Building Automation Knowledge Base

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 Elements in Sigma Graphics within EBO are not displaying correctly when its bound object commands the element to display or not to display. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Webstation Cause The issue arises on a machine that has a Windows Language Pack e.g. Norwegian Bokmål installed where the decimal separator uses a comma (,) rather than a dot (.).   In the example, using the EBO Graphics Editor, it can be seen that the decimal separator in 0,5 is a comma in the 'condition' command, other commands are also effected e.g. Bitmap, Alarm etc; Resolution When a Sigma graphic Data Import is undertaken the decimal separator dot (.) used by the Sigma machine is replaced by a comma (,).   On the Sigma server machine using Registry Editor. Registry Edit can be run by typing RegEdit in the Windows search box on the Task Bar. 1. Goto > Computer\HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-18\Control Panel\International\ 2. Locate sDecimal. 3. sDecimal will be set to a comma (,). Change to a dot (.). 4. Re-import the Sigma graphics using the Graphics Data Import in EBO. 5. Select a graphic and edit using the EBO Graphics Editor, select an element and check that a .(dot) is used.   Finally, check operation by changing object states on the graphics and the respective element changes state too. Note: This will be auto checked and be incorporated into the Sigma Transition Tool in the future.

Issue Can TAC BACnet (Viconics) thermostats have identical names or device ids within sub networks using their default names? Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Viconic BACnet Thermostats BACnet BCX B4 MSTP Cause Viconic stats need a unique address and unique name across the entire BACnet network. Resolution BACnet Viconics thermostats must have a unique name and device id across the entire BACnet network. The BACnet data link layer has two key parameters: the device object name and the device object ID. The device object name must be unique from any other BACnet device object name on the BACnet network (i.e. not just the MS/TP sub-network). Typically this question comes up because a thermostat will not come online. Run an acctrace during the Find and you will probably see a duplicate MAC address. Once you have given unique names and comm addresses to each of the thermostats on the entire BACnet network, these devices should communicate and come online properly. Each of the Viconic stats are given a unique name that includes the address (once it has been made unique) To change the communication address: Hold down the menu button until the option for menu comes up Answer the questions for the various options and eventually you will be brought to change comm address. Change Comm address, select Yes and then use the up or down arrows to give this MSTP Viconic stat a unique address. There is a Configuration Tool to access and edit the name and device id unique naming scheme. Click here for ViconicsConfigurationTool.zip. Installing and using the Viconics Configuration Tool on a Windows Laptop  You will need a serial adapter connection to tie into the MSTP bus that the thermostat(s) are connected to Select the Viconics folder > ViconicsConfigurationTool.zip You can install this ZIP file in any directory you wish, but the bacdocm.ini file must be installed on your C:\Windows directory. Use the bacdocm.ini file to configure your network settings at the Configurator Tool level. You can set the MAC address of your tool, the baud rate of your connection (max 38400 - limited by the RS-232 to RS485 port and Windows) etc. The "Our Device Instance" value represents the MAC address of the tool which must be unique on the MSTP network. Also the "MaxMaster" value must be set to a higher value than the highest MAC value on the MSTP network. You can edit this INI file to modify your settings OR you can modify the settings by going though the BACdoor Configuration Tool. Once you launch the Configuration Tool, you'll notice a white applet appearing at the right bottom of your screen. That is the BACdoor MSTP sniffer that actually looks for devices and objects. If you click on that icon, and select the "Configure" tab, a configuration window will be displayed. Select the baud rate at which you want to communicate with your device. This BACdoor configuration does the same thing as changing the BACDOCM.ini file (if properly located in C\Windows). Launch the Configurator Tool application. It automatically looks for devices on that network (at the baud rate set in the bacdocm.ini file or in the BACdoor Configuration window). If no device is detected an error message will pop-up after 1-2 minutes. All discovered devices will show up in the "Device List" you have to "Connect to device" in order to list all the objects of that device. After you changed the Baud Rate, you have to click on the "Apply changes" button. Don't forget that the max speed of this tool is 38400. For the first connection, you need to power cycle the thermostat (if it was running at 76800 previously) so that it auto-detects the 38.4 network. Once you set it to 76.8, you can not connect to that thermostat with the tool because of that 38.4 limitation. Also this tool does not support Read Multiple Property so it reads every property of every object one at a time. In its default mode of operation, the device will automatically match its baud rate to the baud rate of the network. Automatic baud rate detection will occur when the MS/TP communication port is initialized (on power up). If the network speed is changed, the device will keep listening at the previously detected speed for 10 minutes before resuming auto-bauding. Re-powering the devices will force right away auto-bauding. SE7xxx series requires the tool. The SE8xxx series does not as access is available through the menu on the device.

Issue Problem changing values in Echelon LonMaker Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, TAC Vista Environment Echelon LonMaker Echelon Browser Plugins Cause When using Echelon Lonmaker, verify the PC's regional settings have the decimal sign set as a dot (period) and not a comma. Resolution Go to Start > Control Panel > Region and Language Click the Additional settings... button Under Decimal symbol, make sure this is a period and not a comma.

Issue Create smooth rotation for an object in a Vista TGML graphic Product Line TAC Vista, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment TGML Graphics Editor Cause If the "CalcMode" is set to "Discrete" the object will rotate the full specified range instead of taking the duration time to slowly move around it.  Resolution Add a <rotate> tag to the object that will be rotating. Add an <animate> tag to the rotation. Set the properties for the animation: Animation = default state (Start/Stop), if a binding is ultimately used to control when the animation occurs, bind to this attribute. AutoReverse = should the animation continue in one direction or get to the end of the animation and then come back to the beginning? (True/False) CalcMode = determines whether the animation is smooth or jumps from end point to end point of the animation. For rotation, choose Linear. (Linear/Discrete) Duration = the amount of time in seconds that the animation should take. Higher numbers result in slower animation. Freeze = if true, the animation will pause at the last position when Animation is set to False. Otherwise it will revert back to the starting position. (True/False) Repeat = how many times should the animation occur. Default value is "Forever" but this value can also be set to any integer number (1, 2, 3, 4...) From, To = depend on the desired animation and target attribute. For rotation 0 to 360 is typical. Attribute = for rotation, the Angle property of the <rotate> tag is animated from 0 to 360 degrees. For more information on CalcMode see ‘Animation Overview’ in the Help.

Issue How to upgrade an Automation Server if Port 80 is closed and the Automation Server is placed behind a NAT router. Getting error message when upgrading: Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Building Operation Automation Server Premium Cause The problem is that the certificate are generated with the IP address off the Automation Server, and not the NAT Router IP. Resolution The Device Administrator has the option to add SAN's (Subject Alternative Name) and not just the address of the server. So add both the LAN and the WAN addresses in the SAN field when you generate the certificate and transfer to the server.

Issue Upon rebooting an MP-V, that has not yet gone through a Flow Balance, the Box Flow data goes to zero. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Multi-purpose VAV Cause When a box is not yet balanced, the Balanced K-Factor is zero. Part of the calculation of Box Flow is based on the Balanced K-Factor. Resolution There are two workarounds for this issue: Workaround 1: Balance the box Workaround 2: Enter in a number for the Box measured maximum flow and the Hood measured maximum flow. Either option will update the Balanced K-Factor to being a non-zero value.   This has since been fixed and first consolidated in IPC Hotfix 3.01.02.02000 (CP1), and fixed in release firmware release v3.02.01. See details in Box Flow goes to zero on restart, warm start, or cold start in the Known Issues and Solutions community page.

Issue Can Strings be used in all controller types? Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment All Continuum Controllers b3, i2 Controller (EcoStruxure Building Operation) Cause Some Controllers do not support strings Resolution The String class of object are supported in the following products: CX series (including all Netcontrollers), bCX series, CMX series, ACX series, i2 series (except i2885, i2887), BACnet series (except b3885, b3887), DCX 250, CyberStation.

Issue What binding methods can be used and how is the data transferred when binding objects between two b3  or Infinet controllers? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Automation Server, AS, ASP, ASB BACnet b3 Infinet controllers i2 Cause When binding objects between b3(infinet) devices/controllers, the type of Objects being bound will effect the properties of the binding. Resolution When binding between two Controllers, several methods can be used: Value/Point to Value/Point - The data goes via the Automation Server and the speed/rate is set in the Transfer Window, thus more bandwidth used and communication is lost if the Automation Server fails. Script to Value/Point - The data goes direct using BACnet COV subscriptions, thus less bandwidth is used. NOTE - The BACnet b3 and Infinet controllers, have no facility for direct binding of Value/Point to Value/Point, thus if a direct binding is made within the same controller, an EBO binding will be created. This will cause data packets on the MSTP or Infinet network. This should usually be avoided, as it can easily overwhelm the network. Bindings should usually be made from scripts. See Infinet under the hood for more details on Infinet setup

Issue In the SmartX Server, there is a system alarm "Shadow update failed" which will not reset What is the procedure to get rid of this alarm? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Cause The SmartX Server subscribes to the global security settings in the ES, this alarm indicates that there is something wrong with that subscription.  Resolution To reset alarm Navigate to the ES control panel->Document policy. Remove .vsd extension. This should reset the alarm in the SmartX Server  Once the alarm is reset, you can acknowledge it to clear it off the alarm view. Then add the extension .vsd back to the document policy on ES if it is relevant for the customer.

Issue Unable to connect to the detected RPCs using Engage app v1.2.1 or later and RPC 3.02.01 Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Room Controller (RPC) (all types) v3.02.01 Building Operation Engage Application Cause EFR32 BLE chip needs to be upgraded to fw3.01.00.00012 but looking at the device report you see there is a Failure to upgrade EFR32 error. Resolution From workstation open the control panel and select the Firmware upgrade view. Right-click the RPC from the list of available SmartX controllers > Device> Upgrade Firmware>Select Device Firmware Select 3.01.02.00046 Firmware package Wait for the RPC to fully upgrade and return to an online state before going to the next step. This may take 6 to 9 mins which is normal. Right-click the RPC from the list of available SmartX controllers > Device> Upgrade Firmware>Select Device Firmware Select 3.02.01.00247 Firmware package Wait for the RPC to fully upgrade and return to an online state before going to the next step. This may take 6 to 9 mins which is normal Once the RPC is online Right Click the RPC > Device> Download All Objects If not upgraded in this order, the Bluetooth Chip isn't correctly upgraded and will fail.    

Warning Hazard of Electric Shock: Remove all power from all devices before removing any covers or doors of the system. Disconnect power at the device and at the power source. Issue Need for a dual redundancy power supply for the Automation Server. Product Line EBO EcoStruxure Building Operation. Environment Building Operation Automation Server. Cause Understanding how to create a fail-safe power supply for an Automation Server.  Resolution To provide dual power redundancy to an Automation Server, a possible solution can be to use a Phaseo ABL4_ABL8RED24400. This will allow the connection of two 24V PSU's to be connected to the inputs. Then connect the output of the Phaseo ABL4_ABL8RED24400 to the AS's PS-24V See the attached document and diagram for more information.

Issue b3 i2 going offline and logging multiple 0x1408s in its error log. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment b3 Controllers i2 Controllers Cause Excessive traffic on the network causes controller to run out of message buffers. Every time a controller receives a communication packet it has to allocate a block of memory (a buffer) to place the packet until it can be processed. Under normal network conditions the packets are processed at a rate that exceeds the rate at which they are coming in, in some cases typically associated with network configuration issues or malfunctioning nodes on the network, (i.e. broadcast storms) the firmware in the controller is unable to keep up with the amount of packets being received which exhausts message buffers available and renders the controller unable to communicate properly. In many cases the condition is temporary and does not result in a major problem, it is not unusual to see sporadic 0x1408s in the error log but when the condition persists for longer periods it will have an impact on the ability of the controller to communicate properly on the network. Resolution Use LAN captures to identify and remove the root cause of the excessive traffic.  Take steps to reduce the occurrence of many concurrent trend data requests being made of the b3 i2 controller such as staggering trend collection times, varying log-intervals or configuring some logs as COV (interval = 0).   Adjust the configuration to collect fewer trend records more frequently. 

Issue How to get answers for project specification responses or how to get a product enhancement implemented. Product Line Security Expert, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Security Expert EcoStruxure Building Operation Cause Unsure who to go to for help with specification replies or how to get a potential product enhancement added to the offer. Resolution Create an idea on The Exchange Community for your specific Offer. The more Likes an idea floated on the Community receives, the more attention it is given by offer management for that associated product line. Even if you do not yourself have an Enhancement Request, help raise the profile of others by Liking theirs Contact your local solution category manager for the Offer as they will be able to point you in the right direction for answers to specification questions and can help escalate enhancement requests to Product Management. Americas: Americas.EcoStruxureBuilding@schneider-electric.com EMEA: EMEA.EcoStruxureBuilding@schneider-electric.com Asia Pacific & India: AsiaPac.EcoStruxureBuilding@schneider-electric.com When providing your feature request make sure to include as much detail as possible about the feature as well as any specifics that might help justify the need for the new feature.

Issue After connecting a new Optimum Living Space Sensor, the LCD is blank other than being backlit. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation SmartX Living Space Sensor Optimum Building Operation Multi-purpose VAV fw 2.00.03.02000 or older Cause Only Living Space Sensor bases running application version 1.0 or later can read the Optimum cover models Resolution Upgrade EBO to v3.1.x or later and SmartX controller to fw v3.01.x or later. At the time of this being published, firmware revisions prior to 3.01.x are not compatible with the Optimum Living Space Sensors (SXWSCDPSELXB, SXWSCDPSELXW, SXWSCDXSELXB, SXWSCDXSELXW).

Issue "Ethernet 1 Configuration" of a SmartX Server in the Device Administrator for EBO version 3.2.1 or higher shows "Dynamic DNS" as enabled and grayed out. Is it possible to disable "Dynamic DNS"? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium version 3.2.1 or higher Cause The Dynamic DNS service procedure supports the assignment of dynamic IP addresses to a particular domain. A comparison with the internet provider's DNS databases takes place automatically. The Dynamic DNS automatically ensures that changes to the IP address are detected and DNS entries are updated accordingly. Resolution In EBO version 3.2.1 or higher it will not be possible to disable Dynamic DNS, it will always be enabled.

Issue BACnet Interface has "!" with unresolved references Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server v2.0 or later Building Operation Multi-purpose VAV Building Operation Multi-purpose Controller Cause During the startup of a Smart-X controller, the auto-association feature fails and the data becomes corrupted Resolution Go to BACnet Interface -> Time Sync Recipients Find any devices listed as DEVICE_<Instance ID>, select & delete Verify all devices listed are configured as follows: SmartX controllers Recipient Type: Reference Recipient Device Object Reference: <Device in System Tree> If Recipient Name does not match, copy from Object Reference and paste in the field. This helps humans troubleshoot the issue. DO NOT set Recipient Type = MAC Address, Network ID = Global Network or Local Network, Mac Address = Broadcast. This will set time on other ES/AS with BACnet Interface on the BACnet System.

Issue TimescaleDB Installation Errors - ERROR: could not get 'pg_config --pkglibdir' : exec: "pg_config": executable file not found in %PATH% - ERROR: could not get 'pg_config --pkglindir' : exit status 1 Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation 3.x External Log Storage TimescaleDB (third party)  Cause Missing environment variable paths in Windows is detailed in section 9.4.4 PostgreSQL and TimescaleDB Installation in the EcoStruxure Building Operation 3.0.1 Release Notes. Assistance in how to add these variables is described below. Resolution Using the EBO External Log Storage Installer tool available on the Community, there is no need to make any manual configuration, as the tool executes the installation without the need for e.g. environment variables. Alternatively, you can manually set these as detailed below: You can either view a video showing how it is done:  or follow the instruction below view, add and modify the environment variables from the Control Panel as follows:  In the Control Panel select System and Security Select System Select Advanced system settings Select Environment Variables. In System variables, highlight Path and click Edit. For the error - ERROR: could not get 'pg_config --pkglibdir' : exec: "pg_config": executable file not found in %PATH% Add the New path 'C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\11\bin' to the environment variable. For the error -ERROR: could not get 'pg_config --pkglindir' : exit status 1 Add the New path 'C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\11\lib' to the environment variable. You should see something similar to the following after TimescaleDB has been successfully installed.

Issue How do I setup and configure the database when using External log storage in EBO? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment PostgreSQL TimescaleDB pgAdmin Building Operation Workstation Cause When using External log storage in EcoStruxure Building Operation(EBO) PostgreSQL server and TimescaleDB are installed on a computer where the trend log data and events should be stored. The database used for External Log storage needs to be setup and configured correctly. Resolution The EBO External Log Storage Installer tool available on the Community assists with installing and configuring the PostgreSQL server. But if you like to see how it is done manually please watch this video. The following steps are shown in the video: Create the database in the PostgreSQL server Create a user which will be used by EBO when it connects to the database Configure the database for use with EBO Configure EBO to be able to connect to the database  

Issue Are multiple Enterprise Servers in same system/site supported with Building Operation?  Product Line  EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Enterprise Central  Cause Large sites or customers may request a multi-tiered configuration to support multiple Enterprise Servers. Resolution A three tier server support containing multiple Enterprise Servers are not supported until Building Operation 2.0 and above.  The top tier of this EcoStruxure BMS been the Enterprise Central.  Refer to the following online help topic for further information: EcoStruxure BMS Server Hierarchy   

Issue When you select a trend chart from a Automation Server or a Enterprise Server the Internet Explorer Hangs and finally crashes. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment WebStation 1.1 and 1.2 Internet Explorer 8 Cause The wrong version of Java is installed. StruxureWare 1.1 and 1.2 requires Java version 1.6 update 26 to function correctly. This error is the result of Java version 7 installed on the WebStation computer.  Resolution Note:  Java is no longer required from SBO/EBO version 1.7 and above.  Uninstall Java 7 and install the correct version of Java (Java version 1.6 update 26) stated on the WebStation data sheet. Refer to the Online Help Topic WebStation Specification Sheet and select the version of WebStation in use to determine the version of Java required.