I/A Series BACnet Best Practices

Revision 1.1- August 30, 2006

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Table of contents
Table of contents ..................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 4 Glossary ................................................................................................................. 5 1. Architecture overview ........................................................................................ 9 2. BACnet rules that must be followed.................................................................... 11 General BACnet rules ....................................................................................... 11 No duplicate device instances .......................................................................... 11 No duplicate object identifiers within a device .................................................... 11 No duplicate network numbers ........................................................................ 11 One communication path only ......................................................................... 11 MS/TP network rules ........................................................................................ 13 No duplicate addresses! .................................................................................. 13 Install terminators ......................................................................................... 13 Set bias resistors ........................................................................................... 14 Use proper communication cable...................................................................... 14 Bond the shield to a proper ground .................................................................. 14 3. BACnet best practice guidelines ......................................................................... 15 MS/TP network guidelines................................................................................. 15 Keep exposed communication conductors short.................................................. 15 Make low resistance terminations..................................................................... 15 Address devices consecutively ......................................................................... 15 Router address should be 0 ............................................................................. 15 Few controllers per network ............................................................................ 15 Use B/IP for the MNB-1000 ............................................................................. 16 Use higher baud rates .................................................................................... 16 Changing baud rate........................................................................................ 16 Power the controllers properly ......................................................................... 16 Repeaters ..................................................................................................... 17 Change MaxInfoFrames value, larger than 1 ...................................................... 17 Set the MaxMaster value................................................................................. 17 Discussion of joining the token passing ............................................................. 18 Understanding the transmit and receive data LEDs ............................................. 19 Consider using simulated slave mode ............................................................... 20 BACnet/IP network guidelines ........................................................................... 21 Set the gateway address................................................................................. 21 Use BBMDs when needed ................................................................................ 21 BACnet/IP through a NAT router ...................................................................... 21 BACnet Ethernet network guidelines................................................................... 22 B/Eth is not routed......................................................................................... 22 Do not leave B/Eth enabled if not used ............................................................. 22 BACnet guidelines for UNCs .............................................................................. 23 Fewer points better performance ................................................................... 23 Use PollOnDemand containers ......................................................................... 23
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Delete unused points...................................................................................... Keep the UNC routing..................................................................................... Keep the processor idle time above 20.............................................................. UNC bias resistors.......................................................................................... General BACnet guidelines ................................................................................ Consider network design carefully .................................................................... Appendix A. Improve MS/TP performance ......................................................... Simulating slave mode ..................................................................................... Appendix B. Remote connectivity..................................................................... BBMDs - connecting B/IP devices on different subnets .......................................... Setup of BBMD in the MNB-1000 ....................................................................... Use of VPN for off-site access ............................................................................ WPT/WPCT BACnet/IP remote connection setup ...................................................

23 24 24 24 25 25 26 26 30 31 33 35 36

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Introduction
The BACnet product line (MNB-V2, MNB-V1, MNB-300 and the MNB-1000), has been a great addition to our family of I/A Series building automation products. With every new product, there is a learning curve. The purpose of this document is to provide current information in regards to BACnet Best Practices which have been acquired by factory testing and actual jobsite installations. Although the information contained in this document is what we consider to be the most current at the time of this writing, it is subject to change. As new information becomes available, this document will be expanded thus it is important to check our WEB site to ensure that the field offices have the latest document available.
New!

Items that are new or modified in the current version of this document will be designated by a scroll symbol in the left-hand margin like this one to the left.

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New items

Glossary
The following definitions, abbreviations and acronyms may be used in this document: Actual IP address The IP address with which a device has been configured. What the device knows as its own address. Often known as the local IP address. Apparent IP address The IP address that appears to belong to a device. This is the address that is used for accessing a device from outside the LAN that the device resides. The use of NAT dictates that the apparent address will be different than the actual address. The apparent IP address is often known as the global IP address or public IP. see BACnet Ethernet see BACnet/IP Any device, real or virtual, that supports digital communication using the BACnet protocol. BACnet over Ethernet a method for encapsulating BACnet messages with an Ethernet wrapper to be transmitted on a network type that uses the Ethernet protocol. BACnet Ethernet is non-routable. Two or more BACnet networks that are interconnected with one or more BACnet routers. A BACnet MAC address must be unique per network. This address takes one of two forms, either a one or six octet address. The form of the address is determined by the network type. If the BACnet MAC is from an MS/TP network the MAC will be just one octet, this means it will have a value of from 0 255 decimal or 0 FF hexadecimal example 63 or 3F (the same value). The MS/TP MAC address is the same as physical address (DIP switch setting). It will be unique because each separate MS/TP network must have a unique network number. If the BACnet MAC is from a B/Eth network the MAC will be the same as the network interface MAC, a six octet value that will normally be expressed as a hexadecimal number with the octets commonly separated by dashes example 00-13-CE-53-B3-E9 (hexadecimal). If the BACnet MAC is from a B/IP network the MAC will be derived from the combination of IP address plus UDP port number. This
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B/Eth B/IP BACnet device BACnet Ethernet

BACnet internetwork BACnet MAC address

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provides a six octet value (4 octets from the IP address plus 2 from the port number,) that when expressed in hexadecimal will appear just like a B/Eth MAC address example 10.1.142.181:47808 (decimal) or 0A-01-8E-B5-BA-C0 (hexadecimal) BACnet router A device that communicates on two or more BACnet networks and routes BACnet messages between those networks. Do not confuse BACnet router and IP router. BACnet over IP a method for encapsulating BACnet messages with an IP wrapper to be transmitted on a network type that uses the Internet protocol. BACnet Broadcast Management Device a device used for transmitting BACnet broadcast messages across IP routers to a different network or subnet Also known as pull apart or pull up/pull down resistors provide a voltage differential on the communication conductors. Device object instance number. End Of Line terminating resistor, the value used for MS/TP is generally 120 Ohm. One is required at each end of the communications bus. A communication protocol and physical network specification that is the basis for much of todays network infrastructure for business and home LANs and WANs. A number used to identify a BACnet object. BACnet object instance numbers must be unique within a device per the object type. Device object instance numbers must be unique within a BACnet internetwork. Two or more networks connected by routers. Networks in an internetwork share information and services. Internet Protocol a common communication protocol that is used extensively on the Internet and widely used for home and business networking. A network device that forwards packets from one network to another using the IP protocol. see Actual IP address

BACnet/IP

BBMD

Bias resistors Device identifier EOL

Ethernet

Instance number

Internetwork IP

IP router Local IP address

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Global IP address MS/TP MS/TP master

see Apparent IP address Master Slave / Token Passing a BACnet network specification based on the EIA-485 (formerly RS-485) standard An MS/TP device that passes the communication token to other devices. Any MS/TP master must be capable of regenerating the token after a loss of communications. All MNB devices are MS/TP masters during normal operation. An MS/TP device that does not pass the communications token and communicates only when an MS/TP master makes a request. Network Address Translation a method for conserving IP addresses by assigning private IP addresses on a LAN and using a NAT router to translate those actual addresses to the apparent addresses that are outside the LAN, that is on the Internet. An object identifier is the combination of an objects type and its instance number. Object identifiers must be unique within a BACnet device. A binary number consisting of eight digits. An octet is often expressed as either a decimal or hexadecimal number for ease of human understanding. The value of an octet may be from 0000000011111111, these are the same as decimal values 0-256 or hexadecimal values 0-FF. see Apparent IP address Receive Data Transmit Data Communication between a single sender and a single receiver over a network. A message directed to a single device. Virtual Private Network extension of a private network that encompasses links across shared or public networks like the Internet using a secure tunnel. There are many types of VPNs, for our use with B/IP we mean remote access of computer to a private LAN using a client/server process through a tunneling protocol. WorkPlace Balance Tool

MS/TP slave NAT

Object identifier

Octet

Public IP address RxD TxD Unicast VPN

WPBT

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WPCT WPT

WorkPlace Commissioning Tool WorkPlace Tech Tool

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1.

Architecture overview

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Typical I/A Series BACnet system architecture

Graphics webpages served up by an Enterprise Server And/Or

Web Browser

Enterprise Server

LAN - BACnet/IP

MNB-1000 Plant Cntr

UNC-520 Universal Network Cntr BACnet router

UNC-520 Universal Network Cntr BACnet router

120 ohm

Graphics webpages served up by a UNC

BACnet router MS/TP Optional serial converter USB or EIA-232 to EIA-485. See note 1. Serial converter
120 ohm 120 ohm

MS/TP
120 ohm

MS/TP See note 2

MNB-x

MN-Sx

MNB-x

MN-Sx

MNB-x

MN-Sx

MNB-x

MN-Sx MN-Sx

MNB-x

MNB-x

MN-Sx

WPTech 5.x WPCT 1.x WPBT 1.x

Total number limited to the lesser of 127, the UNC resource limit or the BACnet point limit. MNB-x
MN-Sx

Total number limited to the lesser of 127, the UNC resource limit or the BACnet point limit.

Total number limited to the lesser of 127, the UNC resource limit or the BACnet point limit. MNB-x
MN-Sx

MNB-x
120 ohm 120 ohm

MN-Sx 120 ohm

MN-Sx

MNB-x

120 ohm

Note 1: When using the optional EIA-485 (RS-485) converter, it is important to do one of two things. One is disconnect the routing device above the MS/TP bus from the network when using the Commissioning Tool. Alternately; number two is configure the communications for the WorkPlace Tool suite to connect to the local network rather than global. If the tool is not limited to the local network either physically or with the communications setup, who Is messages generated from the commissioning tool will find all controllers on the entire internetwork and in this process will slow down or stop existing network traffic Note 2: All I/A Series controllers (UNC-520 and MNB-x) that can use BACnet MS/TP communications are capable of operating from 9.6k to 76.8 k baud, with one exception. The UNC-510 controllers should be limited to 19.2 k baud for proper operation. If an MS/TP network exists under a UNC-510 it should be configured for either 9.6k or 19.2k baud.

Figure A-1: Typical system architecture

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2.

BACnet rules that must be followed

General BACnet rules

Although this document focuses on best practices, the items listed here are more than just best practices, these are mandatory. These rules must be followed for any BACnet project.

No duplicate device instances

Device instance (device ID numbers) must not be duplicated anywhere on a BACnet network or internetwork. A device is known by its instance and cannot be reliably located if it shares an instance with another device.

No duplicate object identifiers within a device

An object identifier is the combination of an objects type and its instance number. No two objects within a BACnet device can have the same object identifier.

No duplicate network numbers

Network numbers must not be duplicated anywhere on a BACnet internetwork. Duplicate network numbers will cause BACnet router problems and may disrupt communications. Please note that disruption of communications can affect the entire LAN. If you are using a shared network, this can cause problems for the IT personnel that administer the LAN. Do not disrupt a shared network without the expectation that you will have to explain to IT personnel how you will prevent the problem from happening again.

One communication path only

Only one communications path may exist to any device. A duplicate route (circular path) will cause communications disruptions. Please note that disruption of communications can affect the entire LAN. If you are using a shared network, this can cause problems for the IT personnel that administer the LAN. Do not disrupt a shared network without the expectation that you will have to explain to IT personnel how you will prevent the problem from happening again. An example of this issue is caused when two devices are setup to route to the same networks. A common situation where this may happen is when a BACnet internetwork has a need for both a B/IP and B/Eth networks. Let us picture that a UNC is configured for both B/IP and B/Eth and we are starting up an MNB-1000 that needs to communicate via B/IP. The MNB-1000 has B/Eth as its default communications, when we enable B/IP and do not disable B/Eth as we should we will have a duplicate route as both the UNC and MNB-1000 would be configured for B/IP and B/Eth.

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MS/TP network rules

The following items are mandatory for proper operation of an MS/TP network.

No duplicate addresses!
It is imperative that the physical address (meaning node number, MS/TP MAC address or DIP switch setting) not be duplicated on any one MS/TP network. There is no reliable means for detecting duplicate physical addresses on an MS/TP network. WorkPlace Commissioning Tool (WPCT) may or may not detect multiple controllers with the same address. Duplicate addresses can exhibit multiple symptoms and will usually cause many of the controllers on the network to not communicate. If two controllers are set to the same physical address, the token will either be lost or be generated twice thus causing collisions. When two controllers are set to the same physical address, it will appear that part of the network will be up and part will be down. Controllers will come and go for no reason. The duplicate address cannot be determined by which controllers are up or down. The only method to reliably identify multiple controllers with the same address is to physically check each controller on the network. Often the MS/TP network can be temporarily divided into smaller sections. This can isolate the problem to a smaller area assisting in determining the location of the problem so that not every device address need be verified. Note: Any tool (WPT, WPCT, WPBT or other) that connects directly to the MS/TP network (not through a router) must have a unique address also. If your tool appears to be communicating but will not join the token passing check for address conflicts.

Install terminators
Do not forget to install or enable End of Line (EOL) resistors (120 Ohm) as terminators on both ends of the MS/TP network. Failure to do so may result in intermittent communications. Terminating resistors help to reduce signal reflections and RF interference, hence they are important. Ensure that only two terminators are used, one at each end (of the daisy-chained network). More than two terminators can excessively load the network and disrupt communications. Make sure that the MNB-300 and MNB-1000 controllers EOL jumpers are set correctly. Multiple EOL resistors on a network beyond the first and last device will cause intermittent communications.

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Set bias resistors

An MS/TP network must have one set but not more than two sets of bias resistors in place; this is a requirement of EIA-485 network topology. UNC-520 and MNB-1000 devices have jumpers to enable/disable the bias resistors. The bias resistors can be at any point on the network, either end or anywhere in the middle. A network of MNB-300 and MNB-Vx controllers without a UNC-520 or MNB-1000 will not meet this requirement. This may commonly happen during installation before the router or area controller is installed. In this situation communications with devices may not be reliable.

Use proper communication cable

Wiring specifications become much more important as baud rates increase. The use of cable that was specified for NETWORK 8000 ASD or MicroSmart cabling is acceptable if the baud rate is kept within the range of 9600 or 19.2 k. Upon moving up to 38.4k or 76.8k, the cable will need to meet the approved minimum specification for I/A Series MS/TP. Most ASD or MS cable will not meet this specification and cannot be used at the higher baud rates. Much of the cable that has been used for previous installations may not meet the specifications for the lower baud rate. You must be sure that the existing cable is suitable for reuse (meets specification) in retrofit projects. Be certain that the cable meets the capacitance (or is lower) and nominal impedance specification for MS/TP. See the wiring practices document F-27360 for further information.

Bond the shield to a proper ground

The shield conductor must be bonded to a known good earth ground to properly dissipate any induced signals away from the communication cable. The shield wire should be continuous from one end to the other with a bond to earth ground at only one location. For consistency this should be done at the router (MNB-1000 or UNC), but may be done at some other place if needed to get a proper ground. If the bonding is not done at the routing device make certain that you document where it is done for future reference. A weak ground may protect the communications from low frequency induced signals such as from an AC power line, but will be less likely to protect from higher frequency signals such as radio frequency (RF) radiation. Proper grounding of any EIA-485 shield circuit is important.

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3.

BACnet best practice guidelines

MS/TP network guidelines

The following guidelines will assist in maximizing the efficiency of an MS/TP network.

Keep exposed communication conductors short

When terminating a communication cable for MS/TP (or any EIA-485 network), do not expose a long length of the conductors. Keep as much of the conductors covered by the cable shield (the aluminum wrap or wire mesh) as possible. Excessive exposed length allows possible induced interference.

Make low resistance terminations

Ensure that all terminations are low resistance. This is simple, be sure to tighten screw terminals, do not have any insulation left on the wire where it terminates, also avoid any terminations that are not at a normal place like a controller. If a termination must be made between controllers be very careful to ensure a tight low resistance connection is made with very little exposed conductor.

Address devices consecutively

Number the MS/TP addresses consecutively. Gaps in addressing add delays in communications. Addressing should begin with node 0 and progress through all nodes without any gaps for each separate MS/TP network. It makes no difference where the device is physically located on the network from one end to the other, just be certain start addressing with 0 and end at x with no gaps between.

Router address should be 0

The physical address of a router (UNC-x or MNB-1000) or area controller on an MS/TP network should be zero (0) on that network. This is not a necessity but should be followed for consistency and because in the event of a lost token the device with the lowest address will regenerate the communications token.

Few controllers per network

Fewer controllers provide better performance. It is better to have multiple smaller MS/TP networks than one large network. Token passing on the MS/TP networks can slow communications when a large number of controllers are on a single network.

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Use B/IP for the MNB-1000

Whenever possible it is better to communicate to an MNB-1000 via B/IP or B/Eth than using MS/TP. Both B/IP and B/Eth are much faster than MS/TP. In other words if you are transferring point data from an MNB-1000 to a UNC you should use B/IP (or B/Eth) when possible.

Use higher baud rates

Operate at the highest recommended Baud Rates whenever possible on the MS/TP network. Note that the UNC-510-2 maximum baud rate is 19.2k. The UNC-520-2 and MNB-x maximum baud rate is 76.8k.

Changing baud rate

Do not use the device property sheet in WPCT to change the baud rate of an MNB controller unless you have been instructed to do so or you are configuring an MNB-1000 MS/TP network for the first time. All MNB controllers should have their baud rate changed using the baud rate change process built into the WPCT. This involves right clicking on the network number. Changing the baud rate manually (outside of the automatic process) will likely result in controllers that are at different baud rates and therefore will not communicate

Power the controllers properly

Ensure that MNB-300 and MNB-Vx controllers have appropriate 24V AC power. Where power is derived from a central transformer, ensure that that transformer is appropriately sized for the required VA with adequate margin and that the power wiring length is minimized and the appropriate wire size utilized to minimize line drops. Adequate transformer power margin should be allowed so that fluctuations of the primary transformer voltage or fluctuations in the secondary loads do not cause low voltage power conditions as seen at the 24VAC input to the controllers. The MNB controllers contain circuitry which is designed to protect the integrity of the embedded flash memory under low-voltage or questionable input voltage conditions. In the event of a controller-perceived low-voltage condition, the controller will set a read-only flag and lock out all writes to memory as well as turn off controller outputs. The read-only flag can be easily viewed from the WPT commissioning tool under the "Device Properties" and will indicate the controller status as "Operational, Read-Only". The Read-Only status can help serve as an indicator that the input voltage to the controller may be questionable.

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Attention should also be paid to the wire distance between the central transformer and the secondary loads, especially in the case of half-wave input devices like the MNB-V series and MNB-300 controllers. With half-wave type input devices, significant AC input current spikes can occur during the positive half-cycle of the AC input. Large resistances due to the wire lengths can cause significant voltage drops as seen from the controller AC input. In extreme cases, the controller may enter the read-only mode at apparent AC voltages exceeding 20VAC due to the asymmetrical nature of the AC input voltage waveforms. In these cases, reducing the load on the transformer, reducing the wire length between the controller and the transformer, and using higher current rated wire will correct the problem.

Repeaters
Existing installations utilizing EIA-485 communications may have repeaters installed. These will generally have been required when the network total length is over 4000 feet or the device count is over 32. These repeaters will not work for BACnet MS/TP and must be removed before converting the network to MS/TP. IBS has not approved the use of any MS/TP repeaters at this time. If the length of the network will exceed 4000 feet, other provisions will need to be made such as creating multiple MS/TP networks.

Change MaxInfoFrames value, larger than 1

MaxInfoFrames is a property of MS/TP master devices, it determines how many requests (either read or write) that a device can make before it must pass the token to another device. MaxInfoFrames should be set in any router device (or area controller) to a value that allows that device to make multiple requests of other devices before it passes the token to the next device. If the router MaxInfoFrames is set at 1 (the usual default) the router may not be able to route efficiently to the MS/TP network. Testing has shown that increasing the value to 5 will give a great boost in performance. Increasing the value higher will increase performance more until by the time a value of 30 is reached network performance is decreasing. Due to these results it is recommended that MaxInfoFrames be set to a value between 5 and 20, a good starting point would be 10 or 15.

Set the MaxMaster value

MaxMaster is a property that exits in all MS/TP master devices. The default value of this property is always 127. This property tells the device the highest MS/TP MAC address that may exist on the network. This is why we must address consecutively. Token passing works by the controller holding the token giving it to the device with the next higher address, which in turn then gives it to the device with the next higher address and so on. The device with the highest address then passes the token back to the device with the lowest address for the process to continue.
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A device knows that it is the highest addressed device one of two ways. The first way is if its address matches its MaxMaster value. The second way that a device knows it is the last (highest) device is if it cannot pass the token to any other devices with a higher address. To conserve communications bandwidth on an MS/TP network, a device that cannot pass the token to another device will ignore the missing device or devices. A missing device cannot be ignored forever though, so at a specified interval (50 token passes) a poll for master is initiated where the device asks consecutively for any devices between its address and its MaxMaster value. If the devices do not exist, this can waste time while the missing devices are being polled. Due to this wasted time spent trying to find missing devices you may want to tune the MaxMaster property for a gain in performance. This will be a small performance gain and may not be of benefit unless your MS/TP network is heavily loaded (lots of polled points). Tuning the MaxMaster property will be done by setting it to a value that is just one or two higher than the highest address on the network. This will be done for all controllers except address 0, the router (or area controller). It is of no benefit to set MaxMaster for device address 0 less than 127 because we want that device to always be able to find any missing devices, for instance if part of a network goes down. The reason that we set the value of MaxMaster higher than the highest address is so that a tool (WPT/WPCT) can have addresses available for joining the network. A device cannot join unless an empty address space is available.

Discussion of joining the token passing

Any device that is going to join the token passing of an MS/TP network must be passed the token before it can pass it on, or if there is no activity, then the device can create a token. This has an impact on adding new (or temporary) devices. When a device is added to the network it may take several seconds to join. In the discussion of MaxMaster we learned that a device will look for a missing or new device every so often. That amount of time should be about 50 passes of the token. On a healthy and lightly loaded network this will be quite frequent. On a less healthy or heavily loaded network with many controllers the token passing can get to be slow. How long could it take to join the token passing? If the time to complete one pass on the token is one second and the device polls for master after 50 passes of token the time to join could anywhere from near zero to 50 seconds, depending where the token was when the device became active. This is stated here so you will understand why it can take a varying amount of time to connect WPT, WPCT or WPBT to an MS/TP network with a serial adapter. If the token passing cycle is slow is could take excessively long to join the network.

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Understanding the transmit and receive data LEDs

Observation of the transmit data (TxD) and receive data (RxD) LEDs can be a real asset during some troubleshooting situations of an MS/TP network. An understanding of the token passing sequences will allow a person to make some reasonable assumptions about how the network is performing. Note: The TxD on a UNC is amber, TxD on all MNB controllers is green. The RxD on a UNC is green, it is amber on all MNBs. Token passing on an MS/TP network passes from one controller to the next in a cyclical manor. The token pass starts at a low addressed device, is passed to the next and then the next and so on until it gets back to the first device and the passing continues on over and over. Because of this a device will be receiving almost all of the time that it is not transmitting. It only transmits when it passes the token, makes a request or responds to a request. For this reason during normal token passing without a great deal of point polling the RxD should appear to be nearly solid on. Each time the device receives the token, and passes it on the TxD will flash once. Each time that a device responds to a request (such as being polled by a UNC) it will transmit a response and a flash of the TxD. The RxD should be on except when the TxD on or when any device is doing a poll for master. Poll for master is an MS/TP means of finding devices that are not communicating. The normal flashing of LEDs for most control devices is going to be: The TxD flashes (or flickers) in a fairly consistent pattern The Rxd appears to be nearly solid but will flicker and every few seconds will flash off The normal flashing for a router (or area controller) will be same as above or with much more flashing of the TxD as it will be routing (or making) many requests. This means the the RxD will be flickering or flashing more or the router as it will Normal flashing of the LEDS on a serial converter with a tool such as WPCT may be as above or appear that both LEDs are flashing about equally. This includes the B&B Electronics devices recommended for connection to MS/TP networks. Any time that TxD is flashing continuously, without any RxD flashing we know that the device is trying to locate other devices by continuously polling for master. This device is not getting responses from other devices due to a wiring problem or the other devices are not at the correct baud rate. Any time that the RxD is flashing continuously without the TxD we know that the device is not receiving the token (so it never transmits). The cause will be that the device is not receiving packets that it can understand, due to wiring problem, interference or the baud rate may be wrong. If the RxD is flashing (with or without TxD) in a pattern that the LED is off a good portion of the time a serious wiring issue is present.
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New!

Consider using simulated slave mode

COV subscription is currently being developed for the MNB controllers. COV subscription is a peer-to-peer method of transferring data from one BACnet device to another and will improve performance of MS/TP dramatically. Until COV is available an alternate method of performance improvement is simulated slave mode. See appendix A for details.

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BACnet/IP network guidelines

Set the gateway address
Each B/IP device must have a valid gateway address assigned to it if it is expected to communicate to devices that are not on its subnet. The gateway is the IP address of the network interface of the IP router (or switch) that connects this subnet to the rest of the LAN/WAN. This will be needed for most UNCs and MNB-1000s that are B/IP enabled.

Use BBMDs when needed

BACnet protocol relies heavily on broadcast messages. The reliance on broadcast messages cause a serious issue for B/IP as routers and some switches will not pass broadcast messages. This very simply means that B/IP broadcast messages will not travel from one subnet to another subnet. All BACnet broadcast messages will be stopped at the gateway to a subnet. To Work past this a device called a BBMD was created that intercepts BACnet broadcast messages and forwards them to one or more other BBMDs. It is required that one, and only one, BBMD exist on each subnet that B/IP devices are on. A special case when a BBMD is not needed on a subnet is when a temporary device (a tool such as WPCT) needs to communicate with a controller, but the tool is on a remote subnet without a BBMD. This scenario requires foreign device registration, a method of telling a BBMD that a device needs to communicate but will be leaving after a given amount of time. Foreign device registration works well for tools but it will not work for most controllers, since most controllers are not designed to work as foreign devices. In other words manually setting a controller up in a UNCs foreign device table (FDT) does not work.

BACnet/IP through a NAT router

B/IP communications through a NAT router will fail unless special provisions are made in the LANs firewall/NAT router. The cause of this is BACnet messages contain the address of the device that sent the message, the source address. This source address is used by the destination device to send any response back to the sender. The NAT will cause that source address to be incorrect due to the address translation.

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BACnet Ethernet network guidelines

B/Eth is not routed
Ethernet messages are not routed through IP routers. This implies that B/Eth should be used on a single subnet only. If needing to get BACnet messages from one subnet to another consider using B/IP with BBMDs instead. There is an exception to this; if the subnetting is accomplished using a managed switch instead of a router the switch may be configured to pass Ethernet messages. This could be a method used for spanning subnets with B/Eth. The use of this method could cause issues if B/Eth and B/IP are used on the same LAN. Plan carefully! Keep in mind that if this is a shared network, you will not have control of the switch or router.

New!

Do not leave B/Eth enabled if not used

When an MNB-1000 is an MS/TP only device, in other words not using B/IP or B/Eth, do not leave the B/IP or B/Eth enabled. Leaving B/IP or B/Eth enabled also means that the MNB1000 is still a router. This can create conditions where the network is flooded with Who is router to network and I am router to network messages. If it is required that a secondary means of accessing the MNB-1000 is required and you must have access through the Ethernet interface, it will be necessary to disable B/Eth and enable B/IP for each MNB-1000. In addition each MNB-1000 will need to be on a separate B/IP network with a separate UDP port.

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BACnet guidelines for UNCs

Fewer points better performance
When using a UNC to communicate to a BACnet MS/TP network it is important to recognize that minimizing traffic on the network is the best way of achieving optimum performance. The number of active polled points significantly affects traffic on a BACnet MS/TP network and thus the throughput. The more traffic the more significant the impact on performance. There are limits as to the number of objects a UNC can support. It is currently recommended that the UNC be limited to total of 1000 point shadow objects. This quantity may be less depending on the available resource count in the UNC. The number of polled points (at any given time) should be 250 or less. The total number of points can safely be 1000, but at any given time the number of polled points should be fewer for better performance. To limit the number of polled points use PollOnDemand containers for all points that do not need to be polled always (schedules, logged or alarmed items, etc.). The following two areas of best practices are very important.

Use PollOnDemand containers

From a UNC perspective, all BACnet objects when learned are placed in poll always containers. All objects but those that need to be continuously updated (schedules, alarms, trended objects, etc.) should be moved to PollOnDemand containers to minimize network traffic. Keep in mind that any container that is not a PollOnDemand container is a poll always container, therefore it is unnecessary to use the PollAlways type of container. A container type container will do just as well.

Delete unused points

Any BACnet objects that are learned in the UNC and are not needed should be deleted. During learning of a BACnet controller, generally all objects are learned and those not needed for control or GxPages should be deleted. One method of doing this is: Perform the learn of BACnet points Create a PollOnDemand container Name this container something to signify that is used for storing shadow objects, such as Holding or Store Move all of the point shadow objects into it
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Do not link to any of the points in this container. Using this PollOnDemand container to store BACnet objects will prevent unnecessary polling of values. Create a second PollOnDemand container. Use this container for developing your graphics; PollOnDemand containers are usefull only with GxPages, as the point values are only updated when the GxPage is active. Transfer the point shadow objects to the appropriate container as needed. o Points for graphics into a PollOnDemand container. o Points that need to update continuously into other containers Once the database is complete, simply delete (if desired) the original PollOnDemand container named Holding or Store and you will have cleaned up any unused points. o

Keep the UNC routing

A UNC with I/A Series R2 software installed will not be tolerant of networking configuration errors. If the UNC detects what appears to it to be a multiple route (circular path) issue, The UNC will stop routing. If this happens the UNC must be rebooted to restart routing. The cause of the multiple routes or perceived multiple routes must be repaired or the situation will be repeated.

Keep the processor idle time above 20

At no time should the processor be run down less than 20% idle time. Doing so may have unexpected results including loss of control functionality. A low idle time will be certain to adversely effect communications of any type, including BACnet. The most common cause of low processor idle time is an excess number of program objects. As a general guideline keep the number of program objects fewer than 100, less is better. If program objects must be used, one way of reducing the quantity is to combine the functions of two or more program objects into one.

UNC bias resistors

Always keep in mind that an MS/TP network should have at least one set, but no more than two sets of bias resistors. When using a UNC-520 or one or more MNB-1000s, determine which device or devices will provide the bias resistors for the network and set the jumpers appropriately.

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General BACnet guidelines

Consider network design carefully
BACnet networks and internetworks must be designed with the end result of a functioning system in mind. A simple MS/TP network is straight forward to design and install but the complexity increases dramatically when networks are joined together to form an internetwork. Proper planning and understanding of modern networking principles is desirable for creating a BACnet internetwork that includes IP and Ethernet routing and switching. If a shared network is included in the design, close work with the owners IT department may be required. Prior assumptions about an IT departments capabilities or their ability to cooperate may be undesirable.

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New!

Appendix A. Improve MS/TP performance

Simulating slave mode
This is a description of a method for improving MS/TP performance by a factor of 2 to 4 times, meaning update times afterward can be to 25 to 50% of the update time before the implementation. This method gives the same results as operating the network as though all devices other than the router are slaves. Note: The method described here should be considered as solution for projects that need an immediate performance boost. This is not intended to be used once COV subscription has been implemented. COV subscription is a peer to peer communications method where a controller sends data directly to one or more other controllers. Factory testing has shown that Token Passing on an MS/TP bus has a significant overhead. In a typical MS/TP application, each controller (MNB-x and UNC-x) on the network is a master node on that network. As a master node each device will receive the communication token and have the opportunity to send messages or make requests of other devices. In addition each master will control the communication token. When a network is configured, it is recommended that the UNC or MNB-1000 (or other routing device) be addressed to the first address (lowest) on the network, 0 (zero) which is also the default MS/TP address for a UNC. As a best practice, other MS/TP devices (MNB300, MNB-Vx, etc.) added to the network should be consecutively addressed. The addressing should be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and so on until the last (highest) address is reached.

Figure A-1: MS/TP network With the maxMaster of all devices set to the default value of 127, all controllers should join the network and automatically start passing the token. Token passing originates from the lowest device on the network (UNC) and passes to the next device and from that device to the next until it reaches the last device on the network. The last device is determined when
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a device can find no others with a higher address, or the maxMaster value equals the devices address. The last device returns the token to the first device to begin the cycle again. In this scenario, as seen in Figure a-2, all masters are passing the token. A considerable amount of time is involved in this token passing.

Figure A-2: MS/TP network token passing In an MS/TP network, devices can make requests and send COV data only during the time that they have the token. COV subscription (peer-to-peer communications) is not yet implemented in the MNB devices. Because the MNB devices do not use COV and they do not make requests, they have no need to receive the token. Due to this, the time spent on passing the token is not utilized. When a master device communicates with a slave device it uses request/response messaging. The master requests an action (such as read or write), the slave responds with an action (answer). This is exactly the same action as when a master device interacts with another master without using COV subscription. Since the action is the same we can improve the performance of the network by simulating a master/slave situation. This is done simply by preventing the passing of the token.

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In simulated slave mode we will restrict the token passing to only two devices. These two devices will control the token, passing it back and forth, thus preventing any other devices from receiving the token. See figure A-3.

Figure A-3: Simulated slave mode As we see in Figure A-3, the token passing is greatly reduced saving time to pass data. This does however present a problem for us; if the token is not passed there will be no way for a tool to work the network. Without token passing we cannot browse for devices or upload/download devices. This problem is taken care of in two ways depending on how we are connecting to the network. The first method is used when connecting a tool to the MS/TP network via B/IP through a router. We must temporarily change the maxMaster value of device 1 back to 1 or 2 higher than the total number of devices. While the maxMaster is set to a high value the token will be passed around the entire MS/TP network. When finished the MaxMaster of device 1 will need to be returned to 2. The second method is shown in Figure A-3. Device 2 has been re-addressed to be the last device. Devices 0 and 1 have had their maxMaster values set to 2. Setting the maxMaster to 2 while having an empty slot at address 2 makes device 1 the last device.
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With device 1 being the last device it passes the token to 0 until it finds that a tool has connected at address 2. The tool needs to have a large maxMaster value so it will pass the token to device 3 which passes to 4 and so on. The results of this are shown in Figure A-4.

Figure A-4: Simulated slave mode bypassed by a tool connection Note: Anytime that the full token passing is in effect, either by changing maxMaster of device 1 or by connecting a tool to the network with a serial converter, the performance will be degraded to the previous performance level. Note: The same technique can be used with two open slots by re-addressing devices 2 and 3 and setting maxMaster of device 1 to 3. This would allow two tools to join the network at one time.

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New!

Appendix B. Remote connectivity

Remote connectivity is the need to access a BACnet device that exists on a network (or subnet) other than the one that our tool PC resides on. To accomplish remote access communications we need to consider these items. Item one, remote access requires a connection using a telecommunications interface, this means a telephone line or a broadband Internet connection. The BACnet datalink layer type that can utilize these types of connections is B/IP. This generally excludes all other BACnet connections. Item two, BACnet relies heavily on broadcast messages. Broadcast messages are generally not passed through IP routers so special provisions must be made to get BACnet broadcasts from one subnet to another. A special BACnet/IP device called a BACnet Broadcast Management Device (BBMD) was created for the purpose of transferring broadcast messages from one network subnet to another. The BBMD does this by transforming any BACnet broadcast messages (B/IP, B/Eth or MS/TP) that it receives into unicast B/IP messages that are directed to the other BBMDs on the BACnet internetwork. Item three, BACnet/IP messages are not compatible with Network Address Translation (NAT). This means that if NAT is used (check with IT dept.) it must be bypassed by some means. Considering these three items we will use B/IP for remote connectivity and we will make special provisions for use. Items necessary for B/IP communications: IP address Subnet mask UDP port number Unique network number Additional items for B/IP communications between subnets: Gateway address One BBMD per subnet with appropriate BDT entries Additional items that may be required for off-site access: Open the B/IP UDP port on the firewall Set up a VPN Note: Any B/IP communication that passes through a firewall may need the firewall settings changed. Make certain that the B/IP UDP port is open. This includes any personal firewall software on a PC. Note: The UDP port default is 47808 (0xBAC0). The UDP port only needs to be changed if there is a network conflict, in other words IT personnel have instructed you to change it. Secondly, you can change the port if there is a need for two separate B/IP networks on the same physical network media.
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BBMDs - connecting B/IP devices on different subnets

BBMDs hold the addresses of all other BBMDs, that they should work with, in a table called the BACnet Distribution Table (BDT). When a BBMD receives a BACnet broadcast message (either a request or a response) it will send the message as a Forwarded-NPDU message to all other BBMDs in the BDT. When a BBMD receives a Forwarded-NPDU message from another BBMD, it broadcasts the message on its local networks (B/IP, B/Eth and MS/TP). By these actions the broadcast messages will be sent to all BACnet devices on the internetwork. Secondly, BBMDs hold all addresses of temporary BACnet devices, such as a PC with WPCT, in a table called the Foreign Device Table (FDT). A foreign device is a B/IP device with the capability of self-registering with a BBMD to allow the BBMD to transfer broadcast messages to and from the foreign device. The foreign device registration is timed to expire automatically and the foreign device must reregister shortly before the time expires. Foreign device registration can be used for permanent devices in case a BBMD is not available on the local subnet, however the device must have the built-in capability of being a foreign device. Each subnet of an IP network that is to be a part of the BACnet internetwork should have a BBMD. It is likewise important that only one BBMD exist per subnet (for a single B/IP network). Multiple BBMDs on the same subnet will flood the subnet with unnecessary IP traffic.

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Typical LAN architecture with B/IP

IP router Segregates the network into subnets. Each interface of the router becomes the gateway (GW) to a subnet.
10.1.144.200 10.1.142.200 10.1.137.200

Subnet 10.1.137.0

BBMD IP 10.1.137.6 Mask 255.255.255.0 GW 10.1.137.200

B/IP device IP 10.1.137.43 Mask 255.255.255.0 GW 10.1.137.200

B/IP device IP 10.1.137.17 Mask 255.255.255.0 GW 10.1.137.200

Subnet 10.1.142.0

B/IP device IP 10.1.142.47 Mask 255.255.255.0 GW 10.1.142.200

B/IP device IP 10.1.142.38 Mask 255.255.255.0 GW 10.1.142.200

BBMD IP 10.1.142.66 Mask 255.255.255.0 GW 10.1.137.200

Subnet 10.1.144.0

Foreign Device WPT/WPCT May register with any BBMD IP 10.1.144.91 Mask 255.255.255.0 GW 10.1.137.200

Figure B-1: Subnetted LAN with BACnet/IP

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Setup of BBMD in the MNB-1000

BBMD use in the MNB-1000 requires firmware revision 1.3 or later and WPCT 1.3 or later. Setup is done in the property sheet for the MNB-1000 device using the IP and BBMD tabs. Examples of these properties are shown in Figures B-2 and B-3.

Figure B-2: MNB-1000 property sheet - IP tab All properties on the IP tab of the MNB-1000 property sheet must be entered: Enable IP Port Network Number must be unique per internetwork, this means that all B/IP devices that will share data with each other must have the same network number IP address must be static, or a reserved DHCP address Subnet mask Default gateway must be included, this is the address of the router interface UDP port the default is 47808 (0xBAC0) Device type o Standard IP device used for most devices
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o o

BBMD Device use for BBMDs Foreign device

Figure B-3: MNB-1000 property sheet - BBMD tab On the BBMD tab the IP address and UDP port number and the distribution mask should be entered for each other BBMD that exists on this BACnet internetwork. The UDP port for all B/IP devices must be the same, so set the port the same here as on the IP tab. The distribution mask determines how the broadcast messages are sent between subnets. Most LANs will use two-hop distribution and two-hop should always work, whereas one-hop will only work if the LAN is configured for it. Always leave the distribution mask at 255.255.255.255 (FF:FF:FF:FF) unless the LAN has been configured for one-hop distribution. If the network is set for one-hop distribution you will get the distribution mask from IT personnel.

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Use of VPN for off-site access

Use of a VPN for off-site access is a means of bypassing the NAT router. A VPN connection set up for remotely joining a LAN will make certain that both the tool PC and the devices being accessed have addresses on the same LAN. This means that NAT will not be involved and will not be an issue. Many types of VPN are available and many different configurations and capabilities exist. We will need to have a client/server VPN meant for remote access to a network. When using a VPN you will need the tool to register as a foreign device to a BBMD. This is done automatically in WPT/WPCT when you select Connect to Remote Internetwork. The connection to a BBMD is required as a VPN connection will not pass broadcast messages. This means that for off-site access at least one BBMD is required.

Figure B-4: VPN access The firewall must be setup to open the B/IP UDP port when using a VPN. In most cases the VPN will be a part of or behind the firewall and will be constrained by firewall rules.

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WPT/WPCT BACnet/IP remote connection setup

A local connection with BACnet/IP refers to communication between 2 or more BACnet/IP devices on the same subnet. Remote connectivity refers to communication between 2 or more devices on different subnets of the same or different networks. At startup of WPT/WPCT, the communication settings for BACnet/IP will be displayed (if BACnet/IP was previously selected), an active local IP address, subnet mask and a UDP port number (if not at the default, 47808)

Figure B-5: BACnet/IP local connection In Figure B-5 the workstation is located on subnet 10.1.144.0 and is acting as a local BACnet/IP device (Local IP Address: 10.1.144.52). BACnet messages will be sent on the local subnet and any BACnet/IP devices using the same UDP port number (47808) that are also on this subnet should communicate with the WPT/WPCT.

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Figure B-6: BACnet/IP Remote Connection In Figure B-6 the workstation is located on subnet 10.1.144.0 (10.1.144.52) but it is communicating with a BBMD on subnet 10.1.137.0 (at IP address 10.1.137.6). With this setup all BACnet communications will be directed to the BBMD and processed by the BBMD as required by its router table, broadcast distribution table and foreign device table entries. The BBMD will direct any responses that it receives back to the WPT/WPCT. Note: With a remote connection, devices (if any) on the local subnet will not appear in the WPT/WPCT. In Figure B-6 above the BACnet/IP devices located on the 10.1.144.0 subnet will not be shown on the list. Only devices having their communications directed through the BBMD will be shown. WPT/WPCT will automatically register as a foreign device to a BBMD when Access a remote internetwork is chosen for the connection type. This is selected as shown in Figure B-7. A networked PC may have multiple IP addresses. This might come about due to having multiple network interfaces (wired Ethernet and WI-FI wireless) or multiple services that provide IP addresses (company LAN and VPN network). The possibility of multiple IP addresses necessitates the ability to choose which IP address the WPT/WPCT will use. As shown in Figure B-7 this can be changed in the BACnet Communications Settings-IP Protocol dialog window. The Local IP Address and Subnet Mask field will list all available IP addresses and allow any to be chosen for BACnet/IP communication. It is necessary to select the correct IP address to open communications between the tool and the devices you wish to talk to. This chooses

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the local BACnet/IP address that will be used and will therefore also select the specific interface associated with that address.

Figure B-7: WPT/WPCT BACnet/IP Connection Setup In addition to setting the IP address that will be used BACnet/IP needs a specific UDP port. The default port for BACnet/IP is 47808 (0xBAC0), if the port of the network that you are connecting to has not been changed you may leave the UDP port field empty and 47808 will be used. In Figure B-7 the port has been set to 47817 (0xBAC9) as the remote network uses this port number. To connect to a local network, select the Access a local internetwork radio button. To connect to a remote network select the Access a remote internetwork radio button and enter the IP address of the BBMD that will provide the interface to the remote network.

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