Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Depending on the environment of installation, IP classification of products is a prerequisite for the choice of the enclosure where TAC Xenta products are mounted. Product Line TAC Vista Environment TAC Xenta TAC Xenta OP Cause In some older versions of product documentation, the IP class was stated to be IP30, which was incorrect. Resolution All TAC Xenta products are, due to their hardware design, IP20. TAC Xenta OP is also IP20 unless cabinet mounted which then makes it IP43. See each product's data sheet for more information and details.

Issue Where can you obtain the Database Schema for the EBO WebReports / Report Server Database Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Report Server Cause From EBO version 3.2.x WebReports/RS is no longer being developed as we move to External Log Storage with Postgres and Timescale DB.    To allow our customers to continue to work with existing WebReports/RS databases if they so wish, it may be helpful to provide the DB Schema. Resolution An inbuilt Report already exists within WebReports call 'Database Schema' which allows you to select which Tables you would like to see in the WebReports / RS Database Running this will produce a .pdf Report detailing the RS Database Schema tables, to aid with 3rd Party integrations and other DB manipulation. A full database schema report is attached for reference (Version 3.2.3) 

Issue How to create custom reports in Building Operation WebReports Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation WebReports up to version 3.2.  Note: WebReports is no longer included in Building Operation 2022 and above. Cause Custom reports are typically created by modifying another report and then saving these changes. Typically used are the factory-supplied reports as the base for a new report then enter the filtering criteria that are required to be used in the new report. Assign a unique name to the custom report and save the new report as a dashboard or prompted report.  There may be a need to create a report not based on any of the standard reports provided in these Report Packs, this article covers this process. Resolution To create a non-factory-supplied report within WebReports it is necessary to use an editor.  Since WebReports use Microsoft Reporting Services it is recommended to download the Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Report Builder 3.0 or MS MSQL Server 2012 Report Builder.  This is a free tool provided by Microsoft that provides an intuitive report authoring environment for business and power users. This download provides a stand-alone installer for Report Builder 3.0.  Please note that Product Support does NOT provide support for Report Builder.  After downloading and installing the Report Builder application, the steps are as follows:  Each of these steps is also located on the Building Management System WebHelp site, a link for each of these steps is provided for additional reference and guidance. Start Report Builder and create a new blank report, see Creating a Basic Report for the steps.  After Creating the report create a data source that connects this report to StruxureWareReportsDB, see Creating a Data Source for these steps Then create the Data set, so add to the report which tables, views, stored procedures, and fields from the StruxureWareReportsDB are required to use in your report, see Creating a Dataset for these steps. This data can then be added to the custom report as required.  See Setting Up a Report for an example of setting up a report. See Adding an Image to a Report  on how to add images to the report  The new report now must be deployed to the Reports Server where it can be accessible to WebReports. To complete this procedure use SQL Server Reporting Services Report Manager. See Deploying a New Report to the Reports Server to view these steps in detail.  Finally, the report must be synchronized in WebReports to be deployed and therefore appear in the WebReports Reports Tree. Use WebReports with a Web browser to complete this procedure.  See Synchronizing WebReports with a New Report for the steps to complete this. Once all these steps have been completed successfully the new Report should be visible in the tree - the placement of these reports will depend on where they have been uploaded in step 5 above.  See the image below:

Issue The Zenitel integration to Access Expert provides the ability to add Zenitel ICX-500 controllers and stations for interaction with intercom devices and monitoring Zenitel events. In the Access Expert Windows Client, Zenitel Exchanges are accessible from the Intercom tab within the Hardware Provisioning section. The associated list of stations will appear when selecting and opening an Exchange. Product Line EcoStruxure Access Expert Environment Access Expert Hosted software Cause While trying to integrate a Zenitel intercom system to Access Expert there are some very specific steps that need to be followed Resolution Zenitel Exchanges Exchanges are used to group together and connect a specific set of Zenitel Stations. Through the Exchanges list, the following functionalities and properties are accessible: Add an Exchange: To add an Exchange, navigate to the Exchanges list and click “Create Exchange” in the upper left-hand corner. A dialogue will appear, prompting for a Display Name and MAC Address. Additional properties and information are available for viewing on the Exchange document once it’s been added. Note: It is important that the MAC address is valid. This is how the stations connect and populate in the instance. Note: The MAC address is not editable in the Exchange document after creation. Stations List: Each Exchange document has a read-only list of Stations connected to it. The system automatically populates the list based on Stations with a connecting MAC Address. This list is automatically updated with the most current available stations.   Zenitel Stations Stations are used to make calls. Stations can be accessed via the Exchange to which it’s connected, the global search bar, or the hardware tree. The Station contains the following properties: Display Name (Editable): This is the editable display name associated with the station. Connected To (Read-Only): Display name of the connected Exchange Configured Name (Read-Only): This is the non-editable original display name of the station configured by the ICX-500. Exchange Number (Read-Only): Number of the associated Exchange. Directory Number (Read-Only): Number to dial to reach this station. Connected Reader (Editable): Reader associated with the Station. Users may specify a reader in case they need to perform actions on surrounding hardware. Cameras/Views (Editable): Multiple cameras and views may be added via the Cameras tab. Reader functionality: Within the Stations form, users may specify a connected reader. Associated functionality to the reader is accessible directly through the “Actions” dropdown list or in the context menu when right-clicking a station that has a connected reader attached.   Functionalities for the associated readers include: Pulse Connected Reader Turn Connected Reader to Online Mode Unlock Connected Reader Lock Down Connected Reader Reset Connected Reader Floor Plans Edit Floor Plan: Stations may be added to floor plans. In the left-hand list of Available Hardware, all stations within the current instance will appear and may be added using the plus button to the right. At the top of the available hardware, a station icon exists for filtering.   View Floor Plan: When viewing a floor plan with connected stations, the station's alarm status will appear in real-time. The appropriate statuses and line states of the stations are also displayed and changes occurring with the stations are updated on the floor plan accordingly.   Hardware Tree Stations can be accessed via the hardware tree and can be filtered from the top of the list via its icon. The color of the Station object is used to determine its state (Green for Online, Red for Offline). Status is also viewable via an icon that appears on the Station (Black “X” indicating that a station is busy, grey phone symbol indicating that a station is in a call). Since a standalone list of all stations is not available via the Windows client, the hardware tree is the only place all stations within the current instance can be viewed at once.   Licensing Licensing of the Zenitel integration is based on the number of stations. Instances may be licensed for any number of specified Stations and thus, the system will not allow Stations within the instance to exceed the amount in which it’s licensed. If the instance is not licensed for any stations, the “Intercom” section in the Hardware Provisioning tab will not be visible.

Issue The room controller is replaced on-site, and you need to copy the same configuration of the faulty Controller. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, EcoStruxure Building Expert Environment Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Automation Server SSL SE8000 SSL SE7000 Cause The wrong file format might have been used Resolution This Video explains detailed steps to copy the configuration to a new or a replacement controller:   Please note that the older controller will probably have an older firmware version, and thus, you might have to downgrade the new controller to the same version. Also, note you can’t downgrade to below 2.0.0. If the older controller has a version before 2.0.0, this solution will not work and will have to configure the new one manually. Only After the configuration has been transferred successfully you can upgrade the controller to a new firmware version.

Issue Does Niagara R2, G3 (AX), and N4 support IPv6?  Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series R2 I/A Series G3 (AX) I/A Series N4 Cause Network planning questions from an end customer's IT department Resolution Niagara R2 does not support IPv6 (by design). Niagara G3 version 3.5 supports IPv6 but only on Windows-based platforms like an Enterprise Network Server or a soft Jace. Niagara G3 version 3.6 added support for IPv6 in embedded platforms like the ENC-520-2 and ENC-410-1.  Hotspot JVM required.  It is not supported by the J9 platform. Niagara N4 supports IPv6

Issue A new feature in EBO 3.2.X where the value is grayed out when the binding on the priority of a BACnet object matches the BACnet Default priority level Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation Cause Missing Release note documentation about the new feature added to EBO 3.2.X. Resolution In EBO versions prior to 3.2.X, when a bind in Priority matches the Default BACnet Write Priority, the values can be changed without forcing. From EBO 3.2.X, users need to force the value, let it change, and then un-force it. The following screenshots show this feature in more detail. The following image shows the Default BACnet write priority has been set to 16. Now, for example, if a program output is bound to Priority 16 of an analog value: The value property would be greyed out and has to be forced if changes are needed.   This is a new feature in EBO 3.2.X which is not mentioned in the Release Notes documentation.   Hint: A defect # 45570 has been documented in Release Notes 3.2.X about “Webstation - BACnet analog value's value property is not greyed out when there is a bind to the default priority.”. This issue has been fixed in EBO 4.0.X.   

Issue The automation server password policy is grayed out making it unavailable to make configuration changes. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Automation Server Premium   Cause When an Automation Server is attached to an Enterprise Server, all of the password policy configurations are inherited from the enterprise server. Therefore the AS settings cannot be changed.  Resolution The password policies of the Automation Server must be administered from the ES when it is connected to an Enterprise Server.   In order to make changes to the password policy settings in the Automation Server directly, it must be detached from the Enterprise Server. Note: For EBO V 1.9.X and lower, the password policy settings can be located under Control Panel > Security and Communication > Security settings area. For EBO 2.0.X and higher, the password policy settings can be located under Control Panel > Security and Communication > Password policy.

Issue Xenta OP menu items: Status, Sub menu, Week chart, Holiday chart, Alarm, Access Code, Edit Access Code, Date and Time, Daylight Saving have defined Access Levels: Low Level Medium Level High Level Accessing the medium or high-level menu items requires a password. What is the default password and how can they be changed? What if the passwords have been lost? Product Line TAC Vista Environment Menta Xenta Controllers Xenta OP Cause Accessing the medium or high-level menu items requires a password. Resolution The default password for accessing medium level menu items is: 1111 The default password for accessing high-level menu items is: 2222 These can be changed via the Xenta OP only provided the "Edit Access Code" menu item is present in the OP Tree. Downloading the controller may reset the access level passwords back to the default.

Issue Creating an email notification within Access Expert can be challenging if the correct steps are not followed.  Product Line EcoStruxure Access Expert Environment Access Expert Premise Software Cause If you don't follow specific steps, email notifications can be very difficult to write. Following the steps below, you can use pre-canned expressions which help to automate your notifications based on specific parameters. Resolution *Note* though you can add the Expressions tab by customizing the ribbon, no expressions can be found or used without following the process below. If you need to edit the notification to add more parameters then you will need to create a new template as editing an existing one will not expose the expressions. Trigger an event or alarm for what you would like a notification on. Right-click on the event or alarm in Event Viewer or Live Monitoring and select Add Email Template This will open up the template editor for you where you then will be able to select the necessary expressions based on your needs  Type the email message you would like to receive when the alarm triggers, click save    Type in the name you would like to use for the template and what you would like in the subject line of the notification you receive        Click on Alarm Actions, Add Alarm Action, and then Notification  Within the next dialogue box: Create a label for the notification Check the box next to "Send Email" Select the appropriate template Select Add Recipient Type in the name of the recipients you would like to receive the notification Click Save

Issue After installing the Niagara AX Serial Tunnel client, the service fails to start and Windows displays the following error: Could not start the NiagaraAX Serial Tunnel service on the Local Computer. Error 1068: The dependency service or group failed to start. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series G3 ENC I/A Series G3 Enterprise Server Microsoft Windows operating systems (any) Cause The selected, virtual COM port is in use by another application or is in conflict with another service running on the Windows host computer. Resolution Modify the COM port used by the Serial Tunnel Client. On the Windows host, go to Control Panel and double-click Niagara AX Serial Tunneling. Change the Serial Port to another selection that is not being used by other applications or services and click OK (see below). Reboot the computer

Issue WorkPlace Tech application was created with constant tags for writing test values to the application.  After uploading a previously downloaded application that contains constant tags with a [NA] value, none of those constant tags are drawn on the regenerated application drawing. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series WorkPlace Tech Tool version 4.x (any release) I/A Series WorkPlace Tech Tool version 5.x.x (any release) Cause The default input value for any unused control object input is a value of [NA].  Since all unused inputs have the implied [NA] constant, they are not drawn on a regenerated WorkPlace Tech application drawing. Resolution This action is by design.  By design, a constant tag can be added to any previously unused control object input and a value written to the controller via that constant tag using the Write to Ram function.  When adding constant tags to inputs, it is not necessary to recompile and download the application unless you desire that the new "Non-NA" value be saved in the application hex file.  With this in mind, remember that constant values are written to an installed application using the "Write to Ram" function will be lost when the controller is rebooted.

Issue Resource Advisor platform, which serves as a repository for water, gas, and electric invoices, enabling customers to focus on evaluating metered data. Assisting organizations that are committed to sustainability. Setup information. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, EcoStruxure Resource Advisor Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Enterprise Central Building Operation Enterprise Server Cause Information on setting up Resource Advisor is not available for download Resolution Click this link for an overview of Resource Advisor. Attached is a more detailed document including EBO Setup Guide and links for additional Resource Advisor information.

Issue The file linked below details a model of the MicroNet sensors with carbon dioxide sensing.  Are these available for purchase? MN-Sxxx CO2 sensors Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series MN-Sx sensors Cause Sales literature with reference to Schneider-Electric Resolution The MicroNet sensor models with carbon dioxide are a product of another company - Barcol-Air. The standard MicroNet sensors from Schneider-Electric were modified by Barcol-Air to include carbon dioxide sensing. Visit http://www.barcol-air.nl for more information. In the United States, contact Alpha Controls and Services to order these sensor models. Alpha Controls & Services 4104 Charles Street Rockford, IL 61108 Office:  815-227-4000 www.alphaacs.com  

Issue While Continuum controllers and EcoStruxure controllers do not utilize Power over Ethernet (POE), can plugging in a Continuum or EcoStruxure controller into a POE switch damage either the POE port or the controller? Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment PoE Ethernet Cause Controllers must be installed on a subnet served by a POE switch. Resolution According to the IEEE standard, a POE switch shall determine if the connected device is POE capable before turning on the power. The detection if a connected unit is POE capable is done by measuring the resistance between the pair #2 - #3 and pairs #1 - #4. On a POE capable unit the resistance is 25kohm, with some tolerance. If it is lower or higher it is not considered to be POE capable. As there are no Continuum or EcoStruxure ethernet controllers that apply a 25K ohm load, a properly functioning switch port will not enable PoE power and the device will not be damaged. Find information on the PoE standard in the Fundamentals of Power Over Internet (PoE) PDF

Issue Using BQL query to extract data from a G3 station How to display data from the BMS system on their custom / third party application. Environment I/A Series G3 Cause A requirement to display data from the BMS system on their custom application. Resolution You can query for data using a BQL (Baja Query Language) query. The Baja Query Language (BQL) is an SQL-like query language that provides a mechanism for identifying various sets of data. It provides an ad hoc way to search for data based on some criteria. 3rd party applications which is capable of running a web query can be used to query data from a G3 station. One such application is Microsoft Excel. The Niagara BQL Query Examples PDF provides several examples of BQL queries as well as an example of using Excel web query. Most data in a station can be queried including point values etc. For detailed description of BQL usage, refer to the Niagara Help in Workbench ( as shown below).

Issue When the Vista export file is converted using the Vista conversion to an EBO Server the Xenta devices are created with an empty application. Product Line TAC Vista, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Vista Conversion tool Cause The user name that was used to log into Vista Database to run the Database export does not have full access to the Xenta devices Function Block Program. Resolution Log in with the System user that has full access to the Vista Database and export the database for the conversion tool to use.

Issue When trying to embed a website in an N4 Px view, the site renders in Workbench but not in most browsers displaying this error in the browser's developer console; Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series N4 Workbench Web Browsers, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer Cause Most major browsers no longer support NPAPI/Java plugins.  Oracle has stated they would remove it in JDK 9  and from Java entirely.  The N4 WebBrowser object under the workbench pallet requires Java to work correctly.  That is why it only works in the Workbench environment, Internet Explorer, and older Oracle Java platforms. Resolution When using the WebBrowser object in Niagara N4. Viewing in the Browser Preview Mode or in an actual browser that doesn't support the Java plugin, the embedded site will not render. The only solution is to use Internet Explorer or the Web Launcher application detailed in the attached document to view the Px. For more information, refer to the Niagara Web Launcher - Niagara Java-based Web Clients Guide PDF

Issue The Alarm Priority does not display the correct value (110) in the Alarm View or Event View when the Alarm is in the "Alarm" state and displays 100 Value instead. It displays correctly in the Alarm view when the alarm state is "Acknowledged" or "Reset", and it displays correctly in the Event view when the alarm state is "Reset Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Automation Server Building Operation Enterprise Server Cause Incorrect configuration Resolution There is an"Alarm decorator override" that seems to override the priority for the alarm If in alarm state and priority is 110, then the priority is overridden to 100 as configured in the alarm decorator object Removing the override in the decoration will resolve this issue