Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Getting error "Unable to find an object in the database.Root\FolderName\OldAreaName" when creating new Personnel, in Personnel Manager. Following a change to Area names, the Personnel Profiles no longer contain these changed Areas. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum 1.81 and above Cause Do not rename Areas without removing/replacing them from the Personnel Profile. Resolution Always remove Areas from Personnel Profiles before changing the Area name, then replace Area If you simply rename the Area without removing that Area from the Personnel Profile, then the Personnel Profile will either get corrupted or the changed Areas will get removed from the Personnel Profile. If the Personnel Profile is corrupted then it needs deleting. Delete from Personnel Manager, if the corruption is such that it cannot be deleted from Personnel Manager, see Cannot delete personnel profiles Once the Personnel Profile deleted, recreate as required.

Issue A multi-port router can be represented in a LonMaker drawing using several LonMaker Basic Shapes routers if the internal structure of the L-IP is understood. Alternatively, Loytec provides a stencil library of their routers that can be used. Product Line TAC Vista Environment LonMaker Visio Loytec L-IP routers L-IP-3ECT, L-IP-1ECT, L-IP-33, L-IP-3333, LS-13333, LS-11333, LS-13300 LS-33300, LS-33, LS-13, LS-11 Cause The LonMaker Basic Shapes router only represents a single port router (near side/far side). To represent the 2, 3, or 4 port L-IP routers requires multiple basic routers with different channel types, or one of the device templates from the Loytec Shapes stencil library. Resolution Download the latest Loytec Shapes 5.0 stencil library here. Extract the contents of the .zip file Move the LoytecShapes.vss files to C:\LonWorks\LonMaker\Visio Note: This is assuming that LonMaker is installed at the default location on the C: drive Start LonMaker Go to File > Stencils > LoytecShapes Select the router part number that matches the physical device. The appropriate channels for the router will be added along with the shape. Each port can now be commissioned separately. See also How to Configure Lonworks Network Interfaces to Communicate on the IP to a Loytec L-IP Router using the Echelon driver for more information. 

Issue Stand-alone Vista 5 applications and Licensing Product Line TAC Vista Environment LMGRD Menta Save Menta View Demo Vista 5.x Cause No license found lc_checkout Failed: Network connect to THIS_HOST failed. The license file indicates THIS_HOST, and the server is not running on this host. Resolution Running Menta, Xbuilder or any of the Vista Applications as a "stand-alone" application i.e. no Vista Server/Workstation, requires a download of the License Server from Exchange Online. Navigate to Product Zone > TAC Vista > Vista Software > TAC Vista 5.0.X > Downloads. Ensure the version matches (5.0X) the version of Vista installed. For instruction set for licensing a Vista Software Entitlement: See How to Host a Vista Site License. Ensure the license is placed in C:\Program Files\TAC(Schneider Electric)\License Files folder. Launch the licensed Vista software of your choice, typically Menta or Xbuilder. When prompted, select "Use a License Server" option. Specify the Computer name that the server exists on, typically the Local Computer Name, or "localhost". To assist in troubleshooting additional Licensing problems: See [Video] Vista 5 Macrovision/Flexnet Licensing: Lmtools diagnostic utility overview See License troubleshooting in Vista 5.1.8 or greater See TAC Vista 5.0 to 5.1.7 license does not work after installation

Issue What is the maximum character length a value (object) name can have? What is the maximum character length an alarm name can have? What is the maximum character limitation on the Description? What is the maximum character limitation on the Alarm and Reset messages? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment StruxureWare Building Operation (all versions to 1.3 SP1  (1.3.0.10100))  Cause Require an understanding of what character limits are applied within Building Operation Workstation Resolution There is no documented limitation, the following numbers are those that have been tested: An object and alarm name: 1900 character limit. An object and alarm Description:  No found limit here, either in entry or saving. An Alarm message and Reset message - no found limit here, either in entry or saving. It is important to note these are limitations on StruxureWare objects only, when the actual object is also represented in another device, like a BACnet or LON device, then there may be restrictions at that device. A b3 is an example of this where you can make the object name with 1900 characters but the BACnet name will be limited to 32. Also refer to StruxureWare Building Operation object names limitation on what characters are allowed to be used.

Issue The controller installation guides detail how to display the values in Water Column (WC), but how can this be displayed in metric units? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Infinet controllers (i2865 & i2865-V, i2866 & i2866-V , i2885, i2885-V, i2850 &i2853 ) BACnet controllers (b3865 & b3865-V, b3866 & b3866-V , b3885, b3885-V, b3850 & b3853) Cause A conversion to metric units (Pascals) is needed. Resolution i28xx type of Infinet Controller has 0-2" WC (Water Column) range which corresponds to 0-2V so the input value can be read directly in WC. The 850 has a single airflow sensor on channel 8 The 853 has two airflow sensors on inputs 7 and 8 For 865, 866, and 885 the airflow sensor is on Input 7 Always use input type Voltage Set the units to Pascals The following conversion can be used on the conversion line: ElecValue * 500 The i28xx-V type of Infinet Controller has 0-1" WC (Water Column) range. For 865-V, 866-V and 885-V, the airflow sensor is on Input 7 Always use input type Voltage Set the units to Pascals The following conversion can be used on the conversion line: ElecValue * 250  For controlling the Damper motor output Create an Infinity Output point of type Triac on Channel 1 It can then be opened/closed like any other Triac output with the use of On, -On or Off commands. Also see Setting up the override value to show the damper feedback on an i2/B3 866-V for details on reading the damper feedback on the i2/b3886-V.

Issue BACnet Service does not start after enabling BACnet IP on a UNC station. The following error messages are seen in the UNC standard output. ERROR: Error initializing IP link layer. [IpLinkLayer.updateLocalAddress] java.lang.NoSuchMethodError: tridium/nre/Platform.getLocalHost()Ljava/net/InetAddress; ERROR: Cannot startService [Sys: BACnetService [12] BACnetService] java.lang.NullPointerException ERROR: Run error [BTrprt] java.lang.NullPointerException Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series UNC running at version r2.301.5xx prior to version r2.301.535 with BACnet 2.305.535a. Cause Most I/A Series R2 Niagara JAR files are backward compatible. Refer to Can jar files from Niagara R2 version 532 be used with a UNC running version 330? for details.  There were some changes to the BACnet service IP to support the new JACE-603/645 platforms. Because of these changes to the R2 core, the BACnet 2.305.535a JAR file is not backward compatible.  Resolution Upgrade the UNC to version r2.301.535. Refer to the Installation Instructions for upgrade procedure. 

Issue When using the Modbus TCP/IP XDriver will the data type used by a 3rd party system be supported. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Modbus TCP X-Driver Cause Not every possible format of data is included in the Modbus IP X Driver. Resolution The following data formats are supported in version ModbusTCPIP_2ndGen200018.xdr: Unsigned Integer 16 bit Signed Integer 16 bit Reverse Floating Point 32 bit Floating point 32 bit Long Integer Unsigned 32 bit Long Integer Unsigned Swapped 32 bit If the products used have a different data format then this would require a new development of the X Driver, please see Will Continuum communicate with a third party system? for contact details. Also ensure that the X Driver point type created (Numeric, Input, Output) is supported by the function code used. Check out the X Driver manual for the list of point types supported by each function code. For example Function code 3 can be used with Numerics and Outputs, but not Inputs.

Issue Options are needed for truncating large amounts of extended log data, but with the ability to report on that data Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Windows XP Windows 7 Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 Cause Extended logs data can cause the Continuumdb to get large and needs to be truncated with the ability to continue to report from the old data Resolution Set up automatic truncation of extended logs (See the Check Purge Interval section in Stand Alone Continuum using SQL Server 2005 Express is not purging the ExtendedLog table) Ex. Year, 180 days Make a copy of the Continuum database on the existing server. In this scenario you would have ContinuumDB and ArchiveDB. Use one of the Cybers via Workstation Initialization) to temporarily switch to the ArchiveDB for reporting purposes and then switch back. Purchase the Extended Log Archiver uses a separate db for the archived data and truncates data from the Continuumdb automatically. For more information email COE@Buildings.Schneider-Electric.com

Issue A Deny Entry Tenant Message is given instead of a valid card read. Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Seven AMT Cause The Deny Entry Tenant message is delivered when the credential read is not known to the controller for any of the following reasons: The door being read is not part of the individuals tenant. The SLI does not have the correct database Card Translation is incorrectly enabled/disabled in the door editor There is a hardware error with the Card reader. Resolution General Steps: Determine if the issue only happens to a single individual or a group or all cards. Select Access>Tenant. Verify that the door has been added to the correct tenant(s) Select Edit>Individuals and browse to the card(or a test card) in question. Verify that the card has the been added to the door correctly. Follow the directions in How to force a download of card data to force a download. If this fixes the issue, go to the "SLI does not have the correct database section" In AMT, select window options and add the message column to the window Find a Deny entry tenant message and see if the message column matches up with Hex card number for the badge that was read. If all you get is a scrambled number, There is probably a hardware error. Verify Card Translation is Enabled (this section assumes you are using large card number format) Select Access>Doors Modify the door in question Check the box next to "Card Translation". If this option is not available you will need to flip Dip switch 7 on the SCU Compare this setting to a few other doors on the system. Thy should all have the same setting Hardware Error The easiest way to prove a hardware error is to plug a spare card reader directly into the DPU or SCU. If the problem is immediately solved replace the field reader. If not, try unplugging other readers on the controller and see if the problem goes away for that reader. It is possible that the controllers power supply is no sufficient to power the reader. Use an external power supply instead. Various known fixes for SLI database Errors: Take the SLI to it's boot state and restore bin file and database files from the Server If you are using I/NET 2.15-2.21, upgrade to 2.31 Insufficient memory: The SLI will allocate memory for all possible individuals in a tenant regardless if they are used or not. For example, if the site has only 500 cards, but the tenant is set to 32000 individuals, this will use the same controller memory as a site with 25000 individuals.  Reducing the number of individuals allocated in the tenant has been shown to clear up Denied Entry Tenant messages. System traffic: In I/NET 2.31 and above, the filemaster or server will indicate when badge data is being downloaded on a status bar in the bottom right hand corner of the screen. If this indicator is constantly showing downloads, it is due to poor system communication causing constant polling of the database.  Follow these steps to fix this issue. Turn Automatic DPU restore off on all links and wait for the download messages to stop. (this is done by selecting Edit>Host Computer>Network Configuration, then modifying each link) Wait for the automatic downloads already requested to finish. Re-enable Automatic DPU restore on each link, one at a time. Wait for the system to finish individual downloads before moving on. When you find a link that take an excessive amount of time (compared to others) to finish downloading, troubleshoot that links controller LAN wire.

Issue When alarm is triggered in the controller sometime the alarm will immediately be displayed on the Alarm View as expected, you trigger the same point alarm a few times and some times there is a delay of up to a minute or two before the alarm shows up on the Alarm View. Looking at a list view of the alarms you can see the difference between the time stamp and the time of log Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation All controllers Cause The controller has been taught about CyberStation whose network ID has been since changed. Resolution Use a PE program to find out from the controller's perspective what it has been taught. If the controller contains entries in its table that it should not have, then reload the controller to remove them. See Visibility into a controller's list of peer controllers and Cyberstations following a teach for a sample PE program.

Issue If using TAC Informer (Product development within Australia / New Zealand region), product has no further support and now longer works with I/NET Seven 2.40 or higher.  Receive either of the following errors: * I/Net Alarms     'Alarms' I/Net connect failed - I/O Server create failed OR * I/Net Alarms     'Alarms' failed to start - I/O Server create failed Alternatives with sending SMS alarms with I/NET Emailing alarm solutions for I/NET  Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Seven 2.4x or above TAC Informer (Pager TAP) - Product sold within Australia / New Zealand region. Cause Application developed by Australia (support for this product ended in 2005) now does not work with I/NET 2.40 or above. There are a few alternatives and possible workarounds, but this product is no longer supported. Resolution There are couple of alternatives: Currently the TAC Informer software will work with 2.31 or lower, so you can use these versions of I/NET Seven software. It may be possible that loading the I/NET 2000 compatibility files from the I/NET Seven CD may allow connection to the current INetIoSrv.exe file. The steps for this are as follows: Copy DbSrv2K.exe and INetIoSrv2K.exe from the CD “Support \ INET2000_Backward_Compatibility” directory into I/Net Seven's Program Files directory. From a DOS command and from the C:\Program Files\Inet Seven\ folder; Register both programs from the command line: DbSrv2K /regserver INetIoSrv2K /regserver Note: If you need to unregister these files use the following syntax: /unregserver  Alternatively it is recommended to use the email feature within Xenta 527 Web Server (Refer to Troubleshooting sending emails from a Xenta Server) which can then be configured with a third party mobile message service provided by Redcoal (www.redcoal.net).  They provide a set of simple Desktop applications which allow SMS to be sent via desktop application or via email.  Click Here for further information.  Customer will require to setup an account and charges do apply. Note: This provider only operates in Australia.  Third alternative is to use a solution provided by a company called NotePage, product name is PageGate - Refer to PageGate I/NET Seven Programming Instructions for further information.  Benjamin Roswall has developed a tool which is available on the community: TAC INET Notifier.  The program will look for alarm events in the SQL database, and process then according to the settings. The program has its own alarms list, and if the service is stopped, it will save the alarm list so that only new alarm events are processed when the program comes back online. For emails you just need to know your SMTP server configuration, and for SMS it uses the SysManSMS program that has a SMTP to SMS feature. Also, the program can write to a text file, and SysManSMS can then look for this text file. Please note Schneider Electric do not endorse this product but provide this option as a workable solution. All support issues related to these products should be directed to the developers / providers of the respective software.

Issue Can the AS, work independently or together without an ES? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment StruxureWare Building Operation site, any version Cause Are bindings or other communication between two AS possible if there is no ES?  Resolution The AS, is designed to work independently or in conjunction with others, or in conjunction with an ES.  Points, Bindings, Schedules, etc. can be setup on the AS using the Workstation. With the ES service stopped, the Points, Bindings, etc. on the AS continue to reflect the values on themselves or if the Bindings interlink between multiple AS.  For multiple AS configuration check the AS are listed in the Communication tab of each other. From your workstation highlight the AS and the tabs shown are List View, Device Discovery, Date & Time, Communication, and Properties. Under Communication the other AS devices should be listed as well as the ES. For information on a Automation Server alone at a site and licensing requirements, see License requirements for AS alone at a site

Issue IIS is a Microsoft product that is included on your typical Microsoft OS software but is not active by default. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Webstation Windows 7 Windows Vista Cause Webstation requires for IIS to be active in your OS before you complete the installation of Webstation. Resolution Follow these steps to initiate your IIS service in Windows 7 or Windows Vista. How to Activate IIS 7: To open the Windows Features dialog box, click Start, and then click Control Panel. In the Control Panel, click Programs. Click Turn Windows features on or off. You may receive the Windows Security warning. Click Allow to continue. The Windows Features dialog box is displayed. Expand Internet Information Services. Additional categories of IIS features are displayed. Select Internet Information Services to choose the default features for installation. Expand the additional categories displayed, and select any additional features you want to install, such as Web Management Tools. Click OK to start installation. The progress indicator appears. When the installation completes, the Windows Features dialog box closes, and the Control Panel is displayed. IIS 7 is now installed with a default configuration on Windows Vista or Windows 7. To confirm that the installation succeeded, type the following URL into your browser, http://localhost Use Internet Information Services Manager to manage and configure IIS. To open IIS Manager, click Start, type inetmgr in the Search Programs and Files box, and then press ENTER. See Problems installing Vista Webstation 5.1.5 or newer for more information on configuring Webstation.

Issue When attempting to edit a graphic through WorkStation, the Graphic Editor crashes with the following message: "Font xxxxxx does not support style xxxxxx" Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Graphics Editor Font Cause When a Graphic object is edited, the editor does not open and an error message is presented, this error is caused because the font is missing. Resolution Dependant on the Windows operating system in use, the process for confirming that the "Tahoma  Regular" font is missing will vary. Windows XP Open the Control Panel and select "Fonts" and confirm that the font is missing. Windows 7 Select the Windows button and then search for "Font". Choose "View Installed Fonts" and review the fonts to see if Tahoma - Regular is available. If this font is missing, then copy it from another PC, download it, or visit http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314960 which deals with adding / removing fonts. If Workstation is crashing when you see this error, please see WorkStation crashes when opening some TGML graphic pages following a Windows update.

Issue Get error message "OPC communication error" when trying to view Vista OPC server objects in OPC tool. Product Line TAC Vista Environment TAC Vista 5.1.X TAC Vista OPC server 1.6.1 Cause Incorrect version installed or DCOM settings. Resolution Confirm which version of Vista OPC server is installed. Go to control panel\add remove programs and double check that it is version 1.6.1. that is installed. Confirm that OPC server setup account settings aren't being saved. Go to Start\Programs\Schneider Electric\TAC Vista OPC server\Tac OPC Server setup. Under Login to TAC Vista server, change to Login using the following TAC Vista account and fill in the appropriate user details. Click OK and close the dialogue. Re-open the TAC OPC server setup dialogue and see if the account details added in b are still there. If so then there is probably a problem with DCOM settings (see TAC Vista OPC Server Technical Manual). If the option Login using the windows account which is running the TAC Vista OPC server is re-selected TAC Vista OPC server 1.6.0 must first be installed according to OPC server for TAC Vista will not keep the login settings in the TAC Vista OPC Server setup.

Issue There is a beeper inside some of the card readers. In some cases when alarms happen, such as Door Forced or Door Open Too Long, the beeper can be activated with a sound to deliver alarms. Product Line TAC INET Environment I/NET Cause In some cases this application is needed. Resolution Open the Door parameter in I/NET. Set the relative alarm message. For example, set the Door Open Too Long or Door Forced to Alarm.   Click the "Sounder" button Change the polarity to "Low". Set the relative beeper type and condition. For example, when the Door Open Too Long or Door Forced happens, the beeper activates continuously. For more issues about beeper in I/NET, refer to Reader beeps continually when connected to the door controller.

Issue When using the UI-8-10V for 0-10V analog input, the ElecValue of the input shows the half of the actually applied voltage. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment NetController: CX9900 , CX9940 , CX9680 IOU: UI8-10V (UI-8-10V) Cause UI8's 10V dip switch functions as the voltage divider. Resolution As the UI8's 10V dip switch functions as the voltage divider, it halves the 10V input voltage into 5V and uses it as the measured input. So, the ElecValue of the input shows the half of the actual input voltage. Note: When the input is configured for 10V operation, the input impedance is 4.4kΩs. Therefore, the sensor used would have to be able to source as much as 2.3mA. If input impedance is an issue for the sensor, then select the 5V input switch setting and use external resistors as detailed in How to use a 0-10V Sensor on a controller with 5V inputs.

Issue When executing a Find New BACnet Device a third party controller (Trane) would not come into the system.  Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum BACnet Trane Cause BACnet Network ID was assigned to 1 in the third party device. Both the CyberStation Device node ID and the third party device Node Id can not be set to 1.  Resolution Have the vendor change the device node ID from 1 to a unique value on the network. See Could not learn in a new 3rd Party BACnet device.  

Issue Missing "restore" option when right-clicking on my Enterprise Server even though logged in as admin user. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment SmartStruxure 1.3 and above Cause The admin user is member of multiple groups. The software permissions within that group have deny access set to Server Restore as well as other commands. Resolution Move the 'admin' (or Administrator) user to only be a member of the Administrator group and not any other groups otherwise you need to ensure that the correct permissions are set to each group and the correct users are assigned to those groups. For further detail of User Permissions in SmartStruxure Solution refer to following How software permissions work in SmartStruxure.

Issue WorkStation crashes when opening some TGML graphic pages following a windows update Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Windows 7 64 bit SBO v1.6.1.5000 with KB3045171 windows update Cause Windows Security update KB3045171 can cause WorkStation to crash if some fonts have been used within the TGML graphic The example seen was using font "Dotum" Security Update for Windows 7 for x64-based Systems (KB3045171) http://support.microsoft.com/kb/3045171 If this does not resolve your issue see Graphics Editor will not open and causes a font related error. Resolution Microsoft have produced a fix for this problem (KB3065979) see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3065979 The PC must be rebooted following this update before the problem is corrected.