation Server. Cause The third-party Modbus device does not support single register requests. Modscan was set to poll 10 registers as a group poll and giving the correct responses. The Modbus request in the Enterprise Server or Automation Server was polling individual register one at a time. This resulted in incorrect responses from the third party device Resolution Add a Modbus register group to the Server then add the Modbus points to this group. This will cause the Server to poll multiple registers in 1 request and get the correct response from the third party Modbus device.   For more information on Modbus grouping refer to the EBO Webhelp Modbus Register Groups topic

Issue How to read individual bits from a Modbus Holding Register that holds a 16-Bit Word and represent each Bit as a separate Digital point Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Automation Server (AS, AS-P, AS-B) Modbus TCP/IP Modbus RTU (RS485) Cause There is a requirement for a Modbus Holding Register that is a 16-bit unsigned value, each bit represents a digital state in the Modbus device and to replicate this as 16 separate digital states in EBO. The 16-bit unsigned value is an integer with a range of 0 to 65,535 and needs to be converted into 16 digital values. Resolution Use a Modbus Digital Input point for each bit required. Each object will be configured to read the same Modbus register address, but with a different bitmask value applied prior to evaluating the value. For example: Read Modbus Holding Register 40123 with a value of 32769 (16-bit unsigned) and decode bits 0, 8, and 15 as three separate Digital points Since the actual Value of 32769 being read at address 40123 is shown in Binary as 1000000000000001 it can be seen that Bit 0 and Bit 15 should return TRUE while Bit 8 should return FALSE Configure each point as follows: Modbus Digital Input Point 40123 bit 0 Register number 123 Register type 16 bit unsigned Read function code 03 Bit mask - enable only Bit 0   Modbus Digital Input Point 40123 bit 8 Register number 123 Register type 16 bit unsigned Read function code 03 Bit mask - enable only Bit 8   Modbus Digital Input Point 40123 bit 15 Register number 123 Register type 16 bit unsigned Read function code 03 Bit mask - enable only Bit 15   Additional information can be found in the EcoStruxure Building Operation - Technical Reference Guide - Search for Bitmask.   If you need to break this bit information out for programming this can be done with a FB application and just binding the full 16 bits to the FB as shown here.

Issue When looking in the EcoStruxure Building Operation Architectural Guidelines for the maximum number of Xenta and LonWorks devices per server, is a TAC Xenta I/O module placed under a TAC Xenta 300/400 counted as a LonWorks device? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Automation Server Cause The SmartX Server or Enterprise Server doesn't know that the TAC Xenta I/O module exists if it is placed under a TAC Xenta 300/400. The SmartX Server or Enterprise Server only communicates with the TAC Xenta 300/400 and not the TAC Xenta I/O modules under it. Resolution The TAC Xenta I/O module does not count as a LonWorks device in the EcoStruxure Building Operation Architectural Guidelines if placed under a TAC Xenta 300/400. This also means a TAC Xenta I/O placed under a TAC Xenta 300/400 does not count as a  Hosted Node or Connected Product.

Issue Need to configure SMTP settings to use a Google SMTP server Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Workstation Cause There is no SMTP settings configured by default Resolution Note: As of May 30, 2022 please also consult Less secure apps & your Google Account 

Issue LON card indicates fault (unique name required) when multiple LON cards are installed in the JACE-6E, JACE-7 or Jace 8000 Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series G3, JACE-600, JACE-600E, JACE-700 I/A Series N4 JACE 8000 Cause The default name when adding a LON network to the G3/N4 station is LON1.  Both networks will attempt to use the same LON card (LON1) causing a fault condition. Resolution Under each LonNetwork within the Lon Comm Config, specify a unique device name for each card or network (LON1 and LON2).  In the case of the JACE 8000, a total of (4) LON modules is acceptable but would not be advised.  Continue with LON3, and LON4 if required.  

Issue How to decrease the amount of LonWorks network traffic by using throttling. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium (AS-P) Cause EBO servers could generate a lot of communication on the LonWorks Network. Throttling could be activated to decrease the amount of traffic. Resolution To decrease the amount of LonWorks Network traffic, it is possible to activate Basic Bandwidth Throttling. The setting is found under the Advanced tab for the properties for the Lonworks Local FT-10 Interface.   Picture showing default settings.   This video will show how to activate Basic Bandwidth Throttling and what impact this could have on the amount of LonWorks Network traffic.   At the end of this session you will be able to: Set up Basic Bandwith Throttling for the LonWorks network  

Issue Checking if a port is open Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Expert, EcoStruxure Building Operation, Field Devices, Pelco, Satchwell MicroNet, Satchwell Sigma, TAC IA Series, TAC INET, TAC Vista Environment TCP/IP Communication Command Prompt Telnet Command Cause Suspect certain network ports are blocked and need to verify Resolution It is possible to check if a port is open in a network by issuing the Telnet command. Note:- Telnet operates using the TCP protocol. UDP connectivity cannot be tested using Telnet. If a port is open, a blank screen will be seen after issuing the command: telnet [domainname or ip] [port] where [domainname or ip] is the domain name or IP address of the server being checked [port] is the port number the server application is listening on For example: telnet 192.168.0.20 9001 (to a closed port would display a connect failed message)   telnet 192.168.0.20 9003 (to an open port would display a blank screen)   To exit the Telnet session, type Ctrl + ] and then type "quit".   For how to enable Telnet in Windows 7 please see Enable Telnet Client on a Windows 7 PC

Issue Need to know the maximum length of a DNS name for an EcoStruxure Building Operation server Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation Enterprise Server EcoStruxure Building Operation Automation Server Domain Name System (DNS) Cause Configure DNS names for EcoStruxure Building Operation servers and need to understand if there are any limitations Resolution Domain names (including the names of domains, hosted zones, and records) consist of a series of labels separated by dots. Each label can be up to 63 bytes long.  The total length of a domain name cannot exceed 255 bytes, including the dots. Please see the Address section of EcoStruxure BMS Server Communication for additional information. 

Issue Provide the information required to support ProView for LON with Niagara G3 and N4 Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series G3 (3.5.34 or higher) I/A Series Niagara N4 (4.1.27.20 or higher) ProView for LON (MNL-PROV-WAL) Cause Required files for configuring the ProView for LON display with G3 and N4. Resolution Support for ProView for LON with I/A Series G3 and N4 requires the download and installation of the Distech Controls EC-NET-AX Support Package and EC-Display Configuration files.  Those files are available for download from The Exchange Download Center. Download the following files. BCS Distech Controls EC-Display Configuration v3.4.369 Setup.zip Distech Controls EC-NET AX Support Pack v4.4.17198.1 Setup.zip Unzip the files and run the executables to install the Distech Controls EC-NET-AX Support Package and Distech Controls EC-Display Configuration files. Follow the instructions to install the version(s) required. Install the Distech distribution file into the ENC (if required) using the platform distribution installer. The distribution file will be located in the Distech Controls Files directory added to G3 or N4 during the installation process. Open the distechControls palette (LonWorks - Services container) and add the LonWorksWizardService to the Services. Open the Drivers - ConfigurableControllers container and add the EcDis210 device object to the LonNetwork. Commission the ProView device using the LON Device Manager. Right-click on the EcDis210 and select Views - Ec Dis Wizard to test the wizard connection and launch the display wizard.

Issue Niagara 4.9 (or later) sometimes has a new Host ID that differs from the Host IDs of other versions of Niagara that were installed on the same host PC Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series N4 Enterprise Server Cause Niagara 4.9 and later, are only available in a 64-bit version. The older Niagara versions installed on the host PC are probably 32-bit versions, which will always have Host IDs different from 64-bit versions. Resolution If the older versions are Niagara 4.3 or lower, you may need to update the older versions, as per the following document… I/A Series G3 and N4 Eliminating multiple HostID on a single PC  Niagara 4.9 (or later) is only available in a 64-bit version.  The other Niagara versions installed on the host PC are probably 32-bit versions, which will always have Host IDs different from 64-bit versions.  In this case, the host PC will require one of the following Un-installing the 32-bit versions and re-installing 64-bit equivalents One license, to be "transferred" to a different Host ID when necessary Multiple licenses, one for each unique Host ID.

Warning Potential for Data Loss: The steps detailed in the resolution of this article may result in a loss of critical data if not performed properly. Before beginning these steps, make sure all important data is backed up in the event of data loss. If you are unsure or unfamiliar with any complex steps detailed in this article, please contact Product Support for assistance. Issue How are the pull down lists populated in the Personnel Manager for fields such as Department, Hair Color etc? How to edit/remove entries from those lists. In the screen shot below the site has changed the name of a department from 'Technical Support' to 'Product Support', how to go about removing the old department name from the list. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cyberstation Microsoft SQL Cause Documentation Resolution The 'Department List' is populated from the department column of the Personnel table, the Personnel Manager walks the column and adds to the list any department name string that is not already present on the list. Since the list is dynamically populated from that database, to remove an entry from the list, all instances of personnel objects that have been assigned to that department must be changed until no personnel object remains with a department string equal to the string that we want removed from the list. In cases where only a few personnel objects are assigned to the department string to be removed, we can manually edit those personnel objects and change the department. In many cases the manual approach is not practical due to a large number of personnel objects that will need to be manually modified, in such cases the change can be made directly in the SQL database using the following query. ***** MAKE SURE TO HAVE A FRESH BACKUP OF THE DATABASE BEFORE MAKING ANY CHANGES DIRECTLY IN SQL **** update personnel set department = 'Product Support' where department = 'Technical Support'--------------------------> To rename an entry on the list. update personnel set department = NULL where department = 'ISIS'------------------------------------------------------------> To remove an entry on the list. Note the all personnel assigned to ISIS department will now have a BLANK department

Issue Delete Lonworks Device Templates Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Automation Server LonWorks devices Cause Some templates are preloaded with the software; if the particular device does not have a supplied template, you can upload an XIF file. This is done by selecting File/LonWorks import/Device Template and then importing the XIF from the manufacturer. An unused Device Template causes no harm to the system; however, there may be a desire to remove a Device Template. Resolution EBO 3.x and later Device Templates can be added and deleted in all device types using the Resource Manager - Device Templates tab SBO 1.x and  EBO 2.x Device Templates cannot be directly deleted from Building Operation WorkStation, however, they can manually be deleted from the  Enterprise Server file system. When a device template is imported, you should understand if the template should be located in the Enterprise Server or an Automation Server.   If the device template is located in an Automation Server, it can only be removed by upgrading the Automation Server using the Device Administrator (you can stay with the current release). If the device template is located in an Enterprise Server, it can be removed using the following process. Locate the template path in the Building Operation database (e.g., C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Schneider Electric StruxureWare\Building Operation 1.3\Enterprise Server\db\UDT\public\public\lon\devicetemplates) Note: in newer releases, the path has changed slightly, e.g., For V1.8.1: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Schneider Electric StruxureWare\Building Operation 1.8\Enterprise Server\db\UDT\pu\public\lon2\devicetemplates   Delete the two template files named Pidxxxxx, where xxxxx are the numbers or letters in parenthesis behind the device template's name visible in WorkStation. After deleting the templates, you may need to restart the Enterprise Server.

Issue Some things to look for when you get ID 0 errors when doing a Save to Database Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Database Cause There are several causes such as date and time settings, scan variables, IP addresses, etc. Some troubleshooting steps are listed below based on different possible causes. Resolution Confirm that the date has been set in the controller. Edit the scan system variable and put a description in the description field. Doing this will update the LastChanged attribute of the Scan system variable. Verify that an IP address has been configured in the controller. If you are saving a remote site back that is earlier than revision 1.52 you need to set an IP address in the remote controller. Verify that the CX controller is at least revision 1.5 Verify that the controller is not reset. In some rare cases we saw that you would have a problem if you created the CX controller while offline editing. The correction in this case was to go offline edit, delete the CX in Cyberstation, go online, recreate the CX and then do the save to database. If the controller you are saving back has to go through a firewall and the firewall has blocked the access to the other IP addresses of the other controllers this controller knows about. Port numbers 33487, 33440, and 33456 are blocked in a router. Specifically port number 33456 is used for the save to database functionality. Make sure Firewall programs are not blocking the network connections. Disable any firewall programs before doing a “Send to DB”. Create a debug file (Acc_Dump_Debug.txt). See the Infinity-to-Continuum Upgrade document. Look in the debug file and see where it failed and act accordingly. 

Issue Analog Producer value located in an RP-C controller cannot command light object(BACnet type: crs-lighting-output) or blind object(BACnet type: crs-blind-output) located in another RP-C's CRS expansion module. Analog Producer Value, Status flags: Fault and Reliability: communication-failure.     Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Room Controller (RPC) 24 V Building Operation Room Controller (RPC) 230 V Cause Light and Blind objects support only two priorities (1 - Force, 2 - Normal). An error will be returned by the RP if the Priority in the Write request from the Producer Value is outside this range, ex. Priority 16. Resolution In the Analog Producer Value, set the default priority for writing to 2 (normal) or 1 (Force), as shown in below screenshot:  

Issue Unable to access the SE8xxx or SER8xxx Room Controller configuration parameters menu - displays an error code. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Expert, Field Devices  Environment SE8xxx and SER8xxx Room controller SE8000 and SER8000 Series Ex. Viconics branding VT8000 Series Cause The PswrdSet parameter sets a protective access password to prevent unauthorized access to the configuration menu parameters. An error code is displayed whenever the password lockout is active and an incorrect password is used. Resolution Contact your region's Customer Care Center for a temporary password. The error code which is unique to that controller will be required by the Customer Care Center to calculate the temporary password.

Issue N4 software installation stops because; azul-zre-compact3-qnx7-arm tridium-qnx7-n4-titan-am335x software is missing Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series N4 Jace 8000 Cause A valid license including the features that meet the dependencies is not installed. Resolution Install a valid license containing the jre8J8000Azul, jre8Qnz7Zulu and qnx7, jreQnx7Zulu features before attempting to commission the Jace 8000

Issue Can report generation be scheduled in a Niagara G3 (AX) station? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment Niagara G3 (AX) station Cause Set the report schedule in the Export Source Object. Resolution Reports can be generated at scheduled times: Add an Export Source object (from the Report Palette) to the Report Service. Double-click the Export Source Object and set the built-in schedule to the desired time and frequency (e.g. 6:00 AM Daily) Click the chevron near “Source” and browse to the ReportPx file. Click “Next” and choose PxView to Pdf in the Exporter field. Then click “Finish.” Drag an Email or File Recipient to the Report Service and link the Export Source to the Recipient. Set up the Email Recipient with email addresses. Set up the File Recipient with a folder for the file. Force an export by right-clicking the Export Source object and choosing “Actions – Generate”.

Issue Using provisioning Niagara to schedule (automated) ENC station backup Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series G3 (AX) version 3.3 and above Cause The station in an ENC (Enterprise Network Controller) can be copied to the ENS (Enterprise Network Server) computer for backup. This can be done by a user using the ENC's Platform Station Copier. There is a need to have an automated process to back up the ENC's station periodically. Resolution Use provisioning Niagara and configure an automated station backup. Provisioning Niagara means an administrator can configure the Enterprise Network Server automation of the following: one or more pre-defined tasks (station backups, install software, update licenses, and copy files) against one or more (potentially many) stations in its Niagara Network done from the Enterprise Network Server in a way where results are recorded and can be referred to later. Refer to this document for a summarized procedure. You should refer to the technical document 'Niagara Ax 3.5 Provisioning Guide for Niagara Networks' for detailed information on using provisioning in Niagara. This document is included with the installation of the I/A Series G3 software and it is located in '\niagara\niagara-3.x.xx\docs\docProvisioningNiagara'.