Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue When an alarm is sent to a printer Alarm Receiver, the printer prints several pages for one alarm. Environment Vista Printer Cause A normal, modern laser printer does not have coding that allows it to take a break in the middle of a page and start again later. When a print job starts it will consume the whole piece of paper. An alarm in Vista will print one page for just that one alarm. Depending on the alarm it could span multiple pages. Resolution Only a dot matrix printer can be used because they can print on impact. Correctly programmed you will get one alarm on each row. The programming needs to be done with the printer manual.

Issue Why do the default Continuum Menu pages not look "sharp" on very high resolution monitors? Environment Cyberstation V1.94 Cause Only one set of default .bmp menu screens are provided with a Cyberstation install. Resolution The default menu pages supplied in a Cyberstation V1.94 SP1 installation are bitmaps of 1020 x 662 resolution. If you are using a very high resolution monitor with a much higher resolution you may want to re-draw these example menu pages to suit the sites requirements.

Issue Error code 29506 installing SQL Management Studio Environment Windows 9 SQL Management Studio Express Cause Windows permissions Resolution Run the command prompt as an administrator and launch the .msi file from there to install the management studio. Go to Start\All Programs\Accessories Right click on command prompt and select run as administrator Launch the .msi file from the command prompt.

Issue Can a Jace-Nxt installed with Niagara R2 be cleared and re-installed with Niagara G3?  It's from an existing jobsite that was R2 and is now being converted to G3. Environment Niagara R2 Niagara G3 Cause Jobsite is upgrading from Niagara R2 and G3. Resolution Yes it is possible.  Use remote desktop to connect to the internal Windows desktop and proceed to install Niagara G3 as is done on any Windows box. If the Jace-nxt has a hard drive, there will be plenty of free space to install Niagara G3.  If it has the flash drive, space is limited.  You may have to completely remove R2 to get the installation files for G3 copied over and installed.  A G3 license will have to be purchased for the unit. Note:  Tridium does not offer this 'upgrade' type of service.  It is a do-it-yourself task.

Issue Jobsite has some existing Microsmart and ASD controllers that will eventually be replaced with LON or BACnet controllers as budget allows.  Can they co-exist on a UNC-520? Environment Niagara R2 Cause Existing controllers that cannot be replaced right away due to budget limitations. Resolution The two drivers and their jar files will not conflict.  They can be both installed and work independent of each other.

Issue When emailing an alarm from the ENC the timestamp is always the time the alarm occurred; even when the Alarm email is due to an acknowledgement or return to normal. Environment G3, ENC's, JACE's Cause The default "body" property of the EmailRecipient contains only the %timestamp% which represents when the alarm occurred. Resolution Additional parameters can be added to the EmailRecipient "body" property to provide the "return to normal" and "acknowledged" timestamps. The return alarm timestamp can be added with %normalTime%. The acknowledged timestamp can be added with %ackTime%.  

Issue Is the "Card Reader Power" specified in the datasheet per reader input or the controller total? Environment ACX5740 ACX5720 Cause It does not define on the datasheet if the reader power specified is for each reader input or the controller total. Resolution The reader current available specified on the ACXII datasheet is for each of the reader inputs. The jumpers on the board are used to define if each channel is supplying +12VDC or +5VDC. Each of the 4 reader inputs on an ACX5720 or the 8 reader inputs on an ACX5740 can supply the following: Either: 120mA @ +5VDC Or 180mA @ +12VDC If a reader is used that has a peak (Maximum) current consumption that exceeds this then it must be powered from a separate external power supply.

Issue Procedures and processes to secure I/A Series G3 (AX) Systems Environment I/A Series Niagara G3 (AX) Systems Cause Users accessing system without permission Potential damage done by malicious entry to the system Resolution The attached document describes how to implement security best practices in an I/A Series Niagara G3 system. While it is impossible to make any system completely impenetrable, there are many ways to build up a system that is more resistant to attacks. In particular, this document describes how you can help make an I/A Series Niagara G3 system more secure by carefully configuring and using.  Passwords Accounts and Permissions Authentication TLS and Certificate Management JACE-8000 Settings Additional Settings Please note that while all of these steps should be taken to protect your I/A Series Niagara G3 system, they do not constitute a magic formula.  Many factors affecting security and vulnerabilities in one area can affect security in another; it doesn't mean much to configure a system expertly if your JACE is left physically unsecured where anyone can access it.  Note: Schneider Electric strongly recommends upgrading to the latest I/A Series G3 version 3.8 maintenance build that implements numerous security updates.  Before updating any system, make sure to review the build included documentation to understand the behavioral impacts of the security enhancements. Download the Niagara AX Hardening Guide for more details.

Issue ACX57xx stops granting access through doors until the controller is reloaded. Controller will work fine for a while then stop granting access again. Controller has been replaced. Environment ACX5740 ACX5780 Cause One power supply is powering both the controller and the controller strike outputs. Resolution Install ACX57xx in conformance with the ACX57xx Controller Installation Instructions.

Issue For example: >  Can a I/A Series G3 3.5.34 station in an ENC be edited with a 3.7.106 release of Workbench? >  Can a I/A Series G3 3.6.47 station in an ENC be edited with a 3.6.406 release of Workbench? Environment I/A Series G3 ENC or JACE controller (any 3.x release) I/A Series G3 Enterprise Server or Workbench software at any 3.x release Cause When engineering a mixed system it is advised that you use the correct version and brand of Workbench to connect. This insures that the modules on your Workbench will be compatible with the modules used by your station.  It is known that connecting with a different set of modules, i.e., different release, can result in a few odd behaviors or display problems or it may not allow you to connect at all. The incentive to upgrade is primarily for the new features. But it is also convenient to have all your stations at the same build so that you do not have to load different builds of Workbench to properly design and maintain the site. Resolution There are two solutions to this issue. Upgrade the older stations to the latest release. Install multiple copies of the I/A Series G3 software on the engineering computer and use the appropriate version when editing an existing ENC or JACE station.  When more than one version of the I/A Series G3 software is installed on the same computer, you must load the corresponding version of the Niagara platform daemon before attempting to use the Workbench software.  There are two ways to load the Niagara platform daemon.  When newer versions of the I/A Series G3 software are installed, a Windows Start menu folder is created for that version.  The "Install Platform Daemon" command will be found under that folder.  After running that command and allowing the Niagara Daemon service to start, you can use the "Enterprise Network Server" in the same Start menu folder to launch the corresponding release of the Workbench.  With any version of the I/A Series G3 software, you can manually install & start the platform daemon then start Workbench.  To set the version, start the Niagara console (<release directory>\bin\console.exe) for the version you want to run and then type the command "plat installdaemon".  You can then also start the workbench from that console window by typing "wb" at the command prompt.

Issue How can the priority as set in the Event Notification be used to sort alarms? Environment Cyberstation all versions. Cause The Priority of an alarm is not stored in the Alarm log. Resolution To sort the Active Alarm view by priority: In the Active Alarm view, from the top menu select View, Sort. This will open the sort criteria for the active alarms. There are 3 levels of sort: Primary, Secondary & Tertiary. by default these are Datetime, Name & Value.   For Historical alarms in a list view, the Priority of an alarm is not recorded in the Alarm Event table database, so you cannot filter or sort on Priority when looking at historical alarm logs. Note: The Priority is read from the Event Notification table for use in the live alarm window.  

Issue Part numbers for SVEA Lighting modules. Environment SVEA LON Lighting Cause Part numbers no longer listed. Resolution The SVEA Brand of lighting control products became obsolete as of 1st January 2011. Please see Product Announcement PA-00139.

Issue Is there any duct air velocity sensor available in our portfolio? Environment Duct Air velocity sensor Cause Some applications requires a duct air velocity sensor. Resolution Unfortunately no sensor of this type is available in the Sensors portfolio.

Issue Browser wbapplet Guest user account login issue with I/A Series G3 versions 3.6.406 and 3.7.106 - indicates syntax error. Environment I/A Series G3 build 3.6.406, web module 3.6.406 I/A Series G3 build 3.7.106, web module 3.7.106.4 Cause Issue with web modules 3.6.406 and 3.7.106.4. Resolution Download and install the latest Consolidated Patches for the 3.7.106 environment.  This is available for download from The Exchange Download Center.

Issue Is it possible to use the V321 and V311 valves in applications with a glycol content up to 50%? Environment V311 V321 Cause   Some valves are not suitable for use in applications with glycol content in media. Resolution The V321 and V311 can be used in applications with deaerated water with glycol-type antifreeze agent (max 50%)

Issue b3 controllers in StruxureWare Building Operation do not seem to support Counter inputs. Environment Counter Inputs b3 Cause SmartStruxure does support the creation of Counter inputs within b3 controllers. Resolution Counter inputs are Analog Inputs.  When the Object Creation wizard is used to create an Analog input the user is prompted to select the electric type.  At this point select Counter.

Issue When running TAC Vista as an application it is not possible to start it as it can't find the files PLPSU.DLL and PLSERV.EXE.   Environment TAC Vista 4.XX Cause A antivirus program called Avast have blocked PLPSU.DLL and PLSERV.EXE. Resolution Don't use this antivirus program when running TAC Vista or mark the files as safe in the antivirus program.

Issue Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Compliance Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment StruxureWare Building Operation Cause Is the Automation Server or Enterprise Server FIPS compliant? Resolution There is not Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) Compliance with the current release of Building Operation.

Issue Does the TAC Vista OPC server have a certificate from OPC foundation? Product Line TAC Vista Environment TAC Vista OPC server Cause The OPC Foundation established the OPC Certification program to help vendors verify that their products meet end-user requirements of plug-and-play interoperability, robust behavior and meet minimum performance expectations by providing well-defined behavior, documentation and test tools for the testing of OPC Servers and Clients. Resolution TAC Vista OPC server have not been tested and certified by OPC foundation, but TAC Vista OPC server is following the OPC specifications established by OPC foundation.

Issue XBuilder crashes when opening a project or simply opening the editor Environment TAC Vista 5.1.8 and earlier Windows 7 32-bit computers Cause Due to some Windows issue, XBuilder may crash on SOME Windows 7 32-bit computers. Resolution This issue is solved in TAC Vista 5.1.9.