Building Automation Knowledge Base

Issue Running Bomgar Remote Support Client from Linux for support from Product Support Services Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Edge Server - Standard Cause Bomgar session downloads Bomgar-scc-[long string of characters].desktop file and need to run to connect with a Product Support Services agent. Resolution The file needs to be granted permission to execute and then run. Open browser on Linux OS for website: https://seconnect.se.com  Enter the 7-digit Session Key and press SUBMIT button. After saving the client to the Downloads folder, right-click on the bomgar-scc-[long string of characters].desktop file, then click Properties.  Click on the Permissions tab, then check the checkbox next to Execute to Allow executing file as program.  Open Terminal, then type "sh " (without quotes and not forgetting a space), then drag the file to the Terminal window, then press Enter. The full command will look similar to this image.  Once the executable runs, this image will appear on the screen as the full session begins.  Click Allow to let the agent view and control your computer. 

Issue Niagara 4.9 (or later) sometimes has a new Host ID that differs from the Host IDs of other versions of Niagara that were installed on the same host PC Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series N4 Enterprise Server Cause Niagara 4.9 and later, are only available in a 64-bit version. The older Niagara versions installed on the host PC are probably 32-bit versions, which will always have Host IDs different from 64-bit versions. Resolution If the older versions are Niagara 4.3 or lower, you may need to update the older versions, as per the following document… I/A Series G3 and N4 Eliminating multiple HostID on a single PC  Niagara 4.9 (or later) is only available in a 64-bit version.  The other Niagara versions installed on the host PC are probably 32-bit versions, which will always have Host IDs different from 64-bit versions.  In this case, the host PC will require one of the following Un-installing the 32-bit versions and re-installing 64-bit equivalents One license, to be "transferred" to a different Host ID when necessary Multiple licenses, one for each unique Host ID.

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 In Niagara Enterprise Server versions older than N4.9, the Niagara Service fails to start. Typically the service successfully starts when the 'plat installdaemon' is executed. Product Line TAC IA Series Environment I/A Series N4 Enterprise Server (earlier than N4.9) Cause The Niagara daemon fails to restart automatically after a server reboot Resolution For older Niagara versions, these are two workarounds that may work in some cases:   Option 1:  Go to Start > Run > and type regedit  Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control  With the control folder selected, right click in the pane on the right and select new DWORD Value  Name the new DWORD: ServicesPipeTimeout  Right-click ServicesPipeTimeout, and then click Modify  Click Decimal, type '180000', and then click OK  Restart the computer Option 2: Create a Task Scheduler task that calls the command "net", with the arguments "start niagara" five minutes after boot.   Alternative Solution (reported to work on Niagara older than 4.7): There are two solutions to implement in the Niagara Service. Before performing the settings below you must first have NiagaraD successfully installed. After the computer has rebooted, manually install NiagaraD using 'Plat installdaemon'. Once the service is installed implement the two configurations below. Open Windows 'Services' and then double-click the 'Niagara' service to open the Niagara Service Properties window . You can select to delay the start of the Niagara Service which helps give Windows time to initialize before the service attempts to start. Set the recovery options on the 'Recovery' tab. It is recommended to set all three 'failure' options to 'Restart the Service'

Issue How does Continuum synchronize a person's current area across controllers and what happens if a controller is offline at the time of synchronization? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment All Continuum controllers that support physical access control CX9900 CX9702 CX9680 ACX5720 ACX5740 Cause Understanding the synchronization process can help with troubleshooting issues. Resolution Upon processing a valid access at a door the controller sends out a Personnel Update message to all peers controllers as well as down its Infinet for the benefit of ACX7xx field devices. Note that the message is sent out to ALL controllers that have been taught regardless of whether they are doing access control or not or whether they contain a distributed copy of the personnel object. The update personnel message includes the following information The time the update message was built The ID of the door where access was granted The handle ID of the personnel object that was granted access at the door The handle ID of the area the person was granted access to The time access was granted Upon receipt of the message, the recipient controllers performs a find by ID of the personnel object, if found the object’s current area is updated otherwise the message is discarded. The recipient controller must acknowledge receipt of the message, if it does not, the sending controller retries 3 times, if a controller is offline and misses the update the corresponding record in its database will be stale, this in turn may cause entry-egress and/or anti-passback not to operate correctly until the next update message is received.

Warning Hazard of Electric Shock: Remove all power from all devices before removing any covers or doors of the system. Disconnect power at the device and at the power source. Electrostatic Discharge Required: Always discharge static electricity from your person by touching metal prior to handling any hardware. Failure to do so may result in damage to devices. Issue What are the steps for replacing a failed AC1 or AC1Plus IO module hosted under SP-AC1 controller with available module either brand new or previously used? Product Line EcoStruxure Security Expert Environment Security Expert Controller Continuum AC-1 IO Module Security Expert Server Cause Guidance needed on steps to replace a failed AC1/AC1Plus module hosted by SP-AC1 Security Expert controller Resolution While the recommended upgrade path is to replace any failed AC1 module with Security Expert IO module such as the SP-RDM2, it is possible to replace with same module type (AC1 or AC1Plus) using the steps below.   Take note of the failed module address, this can be done either in the "Module addressing" window or by looking at the "Physical address" field in the Reader Expander. Using Continuum Cyberstation (or CX9900 Net Controller 1 with terminal interface) set the ID of the replacement module to the same as the ID of the failed module. Remove the failed module and put the replacement module in its place, once power is applied, the COMM LED of the replacement module should blink normally. Re-start the SP-AC1 controller, this can be done either by cycling power to the controller or by performing a re-start in the controller's web interface from a web browser. Once the controller is back online, from the client go to Sites\Controllers, right-click the appropriate controller, and select "Module addressing", in the module addressing window you should see the failed module offline and registered, the replacement module should also be present using the same ID as the failed module but offline and NOT registered. Click on "Update modules" After the system displays "Update module command sent OK" wait a minute, then bring up the "Module addressing" window once again, the failed module should now be gone and the replacement module should now be online and registered. You should also see an entry in the "Status page view" for each module indicating the module has registered successfully.

Issue Xenta 7xx stuck in continuous reboot loop. If connected to Hyperterminal while booting may see error that says "Wrong number of IO's in <Menta file path>". Environment Xenta 701 Xenta 711 Xenta 721 Xenta 731 Cause Downloading Xenta 7xx with Menta files that contain test probe blocks will cause this error. Test probe blocks are for testing code only and should not be left in Menta programs once an XBuilder project is going to be downloaded. Resolution Locate all test probe blocks and replace with the appropriate programming. Search Menta programs for any test probe blocks (TPAI, TPDI, TPAO, TPDO) and delete all of them before attempting to download the device again.

Issue SE7000s (all) and old hardware SE8000 (firmware <= 1.7.4) won't support EBO Zigbee. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment SSL SE7000 SSL SE8000 Cause EBO Zigbee has Standard and High-Security levels. The SE7000s and old hardware SE8000 (firmware <= 1.7.4) only supports Zigbee Low Security. Resolution Replace the SE7000s and SE8000s old hardware using SE8000 with the current hardware that supports firmware 2.0.0 and newer.

Issue When Remote Alarm Manager attempts to initialise the GSM modem it fails during reset command. Modem will reset correctly if the same commands are sent from a terminal emulation program. Product Line Satchwell MicroNet, Satchwell Sigma, TAC Vista Environment Vista RAM Sigma Ram MicroNet RAM BAS RAM GSM Modem Cause The result codes from the modem are not returned in the format expected by Remote Alarm Manager Resolution The Mobile Equipment Errors setting (AT+CMEE) sets the format that error responses from the modem are returned in, the possible formats are: 0 disable result code and use ERROR instead 1 enable result code and use numeric values 2 enable result code and use verbose values The GSM driver in Remote Alarm Manager expects to see these results in numeric format. To Check and set the format do the following: Using a Terminal Emulation Program such as Hyperterminal connect to the modem Enter the command AT+CMEE? to show the current setting Enter AT+CMEE=1 Enter AT&W to store the current settings to non volatile memory. Disconnect Hyperterminal and test with Remote Alarm Manager.

Issue Cannot do a backup to flash on bCX4040. Distribution Properties indicates "The flash for this controller does not need to be backed up." Product Line Andover Continuum Environment bCX4040 Cause ACCStatusBackup is set to ACCBackupInactive when ACCRestartMode is set to ACCWarmStartOnly. This occurred when a bCX9640 was flashed to a bCX4040.  ACCWarmToCool is the default ACCRestartMode for the bCX4040. Resolution Change ACCRestartMode to ACCWarmToCool and then try the backup. For more information on the ACCRestartMode refer to Chapter 5 of the bCX1 Series Controller Technical Reference document # 30-3001-890.

Issue At the completion of the download of a WorkPlace Tech application into an LON controller, the following error window is displayed: Product Line TAC IA Series Environment WorkPlace Tech Tool release 5.x.x I/A Series MNL Controller application file Cause A default nci constant is out of range for its variable type. Resolution Verify that all nci values are valid for the SNVT type, re-compile and re-download the application. The most frequent issue that causes this error is an invalid text string value for a nciLocation SNVT.

Issue A Siemens  power meter with a Modbus TCP/IP interface will not allow setting of the Device ID - only the IP parameters. Continuum Modbus TCP/IP Xdriver Remote Device Status Point (aka Comms Point] does not work if the Device ID is set to 0.   Environment Modbus TCP/IP Xdriver Cause Continuum Xdriver Modbus TCP/IP Remote Device Status Point does not work if the Device ID is set to 0.   Resolution Set the Device ID = 1 when configuring the Modbus TCP/IP Xdriver Comms Point For more information refer to page 12 of the Modbus TCP/IP Xdriver User Guide linked here.

Issue What are the limitations of Building Operation Web Services? Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment StruxureWare Building Operation Version 1.3 Cause Due to the XML response rate (XML file information send to Building Operation), it has some limitations. Resolution General Guide in the Technical Reference Guide: The limit for the whole XML response is 100 kb, which includes manually created values. The limit for a string value is 10 kb, which includes manually created values. The maximum number of values created in the Web Server interface is 200. The recommended limit for XML elements in the Web Service interface is 100 The recommended number of Web Service interfaces in an Automation Server XML elements at a polling rate of 60 seconds. is 2. Additional Information: Maximum number of Web Services in an Automation Server Also refer to Architectural Guidelines for your respective version in use.

Issue How to troubleshoot UDP IOServer can not communicate with Xenta Environment Xenta Server Ethernet Communication (UDP) Cause INET communicate with Xenta Server via UDP but sometimes another process are occupying the default port Resolution Refer to this guide

Issue JPEG image added to a TGML graphic displays in Workstation but not WebStation Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment TGML SmartStruxure WebStation Cause It is possible there is something in the JPEG compression used for a specific image file that does not allow it to display in a web browser. The majority of JPEG images will work fine. Resolution In Windows Explorer, right-click on the image file and select Open With Open with any image editing program more advanced than MS paint, for example, Microsoft Office Picture Manager Select File > Export (in some programs this may be under the Edit Menu) Any Export will force the file to re-compress. It may also be advisable to lower the quality of the JPEG export in some manner to ensure fast load times on the web. Save the file Edit the Graphic in the TGML Editor, click on the Content Property of the Image object Click on the "..." icon Select the newly compressed image file and click open Save the TGML graphic and view in Workstation and Webstation.

Issue How long and what topology can the IOU bus be on a Netcontroller? Product Line Andover Continuum Environment IOU Modules Netcontroller Cause Maximum cable distances and topologies required. Resolution The Standard RS485 modules can only be connected in a bus (Daisy Chain) topology, no star or "T" topology can be used. The maximum distance from the Netcontroller to the last module in the bus is 600M using a low capacitance cable like the Belden 9729. If you have to create a free topology network with a star or "T" topology then you must use FTT-10A Netcontroller and IOU Modules. See What is the advantage of having a Doubly Bus Terminated Topology segment VS Free Topology in a LON FTT 10A setup? for details on the FTT-10A module wiring or the I/O System Reference Guide for further installation details.

Warning Electrostatic Discharge Required: Always discharge static electricity from your person by touching metal prior to handling any hardware. Failure to do so may result in damage to devices. Issue How should the Micro Energy Power Supply voltage reading be checked? Can the Micro Energy Power Supply provide power to IOU only without CIU connected? Environment Infinity SX8000 Cause Got the Micro Energy Power Supply repaired by 3rd party but the voltage reading seems to be incorrect. Resolution The voltage of the Micro Energy Power Supply should be checked with the load connected to the PS.   For the port_A voltage check, have the CIU connected to the port_A of the PS.   For the port_B voltage check, have the IOU connected to the port_B of the PS. Also the Micro Energy Power Supply can have either the port_A connected to CIU only or the port_B connected to IOU only or both ports connected to CIU and IOU respectively. For detail information of the voltage reading of each pin, please refer to page 2-86 ~ 2-88 of the AC256 Service Manual.pdf

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 StruxureWare Building Operation Extended trend logs have an incorrect unit associated with the measured value. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment StruxureWare Building Operation 1.3.x Cause It is possible to create extended trend logs by selecting multiple trend logs and using the right click option to create extended trend logs. The software incorrectly associates all of the created trend logs with the first trend log object's associated unit even if the other trend logs in the selection use different units. Resolution The cause of the problem is resolved in a forthcoming release (1.4.0) however if the system is in the state currently additional steps must be taken. The method to resolve this problem depends on the need to maintain the existing extended trend log data or not. 1. Accept loss of data Delete the extended trend logs that have incorrect units and create each extended trend log individually and avoid multiple selections. 2. Avoid loss of data Export the trend logs in StruxureWare Workstation. Modify the export file and edit the unit value for the Extended trend log The unit will need to be validated with another export that contains an object of the correct unit type. Example of Units % - 0x200001 F - 0x280003 no unit - 0x10001 inH20 - 0x230005 ppm - 0x200002 kW - 0x3210001 Import the modified file and when it detects a naming conflict allow it to rename the Trend log with a "2" notification. Stop the data collection on the original trend logs and once the retention levels of the new trend logs meets your site requirements delete the old trend logs with the incorrect data. Please be aware this issue could impact meter reports from WebReports detailed in Energy Reports not working in 1.3 and earlier

Issue A script program uses a calculation of the difference between event marker DateTime and the current time to trigger an alarm flag. The alarm flag is initially set correctly but switches off again after 2147 seconds. Product Line EcoStruxure Building Operation Environment Building Operation Automation Server Premium Version 3.2.2 Cause The result of the calculation Current Time - FailureTime returns a correct value until the difference exceeds 2147 seconds. At that point the calculation returns a negative value and begins counting upward toward zero. Resolution The Script program was broken.   Once the program was deleted and reimported the same script code consistently calculated an increased time differential. This behaviour is identical to a defect which was fixed in the EBO 3.0.4 release.  In that case it was the controller rather than the program that was at fault.

Issue Availability of SLC-82XX and SLC-83XX Environment Site with Single Loop Proportional Temperature Controller with Sensor Cause Obsolescence of the SLC-82XX and SLC-83XX Resolution The SLC-82xx and/or SLC-83xx are obsolete. These are old analog technology controllers which have been obsolete since January 01, 2011 There is no replacement for these items. The only suggestion would be to do a complete re-control with digital equipment. To do this one of Schneider Electric's Partners would need to visit the site to see what is needed to control the space. This would require new controllers, thermostats, actuators and other items. Since it is such a major re-control we do not have a single solution that will allow you to use some of the older equipment. Contact your Regional Manager in your area to provide a contact for the site upgrade.  The manual for the SLC-82xx and SLC-83xx is available here.

Issue A TGML graphic has been selected in the Attachments options of a Alarm and also been selected to "Display on Alarm" but does not auto display Environment StruxureWare Building Operation 1.3 and above Cause There are two reasons that can stop this functionality working. The alarm has already been triggered and not cleared from the alarm Queue. There is no Alarm View displayed in the users configuration. If you cannot see the alarm in the users workspace the Graphic page will not be displayed. In StruxureWare Building Operation 1.3 if using custom Alarm Views (i.e. not defined in the default workspaces) the Attached "Display on Alarm" does not function.  This is corrected in release 1.4.0.818 and above.  Resolution Check that the user has an alarm view visible within their login. An example of this is the default Workspace Administrator. In its default setting the Alarm Pane is not set to display. If you log in using the Engineering Workspace the Alarm Pane is displayed and the function works. Here is the two default workspaces that show the alarm pane option 1. Administration Workspace with the Alarm pane not set 2. Engineering Workspace with the Alarm pane set to be displayed   The alarm will also need to be returned to normal and acknowledged so it is not left in the alarm queue. The display on alarm function works on the alarm entering the alarm queue, if it is already present in the queue the display on alarm option will not work. StruxureWare Building Operation Release 1.4 Note: In StruxureWare Building Operation 1.3 if using custom Alarm Views (i.e. not defined in the default workspaces) the Attached "Display on Alarm" does not function.  This is corrected in release 1.4.0.818 and above.