Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue How to setup user photos so they are shown when accessing through a Door. Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert Server Cause Unsure how to add photos to users and have them displayed when that user is accessing through Doors. Resolution There is an option for User photos in Security Expert and the Photo Id option is included with the base Security Expert license. With this "Photo ID" feature enabled you will see the Photo tab on the User object and will then be able to add photos to your users.   1. You can associate a photo to your users in the Photo tab of Users | Users.   2. In Monitoring | Setup | Status Page Editor, you can set the Style to Display User Image. Doing this will show the users photo with the access event.

Issue The documentation for the I/A Series G3 Schneider Electric (TAC) proprietary drivers are not included with the I/A Series G3 software documentation. Where can those documents be obtained? Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series G3 ASD Driver I/A Series G3 GCM Driver I/A Series G3 MicroSmart Driver I/A Series G3 DMS Driver Cause Documentation for these drivers is not included with the I/A Series G3 software release Resolution The documentation for the I/A Series G3 Schneider Electric (TAC) proprietary drivers can be downloaded from the Publication Zone (under Links) on iPortal (iPortal). The following documents are available: F-27522 -- I/A Series G3 ASD Driver F-27527 -- I/A Series G3 GCM Driver F-27523 -- I/A Series G3 MicroSmart Driver F-27541 -- I/A Series G3 DMS Driver

Issue References to objects and points are not easily understood Product Line TAC Vista Environment Xenta Server (511, 527, 701, 711, 721, 731, 913) Cause The references relates to the internal indexes in the project Resolution Here is an example of how to locate a Menta signal referenced in an error log. The procedure is the same for all other types, although the file names may vary. This is an example taken from an error log:   1337 03-09-2014 10:41:19 AM minor trend TLogNotifier 1 menta.5.62 Variable type disagreement (Error#:61971) 1336 03-09-2014 10:41:16 AM minor trend TLogNotifier 1 menta.5.60 Variable type disagreement (Error#:61971) 1335 03-09-2014 10:41:13 AM minor trend TLogNotifier 1 menta.5.61 Variable type disagreement (Error#:61971)   Here is how to locate the signals menta.5.62, menta.5.60 and menta.5.61 Navigate to the XBuilder location on your hard drive, and browse to the folder "TargetImage\configdb". If the XBuilder project is part of a TAC Vista database, either save the XBuilder project outside the database, or locate the zip file containing the project and un-zip it. Depending on the signal reference browse the folder appropriate folder - in this example "menta". Open the file "menta.xml" in notepad or similar - for a better overview you can paste the content of the file on this web page: XML Pretty Print Locate the program id and note the reference. In this case it's id 5: Open the file "mentablocks.xml" in notepad or similar - for a better overview you can paste the content of the file on this web page: XML Pretty Print Locate the signal id's under that program id, in this case it's: Open the file "BHP BILLITON/Mentas/Water Meters.aut" in notepad or similar Locate the ObjectId's, in this case it's: #1 "MUNIC_ABL" [124,32,0,1] '','','946C6EE5-4884-4c24-804F-F7E95BAF262D' = XPR {A-B-C-D-E} #2 "RAIN_ABL" [125,77,0,1] '','','1277F8E5-5451-4dad-BEBF-1461EC75AC30' = XPR {A-B} #3 "GREY_ABL" [124,122,0,1] '','','3FF1B614-2379-47a2-BFCA-782EEE4ADAC4' = XPR {A-B-C-D}

Issue After powering off, pressing the reset and Reset IP button a bCX1 controller still will not start up. CPU does not flash and controller will not respond to a ping. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment bCX1-CR-INF 9640 bCX1-CR 4040 Cause The controller is connected to an Ethernet network that is in a broadcast storm condition. This scenario can also occur if a patch lead is inadvertently looped back onto the same Switch/Router. Resolution Disconnect the Ethernet cable from the controller and it will start up correctly. On a very busy network or under a broadcast storm condition the controller will protect itself as detailed in Controllers go offline during a broadcast storm.

Issue preventDefault() Javascript function not working on Mouse Up Environment TGML Editor Cause Users want to override the default function showing the StruxureWare Building Operation properties editor by preventing the default action for the Up function. The Building Operation Properties editor is not launched on Mouse Up but on Mouse Click. Resolution Select The TGML Script Add the line "evt.preventDefault();" to the onClick function

Issue Need to know the connector genders to order the interconnecting ribbon cable. Environment DO-20 DM-20 DIO-20 Cause Not in the documentation for the DO-20. Resolution All three have a female DB25 connector. Also, the interconnecting cable from the DM-20 to the DO-20 or DIO-20 is a straight-through 25 conductor cable.

Issue Connecting from a TAC Vista Remote Workstation says "Ensure that TAC Vista Server is started" error, even though DCOM is set correctly Environment Vista Server Remote Workstation PCs in a network workgroup, not a domain Cause Connecting a TAC Vista Remote Workstation to a TAC Vista Server where both PCs are in workgroup rather than a domain. Resolution It is important to set the right DCOM permissions AND also remember that the Administrator password has to be the same on both PCs.

Issue What X Drivers are available? Environment All Continuum controllers that support X Drivers (XDrivers) 3rd Party interfaces Cause How to find out what standard X Drivers are available to integrate with Continuum controllers. Resolution The Third Party Communicates Interface and Protocol Brochure can be found on The Exchange Download Center that lists all available X Drivers and product compatibility. Also all of these listed drivers are available for download from The Exchange Download Center here for use on X Driver enabled controllers. Should a new driver development be required, or other special interface; then you can contact the team that develop X Drivers: Adam.Summers@Schneider-Electric.com You will need to provide protocol details if you require a quotation.

Issue Is it possible to see how many users are logged in to Webstation? Product Line TAC Vista Environment TAC Vista Webstation 5.1.X Cause The number of users logged into Webstation at one time is limited by the number of available licenses.  Need to have a way to monitor this resource. Resolution There is no built-in function in TAC Vista Webstation to see how many users are logged in at a certain time. The only way to see how many users are logged in at the same time is to use the License Server Webpage. There it is possible to see how many Webstation licenses are in use. To access the License Server webpage: Open a browser and type in localhost:8888 Open the "Dashboard" and click on "Concurrent" See also Using Lmtools in Windows Vista/7/Server 2008 for Windows Vista/7/Server 2008 OS.

Issue I/A Series G3 weather service will not connect - error indicates java.net.SocketTimeoutException: connect timed out.  A browser on the same computer is able to access www.weather.gov without issue.  The application director output window displays the following ... WARNING [12:56:28 05-Dec-13 EST][weather] Updating forecast failed for Battle$20Creek java.net.SocketTimeoutException: connect timed out at java.net.PlainSocketImpl.socketConnect(Native Method) at java.net.PlainSocketImpl.doConnect(Unknown Source) at java.net.PlainSocketImpl.connectToAddress(Unknown Source) at java.net.PlainSocketImpl.connect(Unknown Source) at java.net.SocksSocketImpl.connect(Unknown Source) at java.net.Socket.connect(Unknown Source) at javax.baja.naming.BIpHost$SocketFactory.open(BIpHost.java:271) at javax.baja.naming.BIpHost$SocketFactory.open(BIpHost.java:264) at javax.baja.naming.BIpHost.openSocket(BIpHost.java:129) at javax.baja.net.HttpConnection.connect(HttpConnection.java:263) at javax.baja.net.HttpConnection.connect(HttpConnection.java:238) at com.tridium.weather.nws.NwsForecastReader.getFeed(NwsForecastReader.java:76) at com.tridium.weather.nws.NwsForecastReader.getFeed(NwsForecastReader.java:55) at com.tridium.weather.nws.NwsForecastReader.getForecast(NwsForecastReader.java:135) at com.tridium.weather.nws.BNwsWeatherProvider.updateReport(BNwsWeatherProvider.java:450) at javax.baja.weather.BWeatherReport.doUpdateWeatherReport(BWeatherReport.java:269) at auto.javax_baja_weather_BWeatherReport.invoke(AutoGenerated) at com.tridium.sys.schema.ComponentSlotMap.invoke(ComponentSlotMap.java:1357) at com.tridium.sys.engine.EngineUtil.doInvoke(EngineUtil.java:49) Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series G3 Enterprise Network Server ENC JACE Cause The connection timeout may be related to the proxy server.  By default, the weather service driver contacts the various weather.gov sites (alerts.weather.gov, graphical.weather.gov, etc.) directly as opposed to routing through the proxy server.  The connection times out as the proxy server is unable to route the request. I/A Series G3 (3.4 and higher) provides a service that can be added to the station.  The HttpProxyServer service is used to configure the station so that outbound web services know how to get through an outbound non-transparent proxy server.  The HttpProxyServer service located in the net module. Configure this service to the proxy server that will be routing. The user guide states the following. All services that make use of the bajax.baja.net.HttpConnection class will automatically roll over to using the proxy server once the HttpProxyService has been configured and enabled. The Weather Service is one of the services that is affected by this feature. Resolution Verify the updated weather modules are installed, see Weather information provided through the weather module in I/A Series G3 is no longer updating. weather-3.4.67.3 or higher weather-3.5.39.5 or higher weather-3.6.37.4 or higher To use this component: Open the net (Network API) module in the Workbench palette. Add the HttpProxyServer to the Services of the station. Configure the following properties in the Property Sheet view as required.     Status - This display only property displays the status of the Http Proxy Service. Fault Cause - This display only property provides an error message that indicates the reason for a fault. Enabled - This property has a true (enabled) and false (disabled) option. Server - This property provides a text field for entering the address of the proxy server you are connecting to. Port - This property is for specifying the port number for communicating with the proxy server. Exclusions - This text field allows you to designate addresses that are allowed to be contacted directly, therefore “excluding” them from having to be contacted through the proxy server. The default addresses in the field are typical addresses followed by a slash (/) and the subnet mask designation. Authentication Scheme - This property provides the following two options:      None - no authentication is required at the proxy server when this option is set.      Basic - basic authentication is required at the proxy server when this option is set. User - This is the login name to be used when authentication is set to Basic. Password - This is the password text that is to be used when authentication is set to Basic.

Issue Knowing the procedure to follow when hosting a site license for the first time with Vista. Product Line TAC Vista Environment Vista Licensing Cause The TAC licensing website is divided up into different areas depending on the task to be performed. An account must be created the first time using the site before creating a license file from the entitlement ID. Resolution Note: In order to rehost an existing Vista license file, see Rehosting a Vista 5 License on the FlexNet License Server. Log onto https://schneider-electric.flexnetoperations.com/flexnet/. Click on the link that says "New User?".   Fill out the entire page with your information. Insert the Entitlement ID that was purchased in the space titled "Activation ID". Once everything has been filled out, click Complete.   This will log you into the Start Page of the licensing site. A temporary password will be emailed to the address you provided on the New User page. This temporary password is required to set your new password which can be done by clicking on Profile in the top right corner of the screen.   Enter the temporary password into the "Old Password" field. Then enter your new password into the "New Password" and "Confirm Password" fields. Click Save.   On the left side of the Start Page, click "Activate" underneath Manage Entitlements.   Check the entitlement ID that you want to use and click Activate.  Fill out all of the information on this page. Click Next.   Click on "Add New Host" at the top of the Server Hosts panel. Select MAC address or Hardware dongle as the Server Hosts. Type in the MAC address of the computer or the dongle ID of the hardware dongle that the license file will be associated too and click OK. In order to find out the MAC address of your computer, reference How to locate a computer's MAC address.   Check the box next to the host name that was just added. Click Next.   Enter the number of licenses you would like to activate in the "Fulfill Count" box and click Verify. The file should verify successfully. Click Next.   Review all of the information. Click Generate.   Select the box next to the newly created license file. Either select to "Save to File" (save a copy of the license file to the local PC) or "Email License" (email the license file to a desired address). Click Complete.  

Issue The customer (or others) have performed Ethernet penetration tests and some controllers have reset Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Ethernet Controllers Netcontroller Cause Some earlier versions of firmware include vulnerabilities to broadcast storms or DOS attacks. Resolution The following firmware versions have fixes that relate to resetting of controllers due to unusual Ethernet Activity. Those shown are not always the latest version and it is best practice to use the latest firmware available on all sites. The following controller versions and above: bCX 4040 (BACnet) bCX1-INF 9640 v1.200025 Netcontroller CX99xx v1.5300026 Netcontroller NC2 CX9680 v2.100035 ACX57xx v1.100037 CX9702 v1.200036 All firmware compatible with Continuum v1.90 and later. Previous versions not shown, but all the information required is available from the firmware release notes See Continuum controllers go offline during a broadcast storm

Issue How to upgrade remote MPMs with a Canbus, Zigbee network. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Expert Environment SmartStruxure Lite Multi-Purpose Manager MPM Cause Cannot connect to an MPM directly to perform a firmware upgrade Resolution This procedure explains how to perform a firmware upgrade on multiple remote devices at once, in order to save time and standardize the firmware versions across your deployment. This process will induce traffic on the network, therefore it is recommended that this procedure be performed after-hours or when it is less likely to disrupt normal operations. Step 1: Verify your monitor Manager's firmware version Ensure monitor MPM has the same or higher firmware version than the the version intended to be installed on the remote MPMs. Highlight the MPM in the Network Panel on the left side of your screen and either click on the "About" button or navigate to CFG1 object to verify firmware version. Step 2: Download and rename the firmware file The firmware can be downloaded from the Exchange then firmware file must be renamed "upgrade.bp" Step 3: Upload the firmware file to your Manager Choose the File Manager tab and click on the “Upload File” icon. A dialog box will open to select the firmware file on your local PC. Browse to the correct file and select it. Click the “Upload” button to send the file from your computer to the controller. When the file upload is completed, the file will be shown in the Upload Manager list.   Step 4: Initiating the remote upgrade Inside the File Manager panel, either right-click on the firmware file that was just uploaded and select “Add to all” to copy the same file to all the remote nodes, or drag and drop the file from the left panel onto the desired Manager on the right panel. The file will be displayed under each of the remote nodes (or a single node if the file was copied using drag and drop) under the Network panel, on the right side of the window.   In order to initiate the file transfer to the remote nodes, click the Start button. The status will change to “In Progress” and you will be able to follow the progress of each node in the Network panel. Once the file transfer is complete, the remote nodes will reset and perform the firmware upgrade. Step 5: Verify the firmware version of the remote nodes You can verify that the upgrade process completed successfully by highlighting the remote node in the left panel and then select the “Controller Configuration” (CFG1) object. The version # will be displayed in the bottom section.

Issue An error occurred while installing DSS: Cannot Start Service Product Line TAC Vista Environment DSS Vista Installation Cause This error can be found when installing Vista 4.3.x or higher after selecting Vista Administration of the SQL database. In the Application Event Log you will have an error stating the following: Cannot start service DSSWriterService on Computer '.'. --Stacktrace- at System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController.Start(String[[,args) at System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController.Start() at TAC.DSS.Install.ServiceInstallTask.Install() --End of stacktrace-- The reason this is happening is because when you selected to have Vista Administrate your SQL database it created local PC accounts (TACA_PCNAME and TACM_PCNAME). The TACA_PCNAME account is used to start the TAC DSS Writer Service and that account does not have access to the file to launch it. The access problems are typically caused by installing Vista on Windows Server 2003 and the "Authenticated Users" group has been removed from the User group on the PC. Resolution Click "Yes" at the install prompt and let the installation complete. Right Click on My Computer, and select "Manage". Navigate to Groups found in System Tools\Local Users and Groups. Double Click the "Users" group. Click the "Add" button. Click the "Locations" button and select your PC at the top of the list and then "OK". Type in TACA_PCNAME and click "OK". Note: This error should only occur if you have a non default security scheme on the network or PC. You should consult the IT department to make sure the TACA_PCNAME account will not be removed from the User group which will cause this problem to return.

Issue Unable to compile a b3 Script program if there is a bind to the priority array of a commandable property. How to command an object at a particular priority in b3 Script program. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment b3 WorkStation Automation Server Cause Because of historical reasons (that are outside the scope of this article) in the evolution of the b3 firmware, binding to the priority array of an object within a Script program in the b3 is NOT supported. Resolution To command an object from a Script program in the b3 at a specific priority the WriteProperty command MUST be used. NOTE If the b3 firmware is 4.500064 then priority 10 will always be set rather than the one specified in the WriteProperty command. This was fixed in v4.500076, it is best to use the the latest firmware

Issue An installation has a DMS-3500 with an Ethernet NIM (Network Interface Module) and some MicroSmart controllers.  As part of a regular maintenance visit, a database backup is done.  What is considered a complete backup including the NIM's settings? Environment DMS OPRIF 11.4 & 11.6 Cause Database changes requiring a backup in the event a re-install is required Resolution A complete DMS database backup typically involves two steps:  a backup of the DMS database and a backup of each individual MicroSmart controller database. In addition, on an installation with ethernet NIMs, its configuration data is backed up as a separate step.   All three backup steps are done with OPRIF. Note:  Echelon NIMs do NOT require backing up.

Issue Unable to connect to a Xenta 527 or Xenta 527-NPR  with a newly installed computer on a Remote-Client Configuration Environment I/NET Xenta 527 Xenta 527-NPR Remote Client Site Cause Routing Table is not updated. Open I/NET Configuration Modify the Active configuration profile Click on the NPR button and the bottom of the screen Verify that the Xenta 527 or Xenta 527-NPR is not showing up in the listed NPR devices At the top of the screen click the checkbox for online devices and look for the NPR in the offline list If the device is not in either place then the Routing Table does not contain the address of the offline device Resolution Open I/NET Configuration Modify the Active configuration profile Add the IP address of the Router to the Reference Host list restart the I/O server Connect to the NPR using a web browser Modify the I/NET Configuration Add the IP address of the Workstation to the Reference Host list. Save and Restart the Xenta device Wait 2-3 minutes for the Xenta device to boot up Connect to the router in I/NET

Issue The XML Automation Server application on the WebClient Server does not open when a remote WebClient browser tries to access WebClient. WebClient does work from the browser on the WebClient server itself but can't be accessed from another PC. The XM Automation Server keeps closing by itself. Environment WebClient Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7 Cause DCOM Permissions have not been set properly to allow access to these WebClient components. Resolution Confirm that DCOM permissions have been set properly. Follow the steps detailed in the section "Configuring DCOM Default Security Settings" starting on page 100 in the WebClient Installation Guide, paying particular attention to the NETWORK SERVICE account. Please see the link below for the relevant section from the WebClient v1.94 Installation Guide. DCOM Permissions excerpt from 30-3001-835 webClient Planning and Installation Guide

Issue Alarm Forward and Log settings with enhanced alarm logging causes unnecessary network traffic Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Workstation Cause There has been some confusion about whether to select forwarding and logging on the recipient editor located within the eventnotification editor. Resolution In 1.5 and later versions of Continuum, a new alarm engine was introduced. To use the new alarming engine, select the enhanced alarming check box located in the database initialization editor. The enhanced alarming feature will perform both the forwarding and logging of an alarm. If the enhanced alarming feature IS SELECTED, then the forwarding and logging of a specific PC will not need to be checked ***. If enhanced alarming IS NOT SELECTED, then you will need to specify a forwarding and logging workstation. **IMPORTANT: Intrinsic alarms of type Controller Status, Fault Status and Logon Status still need their corresponding Event Enrollment object configured for logging and/or forwarding as before. If enhanced alarming, forwarding and logging are selected, there will be no duplication of alarms, but will cause unnecessary traffic on the network. If all three are selected and are on a very busy network, you may experience workstations appearing as offline. This can be intermittent depending on the amount of network traffic generated on your site. To check the settings of your enhanced alarming features, open up the database initialization editor and select either the server or stand alone button to view your settings. If your setting is not selected and you want to use the new alarming engine then select the feature. Make sure you restart ALL workstations when you change this feature. In 1.7 and later versions of continuum there is also an enhanced alarm delivery selection. This selection uses Microsoft's Messaging Queuing Service to deliver alarms. This feature allows multiple workstations to share the load of delivery of alarms to the recipients of an eventnotification. Thus reducing the work load of just one workstation to handle the delivery. The enhanced alarm delivery feature, will be best utilized when working with multiple workstations.

Issue Unable to locate where to configure the SMTP Server in an Acess Expert V3 Instance. Product Line EcoStruxure Access Expert Environment V3 Premise Cause The earlier versions of the on-premise server/client did not have SMTP functioning properly. As a result, the tab to Configure the SMTP server settings was left out of the software. Resolution Newer versions of the software have SMTP functionality working properly. After upgrading the Server and Client software to the newest versions available, the SMTP Configuratiuon tab will be available as shown below.  Note: For Instructions on how to upgrade the Premise Server and Client software, please see Upgrade Premise Software to Latest Version.