Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Is it possible to see how many simultaneous users are logged in via for example Webstation, Workstation and iPad to an ES? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation License Administrator Cause This information is not saved in any file or any object in the ES. Resolution Within the Enterprise Server this is not possible. An enhancement has been written for this function to be implemented in the future. However, it can be achieved by using the FlexNet Licensce Administrator, see Number-of-client-licenses-used Knowledge Base article.

Issue Attempting to set the Retain Level attribute of a Value object results in the following error: Saving Changes Invalid data 'Prohibit to retain both Value and priority properties at same time: (point name) Invalid data Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation 3.1 Cause Prior to EBO 3.1, it was possible to set retention levels on both the Value attribute and individual members of the Priority Stack. Starting with 3.1, that is not allowed and will give this error if you attempt to change the retain level setting of a Value that already has it set on a Priority, or vice versa. For systems configured in EBO 3.0 or prior that are upgraded to 3.1, the now invalid double-retention will be resolved automatically during the upgrade by retaining the Priority Stack retention level and setting the Value attribute Retain Level to No. Resolution Only set the retain level on one attribute of an object. The best attribute to retain is the Value. Setting Retain Level to Cold Start or Warm Start on the Value will also retain the full priority stack on a power failure or restart. Check the retain levels of each member of the priority array and ensure all are set to "No" and then set the Retain Level of the Value attribute to "Cold Start" or "Warm Start." To clear the retain level of individual priorities: Open point's Property window Click the Command tab Click the gear icon next to a Priority level, most likely starting with Priority 16. Check the checkbox for Retain level and set to No. To set the retain level on the Value attribute: Open point's Property window Click the gear icon next to the value Check the checkbox for Retain level and choose the desired level.

Issue Is it currently supported in EcoStruxure Building Operation to make EWS requests with users managed by Active Directory (Windows user)? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Automation Server Cause The EcoStruxure Building Operation software provides two methods to log on to the system, as a Windows user or as an EcoStruxure Building Operation user. Windows User A Windows user account is mapped to a Windows Active Directory user account group. Log On as an EcoStruxure Building Operation User When logging on as an EcoStruxure Building Operation user, you authenticate yourself with an EcoStruxure Building Operation account user name and password Resolution EWS only supports login to SBO domains (with Challenge Response, RFC7616) and NOT Windows domains added into SBO. It is not possible for an EWS request to authenticate using a Windows user only an EcoStruxure Building Operation user.

Issue Can Value Transfer Settings be used to control the frequency at which a value is transferred over the Infinet bus? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, Andover Continuum Environment Continuum i2 Controller Cause There is a need to control the frequency at which a value is transferred from one Infinet controller to another. Resolution Whether or not the Value Transfer Settings determine the value transfer rate depends on the type of reference used. When the Continuum to EBO transition process was developed, features and functionality were added to the Automation Server so that it would accommodate an existing controller protocol. Neither the Infinet controllers nor the Infinet protocol was substantially redesigned in order to work with Automation Servers. Infinet controllers have never had a Value Transfer Setting capability and it was not added when the Continuum Transition process was developed. The primary method of value transfer in Infinet controllers is the Import/Export tables. In order to enter a point into the Import Export table of a controller, the point has to be bound to an Infinet Script program or to an Infinity Alarm notification. You can find more information on the I/E functionality in the following Knowledge base article. Details on Continuum Import/Export (IE) System The Import/Export system is a highly efficient means of value transfer that is base value change. If you chose to bypass the Import/Export capability, the only method available to you to control the frequency at which values are transferred over the Infinet bus is to read these values via a program that incorporates some form of throttling to slow down the polling rate.

Issue Empty Legacy Code and Error converting PE code seen in Continuum Conversion Tool Many objects shown as "Partially converted" Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Continuum Conversion Tool Infinet i2 BACnet B3 PE programs and functions Cause The Continuum dump file converts, but numerous errors are seen as below PE programs and functions are empty in line with the error Empty Legacy Code and Error converting PE code Resolution Create a new Continuum text dump by highlighting the b3 or Infinet controllers only (rather than the Network Controller (bCX, NC2 etc)) and create a text dump. This is achieved by right clicking on the highlighted devices, choosing "Send To" then "Text File...". Use this new text file in the Continuum Conversion Tool. If this converts correctly then there is an issue in the Net Controller configuration. Alternatively check the Net Controller configuration, specifically the "CommPort", in this example; the first 'CommPort' line should not exist and is the problem, once removed, the conversion then proceeds correctly. 'TYPE         : DEVICE                              : NAME    : TEMPLATE : DEFAULTMODE : BAUD           : ALIAS CommPort : SiteName\ControllerName : 6780       : False          : Printer                : Baud9600    : CommPort : SiteName\ControllerName : comm1   : False          : Infinet                 : Baud19200  : comm1 CommPort : SiteName\ControllerName : comm16 : False          : LON                    : Baud19200  : comm16 CommPort : SiteName\ControllerName : comm2   : False          : NotConfigured    : Baud9600   : comm2 CommPort : SiteName\ControllerName : comm3   : False          : AutoSet               : Baud9600   : comm3 CommPort : SiteName\ControllerName : comm4   : False          : NotConfigured    : Baud9600   : comm4

Issue When attempting to open WorkPlace Tech Editor or Monitor an error is displayed stating: A supported version of Visio must be installed for WorkPlace Tech Editor or Monitor to function properly. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Workstation WorkPlace Tech Editor and Monitor Cause This message is displayed if WPTE requests Visio be started and Windows is unable to comply. Resolution Confirm the version of Visio loaded is a supported version. If it is then set Visio.exe and SE.WorkStation.IA.wptEd.exe to "run as administrator" and retry. To set a program to always run as Administrator, locate the executable file then right click it and select properties. From the Compatibility tab check "Run this program as an administrator" and then click OK Find the SE.WorkStation.IA.WptEd.exe for the EBO version being used and perform the same process as in step 2+3. See the path below

Issue Users are finding it difficult to locate the settings for Password Expiry on EBO Accounts Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure 1.7.1 and later Cause When the standard Administrators User Group is examined (of which the admin account is a member), the Password Expiry, Change Password and Auto Logoff settings cannot be altered.  Everything is greyed out.   Even if a new User Group is created,  while Passwords Change permissions and Automatic Logoff settings can now be adjusted, the Password Expiry is still not available. Resolution For Password Expiry settings select: Control Panel / Security Settings / Password Policy.    All Password options including Password Expiry can be adjusted here and will apply to all users rather than a single User or Group

Issue How to determine if a controller is capable of Full Duplex and the Link Speed used. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Cause How to determine if a controller is capable of Full Duplex. Link Speed can also be determined. Resolution Windows Powershell can be used to determine if a controller is capable of Full Duplex. The Link Speed and MAC address can also be identified. Identify the testing PC's network adapter name that will be used to connect to the controller. Using an Ethernet cable, connect directly to the controller's Ethernet port. Set the PC's IP address to one that is on the same subnet (but not to the exact same IP address of the controller). Using Windows Powershell, enter the following command line: Get-NetAdapter | Select-Object -Property Name, FullDuplex, LinkSpeed | where name -eq 'card name' where 'card name' is the name of the adapter as identified in 1. If the controller is capable of Full Duplex, it will be shown along with its LinkSpeed. Note, Full Duplex and Link Speed can only be achieved by the IT equipment the controller is connected to.

Issue Need to re-add firmware package to EBO for SmartX controllers and receive the error "firmware already exists" Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Multi-purpose Controller (MP-C) Building Operation Multi-purpose VAV (MP-V) Building Operation Room Controller (RP-C) - all Building Operation IP-IO Cause Cannot add a firmware package of the same revision if one is already in the firmware list. Resolution Open the Control Panel within WorkStation and select Firmware Management Select the firmware package you want to delete and click the delete button

Issue When doing an "import Trend Logs" in TAC Vista Conversion Tool only HTTPs works and not HTTP. When using HTTP the error message below is shown: "Log on to Building Operation server failed because Failed to access the server, a network error occurred" Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment TAC Vista Conversion Tool version 3.1.1 Cause This is an issue fixed in TAC Vista Conversion Tool version 3.2. The issue is that the "Import Trend Logs" tab looks at the HTTP/HTTPS settings of the "Convert Database" tab instead of its own. Resolution Use TAC Vista Conversion Tool version 3.2 when available. Workaround: Set the HTTP/HTTPS settings on the first tab(Convert Database) even if "Import of trend logs" is done.

Issue License Administrator shows failed when adding a new license file. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation  Environment StruxureWare Building Operation 1.1.x License Administrator Windows XP Chinese Version Cause The License Administrator can not load the license file correctly that path contains non-English characters. Resolution Move the license file to a new location where the path does not contain non-English characters. (eg. "C:\")

Issue If a user is created in an ES domain, will that user be visible under the AS if the AS is in the same domain? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Workstation Cause When a user is logging in for the first time to the AS, the AS will ask the ES for the user and password and then save it in the AS, but this will not visible for the user. The next time the user can log in to the AS even if the connection to the ES is broken as the user is now saved in the AS. Resolution Users will not be visible in the AS, only in the ES.

Issue When trying to lock the path of a binding point, the path doesn't change. Right clicking on a binding path to lock the path The locked symbol appears (1), but nothing happens to the path (2). 1. The path is unchanged. 2. The lock symbol is displayed When trying to save the changes the locked symbol (1) disappears. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Workstation v. 3.0 Cause Lock Path is not converting the relative path to an absolute path hence the save is not working as expected. This works fine in version 2.0 and is fixed in version 3.1. Resolution Upgrade to version 3.1 where this problem is fixed. In version 3.0 the path can be manually updated to the correct locked path before saving. Manually updated binding path to a correct locked path In the example above the path to the Analog Value in the binding point is  /Server 1/test/Analog Value Therefore the correct locked path should be ~/test/Analog Value/Value Make sure you have locked the path before saving.

Issue Preparing LonWorks Configurations for Upgrade You use this procedure when you want to prepare LonWorks configurations for a version 1.5.x upgrade, a version 1.6.x upgrade, or a version 1.8.x upgrade to a final 1.9.X or Higher version. WorkStation ONLY hotfixes are needed to Prepare the LonWorks configuration in order to upgrade to an SBO system 1.9.X or higher. Links to locating hotfixes on Exchange are needed. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment SBO Workstation Hotfix Only v1.5.0.17121 SBO Workstation Hotfix Only v1.6.2.1220 SBO Workstation Hotfix Only v1.7.2.11111 Note: AS-P HW.62 required for a LON system with a minimum SBO Software revision at 1.7.2.X Note: For Systems that are running SBO Software Revision 1.8.X please follow TPA-SBO-17-0002.00 -Server with LonWorks devices - Important software update - TPA-SBO-17-0002.00 Cause Difficulties experienced in locating these files on the Exchange. Resolution Prepare LonWorks Systems Running Version 1.5, 1.6, or 1.7. For Systems that are running SBO Software Revision 1.8.X please follow TPA-SBO-17-0002.00 - Server with LonWorks devices - Important software update - TPA-SBO-17-0002.00 SBO Workstation Hotfix v1.5.0.17121 - Contact Country Level PSS SBO Workstation Hotfix v1.6.2.1220 - Contact Country Level PSS SBO Workstation Hotfix v1.7.2.11111- Link To prepare LonWorks configurations for upgrade via the WorkStation Only Hotfix: Bring the system up to the base version within your respective site to SBO V1.5, 1.6.2, or 1.7.2. Then apply the WorkStation Only Hotfix from the list above to your respective version. 1. In WorkStation, in the System Tree pane, select the EcoStruxure BMS server you want to prepare for the upgrade. 2. On the File menu, point to LonWorks and click Pre-upgrade LonWorks configuration. 3. Click Next. 4. Click Finish. NOTE: Any EcoStruxure BMS that is currently at 1.8 or higher can be upgraded directly to 3.1 with one added note,  if the system has LON it will need to go through the LonWorks Pre upgrade before you can upgrade to 1.9.X or HIGHER. If you are upgrading from a version that is older than 1.8, read the documentation that describes the upgrading process for the relevant version.

Issue Users login to EBO using Windows Authentication via the Workstation client encounters the error "User account not associated with a group. Contact your administrator".  Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server - SXWSWESXX00001 Building Operation Enterprise Central - SXWSWECXX00005 Building Operation Workstation - SXWSWWORK00002 Cause The "Local System account" used to run the "Building Operation Enterprise Server" service does not have sufficient permissions for EBO/Active Directory integration. One function call from EBO to the Active Directory fails when EBO tries to fetch the groups for the user logging in. Resolution The service account used to run the "Building Operation Enterprise Server" service must be able to read the token-groups-global-and-universal (TGGAU) attribute. The IT department or the Active Directory administrator needs to grant this explicit access to the service account by adding the service account to the built-in group in Active Directory called "Windows Authorization Access Group". For more details regarding the TGGAU attribute, see this article from Microsoft Support, Some Applications and APIs Require Access to Authorization Information.

Issue Error message when trying to edit the Licensing Settings for an Automation Server in Device Administrator. Error message: Failed to get current data from server: Error when attempting to get license information: :Request to [AS-IP-ADDR]:443 failed. [SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED] certificate verify failed (_ssl.c:833) Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Building Operation Automation Server Cause The Server has been added with EBO server protocol HTTPS, but no SSL certificate has been transferred to the server. The error message is displayed after taking the following steps: In Building Operation Device Administrator check Show licenses Select an Automation Server by checking the box in front of the question mark displayed instead of the server name Click License Settings Resolution This problem can be resolved either by adding a SSL Certificate to the server, or by changing the connection type to HTTP. Solution I: Adding an SSL Certificate to the server Click the server name in Device Administrator. (The server name will be a question mark as DA will not be able to communicate with the AS in this state.) Select SSL Certificate in the left menu and click Generate new certificate. Click OK if you agree to use an auto-generated password. (Otherwise click Cancel enter a password and click Generate new certificate again) Click OK Click Transfer to server Click OK Go back to the server list and verify that the State says Ready and that the name is displayed correctly. Solution II: Changing connection type to HTTP Remove the server from the Device Administrator Uncheck Show licenses if it is selected Select the server by checking the box in front of the question mark displayed instead of the server name Click Remove in the green bar above the server list Confirm by clicking Yes Add the server with connection type HTTP Click Add Server Enter the server address, password and choose HTTP as EBO server protocol

Issue The value of an exported Infinet point is not updated in some or all of the subscribing controllers. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, Andover Continuum Environment Building Operation Automation Server Continuum i2 Controller Cause The subscribing controller is offline or inaccessible when the IE update is broadcast. Resolution The main disadvantage with the Continuum Import/Export (IE) system is that, in certain cases, it is possible that the updated value may not reach one or more of the subscribers due to various reasons such as network or controller down problems, excessive traffic on the network, etc. This is not of big concern when the point is of an analog type that changes frequently such as a temperature input since the point will update again when the temperature changes in a matter of seconds or minutes at the most.  For binary values though, a missing update is a big concern. Consider an occupancy schedule point that turns ON at 08:00 and off at 17:00.  If a subscriber misses the 08:00 update the zones under control by the subscriber will be unoccupied the entire day. The Point’s Refresh Attribute. Continuum points have a ‘Refresh’ attribute that is used to force the IE system to send a new updated value, setting the refresh attribute to true forces the Infinity controller to export the point’s value regardless of whether it has changed or not. It is IMPERATIVE that a PE program periodically refreshes binary points that are exported in Infinity controllers such as i2 devices. In the schedule example described above, a program* can be added to the Infinet controller that hosts the exported point.  This program should be triggered by the minute system variable and coded as follows: *make sure the program is of the type Infinet Script Program This will ensure that any subscribers to the schedule OCC flag won’t go more than a minute with a stale value of the point. Refreshing points that reside under the Infinet interface of the Automation Server (EBO 3.1 and greater) If the point to be refreshed resides under the Infinet interface of the AS-P then there are some differences in the way the refresh is accomplished. The program will be of the type Script Program. The point will have a REFRESH property, you bind to the refresh property in the Script Program instead of the point's value. The most important difference is that while in the i2 device the export takes places when you set the value of the refresh property to true, in the Automation Server the export takes place when the value of the refresh flag is toggled, regardless of the value (true or false) Below is an example of a Script Program refreshing some value objects that reside at the Automation Server under the Infinet interface The statement DigValue1 = (DigValue1 = false) is just a very efficient way to toggle the value of the refresh property, it is equivalent to saying.... If DigValue1 = false then set it to true and if DigValue1 = true then set it to false. Things to consider when refreshing exported points. Do not refresh points at a fast rate as this will cause unnecessary traffic on the Infinet field bus, refresh rates of one minute or more are strongly recommended. For the same reason, when refreshing many points, the operation should be staggered to avoid flooding the Infinet bus with an avalanche of IE traffic at the same instant.

Issue Are AS-P and AS-B full duplex? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server-Bundled Cause Are AS-P and AS-B controllers Half Duplex or Full Duplex? Resolution AS-P and AS-B controllers are capable of Full Duplex 10/100BASE-TX communications.

Issue When a TGML graphic is opened from Webstation it takes 30-120 seconds, depending on the number of values in the graphic, before the values appear in the graphic. It takes a long time before the actual graphic is opened. When the same graphic is opened using Workstation, it only takes a few seconds before the values in the graphic are updated. The problem is seen when Webstation is connected to the Enterprise Server (ES) if connecting directly to the SmartX server the values come in fast. Example of how it looks in Webstation before the values come in: Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Webstation version 3.0 and earlier Cause For every value in the graphic Webstation need to read the type of the value to know what kind of object it is and that is what takes time. This information is cached in Workstation and that is why the values are updated much faster in Workstation than in Webstation. This is changed in Webstation version 3.1. Now the type of information is cached in Webstation also. The first time the graphic is opened from Webstation it will take the same period of time as before. After that the type is cached and the values will be updated much faster the next time the graphic is opened. Resolution Upgrade the ES (Webstation is a part of the ES installation) to version 3.1 or higher

Issue When attempting to downgrade an AS / ASP over IP or the direct connect USB cable, the new firmware fails to complete the install. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Automation Server (AS) Automation Server Premium (ASP),  Cause When installing a a "New Database" in to an AS or ASP, it first needs to clear out what is in the controller and then load the firmware with a blank database. This process may require DFU mode to achieve the install.  Resolution To downgrade an Automation Server or Automation Server Premium to an older version of software, put the controller in to DFU mode before beginning the direct USB download of a new database. To put controller in DFU mode, attach the Device Administrator to the AS via USB and press the reset button on the front of the controller 3 times in rapid succession. Note: The IP address of the controller will be reset to default. (192.168.1.99) Changing the version between v1.8 and the current version can often be achieved with a DFU reset, however the DFU reset clears out the history of the device which can be an advantage.