Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue If a Variable status alarm is setup on a BACnet point it never triggers. Environment Workstation V1.8.1  and earlier Cause The reason is that the 3 available triggers (Forced, Overridden and Offline) do not apply to the BACnet protocol. If you open up the bindings page for a BACnet point you will see that none of the BACnet point attributes are the same as these 3 trigger statuses. Resolution Although from the SBO side you can force a point, what actually happens is that the value becomes commanded at "Command priority 8" (by default). The BACnet protocol does not have a Forced attribute. There is also no attribute listed for Overridden and Offline point in the BACnet standard. Because of this the Variable Status Alarm does not apply to a BACnet point.  

Issue Why isn't the OpenLNS a full, un-limited license? Environment OpenLNS OpenLNS CT Cause Renewing OpenLNS CT Annual Maintenance You can renew your annual maintenance for OpenLNS Server and OpenLNS CT before they expire. Renewing your OpenLNS and OpenLNS CT annual maintenance enables you to continue installing software updates and upgrades. If you do not renew the products’ maintenance, you can still use the products; however, you will not be able to upgrade it with updates or upgrades released after your annual maintenance expired. You cannot renew your annual maintenance after it has expired. Once it has expired, you must purchase a new activation key to be able to install any updates or upgrades released after your maintenance expired. To renew your annual maintenance, purchase an OpenLNS Commissioning Tool Professional One-Year Maintenance Renewal (Echelon model number 93800) or an OpenLNS Commissioning Tool Standard One-Year Maintenance Renewal (Echelon model number 93810). Echelon will process your order, and your maintenance coverage will be extended so that you can continue updating and upgrading OpenLNS and OpenLNS CT for an additional year. Resolution If paying the annual maintenance fee, you have access to updates and upgrades. Not paying still means that the program could be used, however it could not be updated with the latest patches.

Issue MPM rebooting with message in the log like: MASTER_MAN (id= 9) 361893.721> FAULT: core_watch.c:333; code:0; time:2017-02-13 15:34:25; Message:Task ID 38:Lua_User_PGs expired at 361886.5; Top Of Stack:0x000000F3 0x20D4BE7C 0x71B73B76 0x0000007A 0x00000000 0x60000013 0x60000013 0x00000000 0x2084D224 0x08080808 0x09090909 0x10101010 0x11111111 0x00000015 0x2006FD91 0x2006FD91 0x20D48D3C 0x20062159 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x20EE8248 0x20D48D3C 0x00000000 0x00000000 0x22D50000 0x00000000 0x20D1E8E4 0x000007D0 0x00000000 0x2084D238 0x00000000 0x00000000 ; Product Line EcoStruxure Building Expert Environment MPM Cause This is an error in one of the PG object (user written Lua script) possibly an infinite loop. Resolution Disable or delete 1 by 1 your Lua PG's to identify the PG with the issue.

Issue BACnet Input shows "Out of Service". When attempting to set a value or remove the out of service flag an error is seen. "An attempt has been made to write to a BACnet property with a value that is outside the range of values defined for the property." Environment bCX4040 b3 Controllers Cause An xP Module attached to the Controller was malfunctioning and the inputs on this board were not functioning. Resolution Powering everything down, re-seating the xP Module board and powering the Controller back up resolved the problem.

Issue How to automatically have b3 controller backup to flash. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment b3 Script Program Cause Script program syntax is a bit different to how it was done in Continuum, specific details needed on how to set this up.  Resolution This is a sample script program to enable automatic backup to flash when the controller database is different to what is currently stored in Flash. Create the below Script Program in the b3 controller. Make sure to bind both the input and output variables to statusbackup/value. 'bind statusbackupin and statusbackupout to the systemvariable statusbackup/value. numeric input statusbackupin numeric output statusbackupout init: if ts >= 5 then goto checking checking: if statusbackupin = backupneeded Then   statusbackupout = backupnow Endif goto wait1day wait1day: if td >= 1 then goto init

Issue When a controller goes Offline, no email is being generated from the system when set up. Product Line Access Expert Environment Access Expert Server2012 SQL2012 R2 Hosted Instance Premise Instance Cause There is no email server set up in the User interface for the system to use. Resolution To resolve this issue please follow these steps: On the General Configuration tab, click on System Settings Verify these settings or use the default Click on User Interface Tab Use a valid email address e.g. Name@Domain.com Verify that the system is generating the email by Triggering an Alarm  e.g (Controller Disconnected Long Time)             

Issue Configuring the SSC to use Comm Port B on an SSC. Product Line Access Expert Environment Server 2012 SQL 2012R2 Hosted Instance Version 2, Version 3 Premise Install Cause The SSC is not configured to work on Comm Port B for the RS-485 connections, all communications to downstream devices are done through Comm Port A. If you have done so and it functions, please note that this is not supported. Resolution All communications on an SSC for RS-485 in Access Expert needs to be done on Comm Port A.

Issue A Pelco IWP221-1ES IP camera is being used and configured as a direct camera in Security Expert but the image from the camera is not being displayed in the Security Expert. Product Line Security Expert Environment Security Expert Pelco IWP221-1ES IP camera Cause The wrong URL to the image feed was used. When we use the IP address of camera to display the camera image in a web browser, it requires the Pelco Media plug in or Quicktime but these cannot be used in Security Expert. Resolution Use a direct URL to the camera stream. For the Pelco IWP221-1ES IP camera, use "http://camera.ip.address/jpeg/pull".

Issue After setting up an SSC controller, it does not come online even after multiple Resets and putting it into DFU Mode. Product Line Access Expert Environment Access Expert Windows Server 2012 Cause The device was previously set up, maybe at the office. Now, when taken out to site, it shows that it already exists on another instance. Resolution Open up the initial instance that it was set up on Right click and Delete the device Open up the new instance that it will be current on If already created, then communication should start automatically Once online, program accordingly

Issue Sites need guidance on how to setup custom ABA cards in Continuum. Environment CyberStation NetController I (CX99xx) NetController II (CX9680) AC1Plus IOU Module ACX57xx Cause The implementation of ABA cards in Continuum access control systems was designed to comply with the ISO 7811 ABA standard for magnetic stripe card. Because of this, the system only reads  one field (the PAN or Primary Account Number) from the ABA card, this field contains a number of up to 19 digits which is used as the card number. Continuum Custom ABA feature provides for maximum flexibility by allowing the 19 digit PAN field on track 2 of the mag stripe to be organized in sub fields such as site code etc. Resolution A summary of the steps to configure Custom ABA cards in Continuum is available through the CyberStation Online Help.  Open the help on the Continuum workstation and search for "Defining a Custom ABA String Format"          

Issue Under objects such as Doors and Inputs what is the "Commands" option used for? Product Line Security Expert Environment Security Expert Cause Unsure how to use the Commands option showing in some of the objects options. Resolution These cannot be adapted for general use by installers/integrators. These are mostly used for controller instructions that have been included in the firmware but have not been built into the UI yet, as well as internal testing. Leave these alone unless you have a specific need and the instructions from Product Support on how to configure the command.

Issue Using a non-default SQL Server port with Continuum. Environment Continuum Workstation SQL Server Cause SQL Server has been changed from the default port setting and  confirgured with a specific static port for incoming SQL connections. Resolution Continuum doesn’t care if the SQL Server is using a default port or not. As long as the Database can be created/updated using the Database Initialization application it will work fine. This has not been tested or qualified but should work fine. After the port is changed, the user should perform the Database Update process to ensure that the connection can be made from Continuum to SQL Server and vice versa. Here’s a Microsoft article on how to change the SQL port. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/823938/how-to-configure-sql-server-to-listen-on-a-specific-port

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 After upgrade of Building Operation and / or I/NET, I/NET alarms and events have stopped updating within WorkStation. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, TAC INET Environment I/NET Seven 2.4x Integration with Enterprise Server EcoStruxure Building Operation 1.8 and above Cause Within the I/NET Seven SQL database table [InetDb].[dbo].[Events].[EventId], the EventId has not incremented correctly, so there is a missing EventId (causes unknown). Because of this missing EventId Building Operation waits at this missing ID to appear before updating its own event.db database. Since this ID will never show, no events will ever be passed through to Building Operation and effectively stops any I/NET events appearing within Building Operation WorkStation This EventId is seen in a registry entry called NspAmtEventId under the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\CSI - Control Systems International\I/Net 2000\Configurations Resolution Current workaround is to manually edit this registry key NspAmtEventId value to: A value above the highest [InetDb].[dbo].[Events].[EventId].value - if the past events are not required. OR Increment its value by 1 if all past values are required to be retained. i.e. If NspAmtEventId = 82237682 typically only needs to be changed to 82237683 to correct this issue. If not then you should check the [InetDb].[dbo].[Events].[EventId].value After editing this registry value the Enterprise Server service needs to be restarted, after which events will then start to be processed by Building Operation. It should be noted if you use option 2 above that there will be some time for all this data to be updated within Building Operation and there may be some bogus (old) alarms appear, which should be taken into consideration before implementing this resolution.

Issue How to generate an invalid attempt alarm. Product Line Security Expert Environment Security Expert Cause It is not clear how an alarm for an invalid attempt at a Door is configured. Resolution The easiest way to setup an alarm to trigger when an invalid attempt is made at a reader is to trigger an Alarm off of the required Event. An example would be: Under Events create a new Event Filter, go to Event Types tab, un-tick "Include all event types" and add the events you want to monitor. In this case "User Door Group Not Valid At Door Using Access Level" should suffice as a start. To ensure you have the correct events you can create the event condition and confirm exactly what the event recorded is. Under Events create a new Alarm and set the Event Filter to the Event filter you created in step 1. Under Monitoring setup a Status Page that includes All Alarms (or alternatively is filtered for the specific alarms you want to see).

Issue When the Save statement is used to save objects in a BCX4040 to the database. Steps to reproduce problem: Create an InfinityString object (Test.Str) with a manual array size of 1 in a BCX4040. Create a program in the BCX that sets the value of Test.Str[1] to 'Success' From command line, print the value of Test.Str[1] while the workstation is in OnLine mode. The value should = 'Success' From command line, print the value of Test.Str[1] while the workstation is in Offline mode.  No value should be returned as the value has not been updated in the database. Create a fallthrough/autostart program in the workstation with the following code: FIRSTLINE: Save \TestNet\TestACX\Test.Str -0 Goto StopLine STOPLINE: Stop From command line, print the value of Test.Str[1] while the workstation is in Offline mode.  The value should now = 'Success'.  Expected result: The value returned for Test.Str when the workstation is in Offline mode (Database value) should 'equal the value returned when the workstation is in Online mode (Live Value), i.e. = Success' Actual result: The Offline value of Test.Str[1] does not change and does not equal the value live value. The resulting ACC_Dump_Debug that is produced is found to have no contents. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum  Plain English Cause The following Plain English code does not accomplish a Save to Database. FIRSTLINE: Save \TestNet\TestACX\Test.Str -0 Goto StopLine The functionality of the Save command is not to perform a "Save to Database" operation. This is a functioning as designed. The Save command, which is equivalent to the Dump command, dumps the contents of the passed-in arguments (i.e. objects) to a file if provided Resolution Workaround: When a manual Save to Database is done on the object, the database value is updated with the current Live value.

Issue After a missing or deleted default list view is re-created using the Continuum database initialization utility; the list view does not contain any columns. Environment Cyberstation Cause This issue is caused by a Continuum defect issue that cannot be corrected at this time. QC#2222. Resolution There are several workarounds that can be used to resolve this issue. 1)      Columns can be manually added back to the list views re-created by the database update option. 2)      The default list views can be reimported from the DefaultListViews.dmp file in the Continuum folder.  This would overwrite all default list views there by losing any customization to existing list views. 3)      Individual list views can be imported from a dump file created from another Continuum Systems to provide pinpointed recovery of certain listviews.

Issue After selecting a photo and trying to save it in the Image Enhancement screen, the error Invalid width/height -11 pops up.   Environment Cyberstation Cause This is caused by the resize box under the capture options being checked and the sizes being set to 0. Resolution This can be resolved by one of the following suggestions below:   Uncheck the resize box under the capture options Set the x: and y: options to something other than 0

Issue After re-installing Open Minds HAS causes, the license no longer appears in License Administrator. Environment License Open Minds HAS 8.6   Cause Re-installing LifeKeeper may have affected License Administrator installation due to the Open Minds volume monitor. Resolution Re-install License Administrator. Licese will show and operate after re-installation.

Issue It is not documented what web-browsers should be used with an Access Expert hosted instance. Product Line Access Expert Environment Access Expert hosted instance - V2 & V3 Cause It is necessary to know what web-browsers should be used with an Access Expert hosted instance. Resolution IE 11 or Google Chrome should be used to logon to an Access Expert hosted instance. Firefox is NOT a supported web-browser and should not be used. 

Issue Unable to turn the heat on SE7600X   Environment   SE7600 Cause Wiring issue or misconfiguration Resolution You may refer to the diagram below to avoid wiring mistakes. Do not forget  jumper J1 on terminals |RC |RH|     Configuration Two important parameters to configure for heating.   Number of heating stages.  Default value = 2 stages When selected the device will revert the operation of 2 stages thermostat to single stage operation or to modulating 0 to 10Vdc heating output: 0 = 0-10Vdc analog heating output (AO) 1 = 1 heating stage (W1) 2 = 2 heating stages (W1 & W2)   Fan control Default value = On When selecting on; the Terminal Equipment Controller in all cases will always control the fan (terminal G). Valid for On or Auto fan mode When selecting Off; the fan (terminal G), when heating stages (terminals W1 & W2) are solicited, will not be energized. The fan in this case will be controlled by the equipment fan limit control. Valid only for Auto fan mode.   On fan mode will leave the fan always on. For multistage models, fan control applies to W1 & W2 For heat pump models, fan control applies to W1 only (Emergency heat)