Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Platform connection using TLS fails. Standard HTTP connection of port 3011 successful. Product Line TAC IA Series. Environment I/A Series Enterprise Server Cause TLS platform connection fails immediately and throws an exception in Workbench. Note that the Niagara Daemon is running and a non-TLS HTTP connection is successful. No station is currently running on the PC. All stations are stopped.   Example exception- SEVERE [08:45:58 02-Sep-20 CDT][wb.shell] Error connecting to platform daemon at localhost: GET /platformInfo javax.baja.naming.UnresolvedException: platformssl: Resolution A possible cause is a zero-byte file size bog file in the Daemon Home 'stations' folder. Check all of the station folders in Daemon Home, searching for any bog file that is zero bytes in size. Look for 'Config.bog.lock' files as one could be orphaned when a station running in the Niagara daemon were to stop unexpectedly, such as the system reboots suddenly or the PC is powered down. Remove all files that are zero bytes in size. Remove any 'Config.bog.lock' files. Test the TLS connection for a successful connection.

Issue How to create an offline alarm if the AS-P or RP-C loses the connection to a Zigbee sensor (SED-MTH-G-5045, SED-WDC-G-5045, and SED-WLS-G-5045) connected to AS-P or RP-C. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium (AS-P) Building Operation Room Controller (RP-C) Greenpower sensors SED-CO2-G-5045 and SED-TRH-G-5045 non-Greenpower sensors SED-MTH-G-5045, SED-WDC-G-5045, SED-WLS-G-5045 Cause The Zigbee device will communicate the measured data with a time interval, if EBO doesn't hear the data it should mark the device as offline and generate an offline alarm Resolution In general, the RP-C or AS-P will listen for communication from the Zigbee device and if it doesn’t hear any communication for a certain time period, the Offline timeout (which can be specified in the properties for the Zigbee device in EBO) will set the device offline and an offline alarm will be displayed in the alarm list. How often the Zigbee device will communicate the measured data depends on the Zigbee device. It is possible to see and configure how often it should send the data in EBO but depending on the device it can be found in different places in EBO. For the Greenpower sensors SED-CO2-G-5045 and SED-TRH-G-5045 it is found here: The default value can be found in the specification sheet for the sensor. And for the non-Greenpower sensors SED-MTH-G-5045, SED-WDC-G-5045, SED-WLS-G-5045 It can be found here:   It is possible to change the interval for how often the sensor will send the data but this may cause the battery in the sensor to drain faster. It is recommended that the Offline timeout is set to more than twice the heartbeat interval from the sensor so that it will not be set as offline if only one message from the sensor is missed by the RP-C or AS-P.

Issue While editing graphics, the editor may "freeze" if you open the script window for a script object. This is because the window was last opened on a screen that is now not connected Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EBO Graphics Editor Cause The position of the script window is saved along with other settings in a file on the PC. When the window was last opened on an external monitor, the window is displayed in the same position afterwards, ie. outside the area visible when the monitor is not connected. Resolution Make sure the editor is closed and edit the file. Path:% LOCALAPPDATA% \ Schneider_Electric_Buildi \ SE.Graphics.Editor.exe_Url_ [guid] \ [version] \ user.config  - [guid] can for example be: 5r4uwcrxydhrpcwgbhkkrpgxknpckzw5  - [version] can be 3.2.0.44 At the bottom of the file is "ScriptEditorWindowLocation". Set the value to e.g. 0.0 and save.

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 A large room has multiple SpaceLogic Sensors SXWS (formerly SmartX sensor) and the temperature setpoint is changed in one of them. Is it possible for the temperature setpoint to be changed in the other sensors?  Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation SpaceLogic Sensor Building Operation Room Controller (RPC) Building Operation RP-V VAV Cause In EBO (EcoStruxure Building Operation) version 3.1 a functionality called HMI references is introduced which can be used in this case. This new functionality makes it possible to have bi-directional bindings for the following value types in the RP series controller Blind position: analog value Occupancy override: digital value Fan speed: multistate value HVAC mode: multistate value Light level: analog value Selected scene: analog value Blind slat angle: analog value Temperature setpoint: analog value Resolution This is done by creating a value of the value types supporting the HMI reference functionality in the Application folder of the RP IP controller which the SpaceLogic Sensors are connected to. Then bind that value to the Display properties of each SpaceLogic Sensor       For example an Analog value is created in the Application folder of the RP-C and then bound to the Display Temperature Setpoint property of each connected SpaceLogic sensor. If then changing the Temperature setpoint from the RP-C that will be distributed to all SpaceLogic Sensors. But also if changing the Temperature setpoint in any of the SpaceLogic Sensors that value will be distributed to the other SpaceLogic Sensors and the RP-C.   To see an example on how this can be done please see video:  

Issue Making a cable / adapter by using the cable guide as a reference can be confusing. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Vista Menta Download Wizard Cause Without knowing to use a Ribbon (Rollover) Cable, or the correct pins of RJ45 and DB9, it can be difficult to build this cable and adaptor. Resolution Note: Pay particular attention to the pins numbers, this view is the inside of the adapter! This is the pinout to be used in conjunction with a "ribbon" type cable. A Ribbon (Rollover) Cable has inverse ends. For example, Pin 1 of one RJ45 will be Pin 8 at the other end, Pin 2 will be 7, Pin 3 will be 6 and etc..                                    Here is a Diagram which highlights the path of TxD RxD and GND from the PC to the Xenta Controller. Use and Ohm meter to check the continuity of connections. If you are having communication problems, please see Verifying Serial Port Communications with loopback test   for further troubleshooting tips.                Alternatively, a cut ethernet cable can be wired to a DB9. DO NOT use an Ethernet Cable with the above adapter. 1. Use a standard 586B RJ45 ethernet cable pictured below.                2. Connect RJ45 jack to a DB9F according to the following diagram.

Issue Some of the Continuum attributes in b3/i2 objects are not listed for binding in Script, one such example is the ElecValue of an input object, in Continuum, the difference between the Value attribute and ElecValue attribute is the former is the software value while the latter is the actual value read from the sensor. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Cause For reasons that are beyond the scope of this article, not all Continuum properties have been included for binding in Script   For example, the list of bindable properties for a b3 Analog Input is missing the ElecValue property as can be seen below   Resolution In a b3 Script or Infinet Script Program, there is a way to access any property (attribute as they are known in Continuum) of an object by simply referencing the property's name right after a binding variable to the object's value   Consider the situation that can be seen in the screen capture below...     Due to some strange failure the software contains an incorrect value for the input, but accessing the input's electrical value from a b3 Script program reveals the sensor is reading the room temperature correctly.   Below, screen capture of how this is accomplished in b3/i2 Script program     NOTES "theInput" is bound to the value of the "RoomTemperature" input. "theInElecValue" is bound for output to an AnalogValue in the b3 where the program will place the electrical value of the input We access the property by adding its Continuum attribute name right after the variable bound to the input's value, you will need to know the exact Continuum name of an object's attribute in order to access it this way. This works for any attribute that is accessible by Plain English in Continuum including the PriorityArray of b3 commandable objects.

Issue The user of OpenLDV and Echelon U10 USB adapters with their Engineering Laptops are concerned that Niagara 4.9 does not have a 32-bit installation option. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series N4 4.9 and later Windows 10 64 bit Cause OpenLDV 5 runs as a 32-bit application on both 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Windows. It cannot be called from a 64-bit client application. In order to use OpenLDV on 64-bit Windows, the OpenLDV client application must be compiled and run as a 32-bit application. Prior to Niagara 4.9, some customers used the Niagara 32-bit installer exclusively, which no longer exists, so that they could use OpenLDV.  Resolution The 64-bit Niagara 4.9 Windows install includes a 32-bit daemon application that, without any extra configuration, provides a bridge between 64-bit Niagara and 32-bit OpenLDV. This means that technically, the Echelon U10 USB adapter should work in 64-bit Niagara version 4.9 and newer, on a Windows host (Tridium cannot guarantee operation). There is no longer a need to install 32-bit Niagara, and in fact, it is no longer available. 

Issue How to migrate ebo_db from an old PostgreSQL/TimescaleDB PC to a new PostgreSQL/TimescaleDB PC Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment PostgreSQL TimescaleDB pgAdmin Building Operation Workstation Cause When using External log Storage (the TimescaleDB in PostgreSQL server) in EcoStruxure Building Operation, it is often required to migrate the TimescaleDB (ebo_db) to a new PC or a different HDD due to the hard-disk space issue.   Resolution Stop the External Log Storage (TimescaleDB) from all the EBO servers (ES & AS’s). Using the attached zip file, extract the XML TimescaleDB Search Export and import this to the root location of your server.   The resulting search results will provide ALL servers' Timescale objects and show the status of the Event and Trend configurations. allowing you to multi-select and change the Event and Trend configuration settings quickly.  Use the CRTL key to only select the relevant servers. Alternatively, follow the steps below to locate these properties manually.    Note the Export is for version 3.2.3 Expand the ES Server, expand the System folder, and expand the External Log Storage folder. Right-click the TimescaleDB and select the Properties. Disable the Event Configuration & Trend Configuration and save. Repeat the above operation for all the other servers (AS’s) that are enabled for the External Log Storage. Create a new database in the destination External Log Storage server PC using the “EBO External Log Storage Installer” tool. Refer to page 5 “Database Management” section of the “EBO External Log Storage Installer.pdf” document for detail. Backup the “ebo_db” from the source TimescaleDB server PC using the pgAdmin 4 (refer to https://www.pgadmin.org/docs/pgadmin4/development/backup_dialog.html ), or refer to page 8 “Backup” section of the “EBO External Log Storage Installer.pdf” document for detail. Copy the DB backup file to the destination TimescaleDB server PC and restore the database using the pgAdmin4 tool (refer to https://www.pgadmin.org/docs/pgadmin4/development/restore_dialog.html ). DB Restoration may take a couple of minutes to a couple of hours depending on the size of the database. DB restoration results may show an error caused by pre-existing information in some tables, but it can be ignored. Once DB restoration is completed, make sure to check the timestamp of the oldest log data and the latest log data to verify the result. Start the External Log Storage (TimescaleDB) from all the EBO servers (ES & AS’s) using the search provided in Step 1 or manually as follows: Expand the ES Server, expand the System folder, and expand the External Log Storage folder. Right-click the TimescaleDB and select the Properties. Change the Database name, Host address, User name, and Password for the new (destination) External Log Storage server PC Enable the Event Configuration & Trend Configuration and save. Repeat the above operation for all the other servers (AS’s) that were disabled in the above step 1.

Issue EcoStruxure Building Operation Demo Database Package Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation site Cause EcoStruxure Building Operation Demo Database Package and going between releases. Resolution All current and previous sales packages/demo databases can be found on the Exchange for download. Note: The Demo Database package is a sales and marketing tool for your use "as is." It is not supported through Product Support Services (PSS). If you have product specific technical issues such as installing the software applications (e.g. License Administrator, Enterprise Server) PSS may be able to help. However, PSS does not support the Demo Database contents or features. The Demo Database can be re-installed to return to its original state.

Issue New and updated Users do not have access at Doors. Performing a Force Download on the controllers does not download new updates. The Security Expert Download Service is started and running, however browsing to the controllers Download Server Diagnostic Window shows a blank window with no entries. Blank Download Server Diagnostic Window Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert Controller Security Expert Download Server Cause The Security Expert Download Service fails to start up properly after a Windows restart under certain conditions. Resolution 1. Set the Security Expert Download Service to Automatic (Delayed Start). Download Service Delayed Start 2. Restart the PC.

Issue The port range used by the Project Configuration Tool is incorrectly documented. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Project Configuration Tool Cause Documentation and web-help states the port range is 49152 to 65535, this is incorrect. Resolution The correct port range used, for the engineering ports, i.e. the ports that the EBO servers are listening too, so that it is possible to log on with WorkStation is 32768-61000.

Issue EcoStruxure Building Operation different types of licenses and all features Version 1.9 and older: Difference between Workstation standard and Workstation professional Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment All versions Cause Due to different features of each license, customer may get confused which license to order. Resolution See the version of the latest EcoStruxure Building Operation Part Number Summary document on the Exchange for all license part numbers.   Versions 2.0 and Newer Note: The licensing part numbers and structure has vastly changed starting in version 2.0 and newer.  See the search query below on the Exchange for more detail regarding the Scalable Pricing Policy that started in version 2.0. EcoStruxure Building Operation Scalable Pricing Information   Versions 1.9 and Older Note: There is no part number for WebStation; it is a default feature of the Automation Server and Enterprise Server (with no need for additional licensing)  

Issue An XLSX report is created using a triggered Notification in EBO. When the report should be opened in Excel an error appear "Excel cannot open the file ..." and the report can not be opened. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Workstation Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel 2021, Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013 Office for business Cause Formatting cells on your worksheet can make the right information easy to see at a glance, but formatting cells that aren't been used (especially entire rows and columns) can cause your workbook's file size to grow quickly. This can slow down not just Excel, but the overall performance of your computer when you have an excessively formatted worksheet open. Excessive formatting can also cause printing problems in Excel. Resolution Use the Clean Excess Cell Formatting command, available on Excel's Inquire tab in Microsoft Office 365 and Office Professional Plus 2013. Important: You may want to make a backup copy of your file before cleaning the excess cell formatting because there are certain cases where this process may make your file increase in size, and there is no way to undo the change. If you don't see the Inquire tab in Excel, do the following to enable the Inquire add-in: Click File > Options > Add-Ins. Make sure COM Add-ins is selected in the Manage box, and click Go.   In the COM Add-Ins box, check Inquire, and then click OK. The Inquire tab should now be visible in the ribbon.   To remove the excess formatting in the current worksheet, do the following: On the Inquire tab, click Clean Excess Cell Formatting. Choose whether to clean only the active worksheet or all worksheets. After excess formatting has been cleared, click Yes to save changes to the sheets or No to cancel. See Microsoft support topic:  Clean excess cell formatting on a worksheet 

Issue TGML graphic uses the NAM Standards component to display a SmartX Sensor Device with a dynamic cover model. The graphic always shows a blank faceplate instead of the correct face - 3 buttons, LCD, or Touchscreen. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment SmartX Sensor Device (Living Space Sensor/Room Unit Device) NAM Standards Team Components TGML Library TGML Graphic Thermostat - SmartX Living Space Sensor - Dynamic AppRev1.02.05 Cause A script running inside the graphic component is expecting a well-formatted string representing the cover model on the cover model input binding. If that data is not delivered properly, the component defaults to a blank cover. Resolution Verify that the proper component is being used based on Sensor Firmware. Verify the proper IP controller firmware is installed to meet compatibility with the Host Server and also contain desired features. Once a controller is upgraded and the sensor has had time to upgrade, check the Sensor - Properties - Basic Tab - Application Software version. If greater than or equal to 1.02.05, then use Thermostat - SmartX Living Space Sensor - Dynamic AppRev1.02.05 Otherwise use Thermostat - SmartX Living Space Sensor - Dynamic   The TGML component should work as expected, but factors outside of the graphic can make it not work right. Click on the SmartX Sensor Device and look at Properties > Basic > Status Information > Cover model. Does that show a valid cover model (ex: SXWSCBXSELXX) or does it show ASCII gibberish? If showing nonsensical ASCII string, hotfix firmware is available to address this. Install firmware at or higher than 3.02.03.02109, which includes fix for Defect# 46054 and 47266 affecting the Cover Model SmartX IP Controller v3.02.03.02109 - Firmware Package File Release Date: 2021-Dec-19 https://ecoxpert.se.com/search?documentUUID=6b61d413-5cf8-47c0-ac4d-135391d375bf&title=SmartX%20IP%20Controller%20v3.02.03.02109%20-%20Firmware%20Package%20File Release Notes v3.02.03 - SmartX IP Controller Firmware Release Date: 2021-Dec-19 https://ecoxpert.se.com/search?documentUUID=1e29da8d-cf49-418d-92e5-e022bc4f33c7&title=Release%20Notes%20v3.02.03%20-%20SmartX%20IP%20Controller%20Firmware If the Cover Model is populated with a proper value, a previous firmware upgrade may have caused string values to stop writing properly through the TGML binding. There are two different resolutions to try in this order: Restart the AS-P Delete the SmartX Sensor Device (be sure to select "Keep references") and add it back as a new object with the same name and address.   The binding controlling the dynamic display of different cover models on the graphic can be overridden. Inside the TGML component are 3 groups named "3 Button," "LCD", and "Touchscreen." All are hidden. Find the proper face and change it to default to Visible. Find the Bind named "CoverModel" and delete the binding and script beneath it. This is what is responsible for auto-changing the cover and is no longer needed.

Issue When viewing the "Device Properties" of an MNB device in the Workplace Commissioning Tool (WPCT) the controller status indicates "Operational, Read-Only"? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment BACnet MNB controllers WorkPlace Commissioning Tool all versions Cause The MNB-xxxx series controllers contain circuitry that is designed to protect the integrity of the embedded flash memory under low-voltage or questionable input voltage conditions.  In the event of a controller-perceived low-voltage condition, the controller will set a read-only flag and lock out all writes to memory, as well as turn off controller outputs. Resolution The Read-Only status can help serve as an indicator that the input voltage to the controller may be questionable. Attention should also be paid to the wire distance between the central transformer and the secondary loads, especially in the case of half-wave input devices like the MNB-70, MNB-V series and MNB-300 controllers and the MNB-1000-15 remote I/O module. With half-wave type input devices, significant AC input current spikes can occur during the positive half-cycle of the AC input. Large resistances due to the wire lengths can cause significant voltage drops as seen from the controller AC input. In extreme cases, the controller may enter the read-only mode at apparent AC voltages exceeding 20 Vac due to the asymmetrical nature of the AC input voltage waveforms. In these cases, reducing the load on the transformer, reducing the wire length between the controller and the transformer, and using higher current rated wire will correct the problem.  For complete wiring guidelines consult the Micronet BACnet, Wiring, Networking, and Best Practices Guide. Once the power issue is resolved cycling power to the controller will clear the read-only portion of the status. 

Issue Connection issues come in a variety of flavors, narrowing them down is important to help resolve the issue. One of the causes of connection issues could be general network problems. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Advisor, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Building Advisor EBO Health Module Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Enterprise Central Building Operation Automation Server Premium Cause There are some steps that can be done to eliminate network issues as the cause of Building Advisor Cloud connectivity problems Resolution For the ES or EC: On the server running the ES/EC, start a WireShark capture then open up the command prompt running as admin and run the following commands. Make sure to note the responses received after each command: ping app.schneider-electric.com ping cnmiothubappstna.blob.core.windows.net ping cnm-ih-na.azure-devices.net curl -X POST https://app.schneider-electric.com/ecostruxure-building-advisor/diagnostics/Initialize -k -v --header "Content-Length: 0" Open the PuTTY application and telnet to the same 3 sites you pinged above over port 443. PuTTY is installed with Device Administrator and can be found in a folder similar to: C:\Program Files (x86)\Schneider Electric EcoStruxure\Building Operation 3.2\Device Administrator\bin If connection is successful, then you will only see PuTTY show blank black screen and it will remain without error pop-up for over 15 seconds. If unsuccessful, PuTTY will pop-up error for time out or network error, like:   PuTTY: Network Error For an AS-P/B: Connect to the server using Device Administrator and select the console option Run the following commands: ping app.schneider-electric.com ping cnmiothubappstna.blob.core.windows.net ping cnm-ih-na.azure-devices.net curl -X POST https://app.schneider-electric.com/ecostruxure-building-advisor/diagnostics/Initialize -k -v --header "Content-Length: 0" Curl response should look like the following (2 screenshots to show all): Command and Response Response (continued)

Issue When configuring reports there is no option to select the report to be exported once a month. Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert Cause There isn't an option to have a  report run only once a month. Resolution A workaround for this would be to select a single day of the week for it to run. This would reduce the frequency of the reports to once a week, then to have the operator check the export folder once a month for that months report.   Browse to the Event Report you want to export. Under File Export tab select the Enable File Export checkbox. Set the Time field to the time of day you want to run your report. Set the Export Directory to the folder you want to save your report export files to. Under Days to Export select one day of the week. Under Period select Last Month. Each time this report is run the same file will be overwritten, so when setting the report period to "Last Month" it will export the last months events from when it is run. Once a month the Operator would then select the file in the report folder which will have the last months events in it. The filename of the report is "EventReport" followed by that Event Reports Database ID number.

Issue After successfully logging in, the controllers' web page is only partially displayed, showing broken image links and incorrectly formatted text. Resetting the controller does not resolve the problem. SP-C Configuration Web Page Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert SP-C SP-AC1 SP-ACX Cause Incorrect controller web page files have been cached in the browser. This may occur if different controller firmware versions are viewed/commissioned on the same PC.  Resolution Clear the web browser's cache and try again.  Connect directly to the controllers' configuration page. For a controller with default settings, browse to 192.168.1.2/config.asp.

Issue How to configure the Security Expert system to use multiple Custom Credentials on the same door Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Custom Credentials Cause The older inbuilt Card Formats used Primary and Secondary Reader Formats to allow two Card Formats to be used on the same Door.  But how is this functionality achieved with Custom Credentials? Resolution It is possible to add two or more Custom Credentials to a single Door.  However, when you do this it is instructing the system to request the First Credential AND the Second Credential before granting access to that Door (perhaps even in sequence) If in fact the system is required to request EITHER the First Credential OR the Second Credential before granting access, then the Fallback Credential feature is used. This allows for as many Custom Credentials on a single door as needed.   Please see demo video below: