Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue If I have a point that is flagged for Export what is the easiest way to determine what is causing it to be exported? Environment Cyberstation Cause Determine the cause of a point to be export.  Resolution The easiest method to determine what is causing a point to be exported is to send the site to an ASCII file from Continuum explorer. Then open the dump file and search the file for all occurrences of that point name. Review each occurrence to see if there is an alarm attached or a program in a different controller that references this point. NOTE This same method is the quickest method of finding various objects that may be reference by other objects as these are often not available in listview eg. Objects referencing Alarm Enrollments, Event Notifications, Trigger points, Alarm Points, etc.

Issue When looking at my Access Distribution screen I have some personnel records that are perpetually waiting to distribute. What could be causing this? Environment Cyberstation web.Client Cause The most common reason for this is if you have personnel records that have an "Expiration Date" greater than the default of 12-31-2099 11:59:59.00 pm. Resolution If you have personnel with an expiration date greater than "12-31-2099 11:59:59.00 pm", it will hold up the distribution. The best way to correct this is to run a listview of personnel records which includes the expiration date. Sort the listview by Expiration Date in descending or and change all the Expiration Dates that are greater than the 2099 date to the 2099 date. Once this is done the records should automatically start distributing.

Issue Changing the NetController Model Type between 9900 and 9940 Environment NetController CX9900 NetController CX9940 Cause Update NetController model number in Continuum database Resolution Backup the database. Shut down Continuum as precautionary measure Open the SQL Enterprise Manager Open the SQL Query Analyzer Select the ContinuumDB To change from 9900 to 9940, type in update infinitycontroller set CntrlType = 44 where UiName = ‘Infinity1’ and execute To change from 9940 to 9900, type in update infinitycontroller set CntrlType = 42 where UiName = ‘Infinity1’ and execute Please note that you must change ‘Infinity1’ to match the Uiname of your controller Start Continuum up again and verify that the change was effective

Issue Door Force Lock schedule configuration Environment Continuum Access Control Cause Enable the Door Force Lock Schedule attribute in the Door object. Resolution Door Force Lock schedule configuration This is a two part setting in order to successfully make Door Force Lock schedule work. If you set up a point in the Door Force Lock Schedule on the options tab, You will need to check either Normal and/or Comm Fail on the entry reader tab of the door editor in order to successfully work.

Issue Intrinsic Alarms (Controller Status, etc) - What are they and how do they work Environment Continuum Site Cause Alarm not written to the database and available via ListView Resolution Intrinsic Alarms - What are they and how do they work Intrinsic alarms are let’s say built-in alarms on each Continuum workstation. The event notifications for these alarms are located under the templates directory in the Continuum Explorer. The event notifications for these intrinsic alarms will need to have recipients added to them and configured in order to receive alarms at the workstations. They function a bit differently than regular alarms since for one there is no alarm enrollment, hence the built-in part. Please look at these alarms as machine specific. Having said that, if you have two workstations and machine A is set to log the alarm and is in the recipient list and machine B is in the recipient list without being set as log for the Controller Status. When a CX controller goes offline you will receive the alarm in both workstations, but will only be logged to the database when machine A has acknowledged based on the Deactivate criteria. If you have both machine A and machine B both set to log the alarm, as mentioned before each alarm is machine specific, then two alarms will be logged into the database.  There intrinsic alarms below work as described. Controller Status Fault Status Logon Status

Issue There is a known issue with the ePadink signature readers when trying to capture a signature through the Continuum Personnel Manager. Environment ePadink Signature reader Epi-Builder Cause Driver issue between the ePad reader and Epi-Builder. Epi-Builder is the latest version of personnel card editor that the later versions of Continuum use. The later versions of the ePad Drivers do not work with the Epi-Builder card designer and will only capture one pixel of a signature. The CD that ships with the latest ePadink readers is 7.52 this will not work. The older CD version 6.24 drivers and 7.1 software version does work. Resolution WORKAROUND: If you have the installed the drivers and software from the 7.52 CD, go into add remove programs and remove the Interlinks Electronic ePad software. Then install the ePad drivers 6.24 and software 7.1 from the older version CD. This is a known issue between Interlinks ePadink and Imageware. The ImageWare reference number is 66251.

Issue When opening a pinpoint graphic on Cyberstation, Continuum displays the error "Can't Create Empty Document." Environment CyberStation Cause This error may be displayed when trying to create or open a graphic file. May indicate that either the XML parser or the Pinpoint.INI file has been corrupted.  Resolution The fix is to reinstall the XML parser. On the workstation displaying the error, exit Continuum gracefully. Open  Windows Explorer Browse to the C:\Windows Folder Find and delete Pinpoint.ini  (Continuum will rebuild this file on startup). Try to edit or create a graphic file. If the problem persists, the fix is to reinstall the XML parser. On the workstation displaying the error, exit Continuum gracefully. Open  Windows Explorer Browse to the Program Files > Continuum > Install folder Run msxml3.msi Run msxml4.msi If you have an older version of Continuum you may only find msxml3.msi. You should not have to reboot the workstation after the install has completed successfully. Start Continuum You may need to Uninstall Continuun, reboot, Reinstall Continuum If the above doesn't correct the issue, go to a restore point prior to the problem or reformat the hard drive and reinstall Windows and Cyberstation

Issue After a flash upgrade to a Net Controller, getting "Copy Protection Violation" error Environment Net Controller Cause After a flash upgrade to a Net Controller, you see a "Copy Protection Violation" error. This can be corrected by flashing with a different flash file. The Net Controller flash files come in 2 versions per Net Controller. On the Support web page, you will see the various versions labeled "SNMP Not Set" and "Standard SNMP." These labels can be misleading. Resolution If you have a controller that has been upgraded to the optional SNMP Alarming, you should use the “SNMP Not Set.” This flash file will upgrade the controller to the specific version of firmware without interfering with SNMP. As of version 1.5, Continuum CX controllers ((CX99xx, CX94XX, CX9201), and as of version 1.2 of the 9702 SiteController and version 1.0 of the bCX1 controllers (96xx and 40xx) can be located and managed on corporate Ethernet networks with support for SNMP. These controllers have “Standard SNMP” functionality. Using an SNMP Browser, the controllers can be seen as part of the corporate network. If SNMP Alarming has been purchased, the controller will deliver Continuum alarms to SNMP Browsers. The SNMP Alarming option can be added in the field by updating the controller with a file purchased from the Repair Department. You can determine if your controller has SNMP alarming enabled by editing the controller and selecting the Options tab. If you only see SNMP: Enabled, this controller is enabled for Standard SNMP. Flash upgrade this controller with the files labeled “Standard SNMP.” If you view the Controller Options tab and see SNMP: Enable, SNMP Notifications, SNMP Alarm Table Size and SNMP Alarm Links, this controller has been enabled for SNMP alarming. Flash upgrade this controller with the files labeled “SNMP Not Set.”

Issue Bacnet MSTP Network ID-Comm2 cannot be duplicated Environment bCX Controller B4 Controller Cause If the MSTP Network ID-Comm2 is duplicated, you'll experience issues when trying to find bacnet devices. Resolution Bacnet MSTP Network ID-Comm2 cannot be duplicated When commissioning a Bacnet Controller either BCX or B4, caution must be taken to ensure that the MSTP Network ID-Comm2 is not duplicated. On jobs that have bacnet systems running on the same ethernet, make sure to avoid using an MSTP Network ID that is already in use independent of our system. The default MSTP Network ID Comm2 setting is 2765.

Issue Intrinsic Alarms - (InfinetStatus & IOModuleStatus) What are they and How do they work Environment Continuum workstation Cause Information on Intrinsic alarms feature. Resolution Intrinsic alarms are built-in alarms on each Continuum workstation. The event notifications for these alarms are located under the templates directory in the Continuum Explorer. The event notifications for these intrinsic alarms will need to have recipients added to them and configured in order to deliver alarms to a workstation. These 2 intrinsic alarms function the same as regular alarms since it's the Netcontroller delivering the alarm. Meaning that they do not need to have a recipient in the eventnotification setup to LOG the alarm in order for it to be entered into the database.

Issue Upgrading Smartphone/PDA to Mobile 6 for use with Roam I/O 2 Environment Smartphone Handheld PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) Roam I/O 2 software Cause Upgrade existing Smartphone/PDA to Windows Mobile 6 Professional. Resolution If upgrading a Smartphone or PDA device to Microsoft's Mobile 6 from a device that was previously used to install the Roam I/O 2 software on to the Smartphone or PDA you'll need to remove the BacnetServiceToolPPC and the InfinetServiceToolPPCusing using the add or remove programs located in the PC's control panel. If you are installing the Roam I/O 2 software from a machine that has not previously had the BacnetServiceToolPPC or InfinetServiceToolPPC installed then there is no need to remove. Since Mobile 6 was not available when this tool was released, the Roam I/O 2 Pocket PC Requirements do not list that Mobile 6 is supported along with Active Sync 4.5 which is required to synchronize with Mobile 6. We've run some preliminary tests on this platform and find that the functionality remains the same as earlier supported versions of Microsoft's Mobile 2003 & 5.0 which were tested before releasing the Roam I/O 2. *****************NOTE*********************** There are two different versions of Windows Mobile 6 Windows Mobile 6 Professional --- WILL WORK Windows Mobile 6 Standard --- WILL NOT WORK The big difference is that the standard version doe not have touch screen ability which is required with the Roam IO/2 software.

Issue Web page cannot be found message when accessing http://IP/pe/home on a B4920 Environment B4920 Cause The B4920 does not allow access via Plain English to the web server. Resolution This feature is supported in the 99XXs, the BCX and NCIIs, but not on the B4920. This feature will not be added in the future.

Issue Webpinpoint gives error, Could not connect to server. Cause:Type missing for member of type Object_ContectID Environment Webpinpoint graphics for webclient .NET Framework 1.1 Cause Hotfix issued by Microsoft (KB928366) was installed. Resolution This issue happens on webpinpoint graphics for webclient installations using .NET Framework 1.1, versions 1.6x through 1.73. A hotfix was issued by Microsoft that caused this issue KB928366. The solution is to remove KB928366 or upgrade to a version of webclient that uses .NET Framework 2.0, versions 1.74 or greater.

Issue Webpinpoint graphic shows exclamation point in a dialog box with no other information AccWpproxyserver process will not remain running on the webclient PC Environment WebClient Standalone WebServer LAN Webserver Cause This issue happens on webpinpoint graphics for Webclient installations where the server is Windows Server 2003.  It has recently been discovered that this issue can affect both Continuum  LAN as well as Single User systems.  Resolution The solution is to add the loopback address onto the IIS server by taking the following steps. Open IIS Manager Expand Web Sites> Right Click on Default Web Site and select Properties Click the Advanced button to the right of the IP address field Click the Add button and enter the IP: 127.0.0.1 and the port: 80, Click Ok,Ok Stop and Start IIS Launch Webclient and a graphic and the exclamation will no longer appear. Note: If SSL (https:) is being used, this error can also be caused by making a change to graphics and not rebooting the webclient PC. It can also occur if SSL is being used and WPPMonitor.exe.config hasn't been edited to include the SSL Machine name. Ex. The default is XPAVALON - this should match your PC name. If the above has been tried, full permissions have been granted to C:\Program Files\Continuum\DNWACserverFactory and NewgraphicsFiles folder then more than like a removal and reinstall of IIS and Continuum is needed. Be sure to select the specific items for IIS when reinstalling.

Issue How many logical networks can be created on a Continuum system? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum system Cause Information on the total number of logical network supported on a Continuum system Resolution The number of logical networks that can be created in Continuum is theoretically infinite. The only limitations would be DB size (2GB for MSDE and 4GB for SQLExpress) on a standalone setup, hard drive space on LAN setup and/or any DB size constraints. The restriction would also be that each logical network would not be able to share data with controllers on the other logical networks, however Cyberstation would be able to communicate to all of them.

Issue When communication is lost to an AC1 module, the doors lock down even if they are unlocked by schedule. Environment AC1 module Cause The doors will attempt to default to a secure position. Resolution When you lose communications to AC1 modules they will automatically fail to a secure position.

Issue Do I have to install the Continuum Reports "add-on" for versions 1.7 or higher? Environment Continuum Reports Cause Continuum supplies many Report templates that include attractive bar-chart templates, pie-chart templates, and trend templates - giving Reports a customized "look and feel." To use these templates (and thus, reports in general) you must import them during the Continuum installation process, in version 1.7 or higher. Resolution It is not necessary to install report add-ons for versions 1.7 or higher because this is done during the installation procedure. In the Database Initialization dialog, check the Create/Update Graphical Report Settings checkbox. (For more information, please see the Continuum Installation Guide, 30-3001-720.) If you do not check this checkbox then reports are not available.

Issue Changing BACnet Port for Continuum Cyberstation Environment Continuum Cyberstation BACnet controllers Cause Changing the BACnet Port number that Continuum Cyberstation communicates on Resolution By default Continuum Cyberstation communicates on port 47808 in hexadecimal that is BAC0. The BACnet controllers BCX & B4920 have the ability to have their default ports changed. If you change the BACnet port of a BACnet master and want to communicate with the Continuum workstation, you'll need to make a registry change in each workstation. Changing the Continuum Workstation BACnet port This key location is different in 32-bit and 64-bit systems. In 32-bit; the key to change is located in the registry at the path "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Andover Controls\Continuum\Settings". In 64-bit; the key location is now under the "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Andover Controls\Continuum\Settings\" key. Once you're at that path you'll notice a key named "Cyberstation Port" .The value is stored in hexadecimal, so to change it make sure that you enter your new value in hexadecimal. After changing the value in the registry, the Continuum Cyberstation will need to be restarted. Changing the BCX or B4920 BACnet port To change the port on the BACnet controllers either BCX or B4920, open the configuration page in Internet Explorer by putting in the IP address and edit the port settings to the port number that you are changing to. This number will be in regular decimal format. Once changed make sure you save your change and commit the changes to the controller which will restart the controller. Changing the Continuum Workstation BACnet port example. Open the registry editor from Start\Run and enter regedit from the workstation. and explore down to the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Andover Controls\Continuum\Settings and open the Cyberstation Port key and enter BAC1 which is hex for 47809. If you have the Continuum Cyberstation running you'll need to restart the Cyberstation Once restarted, open the continuum explorer and select the Root and right click and select find new BACnet devices. The controller you have changed will appear as will all of its MSTP devices. Changing the port on a BACnet master controller example. To change the BCX/B4920 BACnet port to 47809 which is BAC1 in hexadecimal. Then log onto the configuration page of the BCX and change the BACnet Port Number -UDP, notice it is displayed in hex but on the controller configuration page you'll change the number using regular decimal. We'll change this to 47809, apply our changes and then on the left hand side select commit and apply on the commit page, which will restart the controller and the new port changes will be in effect. NOTE: If you already have BACnet network established, first delete my whole BACnet side, since after making port changes you don't want other controllers making an attempt to communicate with the previous port number in its known routing table.  IMPORTANT: Anytime you edit a registry, make sure you have backed up the registry and have a contingency plan in case you edit or delete some that that you should not have.  

Issue Changing ElecTypes on points on a Continuum BACnet controller after the system is saved into the BACnet side can cause major database mismatch problems, COV failures, deletion of EventEnrollment points and graphic points. (Updated 10/27/08) Environment Continuum BACnet Cause Continuum delete the defaults BACnet object type "AnalogValue" in the database and create a new BinaryValue or vice versa. Resolution In a continuum BACnet system, the Continuum BACnet controller creates a BACnet point for every Continuum point that is created on the Infinity side. For instance if you create an InfinityNumeric it defaults as a BACnet object type "AnalogValue" and creates that point in that class in the controller. If that controller is then saved into the BACnet side through Cyberstation it will create that point in the Continuum database under the AnalogValue class. If you then program other controllers to use that point, a COV subscription will be created to the controller owning that point. If you later remember that you wanted this point to be a digital point so you change the BACnet object Type to a BinaryValue. What then happens is the controller changes the class the point belongs to in the BACnet side. When the controller is saved into the BACnet side, Continuum will delete the AnalogValue Bacnet point in the database and create a new BinaryValue point in it's place with a new Object ID in the Continuum database. This creates several problems. The first issue will be that any COV subscriptions for this point will now fail, because the Plain English program that was referencing the point will still try to subscribe to the AnalogValue point, but it is now a BinaryValue point. Data Sharing will stop. The second issue will be that the Save on the BACnet side will find a duplicate point in a different class and it will delete the older AnalogValue point and create a new BinaryValue point. During this process it will also create this point in the BACnet database with the "Full Name" of the object the same as it's Alias. Because the system needs to keep the Infinity side and BACnet side in sync, it will replace the full name on the infinity point with the Alias. Further issues such as this point being used in a graphic, an EventEnrollment, a report, etc.. Will be deleted from these objects because it is now a different point and will have to be reattached to these objects. To avoid these issues You should first disable the BACnet preference "Automatically save new BACnet devices to Database". This will stop automatic database synchronization on the BACnet side when you are creating, deleting and changing points during the site commissioning and programming. Secondly you should create points with the correct BACnet object type before referencing them in a data sharing program. Third you should only save the points into the BACnet side after you have completed the correct point configurations in all classes (Inputs, outputs, numerics, etc). Finally, if after the system configuration and programming is completed, if you need to change a BACnet object type, you should first delete the point from the BACnet side of the database, change and save the point back to the controller, and then recompile any Plain English programs in any other controllers that were referencing that point for a COV subscription. The controller can then be saved back into the BACnet side. If that BACnet point was used in a graphic, or an EventEnrollment it will also need to be reattached.

Issue There is an error message on the LCD display of the old style Infinet controllers. What do these errors mean? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Infinet Controller Cause Information on the error code received on the LCD display. Resolution Infinet controller is displaying error 1 on its LCD display. This message indicates that the controller received a bad packet of data on the Infinet. If the problem persists follow troubleshooting instructions. Verify Infinet cable connections, approved twisted shielded pair cable, less than 4000 feet of network cable between Infilink repeaters, no more than 31 controllers between Infilink repeaters. Verify proper grounding at the Infinet controller on the AC power terminals, poor grounding can cause erratic operation and communication problems. Easiest method to verify ground is to connect a digital voltmeter between the earth ground terminal on the power strip of the controller and the shield of the Infinet. this method will only work if you have connected your shields all through the network back to the Infilink and CX controller. Check the baud rate switch on the Infilink repeater module, although the Infinet controllers auto baud, the Infilink baud rate must be manually switched. Break down the network in segments to identify the bad controller or network segment. A binary search is recommended. (i.e. break the network in half, if this resolves the problem add half of the deleted back on, if it does not resolve the problem cut the remaining network in half, etc.). Once the offending segment has been identified, troubleshoot to the cable segment or controller level Infinet controller is displaying error 2 on its LCD display. This message means that it could not pass a token to another controller on the Infinet. If the problem persists follow troubleshooting instructions. (No response to the Infinet token pass) Verify Infinet cable connections, approved twisted shielded pair cable, less than 4000 feet of network cable between Infilink repeaters, no more than 31 controllers between Infilink repeaters. Verify proper grounding at the Infinet controller on the AC power terminals, poor grounding can cause erratic operation and communication problems. Easiest method to verify ground is to connect a digital voltmeter between the earth ground terminal on the power strip of the controller and the shield of the Infinet. this method will only work if you have connected your shields all through the network back to the Infilink and CX controller. Check the baud rate switch on the Infilink repeater module, although the Infinet controllers auto baud, the Infilink baud rate must be manually switched. Break down the network in segments to identify the bad controller or network segment. A binary search is recommended. (i.e. break the network in half, if this resolves the problem add half of the deleted back on, if it does not resolve the problem cut the remaining network in half, etc.). Once the offending segment has been identified, troubleshoot to the cable segment or controller level Infinet controller is displaying an error 3 on its LCD display. This means that the input reference voltage is out of range on the analog inputs. Verify that inputs coming from external transducers are not exceeding the voltage input range, either 5 or 10 volts depending on model, if so use a voltage divider on the input. Verify that any input wiring is not run in the same conduit as high voltage cable, or is properly shielded and grounded. If there is voltage getting coupled into the input wiring, separate the input wiring from the interference, or shield the cables. If the interference is being caused by the end device such as an auxiliary contact form an high voltage device, a cap between .01 and 1 microfarads across the input terminal to earth ground may alleviate the problem. Remove field I/O wiring from the controller and recheck operation. If the problem goes away determine which I/O wire is the culprit and correct it. Power down the Infinet controller and restart while connected to network. This will eliminate this unit having a duplicate ID on the network and it will also run the power up diags. Verify proper grounding at the Infinet controller on the AC power terminals, poor grounding can cause erratic operation and communication problems. Easiest method to verify ground is to connect a digital voltmeter between the earth ground terminal on the power strip of the controller and the shield of the Infinet. this method will only work if you have connected your shields all through the network back to the Infilink and CX controller. Remove field I/O wiring from the controller and recheck operation. If the problem goes away determine which I/O wire is the culprit and correct it. Infinet controller is displaying an error 4 on its LCD display. This means that the analog output reference voltage is out of range. Verify that inputs coming from external transducers are not exceeding the voltage input range, either 5 or 10 volts depending on model, if so use a voltage divider on the input. Verify that any input wiring is not run in the same conduit as high voltage cable, or is properly shielded and grounded. If there is voltage getting coupled into the input wiring, separate the input wiring from the interference, or shield the cables. If the interference is being caused by the end device such as an auxiliary contact form an high voltage device, a cap between .01 and 1 microfarads across the input terminal to earth ground may alleviate the problem. Remove field I/O wiring from the controller and recheck operation. If the problem goes away determine which I/O wire is the culprit and correct it. Power down the Infinet controller and restart while connected to network. This will eliminate this unit having a duplicate ID on the network and it will also run the power up diags. Verify proper grounding at the Infinet controller on the AC power terminals, poor grounding can cause erratic operation and communication problems. Easiest method to verify ground is to connect a digital voltmeter between the earth ground terminal on the power strip of the controller and the shield of the Infinet. this method will only work if you have connected your shields all through the network back to the Infilink and CX controller. Remove field I/O wiring from the controller and recheck operation. If the problem goes away determine which I/O wire is the culprit and correct it. Infinet controller is displaying an error 5 on its LCD display. This indicates the controller underwent a reset of power down and retained memory ( warm start). If there is not reason for this to occur power outages etc., then troubleshoot the problem. Verify proper grounding at the Infinet controller on the AC power terminals, poor grounding can cause erratic operation and communication problems. Easiest method to verify ground is to connect a digital voltmeter between the earth ground terminal on the power strip of the controller and the shield of the Infinet. this method will only work if you have connected your shields all through the network back to the Infilink and CX controller. Measure the AC power at the controller, Verify it is within specification (nominal +/- 20%). Typically 24 VAC power that is daisy chained will drop the voltage along the connections leaving the power below the acceptable level even if the transformer is sized correctly. Verify that any outputs that are driving inductive loads such as relays, actuators, or valves, have a varistor across the coil n the field device. Verify that any input wiring is not run in the same conduit as high voltage cable, or is properly shielded and grounded. If there is voltage getting coupled into the input wiring, separate the input wiring from the interference, or shield the cables. If the interference is being caused by the end device such as an auxiliary contact form an high voltage device, a cap between .01 and 1 microfarads across the input terminal to earth ground may alleviate the problem. Remove field I/O wiring from the controller and recheck operation. If the problem goes away determine which I/O wire is the culprit and correct it.