Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue When sending BACnet devices to database the operation does not return an error but NO objects (or only some objects) are created in the DB. Inspection of ACCTrace shows the following... In the case at hand the device had 28 objects which the system identified correctly as seen below, but trying to add each object to the database resulted in error inserting the object in the dictionary. Error inserting a row into the object dictionary. [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver]Maximum stored procedure, function, trigger or view nesting level exceeded (limit 32) Product Line Andover Continuum Environment CyberStation Cause The ContinuumDB's recursive triggers property has somehow been changed to ON (1) from its default of OFF (0) The following query can be used to determine what the value of the property is using SQL Management Studio select DATABASEPROPERTYEX ('ContinuumDB', 'IsRecursiveTriggersEnabled) Resolution Close all Continuum workstations Reset recursive triggers to its default of OFF with the following query using SQL Management Studio ALTER DATABASE ContinuumDB SET RECURSIVE_TRIGGERS OFF

Issue Cardholder Nickname field is showing "Nickname" instead of data entered into 2nd cardholder when previewing badges. Product Line EcoStruxure Access Expert Environment Badge preview Nickname field Cause In Access Expert the cardholder Nickname field must have unique data within the database Resolution The Nickname field must have unique data for all card holders within an Access Expert database. Do not enter 'admin' in that field for one card holder and again for another cardholder.  What is the intended use for this field? In one case, the intended use was for Job Title and a better solution was to create a Custom Attribute of Job Title instead and to place that field in the badge layout. That way the field can have the same data in it for multiple cardholders.

Issue Using CARD + BIOMETRIC credentials at an integrated Suprema reader for user access. Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert Suprema Biometric Reader Cause Security Expert does not support CARD + BIOMETRIC credentials being read at the integrated Suprema reader. Only BIOMETRIC credentials are supported to be read at the Suprema reader. Resolution For situations where CARD and BIOMETRIC credentials are required to authenticate users a supported solution is to install a Security Expert reader in conjunction with a Suprema reader at the door. The Security Expert reader will read the Security Expert Mifare/DESFire tags, compare this to the credentials configured in Security Expert user and then wait for the proper biometric to be provided before allowing access through the door.

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 1. Cyberstation PC Windows Application Event Logs showing SQL errors about being unable to allocate space for each of the event tables. Similar to the below errors. Could not allocate space for object 'dbo.AlarmEvent'.'PK_AlarmEvent' in database 'ContinuumDB' because the 'PRIMARY' filegroup is full. Create disk space by deleting unneeded files, dropping objects in the filegroup, adding additional files to the filegroup, or setting autogrowth on for existing files in the filegroup. Could not allocate space for object 'dbo.ExtendedLogReservation'.'IDX_EXTENDEDLOGRESERVATION' in database 'ContinuumDB' because the 'PRIMARY' filegroup is full. Create disk space by deleting unneeded files, dropping objects in the filegroup, adding additional files to the filegroup, or setting autogrowth on for existing files in the filegroup. 2. Controllers are online but unable to modify existing objects or create new ones. In addition; all events were not being logged to the database. This was seen by reviewing the AlarmEvent, ActivityEvent, AccessEvent, AlarmEvent, and ExtendedLog tables not having any new events being recorded at all. reviewing the distribution properties after performing tasks in Continuum showed no entries at all. Normally, user events initiated from the Workstation are shown in the distribution properties window as they occur. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cyberstation SQL Server Cause 1. One of the Database files is set to not grow with Autogrowth set to none. This stops any new data from being able to be entered into the database. One example of this is when the ContinuumDev file was modified by the end-user to inhibit its growth by changing this setting to none. Check all of the following databases files (both the DEV and LOG file) to ensure that they are all set to either autogrowth or to an adequate restricted value so that they are able to write new entries. ContinuumDB MSDB TempDB   2. The disk where the database resides does not have enough available disk space. Resolution 1. Change this database file growth setting to "by 10MB, unrestricted growth" or to an adequate restricted value. Use SQL Server Management Studio Express, see Move / Backup / Restore a database on a Single User SQL2005 Express system on where to get this if it is not already installed on your SQL Server. It is highly recommended to backup the ContinuumDB before attempting any changes to the database, steps on how to do this are in the above article. Start up SQL Server Management Studio, or in my example, Management Studio Express. Log in with your SQL SA password or windows administrator. Expand the server tree, expand the Databases tree. Right-click on ContinuumDB and select "Properties" from the menu; this will show the Database Properties window. Select the Files tab on the RH side of this window and you are now where you need to be to check the Autogrowth setting.   2. If the problem is due to disk out of space your options are; a) Make room on the disk, b) Shrink the ContinuumDB,  c) Install a larger disk in the machine.

Issue I/NET Seven System Log On Environment I/NET Seven Site Cause Knowledge on I/NET Seven System Log On steps Resolution If you are logging on to the system for the first time since rebooting, restarting the driver, selecting System Log Off, or using the Signoff on Quit option, you must enter your host password. Note: You can configure I/NET to allow operators to logon simply by swiping their key/card at a Wiegand reader connected to the host workstation. Refer to User Enrollment and Auto-logon for more information. If the system is not already displaying the Log On prompt, select System Log On from the main menu. Type your Operator Name. This name can contain up to 30 characters. The following characters cannot be used within the Operator Name:" / \ [ ] : ; | = , + * ? <> The default operator name is "tac". If the system has just been installed and no operator names have been assigned, this default name should still be available. After operator names have been defined, you may wish to remove the default operator name to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access. Type your password at the prompt. This password can contain up to 127 characters. All keyboard characters are valid for use within this password. The system displays an asterisk for each character you type. The default system password is "dacs". If the system has just been installed and no other host passwords have been assigned, this default password should still be available. After host passwords have been assigned to all authorized users, you may wish to remove the default password to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access. Select OK to continue. Caution: The database server should not be shut down while I/NET is running. Shutting down the database server drops all existing connections to the database, and can result in corrupted data displays. (Only users with administrative privileges on the workstation can stop or start the database server.)

Issue Alarm values from LonWorks units in TAC Vista Product Line TAC Vista Environment Vista Workstation LON devices ASCs Xenta 102-AX, Xenta 104-A, Xenta 121 Cause Vista Workstation alarm objects can be used to monitor SNVT values from LON devices and alert the user when a value has gone outside of acceptable limits. For example, An alarm in TAC Vista if the nviSetpoint of a Xenta 104-A goes over 75ºF. This could also be used on programmable controllers -- any point in the database -- to avoid having to make Menta programming changes in order to alarm a point. The only issue with a Vista Server Change of state object is that the Vista Server will need to be running in order for the alarm to be received and actioned.  If multiple change of state objects are to be used consideration must be taken into the interface type as these points will be polled every second to check the state so actions can be taken on an alarm condition. This can easily overload a Lonworks interface if it is already managing lots of messages.  Resolution Create an object of the type "Change of state Dynamic SNVT" Right-click and go to properties. Click on the ALARM tab. Type in the alarm text for the Alarm. In this case, the alarm triggers if the temperature is over 75°F, so set the High limit to 75. Go to the Object tab and browse in the point that you want to monitor. In reference property select value. Click ok Go to the monitored point, right-click and select properties, change the watch setting to "watch"

Issue Connecting to an ES that is on another machine through WorkStation and trying to force a BACnet input or output point located on a b3, connected to an AS-P, causes WorkStation to freeze. The only way to get out of freeze is by ending the system task in Windows.   Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server v2.0.2.x Building Operation Automation Server v2.0.2.x Building Operation Workstation v2.0.2.x Continuum b3xxx Controller any version Cause EBO v2.0.2.x has communication issues when connecting to an ES that is not on the machine you have WorkStation on.  Resolution Upgrading to 2.0.3.45 or later will resolve this

Issue Is it possible to connect a number of Vista servers to the same SQL server instance? Environment TAC Vista 5.1.X in a multi server environment. Cause Customers with larger sites may wish to collect the log data from TAC Vista on one SQL server for ease of maintenance and security reasons.  Resolution There are a couple of conditions to observe when doing this: Each Vista server must have it's own database (ie. taclogdata1, taclogdata2, taclogdata3 etc). The SQL server machine must be able to handle the increased load. There must be sufficient space for all the databases. A maintenance plan must be put in place - regular defragmentations and rebuilds (See White Paper - SQL Server Best Practices).

Issue TGML Graphic Alert: TypeError: Cannot call method "getAttribute" of null (cmd#52) TGML Graphic Alert: TypeError: Cannot call method "setAttribute" of null (cmd#52) Environment Vista 5 TGML Graphic Cause A Javascript tag in the TGML file has attempted to perform an action on a null pointer.  Oftentimes this is due to a component being deleted or renamed without realizing that a script elsewhere in the graphic was pointing to it. Resolution Determine which script tag is generating the error. When did the error occur?  When the page loaded?  When a value changed?  When the user clicked?  Did it happen once or multiple times?  These questions can help you narrow down which script has thrown the error. Save the graphic under a different name.  Delete portions of the graphic until the error clears.  The component that was removed holds the offending script. The cmd# syntax is indicating which line of the script has the error.  Launch the script editor by clicking the "..." button next to the script Content attribute.  In this example, go to line 52 of the code. The text in quotes tells which method was being used.  In this example "getAttribute."  Investigate what is in the parameters of the getAttribute() function.  Verify that object exists as defined. Edit the script to point to a valid object, rename or restore any deleted object.

Issue The Vista administrator user account (system manager) is created; however, that account does not have administrator rights such as add/edit/delete any user, cannot change time schedules, graphics, etc. Product Line TAC Vista Environment TAC Vista Workstation 5 Cause When adding a system manager account in Vista, that account also needs to be added into the administrator group ($Administrators). If the system manager account is not listed under the administrator group, it will not be able to behave as the administrator. Resolution Maker sure the user account is set as a “System manager” Log into Workstation as an administrator and click on the root project folder in the left panel, right click on the user account in the right panel, and then select property. Under “General/Authority level”, it should say “System manager”. If not, change to “System manager”.                             NOTE: If the textbox is grayed out, it means the current logged in account does not have the permission to make changes to that user account. Please read Cannot edit or delete a user account in TAC Workstation to add the control rights. If this articele fails also, please go to step 2.   Click on the root project folder in the left panel, and right click on the “$Administrators” in the right panel, then select “Properties”. Under “Users”, all administrators should be listed here. Make sure the desired user account name is listed. If not, use “Add” function to add the user account. If the text box is grayed out, log in as one of the system manager account listed under “Users” to process this step.                  NOTE: If all system managers listed under “Users” are no longer available. Please contact product support to unlock the database.

Issue Essex Pin Pad Reader Programming in I/Net Seven. Product Line TAC INET Environment Any Windows OS Version and I/Net Seven Version Cause Need to program an Essex Pin Pad reader in I/Net Seven. Resolution Here is the link to programming the Essex Pin Pad Reader Essex Pin Pad requires the site is not using Large Numbers The Essex Pin Pad is for site which wish to use Pin only for entry. Not Pox Card + Pin or Prox only. For information on a Prox card access which includes Pin Pad see HID PIN Pad reader for I/NET Part Number. For a higher security Pin Only option comparable to the Essex see Code-Guard Scramble Pin Pad Reader Programming.

Issue DC1100/1400, how does the "Set Back" operation work? Environment DC1100 DC1400 Drayton Set Back Cause The Set Back operation has been enabled, but does not appear to work. Resolution There are two modes of operation when using the Set Back function. 1 - Set Back Enabled - Space Night Setpoint - Disabled. - Do not use this option. Expected result At the end of occupancy, the plant will continue to operate, and the compensated setpoint temperature will reduce by the "Flow Night Setpoint" value. The display will show "Set Back". Actual result Controller switches off and displays "Outside Occupation". 2 - Set Back Enabled - Space Night Setpoint - Enabled. Space temperature above "Space Night Setpoint" setting. Controller acts as expected, it switches off and displays "Outside Occupation". Space temperature below "Space Night Setpoint" setting. The plant will switch on, and the compensated setpoint temperature will reduce by the "Flow Night Setpoint" value. The display shows "Set Back". The image below shows the appropriate section of the programming menu structure.  

Issue Is the Continuum Cyberstation a B-OWS (BACnet Operator Workstation)? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cyberstation BACnet Cause Can't find reference to Continuum Cyberstation being defined as a B-OWS. Resolution The Continuum Cyberstation is a B-OWS and complies with ANSI/ASHRAE standard 135-2004.  However, the Continuum Cyberstation has not been BTL tested, please see the Schneider Electric BTL Listing of Tested Products.    The following selection is taken from the Andover Continuum Family of User Interfaces document describing Continuum's Cyberstation capabilities. Native BACnet B-OWS CyberStation communicates with the BACnet devices using BACnet/IP in strict accordance with ANSI/ASHRAE standard 135-2004 and is designed to function as a BACnet Operator Workstation (B-OWS) and BACnet Broadcast Management Device (BBMD). The CyberStation can communicate to all Andover Continuum BACnet Devices as well as any third party BACnet Device on the BACnet network.

Issue Procedures to purchase and unlock a permanent copy of WorkPlace Tech Tool (Asia Pacific customers) Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series WorkPlace Tech Tool software version 5.x. Cause WorkPlace Tech unlock code request should not be sent directly to Customer Care since orders in Asia Pacific are placed through Hub Asia.  Resolution 1. Install WorkPlace Tech. 2. After installation, generate the codes required to request an unlock code. 3. Complete the Unlock Code Request Form or output it to the file (InVueOrder.txt). Submit the form or the file together with the purchase order to your local orders processing team.  The procedure to generate the order codes can be found in the WorkPlace Tech Tool Installation Instructions. 

Issue Binding to Security Expert values through EWS results in "Type does not exist" error when attempting to save a binding. Environment SmartStruxure Security Expert Cause The value being bound was coming through and mistakenly being created by SBO as an enumerated value which is not supported. The value is actually an integer. Resolution A hotfix has been created to resolve this in SBO 1.9.1.6700.   There is also a workaround that works for previous versions of SBO.   If you update (configure) the value type of the EWS ValueItem property Value with the system.pt.Int32 it will work to do bindings.   1. Open the propertydialog of the EWS ValueItem and click the configuration button of the Value property.    2. Check the Type checkbox which already contains the value type system.pt.Int32. 3. Press Ok and save the change in the dialogproperty. 4. Now it's ok to do bindings with this Value.

Issue Error message when trying to edit the Licensing Settings for an Automation Server in Device Administrator. Error message: Failed to get current data from server: Error when attempting to get license information: :Request to [AS-IP-ADDR]:443 failed. [SSL: CERTIFICATE_VERIFY_FAILED] certificate verify failed (_ssl.c:833) Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Building Operation Automation Server Cause The Server has been added with EBO server protocol HTTPS, but no SSL certificate has been transferred to the server. The error message is displayed after taking the following steps: In Building Operation Device Administrator check Show licenses Select an Automation Server by checking the box in front of the question mark displayed instead of the server name Click License Settings Resolution This problem can be resolved either by adding a SSL Certificate to the server, or by changing the connection type to HTTP. Solution I: Adding an SSL Certificate to the server Click the server name in Device Administrator. (The server name will be a question mark as DA will not be able to communicate with the AS in this state.) Select SSL Certificate in the left menu and click Generate new certificate. Click OK if you agree to use an auto-generated password. (Otherwise click Cancel enter a password and click Generate new certificate again) Click OK Click Transfer to server Click OK Go back to the server list and verify that the State says Ready and that the name is displayed correctly. Solution II: Changing connection type to HTTP Remove the server from the Device Administrator Uncheck Show licenses if it is selected Select the server by checking the box in front of the question mark displayed instead of the server name Click Remove in the green bar above the server list Confirm by clicking Yes Add the server with connection type HTTP Click Add Server Enter the server address, password and choose HTTP as EBO server protocol

Issue Since the introduction of Integrated Access Control and the ability to monitor Supervised Inputs, Technical Support Services has received many inquiries on how to make supervised DI/DA points work in I/NET 7700. Questions range from "Can I run the wire 100 feet or 300 feet? Do I use 1% resistors or 5% resistors? Some of the controllers are more flexible than others with respect to these issues. Since there are many variables which affect the operation of supervised inputs, this document should give you enough information to make DI/DA supervised points work in almost any situation. Environment Supervised Input High Security Areas Cause There are 3 basic categories of I/NET 7700 controllers in regards to how they handle the supervision of inputs. The first group consists of the 7716 PCU, 7718 PCU, and 7756 PCU. The second is the DPU 7910, DIU 7930, and the DIO 7940. Finally the DPU 7920 is in a group by itself. None of the other CSI controllers were designed to handle supervised inputs. What distinguishes these groups is that they require different voltages to change from one state to the next. Resolution The following (Table 1) lists what voltage each controller expects to see at its input terminals in order to report the correct state. 7716, 7718, 7756 7910, 7930, 7940 7920 For 2-resistor supervision: State LOW HIGH LOW HIGH LOW HIGH STATE short 0 2.34 2.5 2.89 0 1.26 3 closed 2.03 3.12 2.89 3.59 1.26 2.94 1 open 2.81 3.90 3.59 4.35 2.94 4.19 0 cut 3.59 5.00 4.35 5.00 4.19 5.00 2 For 1-resistor supervision: State LOW HIGH LOW HIGH LOW HIGH STATE closed 0 2.34 2.50 2.94 0 1.27 1 open 2.03 3.12 2.94 4.15 1.27 3.75 0 cut 2.81 5.00 4.15 5.00 3.75 5.00 2 Table 1 As you can see, the voltage values for the first group (7716, 7718, 7756) overlap from one state to the next. In this case, the point will remain in the current state until its’ upper or lower limit is crossed, much the same as a temperature differential. The various installation guides for each of these DCU types differ as to what value of resistor and what length of wire can be used; but, if the end result of the circuit produces these voltages, the supervised DI/DA will work. Therefore, you can vary the resistor values and/or wire length but these voltage levels must still be achieved. Don’t let the order in which the state descriptions appear in Table 1 mislead you. The order you see in the table is not the order in which the system expects to find them. They should be entered as OPEN-CLSD-CUT-SHRT (in that order) in the State Description editor for a 2-resistor DI/DA point and OPEN-CLSD-CUT for a 1-resistor DI/DA point. For check out purposes, the STATE number can be viewed from the Hand Held Console when displaying the DI/DA point. The state values are 0-3, which are found in the last column of Table 1. Another useful technique for displaying these voltage values within I/NET 7700 is to temporarily assign the input as an AI. The conversion coefficient can be determined using the I/NET 7700 calculator (see Figure 1.). The Equipment counts high is 4095 for the 7716PCU, 7718PCU, and the upper board inputs of the 7756PCU; 32,767 for the lower board on the 7756PCU; and 255 for the 7910, 20,30, and 40. Engineering units low and high are 0 and 5 respectively for all controllers. The value of the point can now be viewed from the screen or the Hand Held Console. 05/23/95 14:21:31 Tue Conversion coefficients Host 00 (shm) Link 01 [020 link] DCU 02 [PCU 7716] Select (Linear Flow) # M B --+------------+------------ 0 0.001221 0 Conversion equation Linear 1 0 0 2 0 0 Equipment counts low 0 3 0 0 Equipment counts high 4095 4 0 0 Engineering units low 0 5 0 0 Engineering units high 5 6 0 0 7 0 0 8 0 0 9 0 0 10 0 0 11 0 0 12 0 0 13 0 0 14 0 0 15 0 0 Press ESC to copy to M & B Figure 1 Keep in mind that the 7718PCU is switchable for the pull up voltage to either 5 or 15 VDC. For the supervised DI/DA points to work properly, jumper J38 must be set to 5V. A simpler approach to ensure a DI/DA supervised point will work correctly is to limit the length of the wire and thus the resistance that the wire adds to the circuit. If you use 1% 1000 ohm resistors(as recommended), the maximum total resistance that your wire can add for the supervised point to work properly is listed below. DCU Type 1-resistor configuration 2-resistor configuration 7716, 18, 56 650 ohms 1250 ohms 7910, 30, 40 300 ohms 400 ohms 7920 325 ohms 325 ohms Table 2 Note: The value for 1 resistor configuration should be within +/-10 ohms and 2 resistor configuration should be within +/-20 ohms to account for resistor tolerances. These values include both conductors of the wire (shorted together at one end and measured from conductor to conductor at the other end). They allow for (in the case of 2-resistor supervision) the short to be detected at any point on the wire (all the way out to the contact). These are the maximum resistance values and the actual resistance should be kept as low as possible. These values were calculated using the voltages in Table 1 and assume that the supervision resistors are exactly 1k ohms. The values for the first group take into account the overlap of voltage levels between states and are intended to avoid those zones. These values might lead one to believe that a supervised DI/DA point can be wired with ten or twenty-thousand feet of wire. This is not the case due to the noise which wire can pick up and make the input unstable. So the distance should be kept as short as possible.

Issue Group bindings are correct, Xenta programmables download successfully, and all controllers are commissioned and online in LNS. However, no programmable units will show online in Vista Workstation. Check the alarm queue in Vista Workstation (sorted by Last Change) for the following alarm (or similar):  Server-$EE_Mess  Physical device not defined/configured - TAC301: 040294360200 The controller type and Neuron ID will change each time the alarm updates (every 30 seconds or so) as it cycles through each programmable controller in the network.   Product Line TAC Vista Environment TAC Vista Workstation Xenta programmable controllers Xenta 280, 281, 282, 283, 300, 301, 302, 401, 401:B Cause Group names must not exceed 20 characters in length and must not contain any spaces. Resolution Change all group names to adhere to the standard that they must be 20 characters or less in length and must not contain any spaces. It is also good design practice to change the subsystem names in LNS if that is where they originated from. This will help future service technicians to make sense of the network structure. For alternative solution, view System alarm message, Physical device not defined/configured.

Issue Import of BACnet/IP device is missing Device ID value. The device is indicated as offline and will not communicate. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Building Operation Automation Server Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Automation Server Bundled Building Operation Edge Server - Standard Cause A device instance number is not preserved in an export. An imported BACnet device must be associated with a device.  Resolution Use the Associate with Device option on the BACnet/IP device object, refer to: Associating a BACnet Instance Number with a Device (se.com). Specify the device instance number.

Issue After completing the installation for 2.0 WebClient the first attempt to logon results in HTTP Error 500.21 Internal Server Error logging into WebClient. Trying to register .NET 2 using aspnet_regiis.exe produces  ASP.NET setup custom has stopped working. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment WebClient Cause .NET 4 not registered with IIS Resolution Register .NET 4 with IIS from Command Prompt (NOTE: Run command prompt as administrator)