Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Search for all inputs and outputs in a system that are forced by operator Find IOs that are set in manual override Product Line TAC Vista Environment TAC Vista Workstation Cause Need to find all Inputs/outputs that are set to Forced by operator (manual override). Resolution In Workstation, right click on the Lonworks object and select search. In type of devices or objects select Analog/Digital input and/or Analog/Digital outputs.     Select property value 'Forced by operator' and Select equal to 1.     (To be able to set the property value 'Forced by operator' specify Analog/Digital input and/or Analog/Digital outputs, not just Points in 'type of devices or objects'.)

Issue The cooling and heating will not work on the Xenta 121 FC/HP even though the terminal load is building. Product Line TAC Vista Environment ZBuilder Xenta 121 FC/HP Cause The default setting for both the Xenta 121 Fan Coil and Heat Pump is to have no fan feedback. If the fan interlock options are selected then the heating and cooling will not work on the Xenta 121. The controller sees the absence of the fan feedback as a fan failure, therefore locking out the heating and cooling.   Resolution If fan feedback is not required then the primary heating, secondary heating, and cooling interlock need to be unchecked. You can access these options by launching ZBuilder, click the Configuration tab, and go to Control > Fan > Interlock.   If fan feedback is required then this feature needs to be activated. Launch ZBuilder, click the Configuration tab, and go to Control > Fan > Feedback. Here you can check to activate fan feedback and choose whether it is a hardwired point.   Once the configurations have been set, go to the I/O Setup tab where you can see that "Fan proof" has been added to a DI point. You can click and drag the "Fan proof" point to any available input.  

Issue Performing database maintenance with Vista 4.5.0 Product Line TAC Vista Environment Vista 4.5.0 SQL Server Cause It is necessary to perform backups for two reasons, first to be able to recover the system in the event of a fatal error and second to be able to manage the size of the database. Resolution Vista has a means of backing up databases on a Vista Server.  It is necessary to perform backups for two reasons, first to be able to recover the system in the event of a fatal error and second to be able to manage the size of the database.  The Vista database probably won’t grow very much after the initial engineering activity but the event and trend log database grows as events are received in Vista.  In many installations maintaining an archive of event data is required so that is another reason for backing up the database.  This paper presents a way to accomplish the backing up of the Event and Trend database and creating an archive file. Before the backup process can be implemented it is first necessary to have a good estimate of the Event and Trend Log traffic anticipated for the installation.  In the Vista 4.3.0 Technical Product Information (TPI), Ref No: C88-1-D43, there is section entitled Strategies for Calculating and Controlling Database Size.  On page 5 the method for determining database size is explained and used in the following example: Right clicking on the $Backup_LDB object in the Server View brings up this dialog.   Note that this example has an Event and Trend database that has reached 1121 (MB) in size.  The default Size Alarm Limit is shown to be 1640 and if the database grows past that size, Vista may not operate reliably. The TPI states on page 4 that events contain on average 2Kb of data.  Combining that value with the expected traffic provides a reasonable estimate of the database expansion rate.  If the installation traffic estimate is 4000 Events and Trend samples per day, the database expands at the rate of 8Mb per day.  If the installation traffic estimate is 10,000, the database expands at the rate of 20Mb per day. A conservative approach would limit the size of the active database to half of the alarm limit.  That means the backup process must be done so that the size does not get to 820Mb.  At 10000 Events and Trend samples per day that value would be reached every 41 days.  Vista is designed to allow Event driven backup operations and the closest choice it offers to the 41 days is once a month so that is what will be chosen. The configuration of backup is done in Vista Workstation by opening the Properties of the Workstation object in the tree.  The first step is to select a location for the backup files to be saved.  In the example shown below it is the folder outlined in red.   The “Max number of files” limits the number of backups that are retained by Vista on the hard drive.  The number chosen here was two (2).  The procedure that is described further down will actually move backup files to new directories which could be a network drive or a CD/DVD rom.  (The latter option requires operator action so it might not be the most desirable especially since backups are usually done at off times when an operator might not be available)  Next the event that is to trigger the backup must be defined.  The configuration of when the backup is done is set on the Log Backup tab of the Vista Server Properties dialog.  In the example shown below the backup is scheduled to occur on the first of every month at 12:40AM. The selection of Event object is made from the options made available by the browse button.     The browse selection brings up the Select dialog from which the selection of Event type and properties is done.  In the following example the selection is Monthly.   Right clicking on the $Event_LDB object opens the properties dialog box to configure the Event_Month object.  The final configuration option is what to do with older records.  Vista will remove Events from the database if you so desire.  The removal does not shrink the database but does make space available for new events to be written without expanding the size of the database.  This is the key to keeping the database from exceeding the Alarm Limit. The Event Log tab provides a way to delete old records from the database.  In the example shown below records older than 30 Days will be deleted after the backup that was done be the Event_Month object has been completed.  This means that each month the backup should have the most recent 30 days of Events and Trend samples.   The final step that can be taken is to also copy the backup file to a server that is backed up or to a CD/DVD Rom. This operation creates an archive in which Event and Trend data is stored.  Windows task scheduler can be used to run a cmd at some time after the backup operation was scheduled.  For the above example schedule it to run a 1:00am on 1 st of each month.  If backing up to a network drive create a folder such as shown below.  J:\Engineering\Vista Event Log BU.  In order for the task scheduler to run it is necessary to setup a user account on the pc that is not related to any actual user.  I added a user to the User group named, vista xcopy dbmgr.  This will be the user account used by the task scheduler.  The Vista backup folder must have modify/write permissions for this user and the folder into which the backup is going to be copied must have Full control.   The command line for this example is shown below: C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\xcopy.exe "C:\Program Files\TAC\TAC Vista 4.5.0\Db2\$bkp" "J:\Vista Event Log BU" /M The Windows task scheduler is configured in the Control Panel, Scheduled Tasks as shown below:   In the Run as: box enter the name of the new User created described above: vista (xcopy dbmgr) Schedule the task to run on the first of each month at 1:00AM.   The backup files can be restored to a Vista Server that is not performing actual site monitoring.  This method is only way the “archived” event and trend data can be viewed as of Vista revision 4.5.0.

Issue Cannot get to some of the pages defined in a Xenta OP Tree. They pop back up to the submenu. Alternatively, attempts to generate the Menta file or Xenta OP Tree result in the following error:   Conversion to BIN file OP Configuration tool working, please wait... Error in opdoc.tmp near line: 2224, symbol: 'NOF_LPag036Pg02_C': Symbol table full. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Xenta programmable controllers Xenta 280, 281, 282, 283, 300, 301, 302, 401, 401:B Menta OP Tree Cause The maximum number of pages allowed in the TAC Xenta OP tree is limited to 255. A sub menu is not included in this limit, but every status page should be counted. Resolution Check if the 255 page limit has been exceeded: Open the file OPDOC.SPT after generating the OP tree. (This file is normally located in C:\Program Files\TAC\Menta\Temp). Search for the first occasion of "EOFF". This value should be below 512 (This value adds up with 1 for each page and starts at 256. 256+255=511) If the size limitations have been exceeded, the size of the tree must be reduced in order to generate the OP Tree.

Issue It is possible to make connections to the output side of a DO or AO in Menta Product Line TAC Vista Environment Menta Cause Connecting to the back end of an AO or DO ensures that the value being used by the Menta application is always in sync with the value in the Vista Workstation/OP. Any AO or DO could be put in forced-by-operator mode, and if the Menta application does not use this down the line, the desired results may not occur. Resolution You can click on the right side of the output block and connect it to other blocks.  

Issue Is there a way to get all my MTA from a files saved off to disk from a Vista db? Product Line TAC Vista Environment Vista Database Generator Menta Cause Archiving/extracting all Menta files from a Vista database at the same time. Backup all applications quickly. Resolution You can use the Database Generator    to do this. Vista Server must first be running before performing these steps: Start Database Generator (Start > Programs > Schneider Electric > TAC Tools X.X.X > Database Generator). May need to right-click and Run As Administrator. Go to the Database Menu and select Export Data from Database Click on the browse button for the object. Select device navigation, and browse to your Network object and click OK. In the Export from Database dialogue, keep the default settings and click OK. All MTA files in the selected Network will be saved to the $wrk directory in the Vista database.   MTA files will be updated with any changes made from Vista to PVR blocks, TSCH blocks, etc. If changes have been made while directly connected from Menta or an OP, right click on each controller and select "Upload Parameters" before exporting the MTA files. If more than one Network exists in one database, a separate export must be performed for each network.

Issue Getting Database values despite Workstation being in Operating Mode.    Server is indicating Engineering Mode is active by the Red X in the task bar icons for Server and Workstation  Product Line TAC Vista Environment Vista Workstation 4.3.1 and later Cause Vista 4.3.1 introduced a change in the way Operating mode works in Server and Workstation. Previously there was only one Operating mode which was defined in Vista Workstation, however if someone logged on to do some changes in engineering mode this effected the ability for Vista Webstation to serve users over the ethernet. They would not be viewing live data, but database values from when the operating mode was changed. In Vista 4.3.1 and later, there is a Server operating mode and a Workstation operating mode. The Workstation operating mode will only affect the instance of Workstation that specified that mode allowing other users stay in Operating mode in Workstation or Webstation. Workstation Operating mode is still controlled from the Workstation user interface as normal. To change the Server Operating mode use Workstation to access the $system object in the root directory visible in Workstation. Resolution In Workstation, navigate to the root TAC Vista Double click the $System object in the root folder Check the box for "Operating" to set the server to operating mode.  

Issue TAC Xenta 527 - Embedded Web Server Product Line TAC INET, TAC Vista Environment I/NET Seven or Vista site Cause Need information concerning the TAC Xenta 527 - Embedded Web Server Resolution Information Technology Brief: The TAC Xenta® 527 is a web based presentation system for TAC Vista LONWORKS and I/NET Seven® networks. In addition, to supplementing the host workstation interface with web access, the TAC Xenta 527 can also be used as the sole operator interface into I/NET Seven and TAC Vista LONWORKS systems. A single Xenta 527 will handle small to midsized systems, and several devices can be used to handle larger networks. The web pages are based on standard Internet technology as HTML and Java™ Applets. Alarms can be forwarded as e-mail. Please use the following link: Xenta 527-23 June.doc

Issue When updating the Vista Database the update fails when trying to transfer a specific MTA object. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Vista System Plugin Cause Errors in the specific Menta file that is being transferred cause the entire Vista Database update process to fail and error out. Resolution Open the Menta file that caused the update to fail and check the following: Click Options > Constants Table ... and verify that the names of all of the constants are no longer than 18 characters. Make sure there are no unnecessary or orphaned constants present in the MTA file. If there are any orphaned or unnecessary constants in the constants table the Delete Unused Constants will be clickable. If not, the button will be grayed out. Clicking Delete Unused Constants will remove the unnecessary or orphaned constants.   Make sure there are no corrupted / orphaned trend logs, as well. You should be able to identify these by generating the project and an error will be returned like the one below. Delete these trend logs. After making these changes to the Menta file either save it directly to the Vista database or save it to the computer then browse it in from the System Plugin. The Vista Database should now update successfully.

Issue While opening a Menta file whose file name has changed, the following error appears:   tam32 Cannot open file: C:\$Projects\MentaFile.MTA  (File path of the offending file) Product Line TAC Vista Environment Menta Cause The cause of this error is typically due to manually renaming an .MTA through Windows instead of using the Menta "Save As" function, which causes corruption.  Resolution Right-click on the .MTA Menta file and select "Open with..." Open the file with a text editor, such as Notepad Scroll to the right on the second line to find the name of the file Menta is expecting with an .AUT extension.  The text will have extra spaces between each letter.  Caution: Do not make changes to the file in NotePad or save the file. Example: N E W M E N T A F I L E . A U T   Rename the file in Windows using the file name found in the text editor, but with a .MTA extension. Example: NewMentaFile.MTA   To avoid having to perform this correction, always use the Menta "Save As" function to rename .MTA files. 

Issue Xenta 102-AX Pressure Dependent Settings for heating mode Product Line TAC Vista Environment Xenta 102-AX Cause A Xenta 102-AX controller set to Pressure Dependent mode will use the minimum heating flow setpoint (SCPTminFlowHeat) to determine the maximum damper position in heat mode.  This parameter defaults to 50% of the cooling maximum, which will limit the damper to values of 50% or below in heat mode. Resolution The maximum damper position in heat mode for a Pressure Dependent Xenta 102-AX is defined by the following formula: (Minimum Heating Airflow / Cooling High Flow) x 100% For a Xenta 102-AX configured with 1-stage discrete auxiliary heat and the HAF set to 50% of the CHF, the unit will operate according to the following sequence: Temperature drops, Terminal Load falls to -50%, Damper opens by the same percentage as terminal load up to 50% and stops. Heat 1 also tracks Terminal Load and when it reaches 90% (when terminal load falls to -90%), Auxiliary Heat 1 enables. Temperature rises, Terminal Load rises to -50%, Damper starts to close, and Auxiliary Heat 1 stays enabled. Terminal Load rises to -10%, Damper closes to 10%, Auxiliary Heat 1 disables.  

Issue After downloading application and parameters to a TAC Xenta from TAC Vista, get an error message "OUT OF MEMORY (RAM)" When trying to edit a Xenta trend in TAC Vista Workstation get an error message "Could not save the object: OUT OF MEMORY (RAM)" Product Line TAC Vista Environment TAC Vista Workstation TAC Menta Cause The error message means that a trend log definition exceeds the capacity on the TAC Xenta unit. Resolution In Menta: Select the "Option" menu, and click on "Trend Logs". In the Select Trend Log dialog box, double click on the trend log that need to be edited. In the "Trend Log Definition" window, under "Signal" section: Increase the "Log Interval" time Decrease the "Log Space" time In TAC Vista Workstation: Right click on the Xenta log that needs to be edited. Select "Properties". Under the "Signal" Tab: Increase the "Log interval" time. Decrease the "Log space" time.

Issue When multiple Vista servers are networked up each Vista server displays all of the alarms. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Vista 5 and greater Cause Each Vista server is set up to look and synchronize to the Master Server alarms by default. Resolution In each node object, there is an option to send and receive alarms. Here are the steps to stop a slave server from receiving alarms from the master. From the Master Server locate the slave node that the alarms are to be local only. The slaves' node name will look like this format.   $lan."servername" Right-click on that slave node and select properties. Uncheck the receive alarm option and select OK. This stops that slave receiving alarms form that server. The send alarm option can be used in a similar way to stop alarms being sent to the master if required.

Issue Connecting a serial cable to a Xenta 5/7/9xx controller Product Line Satchwell MicroNet, TAC INET, TAC Vista Environment Xenta Servers Xenta 511, 527, 555, 701, 711, 721, 731, 913 Cause Xenta Servers have a service portal for use with HyperTerminal with a serial connection to the RS-232B port. Resolution Connect a serial cable, Programming Serial Kit, part no. 0-073-0920-0, between the PC and the RS232 port B on the TAC Xenta.  For more information about the cable see Cable Guide OFL-3972. Go to Start/All Programs/Accessories/Communications/HyperTerminal, and open the HyperTerminal. In Connection Description Windows, type any name you like in the Name box. Click OK. In the Connect to window, choose the correct COM port that the RS-232 cable is using. If you do not know which COM port it is using. Go to your computer device manager. (Right click on “My computer” icon, and choose “Manage”. Then under “System Tools”, choose “Device Manager”. Find “Ports (COM & LPT)” and expend it Find the COM port number that is used by the RS-232 cable. Click OK. In the COM Properties window, type 9600 for “Bits per second”, 8 for “Data bits”, “Parity” is None, “Stop bits” is 1, and “Flow control” is None. Click OK. Options: you can save this setting for future use. Click on File Menu and Save. Press ENTER to activate the command prompt. Default username and password is both “root”. Type “root” and press ENTER for both the username and password. Type “setip” and press ENTER. NOTE: Product support has also witnessed strange behavior with serial connections when certain laptops were not plugged into a power source or the Xenta Server was not grounded. If connection problems persist after the connection setting above are verified, make sure the Hyperterminal PC is plugged into a 120 vac power source.

Issue How do you load a PCC-10 or PCLTA card into a new computer? Product Line TAC Vista Environment PCC-10 PCLTA PC Cause A LON card has to be installed into each new computer that will connect directly to an FT-10 LON network. Software drivers and physical installation are both required. Resolution Load LonMaker on the computer Load the drivers for the card Shut down the PC Install the Card Reboot the machine Load the Card in Windows Check Plug 'n Play in Control Panel. If there is an error message when the program boots up, then the card is not loaded properly Check to make sure the card is configured correctly. Go to LonWorks Plug 'n Play Diagnostics and choose Restart/Test   Accept all the defaults when doing this. This will reconfigure your PCC-10 or PCLTA card.

Issue Within the Network modem object, what settings are required/normal for both the alarm delay and dial parameters windows? Product Line TAC Vista Environment Xenta 901 Vista Modem Manual Cause Problem/tip using modem dial Resolution This depends on the desired functionality. One examples definitions for the TAC Xenta: Dial when priority 1 alarms have been tripped/reset/acked Dial when priority 2 alarms have been tripped/reset Dial remaining alarms only once per day when it is cheaper to dial It always depends on the site requirements. One recommendation is to use at least 5 minutes delay before dial up. Please read the TAC Xenta 901 Handbook.

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 Services for assistance. Issue Slow reading/writing of log values and events might be caused by a fragmented index in the SQL database. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Vista Server SQL log/event data SQL Server 2005, 2008 Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express Cause If the SQL database has become fragmented in its index, these scripts can be run in SQL query software (e.g. Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express). Downloaded this software for free at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=C243A5AE-4BD1-4E3D-94B8-5A0F62BF7796&displaylang=en Resolution Warning: Always take backups of the system prior to performing maintenance on the database. Run the following SQL query: SELECT * FROM sys.dm_db_index_physical_stats (DB_ID(N'taclogdata'), OBJECT_ID(N'TrendLogValue'), NULL, NULL , 'DETAILED') WHERE index_level = 0 order by index_id Look at "avg_fragmentation_in_percent" Or DBCC SHOWCONTIG Look at Logical scan fragmentation If the database is fragmented, e.g more than 50% run this script to defrag the index: USE TACLOGDATA DBCC INDEXDEFRAG('taclogdata','TrendLogValue') Or USE TACLOGDATA DBCC DBREINDEX('TrendLogValue')

Issue How to address TAC Network Variables in Menta. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Menta Xenta programmable controllers Cause Passing data between two programmable controllers on a proprietary TAC Network Variable (TANV). Resolution In Menta, create an AI or DI, depending on the data type of the remote signal. Double click the block, name it, and choose "Bind" Select the "Network Variable" option In the Network Address, use the following signal format: Device\Module\SignalName Device is the name of the source controller in Vista Module is the Software Module (if no module is defined, this will be the Menta file Program Specification) Signal Name is the Point Name Note: The browse option ("...") on the Network Address should only be used if the Menta file is being edited directly from a live Vista database. To browse to the point on a Menta file that resides on the hard drive will most likely only provide the correct point name, and not the correct full network path name of the eventual Vista database object. See Troubleshooting TAC Network Variable (TANV) Communication for techniques on troubleshooting TANV communication.

Issue Generating a Menta application results in the following error if the maximum number of Menta blocks is exceeded in the application: TAM32 The maximum number of Alarm blocks is exceeded in the application. The problem must be solved before the application can be generated. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Menta Xenta programmable controllers Xenta 281, 282, 283, 301, 302, 401, 401:B Cause Generating a Menta application results in an error if the maximum number of Menta blocks is exceeded in the application. Resolution There can be no more than 127 alarm blocks in a Menta application.

Issue Tam32 Illegal closed loop has been detected Product Line TAC Vista Environment Menta Cause Menta evaluates all expressions in parallel every program cycle. Because of this, the output of an expression cannot be looped directly back to the input of the expression. Resolution Any time a logic loop is created in Menta a unitary delay object must be inserted into the loop. These objects are labeled DELB, DELI, and DELR. The type used depends on the data type flowing through the loop. These objects in many cases do not contribute to the logic of control but they are essential for program execution and the application will not compile without them.