Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Some web browsers can not show special extended ASCII letters like åäö  Environment Vista Webstation Cause When logging in to webstation from a PC and the TGML can not show special characters this is because a temp file has not been downloaded correctly. Resolution In the TGML window there should be a refresh button, click it and the temp file should be downloaded permanently, this should make special characters work again.

Issue In Chinese OS, values under Xenta server on graphics in Webstation show offline. But in Workstation, it is fine. Environment Xenta 5/7/9 Vista Graphics Webstation Cause In Chinese OS, the characters contain space will show odd symbols. If the path of the value contains space, it will be fine in Workstation, but offline in Webstation. Resolution The solution of this issue is to avoid space in the path of the value. Use underline instead of space to separate characters. For these path that can’t avoid space(for example, the Public signal and Time schedule under Xenta server), create dummy variables to connect to them, and use these variables in graphics.

Issue How to retrieve the XBuilder project (XPB) from the Vista Database. Environment XBuilder Xenta Server 913 Xenta Server 511 Xenta Server 7xx Cause  XBuilder file was not saved and backup was not set to target. Except Vista database backup do not have any other backups. Resolution To manually extract the XBuilder project from the Vista Database follow these steps: Using Windows Explorer navigate to the Vista database folder which has the XBuilder project you wish to extract. Open the $thisfil folder. You can see a zip folder named something like DE03xxxx.ZIP or similar.  Copy the zip file and paste it in the desired location. Unzip this file. The Zip contains the complete XBuilder project inside it.

Issue Multiple Menta Variable errors in the TAC Xenta 700 error log and, if running TAC Vista, also in the event log Environment TAC Vista 5.1.7 TAC Xbuilder 5.1.7 Xenta 700 system software (firmware) 5.1.7-51 (5.1.7-SP2) or 5.1.7-52 Cause When releasing TAC Xenta 700 5.1.7 SP2, an error was introduced to the firmware if the ERROR block exists in the TAC Xenta 700 Menta object. The error you see in the Xenta 700 error log will look similar to the following: 138   2013-01-15 14:29:18 minor   menta menta           138  alarmstate.anyun       Menta: Variable error   (Error#:62466) Resolution This issue has been fixed in the TAC Xenta 700 5.1.7 SP3 release, available for download at Exchange Extranet. After a successful update the firmware version will read 5.1.7-53.

Issue Controller TAC221R is obsolete and needs to be replaced. Environment 2212020800 Controller TAC221R Cause Replacement may be required since the TAC221R is obsolete since the end of 2009. Resolution There is no direct replacement available. In most applications, a free programmable Xenta controller with custom application is the only way to recreate functionality of the TAC 221R.  

Issue The UNC and Enterprise server, as well as many other Schneider-Electric Buildings products, use a TIME protocol server to provide clock synchronization. The address of that Time Protocol Server no longer works. NOTE: The nist.gov sites will no longer be providing TIME protocol services over TCP port 37 as of March 1, 2013. Product Line Andover Continuum, Satchwell MicroNet, Satchwell Sigma, TAC IA Series, TAC INET, TAC Vista Environment Schneider Electric Buildings products that rely on the use of TCP TIME protocol servers for time synchronization. This includes the I/A Series R2 UNC & ES and the I/A Series G3 ENC & ENS as well as other IP ethernet based products. Cause Many server sites are discontinuing support for the TCP TIME protocol because it is so bandwidth intensive. NOTE: The nist.gov sites will no longer be providing TIME protocol services over TCP port 37 as of March 1, 2013. The site http://tf.nist.gov/tf-cgi/servers.cgi lists most of the currently available TIME protocol servers as well as the status of the entire TIME protocol system. Resolution If the product supports the use of the NTP time sync protocol, switch to the use of that protocol. If the device only supports the TIME protocol, consult the web site http://tf.nist.gov/tf-cgi/servers.cgi for currently available sites.

Issue Is it possible to connect the thermistor input to U1 & AI (actuator position 0-10Vdc) to U2 using the same "M" terminal?   Environment TAC Xenta 280 TAC Xenta 300 TAC Xenta 400 Cause All M terminals are internally connected. There are fewer M terminals than inputs. Resolution Yes, you could use the very same M connection to both inputs, however you should have separate cables connect to M. It is also important that the M connections are only used as reference for inputs, so there are no current in this connection, like you need to have separate connection for powering the actuators.  

Issue I have to replace a faulty Xenta 301 but found that the existing Xenta 301 was system version 1. The system consists of about 12 Xenta controllers sitting on a Menta only network using .nwc,ndb network configuration tool. Environment TAC Xenta 300 TAC Menta Cause New devices are delivered with version 3. Resolution As TAC Xenta system program version 1 and version 3 can not work on the same network, downgrade the new device to replace the faulty one. Download TAC Xenta 300 system program version 1.17 Use Download Wizard as normal to download the system program, however, going from version 3 to version 1, do NOT keep old application in the Download Wizard. Select Clear Application. Download the Menta application and network configuration manually via the serial cable. You could use the actual TAC Menta versions to do this.

Issue Previously online Xenta Servers are now offline in Vista. They can still be reached via the web interface, and "telnet [ip address] 443" also works fine. Product Line TAC Vista Environment TAC Vista Xenta 511, 527, 701, 711, 721, 731, 913 Cause By default, when you add a Xenta Server in Vista, the checkbox "use browser proxy" is ticked. Even though there is no proxy server defined in Internet Explorer's settings (Tools > Internet options > Connections > LAN settings), in some rare cases this tick may cause Vista to lose the connection to the Xenta Servers (i.e. even if set to "use automatic settings"). This may be due to some changed firewall or network settings at the Vista PC. Resolution In Vista, right-click the Xenta Server and choose Properties Untick the checkbox "use browser proxy" The Xenta Servers should now go online immediately.

Issue Get error message when loading TAC Vista Webstation: "Could not load file or assembly TAC.Common.License.Flex.dll or one of it dependencies. The specified module could not be found." Environment TAC Vista 5.1.4 TAC Vista Webstation 5.1.7 Cause When installing TAC Vista Webstation it must always be the same version as the TAC Vista server. Resolution Upgrade TAC Vista server to version 5.1.7 or downgrade TAC Vista Webstation to version 5.1.4.

Issue After the correct username and password have been entered, Webstation stays on the login page. Environment Vista Webstation Internet Explorer Cause There could be security settings in Internet Explorer that block the Webstation login. It could also be due to an issue that has been corrected in the latest hotfixes of Vista 5.1.8. Resolution Vista 5.1.8 Issue In Vista 5.1.8 there was a third party application hotfix released for both Webstation and Vista server. You can go here to download the latest hotfixes. This will allow Webstation to make the connection to the Vista server and stay logged in.   IE Browser Setting Issues Try to change another web browser. For example, Firefox is a good recommendation. You can click here to download the newest version of Firefox.

Issue Need document about Vista 4.x termination Do we support Vista 4.x? Vista 4.x Environment Vista 4.x Cause Need a document that describe that Vista 4.x has been terminated Resolution All versions of Vista 4 are terminated and are no longer available. As of June 30, 2014 Vista 4 is no longer supported by Product Support Services. Please download PA-00131 - Termination of Old Versions of TAC Vista Software for more information about the termination. Please see PA-00274 - Software Support Policy for TAC Vista for more information about support of TAC Vista software.

Issue If renaming a snippet in the graphic editor it will hang. Environment TAC Vista graphic editor 1.1.6 Cause The problem is that a space is used in the end of the name, that will cause the graphic editor to hang Resolution Don't use space in the end of a snippet name or use an editor with version 1.1.7 or higher. This problem is corrected in version 1.1.7.

Issue Are spare parts available for the Xenta series base plates / terminal parts / plug in terminal blocks? Environment 007309010 007309020 007309140 Cause Sometimes the locking pin in the base plate breaks and needs to be replaced. Resolution No spare parts are available. The complete parts needs to be purchased. Part no 007309010 is for Xenta 300 series controllers Part no 007309020 is for Xenta 400/500/700/900 series controllers, and I/O modules. Part no 007309140 is for Xenta 100 series controllers.

Issue Is it possible to open a time schedule from a OGC graphic when the graphic is opened from Webstation? Environment TAC Vista 5.1.x  Cause In older versions of TAC Vista a "Command Point" object could be used to link to a time schedule and it worked fine in booth Webstation and Workstation.  And that still works fine in Workstation but to get it to work in later versions(5.1.x) a "Dynamic Value" object must be used in the graphic editor to get it to work in Webstation. Resolution Use a "Dynamic value" object in the OGC editor when linking to a time schedule to get it to work in TAC Webstation.

Warning Potential for Data Loss: The steps detailed in the resolution of this article may result in a loss of critical data if not performed properly. Before beginning these steps, make sure all important data is backed up in the event of data loss. If you are unsure or unfamiliar with any complex steps detailed in this article, please contact Product Support Services for assistance. Issue Trend logs are not being saved to SQL after upgrading the SQL database. There are no error messages and Vista can read old (pre upgrade) values from the taclogdata database. The insertlogvalues keeps growing. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Vista 5.1.X SQL 2005 or 2008 server with a database that has been upgraded to layout 2 (the new schema used from version 5.1.7). Cause The database schema is out of date. The database schema is a blueprint of how a database will be constructed. Resolution Shut down Vista. Go to services and stop the TAC DSS writer service. Right-click on My Computer (Computer in Win 7 and Win Server 2008) and select manage. Locate services in the console that opens up. Locate the TAC DSS Writer service, select and then click on stop. This service is responsible for writing events and trend log data to the SQL database. Update the database schema. Open Vista sever setup and locate the SQL server tab. Click on the Custom radio button (if not already selected) and then change the name (e.g. add "_1" to the end of the current name) of the database in the SQL Server Name field. Click on Apply, OK and  then Yes to create the new database. Once complete, change the name of the database back to the original name (or click on the Typical radio button if using default settings) and click on Apply. A message will appear "Log database found but needs to be reconfigured. Reconfigure Log database?". Click on Yes. The database schema should now be updated. Right-click on My Computer (Computer in Win 7 and Win Server 2008) and select manage. Locate services in the console that opens up. Locate the TAC DSS Writer service, select and then click on Start. This service is responsible for writing events and trend log data to the SQL database. Check to see that the logs are now being written to the log database. It may take some time to process the backlog.

Issue Get error message, "taclogdata is not a valid TAC Vista logdatabase" at installation of TAC Vista. Environment TAC Vista 5.1.0 and later versions. Cause When installing Vista and using a custom SQL installation a SQL database is specified. If this SQL database is created manually and not by Vista the database will not be recognized as a valid TAC Vista log database.   Resolution Let TAC Vista create the SQL database at the installation or use the Vista server setup to create a SQL database. 

Warning Potential for Data Loss: The steps detailed in the resolution of this article may result in a loss of critical data if not performed properly. Before beginning these steps, make sure all important data is backed up in the event of data loss. If you are unsure or unfamiliar with any complex steps detailed in this article, please contact Product Support Services for assistance. Issue When many trend logs are linked to the same time object for emailing via a Receiver Group, some of the trend logs may not be sent. Environment Xenta Server Xenta 511, 527, 555, 701, 711, 721, 731, 913 Cause The Xenta Server cannot send more than approx. 50-60 simultaneous emails before some are lost.  The limit appears to be dependent on the size of attached trend logs and the number of addresses in the Receiver Group list. Resolution For a single email address, split the trend logs into groups of no more than 40.  Link the logs in each group to a different time object and stagger the times at which they are sent.  If the Receiver Group definition contains multiple email addresses, reduce the number of trend logs in each group accordingly.

Issue Prior to XBuilder 5.1.1, it was not possible to change the type of an Xenta Server in an XBuilder project once it had been created.  Sometimes there is a need to move the project to a different type of Xenta Server without losing all the links and bindings within the project. Environment Xenta Server XBuilder 5.1.0 or earlier Xenta 511, 527, 555, 701, 711, 721, 731, 913 Cause In XBuilder 5.1.0 or earlier, it is not possible to edit the Xenta Server type in the network pane of the XBuilder project Resolution Upgrading to Vista/XBuilder 5.1.1 or later will allow you to easily change the device type directly from XBuilder.  Note that this must be done from an XBuilder project that is saved to the computer. If the project is in a Vista database start by opening the XBuilder project, clicking on File > Save as and then save it to the computer. Then, close XBuilder, reopen XBuilder and open up the saved copy of the XBuilder project from the PC. In the XBuilder Project menu select 'Change Target type...'.  Choose your preferred target device from the drop-down list.   If it is not possible to upgrade, the following instructions allow an XBuilder project to be transferred to a different type of Xenta Server without losing graphic bindings or bindings between objects on the System pane and the Network pane.  The one proviso is that the target Xenta Server's hardware must be able to support any network defined in the source project and have the same or better Menta and User graphic capabilities.   There are many different combinations of Server types and BMS platforms that these instructions could apply to in general.   The example given here transfers an Xenta 555 project to an Xenta 731.  The Xenta 555 has a Lonworks network and a Modbus network and is part of a Vista database.   Creating the Xenta 731 in the Vista database: Open the Vista database containing the Xenta 555 project. Right-click on the 555 and select Edit from the dropdown menu. The XBuilder project opens.  Keep this open for the following steps. In the Vista database create a new Xenta 731.  The name is not important but it should be similar but not identical to the 555 it will replace. Transferring the Lonworks network to the Xenta 731: In Vista, drag and drop the LON network from the 555 to the 731. Right-click on the 731 and select Edit from the dropdown menu. The 731 project opens in a new instance of XBuilder.  Rename the default folder in the system pane to the same name as the top level folder in the 555 project. In the 731 project right-click on the LON object in the Network pane.  Select 'Refresh network from TAC Vista'. Transferring the Modbus network to the Xenta 731: In the 555 project, right-click a Modbus device and select 'Edit Device template' When the device editor opens, select File | Save as.. Save the file in the default location with the default name. Repeat steps 2 to 3 for all Modbus devices in the network. In the 731 project recreate the Modbus network using the templates just saved.     Transferring the System objects to the Xenta 731: In the 555 project, right-click an object below the top level folder and select 'Copy'. Move focus to the 731 project, right-click on the top level folder and select 'Paste'. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each object and folder below the top level in the 555 project.  Selecting a folder also selects all the objects and folders beneath it.  Although it is possible to copy the top level folder in the 555 project, it is not possible to paste it into the 731 project. Graphics bindings are retained and the reference paths are automatically updated with the new network tree i.e. 'TAC_Xenta_555' is replaced with 'TAC_Xenta_731'. Some object bindings will be broken e.g. Time objects.  These must be rebound manually. When all objects have been copied across and rebound if necessary, close the 555 project. Deleting the Xenta 555 and downloading the project to the Xenta 731: In the Vista database, delete the Xenta 555. Generate the 731 project.  There will be a warning message offering to copy the original TGML files to the new default location.  Select 'Yes'. The 731 project should now generate without errors. Download the project to the Xenta 731.   If the 555 only contains a Modbus network, a similar methodology will also work with standalone 555 and 731 projects.  

Issue Obsolete product needs replacement. Environment TAC258R 2581010000 Xenta 102-AX STR100 Xenta 121-FC STR250 Cause The TAC258R is obsolete and needs to be replaced. Resolution   We do not offer any direct replacement. Depending on application, you might consider using the Xenta 121FC with a STR100 series room unit. However, if the application is VAV, the Xenta 102-AX and a STR250 wall module might cover your needs.