Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue An AS has failed and there is no backup. Can the SD card from the broken AS be used in a new AS Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Automation Server Cause AS has failed without any backup and there is a need to get the information to the new AS Resolution The SD card in each AS is encoded for that specific AS. The information on the SD card can only be read by that AS. AS's are now replaced by the AS-P, however if an AS can be obtained, then a backup can be recovered as follows:   It is possible to put the SD card from the damaged AS into a non damaged AS and do a backup. Then the backup can be restored into a new AS-P. The AS-P does not use a SD card. Important note: The version of the bad AS / SD card needs to match the donor AS used to make the backup. To remove the memory card push the metal retainer in towards the centre of the PCB The metal retainer will disengage its locking catches The metal retainer is hinged and can then be opened The memory card can then be lifted out for replacement Replacement is the reverse of the removal process.

Issue No documentation available through regular sources. Environment GV Air flow Sensor: 63 mm 5515010063 80 mm 5515010080 100 mm 5515010100 125 mm 5515010125 160 mm 5515010160 200 mm 5515010200 250 mm 5515010250 315 mm 5515010315 400 mm 5515010400 Cause Hard to find documentation on these sensors Resolution Data sheet is available here. Mounting instructions here.

Issue Cannot find third party bacnet IP devices Environment BACnet Third party device Find bacnet devices Cause Default router address was incorrectly configured in the third party device. Resolution Corrected the default router address configuration in the third party device.

Issue Internal counter stops counting. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Script Function Block Counter 167777216 Cause When this script is used it stops counting at 16777216. Numeric Output CountOut   Main: CountOut = 16777100 goto Counter Counter: CountOut = CountOut + 1   Resolution This issue was identified in the early days of Continuum and is regarded as a limitation, not a defect. Explanation - Internally the Script handles all numbers as IEEE754 single precision floats, which means that 16777216 is handled as 1.6777216E7. Adding 1 to 16777216 is unrecognizable in that representation. Using an IEEE754 converter at https://www.h-schmidt.net/FloatConverter/IEEE754.html, one can see that 16777216 and 16777217 have the same binary representation. The point at which the counter will stop, will depend upon the value being added each time, so adding 0.9 will count to a different number than adding 1. The counting range can be extended by two or more variables as shown below. Numeric Output CountOut Numeric CountOut1 Numeric CountOut2   Main: CountOut1 = 16777100 goto Counter1   Counter1: CountOut1 = CountOut1 + 1 CountOut = CountOut1 if CountOut1 = 16777216 then goto Counter2   Counter2: CountOut2 = CountOut2 + 1 CountOut = CountOut1 + CountOut2  

Issue There are a couple of part numbers available for the expansion module cables, which ones are for which devices? Environment xP modules Cause Not sure which cables are for which xP modules. Descriptions and documentation on iPortal is inadequate. Resolution There are three xP module cables available: The 01-0100-484 cable is a replacement for the xP-Display module cable and this is meant to be for the xP-Display only, not for any of the other xP I/O modules. The xP I/O modules such as xPDO4 require either the xP-Mod-Cable-3 or xP-Mod-Cable-10. Be aware that you will only be able to extend the xP network for a maximum of 10Ft. See this iPortal datasheet or on Exchange Extranet for details.

   

Issue Deleting BACnet objects using a BACnet Operator Workstation (BOWS) can permanently remove those objects from the BACnet device.  The effected devices can be Building Operation BACnet devices, e.g. Automation Server or third party BACnet devices. Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Automation Server 3rd Party BACnet Controllers Cause The BACnet controller(s) in question support BACnet create and delete services on the specific objects.  Resolution Functions as Designed If the device supports create and delete services for the object it is designed to function this way. In general the BOWS should provide as much as possible a complete and accurate image of the contents of the device.  For example using the Enterprise/Automation server as a BOWS:  Creating new objects will automatically send a create-object request and attempt to create the object in the device. Deleting objects will automatically send a delete-object request and attempt to delete the object in the device. Upload and Download of object commands attempt to synchronize the database with the actual contents of the device.  Download will attempt to create any objects that are in the database (but not in the device), and also attempt to delete any objects from the device which are not in the database. Upload adds or removes objects from the BOWS database. Please see Protecting EBO/SBO BACnet objects from being deleted by 3rd party BOWS for a method of preventing BACnet points being deleted from an Enterprise/Automation Server.  Consult third party documentation to identify preventing creation/deletion.   Offline Workaround If the device supports the Device Communication Control service, and allows disable, a work around is to make changes to the database while the device is offline. For example, using the Enterprise/Automation server as a BOWS, right click the device and select Device->Communication->Disable.    Open the property grid for the device and it should take about 12 seconds before the device is reported as offline.  Any other break in communication should also work to get the device offline.  Once offline, objects can be deleted from the database without affecting the device.  But, after changing the database this way, the device's "upload" or "download" commands should not be used, as it will re-synchronize the device and database (either deleting objects from the device, or adding them back to the database).  It is important to note using this method the BOWS will not fully represent the objects in the device and also remember to re-enable the communication to the device.

Issue Webstation TGML links used to navigate between Graphics pages do not work. These TGML page links work in workstation Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment SmartStruxure Cause The name of the Enterprise Server database has an illegal character. A sample of this would be if the Enterprise Server is named "Server'1"  The ( ') affects the HTTP application and prevents the page links from working. Although the name is accepted and works in Workstation, WebStation does not allow this character. This will be corrected in a later revision. Resolution The only resolution at this stage is to rename the Enterprise Server to a name with valid characters. If there are Automation Servers already installed under the Enterprise Server then there is a major issue with renaming the Enterprise Server and we would not recommend renaming you servers unless you are in the early stages of your project. You will need to detach and delete all of the Automation Servers and then Rename the Enterprise Server. Bindings will be lost in this process and will need to be recreated when the Automation Servers are added back in. See Illegal object name characters in StruxureWare Building Operation.

Issue Is there a way to populate an array in the declaration line as in other programming languages i.e. Numeric numbers[4] = {1, 2, 4, 8}? Environment StruxureWare for Building Operation Script Editor Cause When defining an array in Script Editor the user may wish to populate the array with initial values. Resolution The way to populate an array in Script Editor is to initialise each element individually.

Issue Can Strings be used in all controller types? Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment All Continuum Controllers b3, i2 Controller (EcoStruxure Building Operation) Cause Some Controllers do not support strings Resolution The String class of object are supported in the following products: CX series (including all Netcontrollers), bCX series, CMX series, ACX series, i2 series (except i2885, i2887), BACnet series (except b3885, b3887), DCX 250, CyberStation.

Issue How to use RoamIO to set the Infinet ID of Infinet device to zero before re-deploying the device. Product Line Andover Continuum, EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Continuum Service Tool Cause Need a way to set the Infinet ID of Infinet device to zero before re-deploying the device. Resolution  This video demonstrates… Tell if the i2 device has an Infinet ID assigned by observing the TD/RD LEDs on the device. Use the RoamIO to connect directly to the i2 device and reset its Infinet ID to zero. Confirm by visual observation of the device's TD/RD LEDs that the ID has been successfully set to zero.

Issue Niagara Runtime Environment (NRE) fails Console output when starting Workbench Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series N4 Workbench Cause An issue has occurred in the security of the user home for the installation of Niagara N4 Resolution If the Workbench fails to launch. Open the Console for the build you are trying to use by following the illustrated path and clicking the console.exe If the Console output is as shown under "Issue" above, follow the path shown below. Complete the instructions in the illustration below. Open the Workbench as you normally would.

Issue Not sure how to configure sending emails to multiple recipients when an Input or Area goes into alarm. Product Line Security Expert Environment Security Expert SP-C-WEB Cause Correct formatting must be used when sending alarms to multiple email recipients. Resolution Separate each address with a semi-colon and surround the entire string with double quotes, see examples below.   Security Expert Navigate to Events | Actions, create a new Send E-mail Action and add your multiple addresses to the E-mail Address field. "address1@email.com;address2@email.com" Email Addresses The email address field is limited to a maximum of 128 characters. All email addresses must be within this 128 character limit to be sent correctly. SP-C-WEB To add multiple recipient addresses, navigate to Programming | Areas or Programming | Inputs. For an Area, select the Configuration tab and add a recipient email address to the command window and use the format:email:"address1@email.com;address2@email.com" For an Input, navigate to the Commands window for your selected input and use the format: email:"address1@email.com;address2@email.com"

Issue Why do Continuum controller MAC addresses have less than 12 digits as required by IT Departments? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment ACX, bCX, CX level controllers NC2 Cause Leading zeros are removed from the MAC addresses of all Continuum controllers Resolution The MAC address is listed as the attribute "Ethernet Id" in Continuum List views. The digits do not display leading 0's, so all Continuum controller addresses start 0:40:11.... To provide the 12 digit MAC address you will need to restore the leading 0's as required by IT departments. e.g.. 00:40:11:0e:00:00. See How to locate a computer's MAC address to obtain a computers MAC address.

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 for assistance. Issue Issues upgrading Automation Servers (AS, AS-B, AS-P) connected to an Enterprise Server (ES) from versions prior to 2.0.x to a version that is 2.0.x. ES and one Automation Server will upgrade but no others connected to that same ES will upgrade and will show an error while attempting to download the new software.  Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server v1.9.x Building Operation Enterprise Server v1.9.x   Cause If the Automation Servers within the ES environment are not uniquely named, and/or are the same name as the ES, an error will be received if upgrade is attempted stating "Deploy upgraded database failed". Resolution As found within the Enterprise Central section of the 2.0 Release Notes, "All servers must have unique names".   *NOTE* Renaming the Automation Server will break any paths to that Automation Server, as such they will need to be corrected.   Follow these steps to address this issue: Prior to upgrading any devices within the environment, check for and find any servers with non-unique names Detach the Automation Server (with the naming identical to the ES or any other server) from the ES Rename the Automation Server with a unique name Correct any binding path issues Reconnect Automation Server to the ES Upgrade the environment to 2.0.x

Issue The MPM controller does not adjust the clock automatically when Daylight Saving Time (DST) period occurs. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Expert Environment SmartStruxureLite Multi-Purpose Manage Cause DST settings in the MPM are configured for North America. Canada and United States: Daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November Europe: Daylight saving time begins on the last Sunday of March and ends on the last Sunday of October Resolution In Firmware 2.15, DST properties can be configured in the Controller Configuration Object (CFG1) and/or configuration page. DST start and end configuration on month, week, weekday, hour and offset can be set. If using a firmware version older than 2.15, a script can be used to correct the issue. The script can be found here: Daylight_Saving_Time_DSC.lua

Issue What register type should be used for the type called INT64 in the documentation Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment EcoStruxure Building Operation Modbus PM Energy meter Cause It is not clear what  Modbus register type should be configured for INT64 Resolution For reading the INT64 on this range of power meters the register definition you need to apply is the "64 bit signed swapped".   Note that this register type is not available in Building Operation versions earlier than 1.5. For further information on Modbus Register Types see the Point and Value Configuration EBO Webhelp topic

Issue ES Database has grown to several gigabyte Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Enterprise Central Cause ES Database size can grow quite large when the ES crashes often. Open Software Administrator and find the location of the ES db folder. Below are two screen shots of the Logs and Crash Information folders. As can be seen, these dump files can increase the size of the database. Resolution Once the reason for the Enterprise Server crash is resolved, these files can be either be deleted or, preferably be moved to another storage/drive location. If the ES/EC is still crashing, all the core dumps should be collected and sent to to your local support team for processing. Due to the size of the crash dumps, upload to BOX or similar and provide the link to the support team.

Issue Received error 'IO Channel number out of range' when creating a door on AC1/AC1A/AC1Plus on an IO module.  The same door configured on a module with a lower IOU number saves successfully. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum CyberStation Netcontroller  AC Module Cause The IO module is configured with an IOU number that is above the MAX IOU modules supported by the NetController.  Note this is true even if there is only ONE module configured. Resolution Check the IOU module number entered in the door object (1) Check the Max IOU module supported (2)   Delete the IOU module and recreate it using an IOU number at or below the max IOU number supported by the Net Controller.

Issue Memory and System Memory in the AS Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Cause What is the definition of the two different memory types shown in the AS? It is not clearly defined in the documentation. In various places, one can see Memory and System Memory, or even add a column to show.  Resolution For the AS, System Memory is the RAM used by the AS Linux OS. The rest of the memory is what is being used for the processes, such as programs, trends, etc. Memory is the amount of memory consumed by the AS (nsp_servers application), system memory is that used by the Linux OS, however there is much debate about how this is calculated and allocated, so too much should not be read into this, it is there primarily for developers.