Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue What is the difference between the XIF and NXE files in any LON controller? Environment LNS LON Controllers NL220 LonMaker Cause There are different files related to a LON device. The XIF and NXE files have completely different purposes. Resolution The XIF is a text-based file that defines the device’s network image to a network management tool (e.g. Niagara, LonMaker, etc.). The XIF along with files termed device resource files (DRFs) are used by the management tools to work with the LON device. Device resource files provide definitions especially when the manufacturer has not used standard SNVT types. When requesting a shadow object from Tridium, the XIF file must be provided as a minimum. If the manufacturer has defined their own variable types, the associated set of device resource files must also be provided. The only other alternative would be to use a dynamic device and hope that the device’s manufacturer implemented the files within the device correctly. When a dynamic device is commissioned, Niagara will upload the XIF from the device and attempt to create an object from the file’s definitions. The NXE is an abbreviation for (Neuron Executable file). Some devices allow the user to download an NXE or new application image file that changes the operation and / or network interface of the target device. New or different application firmware can be downloaded to the Neuron. This is the way some manufacturers upgrade their devices and / or the network interface portion of the device. If the LON device can support an NXE, this would have to be provided by the device’s manufacturer.

Issue What if any voltage can be measured on a Micronet 2000 U-Bus? Environment MicroNet 2000 U-Bus communication Cause Information about voltage helps implement multiple MicroNet 2000 controllers in U-Bus communications interface. Resolution The U-Bus is a Wired-OR open collector communication bus talking at 2400 baud. The MN-ASDI has the U-Bus current source.  It supplies the current for the U-Bus communications. It should supply about 45 ma. with short circuit protection. Under normal communications, the U-Bus voltage will be around 15 volts +/- 2 volts when measured with a voltmeter.

Issue The Niagara R2 version 522 Workplace Pro 'new station' wizard lists four vlon services. Environment Niagara R2 Cause The four vlon services is part of the new station wizard; Schneider Electric currently using vlon0. Resolution The new station wizard now lists services vlon0, vlon1, vlon2, and vlon3. Previous builds only listed a vlon service. These new vlons relate to the lonworks multiple services that have not been used by Schneider-Electric.   For tunneling to operate, select the vlon0 service for use with the lonworks service.

Issue How can it be determined what LonWorks Program IDs are supported by the Niagara R2 system? Environment Niagara R2 system LonWorks Cause To determine the LonWorks Program IDs, run the command "Command of Reports and Sub-command of programids" in Lon Utilities Manager. Resolution Create and install a test station on the localhost that includes the Lonworks service, Lonworks Network container, and the LocalLonDevice. Open the test station in WorkPlace Pro then right click on the Lonworks Service and open the Lon Utilities Manager. Select the LocalLonDevice then choose the Command of Reports and Sub-command of programids. Execute the command and a listing of all programIDs for the shadow objects found in the local tridiumx library (lonDevices container) will appear. Save this report to a text file and import into Excel where searches can be performed. Re-run the report anytime a new lon jar file is added or an existing lon jar file is replaced with a newer version.

Issue In Niagara R2, can WebUI be set to auto-logoff web users? Environment Niagara R2 Cause Unfortunately, the browser sessions use "HTTP Basic Authentication" a protocol that has no provisions for de-authentication or automatic logoff. Resolution The only logoff feature applies to JDE sessions in WorkPlace Pro. Tridium does not plan to add this mechanism to Niagara R2.   Niagara G3 software provides a web profile (cookie authentication) for each user that includes a feature for automatic logoff via the browser.

Issue When using a Niagara R2 Master Enterprise Server, do the projects require the same Project ID? Environment Niagara R2 Master Enterprise Server Cause Project ID is required for license information. Resolution Example: Two projects will eventually have a Master Enterprise Server (MES) over both of them.  One of the projects is in progress and the second phase will follow.   In order to use a MES and allow both projects to communicate with it, do both projects need to have the same Project ID? Or can each separate Enterprise Server maintain its own Project ID?   Requirement: The MES is licensed to support multiple Enterprise Servers (with different project IDs). Purchase the IA-MES-1 which supports an Enterprise Server for one site.  Additionally, each IA-MES-N would add another Enterprise Server (additional site). The project IDs for each Enterprise Server site would have to be provided in the license request form. The license will then list multiple project IDs and add the multisite feature.

Issue How can Modbus address xxxx, function 16 be written? Environment Modbus driver Cause To use function code 16 instead of 06, configure the properties usePresetMultipleRegister and usePresetMultipleCoil Resolution By default, the Modbus driver uses function codes 05 (Force Single Coil) and 06 (Force Single Register) and can be set up to support the Force Multiple function codes. Navigate to the Modbus Service properties -> General – Config tab. Set the properties usePresetMultipleRegister and usePresetMultipleCoil both to true. The driver will now write using function code 16 instead of 06 for both the ModbusGenericAO and ModbusPresetRegister objects.

Issue What is the Analog to Digital Output resolution of the MNL controllers? Environment MNL Controllers Cause Analog/Digital conversion resolution Resolution The MNL controllers (with the exception of the MNL-800) have a 10-bit equivalent UI resolution and an 8-bit output resolution. The MNL-800 has a 12-bit equivalent UI resolution and an 8 bit output resolution.

Issue What is the Analog to Digital Output resolution of the MNB controllers? Environment MNB Controllers Cause Analog to Digital conversion resolution. Resolution The MNB BACnet controllers have 12-bit resolution on the inputs and 8-bit resolution on the analog outputs.

Issue Can the MNL controllers be powered by DC voltage? Environment MNL controllers DC voltage input Cause Using DC voltage is not recommended or supported. Resolution The MNL controllers are not specified for DC operation and all agency approvals were submitted using a power source of 24 VAC 50/60 Hz.

Issue Can the MNB controllers be powered by DC voltage? Environment MNB controllers DC voltage input Cause Using DC voltage is not recommended or supported. Resolution The MNB controllers are not specified for DC operation and all agency approvals were submitted using a power source of 24 VAC 50/60 Hz.

Issue How can a Network 8000 GCM-84000 or GCM-86000 be connected to the Niagara R2 UNC-520 RS-232 port? Environment Network 8000 GCM-84000 GCM-86000 Niagara R2 Cause To use Network 8000 GCM-84000 or GCM-86000 with Niagara R2, connect using a pre-built adapters and silver satin cables. Resolution Pre-built adapters and silver satin cables for this type of connection are available for order.   The RJ-45 to DB-9 adaptor (UNCC-405) will interface to the GCM-86000. The RJ-45 to DB-25 adaptor (UNCC-430) will interface to a GCM-84000. A series of pre-terminated silver satin cables are available in three standard lengths: CBL-RJ45-4 Silver satin patch cable, 4 feet in length CBL-RJ45-10 Silver satin patch cable, 10 feet in length CBL-RJ45-25 Silver satin patch cable, 25 feet in length

Issue How can a DMS-35, DMS-350A or DMS-3500 be connected to a Niagara R2 UNC-520 RS-232 port? Environment Niagara R2 UNC-520 DMS-35 DMS-350A DMS-3500 Cause To use a DMS with Niagara R2, connect using a pre-built adapters and silver satin cables. Resolution Pre-built adapters and silver satin cables for this type of connection are available for order.   The RJ-45 to DB-9 adaptor (UNCC-405) will interface to the DMS-350A and DMS-3500 panels. The RJ-45 to DB-25 adaptor (UNCC-430) will interface to the DMS-35 panel. A series of pre-terminated silver satin cables are available in three standard lengths: CBL-RJ45-4 Silver satin patch cable, 4 feet in length CBL-RJ45-10 Silver satin patch cable, 10 feet in length CBL-RJ45-25 Silver satin patch cable, 25 feet in length

Issue How to remove, from a Niagara R2 Enterprise Server station, data for all logs prior to a specific date with one command. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series R2 Enterprise Server Cause Cloudscape database management Resolution There is a utility that will allow deleting of records before a certain date of all or specific tables in the cloudscape database. The space from deleted records can also be recovered after deleted. This utility is called CloudscapeAdmin and is downloadable from The Exchange Download Center. Download cloudscapeAdmin.jar and place in the x:\niagara\[NiagaraRevision]\nre\lib directory (for Builds 431 and higher). To run this utility the station will need to be stopped. Once the station is stopped, open the console from either the created short cut or x:\niagara\[NiagaraRevision]\nre\bin\console.exe. From here type ‘nre CloudscapeAdmin’ and hit enter to view the commands to use it.  There are two functions that cloudscapeAdmin can do: Delete; The delete command deletes records before a certain date but does not reduce the size used on the disk. The empty area of the database will be filled with new archived data. Compact; The compact command deletes records before a certain date and recovers the space from the disk. This process is slower. Command: nre CloudscapeAdmin x:\niagara\[Niagara Revision]\stations\[Station Name] [User Name] [Password] [delete or compact] [tablename or all] [date] Sample Delete commands: nre CloudscapeAdmin c:\niagara\r2.301.522a\stations\StationName admin admin delete all 2007-07-01 Sample Compact commands: nre CloudscapeAdmin c:\niagara\r2.301.522a\stations\StationName admin admin compact all 2007-07-01

Issue How to configure serial tunneling for MicroSmart networks in Niagara G3. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment Niagara G3 OPRIF 11.x Cause Documented procedure with figures don't identify all steps clearly Resolution This video will help you set up and use serial tunneling with MicroSmart networks in Niagara G3.

Issue How to program a limit block for use in Niagara G3. Environment Niagara G3 Cause Limit are configure using the Reset object in the kitControl palette in the Math folder. Resolution Use the Reset object found in the kitControl palette in the Math folder.  To use it set the "Input Low Limit" and the "Output Low Limit" to the lowest desired output.  Set the "Input High Limit" and "Output High Limit" to the highest desire value. kitControl-Reset This component performs a linear “reset” on the inA value. Reset is available in the Math folder of the kitControl palette. Reset operation is defined by the following four slots: Input Low Limit — must be less than the Input High Limit Input High Limit — must be greater than the Input Low Limit Output Low Limit — may (or may not) be greater than the Output High Limit Output High Limit — may (or may not) be greater than the Output Low Limit For example, a Reset object is used to establish a hot water control setpoint, based on the outside air temperature at inA. When the outside air temperature is 0°F, the hot water setpoint is 200°F. When the outside air temperature is 75°F, the hot water setpoint is 100°F. The Reset object is configured as: Input Low Limit = 0.0 Input High Limit = 75.0 Output Low Limit = 200.0 Output High Limit = 100.0 Whenever the inA value is beyond the input limits, the output is limited by the corresponding output limit (in this case, 200 at 0°F or below, 100 at 75°F or above). When the input is at an intermediate value, the output scales linearly. For example, when the outside air temperature is at 38.2°F, the Reset output is 149.1°F.

Issue Warning - Platform running low on RAM disk space (Niagara G3 Release 3.2.5 and higher) Environment I/A Series G3 (typically embedded ENC/JACE platforms) Cause Low disk warning for history RAM disk A station fault will be generated if the free disk space on the history / alarm RAM disk falls below the minimum percentage specified on the PlatformServices property sheet. Resolution During station startup,  /niagara/bin/ramdisk.sh is invoked to create the RAM disk partition.   The RAM disk is named /aram0 and symbolic links are created from /alarm -> /aram0/alarm /history -> /aram0/history.  After the RAM disk is created it is populated with the contents of the alarm.zip and history.zip files.  During a station save or shutdown, the alarm and history files on the RAM disk are zipped and stored under the station directory in alarm/alarm.zip and history/history.zip.  If this fault occurs, users should take one or more of the following actions to prevent history/alarm data from being lost: Reduce number of histories that you are collecting Reduce number of records in each history Increase history RAM disk system (requires reboot). Action 3, above, will reduce the available system memory and should only be taken if there is sufficient free system memory.  Rather than writing history and alarm records directly to persistent storage, a Niagara G3 station stores history and alarm records in a RAM disk. This approach reduces the number and frequency of writes to flash.  Be careful not to increase too much otherwise you risk consuming all the available JACE free RAM causing the niagarad to crash.  Review the free system memory and make sure to leave a buffer of at least 1 MB of free RAM.  The RAM disk size is stored in /niagara/lib/platform.bog and can be adjusted using Services -> Platform Services. After reducing the number of histories, etc. the RAM disk will still indicate a low warning message until the unused histories are removed from the history storage.  Delete the unused histories using the Database Maintenance view on the history component view within the station.

Issue Configuring the LON Router (LPR-10) within a Niagara R2 System Environment Niagara R2 system LPR-10 Cause Procedure to configure LON Router (LPR-10) in Niagara R2. Resolution Since most LonWorks networks are unmanaged (that is, managed only by the Niagara station's Lon Device Manager), use the procedure beginning on page A-9, of the Niagara LonWorks Integration Guide, to define the LonWorks network.  Before beginning this process, cut the existing LonRouter and Channel1 from the station. Set the status of all of the Lon devices to "Unknown". The most important part of this process is defining the router and associated channels before beginning any of the automated processes using the LonDeviceManager. Ensure four LON-TERM-2 devices (LON BUS Topology Terminators) are installed. One at each end of the trunk and one at the near end of the router and one at the far end of the router.

Issue Is Niagara R2 compatible with Windows Server 2003? Environment Niagara R2 Windows Server 2003 Cause Compatibility Resolution Niagara version 514 and higher was officially certified to operate with Windows NT, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003. As a side note, if using Windows Server 2003, there are two issues to be aware: Windows Server will use IIS services causing a conflict with TCP port 80. This will have to be addressed when engineering the station database. There is an issue with Niagara and Windows Server 2003. Tridium released a Tech Tip as follows: R2 Web Supervisor on Windows 2003 Service Pack JDE will not start. If fui.exe is run from within the Windows command prompt, the following error is displayed: Error occurred during initialization of VM Could not reserve enough space for object heap. The problem is limited to instances where the user is accessing the computer with a Remote Desktop connection. On 8/8/2006, Microsoft issued an update KB921883 which unintentionally causes problems with applications that use large amounts of contiguous memory on a Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1-based computer. There is a Hotfix now available to resolve the issues generated by this update. Hotfix KB924054.

Issue Getting an error when adding the ASD service to a Niagara R2 station Environment Niagara R2 ibsAsd driver Cause The error indicates that the serialDriver jar file has not been installed. Resolution The ibsAsd driver will not function without the serialDriver jar file. The serialDriver includes communications class files needed to support ibsAsd. To correct the issue, use the Installation Wizard in the admin tool to install the serialDriver jar. Caution: The station must have the Serial Driver installed. It is recommended that the 516b version released in July 2006 be used. The jar files as well as the ASD driver documentation (F-27429) are available for download from The Exchange Download Center