Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue When opening a dashboard graphic, the system operates very slowly.  Navigation to other links with the Dashboard displayed, and clicking on a linked graphic does not display immediately.  Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation 3.2.3 and higher Building Operation Automation Server Bundles (AS-B) Building Operation WebStation  Cause Typically when a large number of stored values (100,000 per trend log) is needed to be displayed within the Dashboard widget (e.g., Period Chart) with a significant number of trend logs to be displayed (five or more) in the Dashboard, this will put excessive load on the AS-B and hence stops any or all navigation thereafter.   Dashboard widgets typically continue to read data required to be displayed after closing (or navigating away). This is to keep those logs cached for a few minutes after the dashboard is closed, so if the same logs are loaded again, then the data is available. Any calculations are always done on the client, regardless of whether a chart, dashboard, or trend list is shown. The same is also true for WorkStation. Resolution Below are some considerations to look at improving the overall performance when dealing with this issue: Reducing the number of storage records from 100,000 to something more reasonable for the dashboard to display (5,000 - 8,000) Having these logs stored on the Enterprise Server and Dashboard operated from the Enterprise Server.    If large storage is necessary, then create or use different logs for display within the Dashboards widgets.  If the intention is always to show calculated values, use log processor trend logs. Log Processing Trend Log. These can be pre-calculated and thus contain only a fraction of the full source log's data amount. Upgrade to the later version (EBO 2023) as many optimizations have been made for Dashboards since 3.2.        

Issue There can be confusion on the differences between EcoStruxure Energy Expert (formerly Power Manager) and EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert (PME)  Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, Other Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation  EcoStruxure Energy Expert (formerly Power Manager) EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert Cause Power Monitoring Expert (PME) is a long-established product in the Schneider Power (EMS) offer and so its place in the market is well known and its support path is very clear. Energy Expert is a much newer offering that intentionally sits nearer to EcoStruxure Building Operation (EBO) in the BMS community, while still remaining an EMS product and so its place in the market and support path is more easily confused. Resolution Definitions   EcoStruxure Power Monitoring Expert (PME) Schneider Electric's supervisory software dedicated to power monitoring that enables you to maximize operational efficiency, optimize your power distribution system, and improve bottom-line performance   EcoStruxure Building Operation (EBO)  Schneider Electric's premier building management system (BMS) providing integrated monitoring, control, and management of energy, lighting, HVAC, and fire safety.   EcoStruxure Energy Expert (EE)                                                    Designed to offer Power Monitoring Expert (PME) features to new and existing EcoStruxure Building Operation (EBO) projects, giving extra capabilities to manage power utilization in a BMS environment.   It utilizes EcoStruxure Web Services (EWS) to be able it to share data between the two EcoStruxure software platforms. (EBO and EE) and applications such as the ETL Tool and the Integration Utility in the integration process.   EcoStruxure Web Services (EWS) The Schneider Electric standard for sharing data among various Schneider software platforms to facilitate the creation of EcoStruxure Solutions. Based on conventional Web Services technology (SOAP, WSDL)   ETL Tool The function of the ETL is to extract select historical data (Trend logs) from EBO, and load that data into the Energy Expert SQL database for use in Dashboard and Reports etc.   Integration Utility The function of the Integration Utility is to export Energy Expert Dashboards, Reports and Alarms for import into EBO to enhance its Power Offer to the customer   Product Support Path: PME, Energy Expert, ETL and the Integration Utility are are all fundamentally Power Products and so should always be raised through your local Product Support Team (via your Customer Care Center (CCC)) under an EMS commercial reference. However in cases where an Energy Expert project needs specific assistance with the EBO side of the integration then a BMS commercial reference should be used instead.

Issue During Energy Expert installation an error is shown, and the floating license manager is never installed Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, Other Environment EcoStruxure Energy Expert (formerly Power Manager) Installation Cause "Error 1722" occurs due to a conflict between the version of Java installed on the PC and the version included in the EE installation package Resolution Uninstall all versions of Java from the PC Install the JavaRuntime manually from the install media "..\setup\SetupSupport\Licensing\JavaRuntime\x86\jre1.7.0_02.msi" Run the complete installation again

Issue How is the Real Time Clock (RTC) maintained when a Automation Server loses power since there is no battery on the AS. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Automation Server (AS-P, AS-B, AS) Real-time clock Cause Documentation Resolution Each Automation Server has a dedicated capacitor that backs up the RTC chip.  Please consult the tables below or use the Webhelp links and search for 'Real-time clock':-   AS-P Real-time clock Accuracy in runtime mode NTP server Accuracy in backup mode, at 25 °C (77 °F) +/-52 seconds per month Backup time, at 25 °C (77 °F) 10 days   AS-B Real-time clock Accuracy in runtime mode NTP server Accuracy in backup mode, at 25 °C (77 °F) +/-52 seconds per month Backup time, at 25 °C (77 °F) 10 days   AS Real-time clock Accuracy, at 25 °C (77 °F) 47 to +73 seconds per month Backup time, at 25 °C (77 °F) 30 days

Issue Users are getting two possible errors when trying to open WebReports page Error #1 - "The Web Site URL for Reports is not configured. Please contact the administrator" Error #2 -  "The webpage cannot be found" can also be generated. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Web Reports Cause These Errors can occur when the link to the Reports Server is not correct.  This is usually caused by having the Enterprise Server and Report Server on the same PC It should be noted that having both the Enterprise and Report Server's on the same PC is not recommended.   The reason the Workstation can not access the Web site / Web service URL's is because the Report Manager points to the "Localhost".  When you try to use a Workstation that is not local to the Report Server it can not locate this URL, hence the error.   This issue is not seen if when installing the Report Server on a different machine to the Enterprise Server as designed. Resolution Even though the Enterprise Server is local to the Report Server if access required by any other Workstation or WebStation you must enter the IP or PC Name of the Report Server within the Report Manager's Web site URL.  In this instance changing only the Web site URL will rectify the problem but it is recommended to change both the Web site and Web Service URL settings. This will allow any remote Workstation / Browser to find the Report Server. In workstation, Browse, to the System folder Click on System>Report Manager Set the Web site URL to http://localhost/SchneiderElectric/WebReports/Login.aspx Set the Web Service URL to http://localhost/SchneiderElectric/WebReportsService If the Enterprise Server resides on a different PC than the Reports Server, change "localhost" to the Report Server computer name or IP address After making this change WebReports should display correctly:

Issue The following error is generated during the SQL Configuration step for 1.8 Reports Server Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment WebReports Installer Cause This can happen for various reasons: Possible cause 1 The Microsoft .NET Framework installation is damaged after installing Microsoft SQL Server. Possible cause 2 In one of the steps during SQL installation, we have to configure NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM. If user fails to change this and move ahead with default user then create database step would fail. Possible cause 3 The operating system is not using English as its selected language. Resolution Solution 1 Quit the WebReports Installer Package Remove/reinstall or repair .NET Framework 4.5 (Available from Microsoft .NET download site or direct download - WebInstaller - OfflineInstaller) Repeat the installation of WebReports Solution 2 Set the SQL server service log on properties to "Local System" (NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM) Restart the SQL server service Repeat the installation of WebReports Solution 3 Replace the WebReports OS with an English version of Windows. 

Issue Downloaded the WPT (WorkPlace Tech Tool) software.  How do I get a serial number so that I can complete the licensing form displayed with the "Purchase WorkPlace tech Software" program? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment WorkPlace Tech Tool 5.x.x Cause The WPT license generator program requires a "WIBS serial number" so that the license request can be generated. If the field is left blank, the program will not allow the license request to be generated.   Resolution The serial number is provided on purchased CDs so as to provide a method of tracing the manufactured CDs. To license the downloaded version of the Workplace Tech Tool software, you must enter an 8 digit serial number.  It is suggested, although not required, that you enter the current date as the serial number. When using the date as the serial number, enter the four digit year followed by the two digit month followed by the two digit day, i.e., in the format YYYYMMDD. For example, 20230203.

Issue Instructions are required on how to set up a Trouble Input for Periodic Testing of a Reporting Service such as Contact ID Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert Client/Server SP-C-WEB Contact ID Reporting Service Cause Basic information on configuring reporting services is documented in the Security Expert Operator Manual and SP-C-WEB Programming Reference but these do not contain practical steps on configuring Trouble Inputs for Period Testing of Reports Services such as Contact ID Resolution  Trouble Input: 1. Navigate to Programming | Trouble Inputs 2. Locate the Service Test Report Trouble Input 3. Select the Areas and Input Type Tab 4. Select an Area and Input Type that the Trouble Input will be processed by Area Generally all trouble inputs that need to be monitored by a central station are monitored by the same area referred to as a system Area. This Area generally does not have any output such as Sirens associated with it, does not process intrusion inputs and is not accessible by end users.  A system Area is not created by default in Security Expert so needs to be added via the Programming | Areas menu   Input Type  Generally the default Input Type of Trouble Silent of 24 Hour Alarm is used for Trouble Inputs 5. Select Save 6. Navigate to Programming | Areas and select the System Area  7. Select the Configuration Tab and ensure the Reporting Service eg ContactID is assigned to the Area. 8. Save   Periodic Testing: 1. Navigate to Sites | Controllers 2. Change Test Report Time (HH:MM) to specified time period, the Service Test Report Trouble Input will open at this frequency eg. every 4 hours and report to the station if there is a connection between the panel and the monitoring station. 3. Select the Options Tab 4. Select Test Report Time is periodic tick box 5. Save For more details on the creation of Report Services such as Contact ID please refer to KB Article:  Configuring Security Expert Reporting Service such as Contact ID

Issue Active alarms are appear stuck in the alarm viewer for objects that are no longer in alarm.   Alarm notifications will not clear from Active Alarm View. How can obsolete alarms be removed from the Active Alarm View Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation WebClient Cause When a Return to Normal (RtoN) notification is reported by a controller, if Cyberstation is unable to receive the notification due to a loss of communication, the status of the alarm notification will not be updated and the alarm will continue to be displayed as though it were active even though the point alarm state is now inactive. Resolution Method 1 Disable the object and change it's value so that a new alarm is induced. Refresh the object editor until it indicates that the alarm state is active. Enable the object so that it returns to a normal value. If necessary, acknowledge the alarm so that it can be removed from the alarm list. Method 2 Backup the Continuum Database. Edit the object to confirm that it is no longer in an active alarm state. From the Root/ListView folder, open the Alarms_AllActive Listview. Locate the alarm entry associated with the object. Right click on the line and select Delete. Restart Cyberstation to update the Active Alarm View from the alarm log.

Issue BACnet 3rd party controller will not respond to Find New BACnet Devices (Who-Is/I-Am), so will not come online to Continuum or EBO Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, Andover Continuum Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Automation Server Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Building Operation Edge Server - Standard Continuum Cyberstation Continuum bCX4040 (BACnet) Cause BACnet MSTP device can be master or slave. BACnet MSTP slave will only respond to a request from a master device, and will not respond to the Who-Is broadcast so it can not be discovered. EBO: EBO does not support slave devices. EBO does not currently have a way to statically configure MAC addresses as it relies on dynamic discovery.   Continuum: Slave only devices cannot come online. Resolution Check 3rd party device documentation or contact 3rd party device vendor for Master/Slave settings and configure for Master to communicate on a MSTP network. Use 3rd party interface to convert to a protocol that can be directly supported by EBO or Continuum. Examples of BACnet MSTP Slaves that are known not to respond to EBO or Continuum Who-Is request and so not come online are: - The Babel Buster 485XM from Control Solutions Inc is BTL listed as a BACnet Slave device , their PICs statement can be seen Here. - Wilo pumps Interface Modules: IF-Modul BACnet & IF-Modul Stratos BACnet, their PICs statement can be seen Here.  

Issue What process do the bCX and b3 controllers use to automatically establish their communication bus speed. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment bCX b3 Auto Baud MSTP Cause Having issues with b3 controllers selecting the wrong bus speed. Resolution The process by which the b3 controllers establish their communication speed is as follows. When the b3 controllers power up, they listen to the network for 2.5 seconds If they hear communication at their last known Baud rate, they start talking when they hear the poll for master. If they hear no communication after 2.5 seconds, they start their own poll for master at their last known Baud Rate. If they hear garbled communication during the 2.5 second listen mode, they begin hunting different Baud Rates while listening until they have synced to the Baud Rate they are listening to. Then they join the token passing when they receive the Poll for Master. Note:  There was a issue with the autobaud process in earlier versions of the b3 and BCX40xx controllers which would cause them to set the communication speed incorrectly.  This issue was corrected in the following firmware versions. BCX40xx ==> 4.500053 b3xxx      ==> 4.500064 b-3xxx-V ==> 4.501064

Issue When adding a document to an EcoStruxure server an error message appears. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Enterprise Server Automation Server (AS-P/AS-B) Cause There are size limitations to take into consideration. Resolution It is possible to upload any file type, including .doc, .jpg, .pdf, or .txt.  However, importing files larger than 20 MB will result in an error message.     Refer to Documents Overview for additional information

Issue In an environment where the Security Expert database is installed on a remote SQL server (i.e. not on the same machine as the one where Security Expert Server is installed), can I use SQL Authentication for the connection between SX and SQL Server? Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert Server Cause SQL Server supports two authentication methods: Windows Authentication and SQL Authentication. Security Expert supports Windows Authentication only. Resolution No, Security Expert does not support SQL Authentication. You must use Windows Authentication, i.e. a domain user account must be setup with permissions both to the machine where SX Server is installed and the one where the SX databases are installed. Please refer to the SX-SRVR Security Expert - Client Server - Installation Guide for more information on the installation pre-requisites. See also KB article Security Expert Multiple Machine Installation for Windows Authentication with Active Directory for further information on how to setup SQL Server and SX on different machines.

Issue Missing Admin user password for the Loytec L-Gate Universal Gateway or LIP router. Product Line TAC Vista Environment L-Gate Universal Gateway LIP Cause Forgot the default admin password. Resolution The default login for L-Gate and the NEW style LIP (blue-grey in color) is: Username: admin Password: loytec4u The default login for OLD style LIP (off-white in color) is: Username: admin Password: admin

Issue What is the maximum number of devices that can be placed on the MS/TP trunk of the ENC-520, UNC-520 and MNB-1000? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment Niagara R2 Niagara G3 UNC-520 ENC-520 MNB-1000 Cause Unit Load is a measure of the electrical loading of an EIA-485 (MS/TP) network. An EIA-485 network may have 32 unit loads. One unit load consists of one full-load transceiver, two half-load transceivers, four quarter-load transceivers, or eight eighth-load transceivers. Resolution All MNB-xxxx, UNC-xxx, and ENC-xxx devices use quarter load transceivers, which mean that a MS/TP network comprised solely of MNB devices can have up to 128 total devices (1 router plus 127 controllers). The maximum number of BACnet devices allowed per MS/TP trunk, if all devices are quarter-load transceiver, is 127 plus the ENC/UNC or MNB-1000 controller. Note: 32 unit loads times 4 transceivers per unit load equals 128 maximum transceivers per network (32 X 4 = 128). UNC/ENC Resource Limit Although the 128 BACnet devices is the stated maximum for a MS/TP trunk, this maximum is normally not achieved. This is because the number of MS/TP devices that can be placed on a MS/TP bus is limited by the resource limit of the UNC/ENC controller. A shortage of resources will limit the devices on an MS/TP network to a number less than the physical limit. Exceeding the resource limit will negatively affect the UNC/ENC-520s, possibly causing poor performance and resets (of the UNC/ENCs). Reference Appendix A of BACnet Wiring and Networking Practices Guide for additional information.

Issue What are the fields in the FIPS-201 PIV FASC-N? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation NC2 (9680) ACX2 (ACX5720, ACX5740) Cause Documentation Resolution The Federal Agency Smart Credential Number (FASC-N) consists of 40 total characters encoded as Packed Binary Coded Decimal (BCD) format with odd parity creating a 200 bit (25 byte) record.

Issue When a Netcontroller is powered off, resets or loses communication to the AC-1 IOU modules, the modules become stand alone. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Netcontroller II (CX9680), Netcontroller (CX9900, CX9940) IOU Modules AC-1, AC-1A, AC-1Plus Custom Wiegand Events Cause Need to understand what functionality AC-1 IOU modules provide without a Netcontroller Resolution If using one of the standard Wiegand data formats i.e. Continuum 37 bit, 26 bit etc then the AC-1 module will operate in site code only: This is known as degrade mode and means any card from that site will be granted access to the door. The module verifies the presented card is of the correct data format and has the correct parity, The module checks the site code against one of the 4 possible site codes stored in NVRAM. The AC1 and AC-1A only support the first two site codes in degrade mode. The AC-1Plus can support all four site codes in degrade mode. There is no recording of events when the Netcontroller comms are lost. Programs that are controlling the module no longer work This is different to normal operation where both the card number and the site code are verified to ensure that the individual person has access to the specific area.   When using custom card formats and the module is operating in degrade mode: Refer to Setting Up a Custom Wiegand Format for information on the behavior of the AC-1, AC1-A and AC1Plus. Refer to Multi Custom Card Formats as the site codes also need to be saved in the AC1 module using a Plain English program, 

Issue Time schedules are not switching off according to the workstation time. Time schedules are delayed. Product Line TAC Vista Environment TAC Vista, Xenta Servers and Controllers (280/300/400) Cause The Time in the TAC Xenta 911 and TAC Xenta controller is not the same as in TAC Vista Server. Resolution To check the time in the TAC Xenta controller follow these steps : Browse to the TAC Xenta controller Right Click on the controller and select Properties Select the Information Tab. This will display the time in the TAC Xenta controller To check the time zone of the TAC Xenta controller select the time settings Tab. Once the TAC Xenta controllers have been set in the right time zone TAC Vista server will sync them to the correct time. By default this occurs every 10 minutes The final step is to ensure the time and time zone of TAC Vista server is correct. To do that locate your TAC Vista Server object and right click then select properties.  Select the Information Tab to show the server time. This time is governed by the PC time so to adjust the PC time through Windows.

Issue If an Automation Server should be used as a LON Device in an OpenLNS Database using the OpenLNS Commissioning Tool? Is that possible to do? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Automation Server 1.4.1.68 or newer   Cause Some sites may wish to use other Lonworks configuration tools than EcoStruxure Building Operation Workstation. Resolution This is possible in 1.4.1.68 and newer. Add a Lonworks Local FT-10 interface and then add an Externally Managed Lonworks Network.

Issue When backup to flash is automatically disabled by the system due to exceeding the flash circuit breaker write limit, no system alarm is sent to make the system's operator aware  Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Continuum i2920 Controller Cause Implementation of Continuum Infinet integration in EcoStruxure Building Operation did not include this feature. Resolution As a workaround, a user-created alarm can be used instead of the system alarm. Here is a sample implementation of this workaround:   Under the Infinet Interface create an Alarm, in this example, we are using an 'Expression' alarm Here is the algorithm used as an expression for the alarm Value = BackupDisabld In the i2 device, edit the 'StatusBackup' system variable and attach the alarm above in the Alarm Configuration tab. Make sure to tick the 'Enabled' box to engage the alarm.   The alarm will be sent when the flash circuit breaker trips which in the i2 device takes place after 10,000 backups To resume backups the feature must be manually re-enabled from Workstation by right-clicking the device and selecting DEVICE->ENABLE BACKUP TO FLASH