Johnson Controls BACnet Technical Bulletin

BACnet Controller Integration Technical Bulletin

Building Technologies & Solutions www.johnsoncontrols.com 2021-02-05

LIT-1201531

Release 11.0

2 BACnet Controller Integration Technical Bulletin

Contents

Introduction.................................................................................................................................................... 5

Summary of changes.......................................................................................................................... 5

BACnet Controller Integration overview..................................................................................................... 5

BACnet Integration.............................................................................................................................. 5

BACnet Integration/Field Bus Integration object............................................................................ 7

Focus view................................................................................................................................................... 7

Diagnostics view......................................................................................................................................... 7

Engineering view........................................................................................................................................ 7

Summary view............................................................................................................................................ 8

Hardware view (Field Bus integration only)........................................................................................... 8

BACnet Integration and Field Bus Integration Auto Discovery filtering....................................... 8

BACnet Integration Auto Discovery filters.............................................................................................. 8

Field Bus Integration Auto Discovery filters........................................................................................... 9

BACnet object support...................................................................................................................... 10

Unique device object identifiers............................................................................................................. 11

Items in the Navigation tree on the SMP UI.................................................................................. 11

Commands................................................................................................................................................ 12

Alarming.................................................................................................................................................... 16

Performance considerations for third-party BACnet devices...................................................... 16

Exposing network engine data to M-Series Workstations........................................................... 17

Supported network engine objects................................................................................................. 18

Exposing data as standard BACnet objects to other BACnet devices......................................... 19

Adjusting the poll rate for third-party BACnet devices................................................................. 19

Configuring a Network Engine as a BACnet/IP to MS/TP Router................................................ 19

Auto-Created States Text.................................................................................................................. 19

Detailed procedures.................................................................................................................................... 23

Connecting to BACnet devices......................................................................................................... 23

Exposing BACnet information.......................................................................................................... 23

Adding a BACnet Integration object............................................................................................... 24

Mapping BACnet/IP Devices using Auto Discovery....................................................................... 26

Mapping BACnet/IP devices manually............................................................................................ 27

Mapping BACnet Field Points using Auto Discovery..................................................................... 28

Mapping BACnet Field Points manually.......................................................................................... 31

Using the Relearn feature................................................................................................................ 33

Using the Engineering view to View and Edit Device Attributes (BACnet

Properties)................................................................................................................................ 33

Field Bus Integration object — detailed procedures............................................................................... 34

Adding BACnet MS/TP (Field Bus) Integrations............................................................................. 34

Manually adding BACnet MS/TP (Field Bus) Field Devices (online or offline)............................ 35

Adding BACnet MS/TP Field Devices online using Auto Discovery............................................. 37

Adding BACnet Devices to the BACnet and MSTP Integrations using the Import

Integration Wizard................................................................................................................... 37

BACnet Controller Integration Technical Bulletin 3

Adding extensions to an object....................................................................................................... 38

Adding a Trend Extension....................................................................................................................... 38

Adding a Totalization Extension............................................................................................................. 39

Adding an Alarm Extension.................................................................................................................... 40

Adding a Load Extension........................................................................................................................ 41

Adding an Averaging Extension............................................................................................................. 42

Deleting extensions from an object................................................................................................ 42

Copying extensions to a Field Device or Field Point (offline only).............................................. 42

Enabling the routing mode.............................................................................................................. 43

BACnet routing considerations.................................................................................................................. 43

Related documentation............................................................................................................................... 44

Troubleshooting........................................................................................................................................... 45

BACnet System Integration troubleshooting guide...................................................................... 45

Product warranty......................................................................................................................................... 49

Software terms............................................................................................................................................. 49

Patents........................................................................................................................................................... 49

Single point of contact................................................................................................................................. 49

Contact information..................................................................................................................................... 49

BACnet Controller Integration Technical Bulletin4

Introduction

This document describes how BACnet® controllers, both those from Johnson Controls and thirdparty suppliers, are integrated into the Metasys system through the NAE, NCE, SNE, and SNC series network engines, OAS series Open Application Server, or ODS series Open Data Server all hereafter referred to as supervisory devices. This capability provides two major functions:

• First, this BACnet integration allows the objects within BACnet controllers to be interfaced with the Site Management Portal.

• Second, this BACnet integration enables the supported supervisory controllers to provide supervisory control and monitoring functions for objects integrated from connected BACnet controllers. BACnet controllers can integrate with a supervisory controller using either BACnet/ IP or MS/TP communications.

Note: In this document, all NCE25, NAE35, and NAE45 content relates to Release 9.0.8. NAE55/ NAE85/LCS85 are supported at Release 11.0. All SNE and SNC content relates to 11.0.

The functions provided by the supervisory controllers for BACnet controllers are similar to those provided to integrated N2 and LonTalk® controllers. The major difference is that the supervisory controller behaves as a BACnet gateway to the non-BACnet controllers, converting their data into BACnet objects that reside within the supervisory controller. For integrated BACnet controllers, the supervisory controller provides BACnet mapper objects, which supplement the standard BACnet object data of the integrated controllers with additional attributes needed to perform the workstation and building controller functions within the Metasys system. This document describes those additional attributes.

Note: The term supervisory controller is used throughout this document to refer to the variants of controllers that support BACnet controller integration, including NAE, NCE, SNE, and SNC series network engines, the OAS series Open Application Server, and the ODS series Open Data Server.

Summary of changes

Updated Metasys Release references to 11.0 throughout the document.

BACnet Controller Integration overview

As a BACnet integrator, the supervisory controller monitors and supervises a network of BACnet devices and acts as a BACnet operator workstation for all integrated controllers. Data is presented to the operator through the Site Management Portal UI of the supervisory controller. Other BACnet devices on the network can read from and write to the BACnet objects within the supervisory controller.

BACnet Integration

The BACnet Integration allows the integration of BACnet devices into the Metasys system. Figure 1 shows an example of this type of configuration. As shown, third-party BACnet devices can reside on the IP Network and on the MS/TP Field Bus.

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Figure 1: BACnet system integration configuration example

Two software objects in the supervisory controllers enable integration to BACnet controllers:

• The BACnet IP Integration supports the connection of BACnet/IP devices.

• The Field Bus MSTP Integration supports the connection of BACnet MS/TP devices via a local Field Bus or a Remote Field Bus connection. Field Bus integrations on trunk 1 and 2 are exposed as BACnet Network Port objects.

The supervisory controller, with the Site Management Portal as its UI, serves as a BACnet workstation on which to view and command standard BACnet objects in BACnet devices. It maps the BACnet system data to create integrated objects to use in Metasys system applications, and to use in features such as interlocking and demand limit/load rolling.

By using the BACnet Integration and Field Bus Integration in a supervisory controller, you can map the desired BACnet devices and objects.

Notes:

• BACnet devices that auto-discover the objects in a supervisory controller, such as a third-party BACnet workstation, identifies the mapper objects, not the actual BACnet objects in the field devices. The mapper objects have all the same standard attribute values of the original objects of the integrated devices, except for the BACoid, for which the mapper object has a unique number that is different from that of the original object. The Device Objects themselves of the integrated devices do not have mapper objects. Thus, the BACnet device recognizes the supervisory controller as a single device with a large collection of all the integrated standard objects that are mapped from the integrated devices. FX products are treated as third-party devices on the BACnet integrations.

• The BACnet devices can discover MS/TP field devices and objects by enabling the BACnet/IP to MS/TP routing feature in the NAE. See the Configuring a Network Engine as a BACnet/IP to

MS/TP Router section.

Important: BACnet routing can greatly increase the amount of message traffic on the MS/TP bus. This can, in turn, cause a major reduction in performance. Refer to the Adjusting NAE network sensitivity section in the NAE Commissioning Guide (LIT-1201519) for ways to improve performance by adjusting network parameters.

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BACnet Integration/Field Bus Integration object

In most instances, the supervisory controller has a BACnet integration. Use the BACnet Integration to configure the parameters for BACnet integration in the supervisory controller that is monitoring BACnet/IP devices. For more information about the BACnet Integration object, including attributes and commands, refer to the Object Help in the Metasys SMP Help (LIT-1201793).

Note: NxE/SNx's can only have one BACnet/IP Integration.

Use the Field Bus MSTP Integration to connect BACnet MS/TP devices to a supervisory controller. The specific model of supervisory controller must either have an available RS-485 communication connection or use the remote field bus integration if the MS/TP devices are accessible through a BACnet/IP to MS/TP router. In this case, the router provides the RS-485 communication instead of the supervisory controller.

Note: Make sure you map field devices under a remote field bus to only one supervisory controller. If you map the same remote controllers to multiple supervisors, these devices may cycle online and offline and you may experience slow startup performance. For more background on the remote field bus, refer to the MS/TP Communications Bus Technical Bulletin (LIT-12011034).

The BACnet Integration object offers four views, while the Field Bus Integration object adds a fifth view:

• Focus view

• Diagnostics view

• Engineering view

• Summary view

• Hardware view (Field Bus integration only)

Note: Only the focus view is available during offline configuration with the SCT.

Focus view

The focus view contains basic user data including the name of the object and the device name of the host supervisory controller for the BACnet integration object.

Diagnostics view

The diagnostics view displays BACnet protocol diagnostic properties for troubleshooting purposes.

Note: This view is not available during offline configuration with the SCT.

Engineering view

The engineering view of the BACnet Integration allows scanning the entire IP network to discover and view data in BACnet devices that are connected on the network, whereas the Field Bus object’s engineering view shows the devices connected to the corresponding MS/TP bus. Advanced users (with the appropriate access authority) use this view to see and change data in BACnet devices directly, whether or not the objects have been integrated to the supervisory controller. A user can then view and command many more BACnet devices than just those that have been integrated and are visible in the Site Management Portal All Items navigation tree.

The engineering view contains the Integration Tree and Integration View panels. The Integration Tree panel contains a list of known BACnet devices and their objects that are connected to the supervisory controller. The Integration View panel displays the details about the BACnet device or objects selected in the Integration Tree.

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After you create a new BACnet Integration or Field Bus Integration, the Integration Tree is empty until you add the BACnet devices by using auto discovery.

Note: This view is not available for offline configuration with the SCT.

Summary view

The Summary view shows a list of all mapped devices and the current values of key data about each device.

Note: This view is not available for offline configuration with the SCT.

Hardware view (Field Bus integration only)

The hardware view shows the Field bus trunk number, baud rate and network address.

BACnet Integration and Field Bus Integration Auto Discovery filtering

When you map BACnet/IP devices or Field Bus integration devices using auto discovery, the list of devices may become so long that it is difficult to find a device in the list. You can use a number of attributes in the Advanced Focus view to filter your view and make the list more manageable. You can configure this filtering using a collection of attributes located on the Advanced Focus view of the BACnet integration object or Field Bus Integration object.

When devices are discovered, the discovery list displays the devices previously mapped by default. Additional devices are then added as they are discovered.

BACnet Integration Auto Discovery filters

• Device Discovery Range—This attribute is a list of filters arranged so that a device that matches any of the list entries displays in the Auto Discovery list. The default attribute value is no entries, which allows all reachable devices to be discovered. Each list entry has the following parts:

- Broadcast Type - This entry filters the scope of the device discovery process at a BACnet network level. This entry has three options:

- Local - Discovers devices only on the local BACnet/IP network (network number zero [0] is defined by BACnet as the local network).

- Remote - Discovers devices only on a particular BACnet network that must be specified.

- Global - Discovers devices on all BACnet networks that are reachable (network number 65535 is defined by BACnet as the global broadcast network number).

- Network Number - The network number can only be entered when the Broadcast Type is set to Remote.

- Device Instance Low Limit - Each BACnet device is required to have a unique instance number at a site. The Device Instance Low Limit value specifies the lowest device instance number discovered on a network. The range for this value is 0 to 4194303. A device with an instance number zero is not discovered when using this filter.

- Device Instance High Limit - The Device Instance High Limit value specifies the highest device instance number discovered on a network. The range for this value is 1 to 4194303 and must be at least one number greater than the Device Instance Low Limit. A device cannot have an instance number higher than the range limit.

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• Preserve Discovered Devices—This attribute determines whether devices discovered during a previous Auto Discovery operation are preserved during subsequent Auto Discovery operations. If the attribute is set to True, devices previously discovered are preserved. If the attribute is set to False, then devices previously discovered are not preserved. By default, this attribute is set to True.

Set the attribute to True to collect an inclusive list of devices by performing discovery multiple times with different filter settings.

Set the attribute to False to narrow the discovery list to the current filter settings.

• Discover All As General BACnet Device— If the attribute is set to True, the BACnet/IP integration allows for the discovery of JCI supervisory controllers. On both IP and MS/TP integrations the devices are discovered as general BACnet devices rather than JCI Family BACnet devices and this prevents you from using JCI enhanced BACnet features. However, setting the attribute to False does not prevent the discovery of JCI IP field devices as JCI IP field devices are always discovered on the BACnet/IP integration.

Note: If you change the attribute after running Auto Discovery, we recommend you restart the supervisory controller when configuration is complete.

• Requested Vendor ID—The BACnet Vendor ID is a numerical value assigned to the vendor of the device. By default, this attribute is empty (or at zero), allowing all vendors to be discovered. If a number other than zero is entered, only devices with a matching vendor ID display in the discovery list. BACnet maintains a list of vendor IDs at http://www.bacnet.org.

• Page Size—This attribute filter applies only to point object discovery within a single device, and limits the number of displayed objects to a quantity within the display capability of the Site Management Portal (SMP) UI. When the page size reaches the limit, click Restart on the object discovery list to move to the next page. If you click Restart on the last page of the discovery list, the object discovery runs again and produces a new page 1. The range of point objects displayed per page is 10 to 1,000.

Field Bus Integration Auto Discovery filters

Field Bus integrations are associated with a particular BACnet network number. During Auto Discovery, only devices connected directly to that particular BACnet network are discovered. A device is classified as either a General BACnet Device or as a JCI Family BACnet Device. General BACnet Devices are managed using standard BACnet services and properties. JCI Family BACnet Devices are managed using enhanced BACnet services and include proprietary properties in order to improve performance and to display additional details about the device and its objects. Devices that are not JCI Family devices are always managed as General BACnet Devices.

• Discover All As General BACnet Device—This attribute determines whether a Johnson Controls Device in the FEC/FAC/VMA or CGM/CVM series family is classified as a JCI BACnet Device or as a General BACnet Device. By default, this attribute is set to False, and classifies the device as JCI BACnet Devices so that performance is optimized and proprietary properties display. When this attribute changes, any previous discovery information clears and Auto Discovery must run again.

Note: If you change the attribute after running Auto Discovery, we recommend you restart the NxE when configuration is complete.

• Requested Vendor ID—The BACnet Vendor ID is a numerical value assigned to the vendor of the device. By default, this attribute is empty (or at zero), allowing all vendors to be discovered. If a number other than zero is entered, only General BACnet Devices with matching vendor IDs display in the discovery list. JCI BACnet devices always display on the discovery list. BACnet maintains a list of vendor IDs at http://www.bacnet.org.

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BACnet object support

The Metasys system integrates and exposes objects as standard BACnet object types. The user configures and enables the BACnet Integration and Field Bus Integration feature in the supervisory controllers.

The Metasys system supports a subset of standard BACnet object types, but does not support integration of any proprietary object types in other BACnet devices. Of the supported standard BACnet objects, only the required and optional properties are viewable for non Metasys Series controllers (referred to as General BACnet Device in this document); proprietary properties are not supported.

The following list of BACnet object types are both those supported in the Metasys supervisory controllers for BACnet/Field Bus integration, and those exposed as BACnet objects to third-party BACnet devices that discover the supervisory controller. Refer to the Object Dictionary in online Help or the Network Engine Protocol Implementation Conformance Statement Technical Bulletin (LIT-1201532) for further details on objects supported.

Important: Electric Demand Control, Electric Demand Monitoring, and Generator Load Control objects are intended for use only in Japan.

• Accumulator

• Analog Input (AI)

• Analog Output (AO)

• Analog Value (AV)

• Averaging Note: Averaging objects created in the NAE appear as extensions to the object that the

average is associated with. When exposed to a third-party BACnet device, the extension appears as its own BACnet Averaging object.

• Binary Input (BI)

• Binary Output (BO)

• Binary Value (BV)

• Bitstring Value (ODS only)

• Calendar

• Characterstring Value

• Command

• Date Pattern Value (ODS only)

• Date Time Pattern Value (ODS only)

• Date Time Value (ODS only)

• Date Value (ODS only)

• Device (only the NAE/NCE/SNE/SNC exposes the Device object)

• Event Enrollment

• Electric Demand Control

• Electric Demand Monitoring

• File

• Generator Load Control

• Group

BACnet Controller Integration Technical Bulletin10

• Integer Value

• Large Analog Value (ODS only)

• Life Safety Point

• Life Safety Zone

• Load Control

• Loop

• Multistate Input (MI)

• Multistate Output (MO)

• Multistate Value (MV)

• Notification Class (Notification)

• Octet String Value (ODS only)

• Positive Integer Value

• Program (the Metasys Control System object qualifies as a BACnet Program object)

• Pulse Converter

• Schedule

• Time Pattern Value (ODS only)

• Time Value (ODS only)

• Trend Note: Trend objects created in the supervisory controllers appear as extensions to the object

that the trend is associated with. When exposed to a third-party BACnet device, the extension appears as its own BACnet Trend object.

• Trend Log Multiple

In the network engine, all mapped field points, including those on the N2 Bus, LonWorks® trunk as well as all field bus and BACnet integrated points are exposed as the corresponding BACnet objects types (AI, AO, BI, BO, MSI and so on) to third party BACnet devices. By default, the network engines do not allow routing messages to MS/TP devices connected to a network engine field bus. If you do enable routing, third party devices can map devices and their points connected to the local field buses.

Important: Do not enable routing during normal operation on NCE25, NAE35 or NAE45 series network engines as the increased traffic will likely increase offline/online event reporting.

See Enabling the routing mode.

Unique device object identifiers

Each BACnet device object at a site must have a unique instance number and name. The BACnet device object instance number and name are assigned in the field as part of the installation configuration. When assigning instance numbers and names to device objects at a site, we recommend maintaining a list of devices and their assigned BACnet device object unique instance numbers and names.

Items in the Navigation tree on the SMP UI

When an object appears in the Navigation tree that represents an object located in other devices, it is called an integrated (mapped) BACnet object. The integrated BACnet object has a new BACnet ID that is different from the ID of the physical BACnet object being mapped.

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BACnet objects that appear in the Navigation tree on the Site Management Portal UI can be used as object references to other objects on the Metasys site (for example, scheduling, trend study, and DL/LR), allowing the integrated object to be referenced as any other Metasys system object.

Discovered BACnet/IP and MS/TP devices are not automatically added to the Navigation tree. The following rules apply when adding BACnet device objects and BACnet objects to the Navigation tree.

Add the:

• BACnet/IP device under the BACnet Integration object, or BACnet MS/TP device under the Field Bus Integration object

• Folder (container) objects under the BACnet device to group BACnet objects within a BACnet device

Note: Adding folder objects is optional. For the easiest reference, put more important information points in the root directory and other information points into folders.

• BACnet objects directly under a BACnet device, or in folders under a BACnet device

When you select an integrated BACnet object from the navigation tree, the Focus view displays the BACnet properties in an available panel of the UI.

While most of the properties are directly inherited from the actual BACnet object in the integrated device, the mapped object in the NAE may have additional or different properties.

Commands

Only those Metasys system commands that can be implemented by a standard BACnet service are supported on an integrated BACnet object. Some BACnet objects support commands that are handled by writing to the remote BACnet object’s properties.

The following table lists the commands that are available for each of the BACnet object types that are supported in the supervisory controller for BACnet/Field Bus integration.

Table 1: Command name table

Adjust

Temp Override

Temp Out of Service

In and Out of Service

Command Name

Accumulator X X X Analog Input

(AI) Analog

Output (AO) Analog

Value(AV) Averaging

Override/ Override Release

X X X

X X X X X X X

X X X X X X

Reset Field Device

Sync Field Device Times

Release

State N, or Set State

Route

Release All

Enable and Disable Alarms

Preset Value

Add/Remove Recipient

Clear and Execute

Rediscover Text Strings

Restore Controller States Text

Program Changes

Shed

BACnet Controller Integration Technical Bulletin12

Table 1: Command name table

Command Name

BACnet Character String Value

BACnet Electric Demand Control (EDC)

BACnet Electric Demand Monitoring (EDM)

BACnet Generator Load Control (GLC)

BACnet Integer Value

BACnet Positive Integer Value

Binary Input (BI)

Binary Output (BO)

Binary Value (BV)

BitString

Value

Adjust

Temp Override

Temp Out of Service

In and Out of Service

Reset Field Device

Sync Field Device Times

Override/ Override Release

Release

State N, or Set State

Route

Release All

Enable and Disable Alarms

Preset Value

Add/Remove Recipient

Clear and Execute

Rediscover Text Strings

X X X X X X

X X

X X X X X X

X X X X

X X X X X X X X

X X X X X X X

X X X X X X

Restore Controller States Text

Program Changes

Shed

Calendar Command X X

Date Pattern Value

X X X X X

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Table 1: Command name table

Route

Release All

Enable and Disable Alarms

Preset Value

Add/Remove Recipient

Clear and Execute

Temp Override

Command Name

Override/ Override Release

Temp Out of Service

In and Out of Service

Reset Field Device

Sync Field Device Times

Adjust

Release

State N, or Set State

Date Time Pattern

Value

X X X X X

Date Time

Value

Date Value

X X X X X

Device X X X Electric

Demand

X X X

Control Electric

Demand

X X X

Monitoring Event

Enrollment (EEO)

Generator Load Control

X X X

Rediscover Text Strings

Restore Controller States Text

Program Changes

Shed

Group Large Analog

Value Life Safety

Point (LSP) Life Safety

Zone (LSZ)

X X X X X X

X X

Load Control X X X Loop X X X

Multistate Input (MI)

Multistate Output (MO)

X X X X X X X X

X X X X

BACnet Controller Integration Technical Bulletin14

Table 1: Command name table

Route

Release All

Enable and Disable Alarms

Preset Value

Add/Remove Recipient

Clear and Execute

Rediscover Text Strings

Restore Controller States Text

Command Name

Multistate Value (MV)

Notification Class (NCO)

Adjust

Release

Temp Override

Temp Out of Service

In and Out of Service

Reset Field Device

State N, or Set State

Sync Field Device Times

Override/ Override Release

X X X X X X X

Octet String Value

X X X X X

Program X Pulse

Converter

X X

Schedule X Time Pattern

Value

Time Value

X X X X X

Trend X X X

Program Changes

Shed

Trend Log Multiple

1 Applicable to ODS only

X X

Operation for most of these commands can be found in Metasys SMP Help (LIT-1201793). The following command operations are unique to the BACnet integration:

• Restore Controller States Text: For objects supporting the States Text attribute, if the User Selected States Text attribute is true, the object's States Text is no longer synchronized with the States Text, Action Text, Active/Inactive, or Shed Level Description property. Use the Restore Controller States Text to set User Selected States Text to false. The field point's States Text attribute is then updated to match the remote object's States Text property.

Note: If the dictionary cannot be updated to match the field device, the States Text Error Status attribute indicates the cause of the error.

• State N: The State N Command is used by the Command object to write the Present Value attribute by selecting a state. The first state in the drop-down box indicates No Action, and the remainder of the states indicate an Action from the Action array. If you choose to define your own custom enumeration set for this object, be sure to enter No Action for the first entry.

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