Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Enterprise Server is taking a very long time to run after restoring the database. Example: in EBO 3.2.3, It would start after 2.24 hours with about 20,000 trend logs, and with 10,000 it would take about an hour. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Enterprise Server Cause When restoring the configuration only of a Database, specifically one that has a lot of Trend logs configured, EBO initializes the Trend DB before starting the ES. Resolution Select to restore ALL DATA of the database, thus the Trend Database has already been initialized and the Enterprise Server will Run.  

Issue Setting the default BACnet priority levels for different applications avoids priority conflicts by normalizing which priority gets used for a specific action or within a specific application 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 Different EcoStruxure applications may act upon BACnet objects utilizing different BACnet priority levels. This may cause confusion and can keep the system from operating as expected. Resolution BACnet objects created with EBO (1.4 and higher) will have a default BACnet Priority of 16 unless specified otherwise. The default BACnet Priority can be changed to the customer's needs.   As a best practice, define the Default priority level prior to configuring the system. In addition, consider maintaining the same default priority level for multiple active systems at your site. For example, configure the same default priority level for the EcoStruxure Building Operation and fire protection system. In a multi-server system, you can only configure the Default priority level from the Interface Manager of the Enterprise Server. If you set a new priority level, the system propagates the change to the other automation servers in the network. Refer to: Default Priority Level (se.com) and Configuring the Default Priority Level (se.com)  

Issue When opening a BACnet AnalogInput  from (the Blue) BACnet device side, the value of the object displays as 3 decimal digits by default. The format can be changed in the format field as desired, however when clicking the "Apply" button, an error prompt box pops up with the message "An attempt has been made to write a property defined as inaccessible through the BACnet  protocol write services". if the "Apply" buttonis clicked again, the error disappears and the format is been changed successfully. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum BACnet BCX1 B3s Cyberstation V2.02 and earlier. Cause Format is not a standard BACnet property, it is a Continuum attribute and when the format is changed Cyberstation sends a command to change the "present value" of the point in the controller. The present value of AnalogInput cannot be written so the error occurs. When clicking "apply" or "OK" for the second time Cyberstation only writes the attribute of the point in the database rather than the controller. Therefore we can get a successful change of format for AnalogInput by clicking "Apply" twice. For AnalogValue, the "present value" of  AnalogValue can be written in BACnet, so there is no error when changing the format of an AnalogValue. Resolution Ignore the error when making the change, click the "Apply" button twice after updating the "Format". Or upgrade to V2.03 where this issue has been resolved.

  Issue List of Mercury Controller Types and Features Product Line EcoStruxure Access Expert Environment Access Expert V3 Hosted Cause Mercury Controller Types and features to use with Access Expert Resolution Overview Mercury controllers are an open architecture controller made by Mercury Security. Feenics currently supports the LP series boards, the series 2 and series 3 MR SIO series boards.   Mercury Controllers   Equivalent Features FN-C1501 EP1501 The EP1501 is an intelligent controller that is expandable up to 8 downstream SIO controllers and up to 16 MR51e network-ready door controllers (for a total of 17 doors/openings). 240,000 Cardholders 50,000 Transaction buffer 32 Access Levels per cardholder 2 Onboard Readers 1 SIO bus (note: connects via Reader Port 1) FN-C3202 EP1502 The EP1502 is an intelligent controller for controlling two connected doors and managing up to 64 doors/openings. 240,000 Cardholders 50,000 Transaction buffer 32 Access Levels per cardholder 2 Onboard Reader Ports 1 SIO bus FN-C3200 EP2500 The EP2500 is an intelligent controller for managing up to 64 doors/openings. 600,000 Cardholders 50,000 Transaction buffer 32 Access Levels per cardholder 2 SIO Buses FN-C4502 EP4502 The EP4502 is an intelligent controller for controlling two connected doors and managing up to 64 doors/openings and complies with the BACnet standard. 2,000,000 Cardholders 50,000 Transaction buffer 32 Access Levels per cardholder 2 Onboard Readers 2 SIO Buses FN-LP1501 LP1501 The LP1501 is an intelligent controller that is expandable up to 8 downstream SIO controllers and up to 16 MR51e network-ready door controllers (for a total of 17 doors/openings). 240,000 Cardholders 50,000 Transaction buffer 255 Access Levels per cardholder Supports up to 130 inputs and 130 Outputs 2 Onboard Readers 1 SIO bus (note: connects via Reader Port 1) FN-LP3202 LP1502 The LP1502 is an intelligent controller for controlling two connected doors and managing up to 64 doors/openings. 240,000 Cardholders 50,000 Transaction buffer 255 Access Levels per cardholder Supports up to 520 inputs and 516 Outputs 2 Onboard Reader Ports 1 SIO bus FN-LP3200 LP2500 The LP2500 is an intelligent controller for managing up to 64 doors/openings. 600,000 Cardholders 50,000 Transaction buffer 255 Access Levels per cardholder Supports up to 1024 inputs and 1024 Outputs 2 SIO Buses FN-LP4502 LP4502 The EP4502 is an intelligent controller for controlling two connected doors and managing up to 64 doors/openings and complies with the BACnet standard. 2,000,000 Cardholders 50,000 Transaction buffer 255 Access Levels per cardholder Supports up to 1024 inputs and 1024 Outputs 2 Onboard Readers 2 SIO Buses FN-M5-IC M5-IC An intelligent control device for the replacement of the Casi PX, PXN and PXNplus CPU controller. The single controller supports up to 64 readers across multiple enclosures. 128 Access Levels per cardholder FN-M5-ICS M5-ICS A multi-device interface panel that is a direct retrofit of Software House’s Pro GCM module. A 64 reader capacity 600,000 Cardholders Mercury - PW6K1IC Prowatch 6000  The PW6K1IC is an intelligent controller that is expandable up to 8 downstream SIO controllers and up to 16 MR51e network-ready door controllers (for a total of 17 doors/openings). 15,000 Cardholders 10,000 Transaction buffer 32 Access Levels per cardholder   EP Controllers - End of Life  Feenics used to support the EP Series controllers, however, they have been replaced with the LP series. Related article - Updating Mercury Firmware https://community.se.com/t5/Building-Automation-Knowledge/Access-Expert-Updating-Firmware-on-an-SSC-or-Mercury-Controller/ta-p/410961  

Issue How to disable UNC power monitoring Environment I/A Series R2 Universal Network Controller (UNC) I/A Series Niagara R2 version 2.301.318 or later Cause UNC that is installed with I/A Series Niagara R2 version 2.301.318 or later has power monitoring enabled. UNC-410 and UNC-520 have the following parameters monitored. Power Loss - alarm on AC power loss Battery fail - alarm if backup battery test fail There could be situations where the monitoring of these parameters needs to be disabled.  Resolution You can disable the UNC's power monitoring function by editing the UNC's driver.properties file.  To access the driver.properties file, in WorkPlace Pro Admin Tool, connect to the UNC and go to the 'Installation' tab. Click on the 'Edit drivers.properties' button.  The line 'power.enabled=true' enables the power monitoring. To disable power monitoring, change the line to 'power.enabled=false'.  After the change, save the changes (File > Save) and reboot the UNC.   For more details, refer to the Niagara System and Power Monitoring Engineering Notes. 

Issue Cannot find a wiring diagram for the ETR800 Temperature Sensors Product Line TAC IA Series Environment ETR-800 temperature sensors Cause Not available in the Publication Zone Resolution Click the link to view and download the wiring diagram:  F-27619 ETR800 Sensors Wiring Instructions Click the link to view and download the data sheet (also available in the Publication Zone):  F-27601 ETR800 Sensors Data Sheet

Issue If the pull-up resistor is disabled falsely, the sensor value or status that connects with this input may be wrong. For example, sensing temperature value has a great deal of error with the actual temperature value. Environment I2 controllers B3 controllers Cause If the pull-up resistor selection is wrong, the right value can not be gotten. Resolution The following is a schematic representation of the switch and its associated pull-up:   To measure temperature, the pull-up resistor switch associated with this input must be enabled. To measure voltage, the pull-up resistor switch associated with this input is usually disabled (OFF). To sense contact closures (Digital signals), the pull-up resistor switch associated with this input must be enabled. To count Pulsing signals or contact closures, the pull-up resistor switch associated with this input must be enabled.

Issue Where can I find Plain English Drivers and documentation for them. Environment Plain English Drivers Cause Schneider Electric Product Support Services does not supply Plain English Xdrivers, nor are they supported. Resolution Schneider Electric does not provide support for Plain English Drivers and no longer provides support for them There are, however, two xdriver manuals available on The Exchange Download Center. Carrier CCN Dataport Manual (32MP, 30GN, 30GB, 30HX, 30GT, 23XL, 19XR, 19EF) Mammoth DDC Manual

Issue How to reset a CSC 5 series controller Environment CSC5352 CSC5252 Cause The CSC controller has become non operational and has frozen. How to reset a CSC 5 series controller? Resolution This procedure will clear any settings and return values to defaults. Switch OFF the power. Press and hold down the ENTER key, turn the power ON. The controller will display "reset" followed by the firmware no. The controller will now display "dflts". Release the ENTER key. The controller will display "reset" again, followed by the firmware no. The controller will now go into Review mode. Re-enter the site parameters.

Issue SE7000/SE8000 controllers are randomly going offline or are undiscoverable on BACnet network. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation, EcoStruxure Building Expert Environment Building Operation Workstation Building Operation Automation Server SSL SE7000 SSL SE8000 Cause Improper terminations of the BACnet MS/TP communication cable.   Resolution The REF (reference) Terminal is a BACnet Reference which is a voltage reference required by BACnet testing lab (BTL) and it is rarely used in the industry. If not used as a reference, The Ref terminal should be left empty. It is not a terminal to land a shield nor a ground.    At each thermostat (Cable Junction) : Connect the (+) and the (-) wires Twist the shields together Tape around the cable to prevent short-circuit. Ground the shield at one end only (usually on the BAS side) and leave the REF terminal empty Ensure that the shield wire is not connected to the REF (Reference) terminal.

Issue Infinet to MP or RP controller communications Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Infinet Controller i2 i1 SmartX IP RPC RP-C, MPC, MP-C, MPV, MP-V Controller Cause The power cycle and bandwidth requirements need to be considered when setting the parameters for Infinet to MP/RP communication Resolution First ensure a good understanding of "Infinet Under the hood" article. A direct binding can easily be made between an Infinet controller object like an Analog Value and an MP/RP Controller object like an Analog Value. The whole communication path is not BACnet so a "Value transfer settings" window can be opened that controls part of the EBO communication process. This default configuration (Infinet to MP/RP) will usually result in the Infinet Value being collected every 10 seconds, this value will then only only be written to the MP/RP when the value changes. To ensure the value is correct following a power cycle either enable Guaranteed transfer and set to 1 minute, or use the retailed level on the MP/RP object   If there is a listview, graphic or watch window containing the Infinet Object, this causes the value to be collected every 500mS, as seen in the screenshot below   If the Infinet Object is "exported", (see "Infinet under the hood" for details) then the communication can be much more efficient as the values are only sent when there is a change (greater than the object threshold for analog inputs).   If the communication is from the MP/RP Object to the Infinet controller Object, then a BACnet COV subscription will be set up by the EBO server to the MP/RP Controller, this will be renewed if either is reset/power cycled. It needs to be remembered that the "Value Transfer settings" is an EBO property and in this case the communication is controlled by the EBO Server with Infinet in one direction and BACnet in the other. So the communication to the MP'/RP controllers will either be a write or a COV subscription from the EBO Server.

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 Workstations are no longer logging all points configured for Extended Logging. Lots of these errors seen in the Errors Listview and ACCtrace. "Unable to find Extended Log records to download. This can occur when a log is added to a point through offline editing and the change is never sent to the controller." Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cyberstation SQL Server Management Studio Cause What has probably occurred is that in the database the point is set for extended logging but in the controller this same value is not set. It happens when the controller recovers from flash and the database stored in flash didn't have the extended log points configured or it was offline edited. This could also be due to a corrupt entry in the ExtendedLogReservation table that is stopping new points from being assigned. Resolution After the troubleshooting steps in Getting error Unable to find Extended Log records to download have been followed but were unable to resolve the problem, truncating the ExtendedLogReservation table and then rebuilding it did resolve the problem in a number of situations. Please note that this is a brute force approach that requires truncating a table using an SQL query. I want to stress that even after following the below steps to re-enable logging, each affected controller should be reloaded at some point to ensure that it has the most recent up to date information. The steps below are a quicker method of getting the logging start working right away without having to wait to reload each individual controller. The best method to disable and then re-enable the Extended Logging on the points that have it configured is to use individual Listviews filtered to show them. One of Numerics, Inputs, and Outputs. The only change required, and this is a critical one, is to change the "Live Data Refresh Rate" to 0 for each of those three Listviews. This will ensure that the view is not refreshed automatically unless we do this ourselves. See image below for details. After importing the three ListViews, follow the below steps to toggle the ExtLogEnable values for all Numerics that were currently setup to trend. Run the imported listviews, Export the results to CSV files, (do this as a backup so there is a record of what points are currently configured). Edit the listviews to disable live refresh, see attached image for exact details of what to change. [** Important **] Shut down all Cyberstations and backup the ContinuumDB. Go back and confirm that step 4 above has been done. Truncate the entire ExtendedLogReservation table and rebuild it. In SQL Management Studio, run the below query to truncate the table. truncate table ContinuumDB.dbo.ExtendedLogReservation   Start up the Cyberstation Set Workstation to Offline (workstation icon in task tray) Run each of the three Listviews, select Edit->select all, select Edit-> set attribute, set the ExtLogEnable attribute to False, Wait for the changes to take effect on all, you can see when this is done (and it may take awhile) by the tasks in the Distribution Properties window. Then select all again and set the attribute back to True, wait for this to complete. Now when you start up the Workstations you should see that the ExtendedLogReservation table gets populated and slowly start to see that some of the Workstations get assigned logs to start logging. You can see which entries are assigned to a Workstation by the value of ReservingWSLo. This will be set to 0 if no Workstation has been assigned to gather the point yet or it will assigned to the IdLo value of the Workstation that has picked it up.  

Issue Unable to set Units on an AI created in Building Operation Menta Editor The Units drop down list appears but is blank Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment SmartStruxure (all revisions) Building Operation Menta Editor Analog Input/Output Cause Menta Editor gets the units from Building Operation WorkStation. If the Menta Editor is launched from the Start menu, then there is no connection to WorkStation and units will not be displayed in Menta Editor. This is a known issue which will not be corrected. Resolution All Menta applications should be opened from within the Workstation: Right click on the "Programmable Xenta" object Select "Edit"

Issue Supported Version of Windows Server and SQL Server for StruxureWare Reports Server Environment Reports Server Cause Reports Server is only supported on a specific operating systems and SQL Server versions. Resolution SmartStruxure 1.4.1 and below  Windows Environment: Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) SQL Software Options Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express with Advanced Services (64-bit) SP2 (Download Page - Direct link) Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard (64-bit) SP2 (Download SP2: Download page - Direct link)   SmartStruxure 1.5 and above  Windows Environment: Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 (64-bit) Microsoft Windows Server 2012 (64-bit) Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 (64-bit) SQL Software Options Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Express with Advanced Services (64-bit) SP2 (Download Page - Direct link) Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 Standard (64-bit) SP2 (Download SP2: Download page - Direct link) Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Express with Advanced Services (64-bit) SP2 (Download page - Direct link) Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Standard (64-bit) SP2 (Download SP2: Download page - Direct link)

Issue Alarms or Events are not being received as soon as they occur and there is a large delay before they are written to the Database. Product Line Andover Continuum Environment Continuum Cause Review the controller error log. If there are 6c0e errors, this indicates the comms buffer is filling up (see Controller error log: error transmitting (LAN_ERR_TRANSMIT_ERROR)). Another indicator is in the ACCTRace logs. Check if Alarms are being logged in the Database when the WS thread is receiving them. The time in the ACCtrace may be logged as the TimeOfLog. Investigate the programming to see if it is polling data from a BACnet controller constantly. There may be no delay in poll requests which can overload the controllers comms buffers. This will in turn delay some Alarms from being delivered to the Workstation to be displayed and logged in the Database. Resolution Fix programming so there are wait lines between each poll. Also see Controller error log: error transmitting (LAN_ERR_TRANSMIT_ERROR).

Issue Why are there Unconfigured Devices appearing in the Unconfigured Device list. Unconfigured Devices are not cleared from the device list once the third party device is correctly configured and brought online. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium Building Operation Enterprise Server Unconfigured BACnet Devices Cause BACnet devices that have unresolved issues appear in the Unconfigured Devices folder beneath the Hardware folder. The devices in the folder may have one or more of the following unresolved issues: • Unspecified device identifiers • Duplicate device identifiers • Duplicate device names • Other interoperability issues These issues must be resolved at the third party controller end. Resolution There are 3 different ways to resolve this depending on AS-P version: 1.9.x: To clear the reconfigured devices from the Unconfigured Devices folder, select the network, and then press the Alt key and click the Refresh button at the same time. 2.0.x or later: For updates use the Discover All (binoculars) button Any version after the third party devices have be correctly configured and brought online, if any devices these device continue to appear in the Unconfigured Device list they can be cleared from the list by warm starting the AS.

Issue There is a Security Expert 37-Bit Reader Format in the Security Expert system (formerly Schneider Electric 37-Bit)   Product Line Security Expert Environment Reader Formats Cause Is the Security Expert 37-Bit Reader Format in Security Expert the same as the Infinity 37-Bit Wiegand Format used in Continuum and if so, can this be selected for transitioning systems? Resolution The Security Expert 37-Bit Reader Format in the Security Expert system is not the same as the Infinity 37-Bit Wiegand Format used in Continuum.  Infinity 37-Bit cards transitioning to a Security Expert system will need to be accommodated using either Custom Formats or Custom Credentials.

Issue Setpoints and Commands from Niagara objects are not being written to the BACnet points Environment I/A Series R2 WorkPlace Pro and UNC I/A Series MNB controllers Cause The BACnet objects are located in a PollOnDemand container. BACnet objects in the PollOnDemand container will only be polled when linked Gx objects (graphics) are viewed. In this particular case, these BACnet objects are not required to be displayed on graphic pages and thus they are not linked to any Gx objects.  being viewed Resolution Create GxText objects in the PollOnDemand container and link the BACnet objects' outputs to the GxText objects. With this, the BACnet objects will be polled when the PollOnDemand container is viewed. 

Issue Get the following message in Windows Event Viewer "Guid should contain 32 digits with 4 dashes (xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx)". The complete message looks like this: System.FormatException: Guid should contain 32 digits with 4 dashes (xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx). at System.Guid.TryParseGuidWithNoStyle(String guidString, GuidResult& result) at System.Guid.TryParseGuid(String g, GuidStyles flags, GuidResult& result) at System.Guid..ctor(String g) at TAC.DSS.BusinessLogic.TrendLogProcessor.GetLogValues(XmlDocument filterXml, ITrendLogValuesInterface values) at DssCliLib.TrendLog.GetLogValues2(SByte* pszConnectionString, Char* bstrFilter, ITrendLogValues* pValues) This occurs at regular intervals Environment Vista 5.1.X Cause This is caused by trend log calculation objects being incorrectly configured. The "Trend Log Object" field has been left blank. When Vista tries to execute the trend log calculation, it uses the trend log GUID (Globally unique identifier) of the trend log object to retrieve information from the log database. If the field is left blank, "126??" (which means "object does not exist") is returned instead of the trend log GUID. Obviously "126??" does not comply with the GUID format. Resolution Check all the trend log calculation objects and ensure that they contain a reference to a trend log object.

Issue A Plain English program is becoming disabled.  The controller error log logs the following error. 0x01402 (Reached end of the list). Environment Continuum Plain English Error b3 i2 Cause 0x00001402 (Reached end of the list) is a Plain English error.  This error most often occurs when a program is calling a Plain English Function that contains no byte code.. Resolution Edit each InfinityFunction in the controller to determine which function is empty (contains no programming).