Issue
My customer does not want to have to make changes to schedules in different controllers when changing door unlock times or personnel access times to areas. How can this be solved?
Product Line
Andover Continuum
Environment
- CyberStation
- ACX5720, ACX5740
- NetController
- Refresh
Cause
How to consolidate door unlock schedules in different controllers.
Resolution
Multiple solutions:
1. The easiest and recommended method is to create the schedule in one controller and simply enter the numeric being set by that schedule in all the applicable door objects, whether in that controller or other controllers. When you look at the point in the door editor, if it's in another controller it will include the path to the point. This "remote" point becomes part of the import/export (aka IE) table in the controller in which the door is programmed. Even if communication to the remote controller is lost, the import/export table in the door controller will hold the value obtained from the last successful IE table update.
The IE system is very efficient - when the point in the "host" controller changes, that controller knows to update the other controllers to which it exports the point. There is only one downside to this - for a digital point, like a schedule numeric, which does not change often, if the controller looking for the change misses it, the value there will not be updated. To eliminate this problem always include in the controller with the schedule numeric(s) a program that "refreshes" the value of the schedule numeric(s). A simple fallthru program triggered by minute works great. The syntax is:
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Set ScheduleNumeric1Name refresh to true
Set ScheduleNumeric2Name refresh to true
etc
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2. Another solution is more complicated but will also work. Set up a schedule and schedule numeric point in one controller. We'll call this the schedule host controller. Then set up a schedule numeric point and program in all the other applicable door controllers that synchronizes (mirrors) the local numeric point to the host controller point. Make sure you use a Line E in the program and alarm if the program becomes, or keeps trying to become disabled.
Also, for the "next guy" who is trying to understand the system, you may want to enter, in the description field of the local flags, what is setting the flags, ie, the program name.
