Andover Continuum To EcoStruxure Building - Frequently Asked Questions - Technology Refresh

Refresh Andover Continuum™
technology with EcoStruxure Building

Operation
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
DISCLAIMER:
The intent of this document is to help sales and technical integrators understand the steps involved to
refresh a sites technology by moving from Andover Continuum to EcoStruxure Building Operation using the
conversion features available now.
This document is company confidential and should not be shared or distributed outside of Schneider
Electric™ and Schneider Electric partner organizations.
This document was created to be used by Schneider Electric employees and Partners as an
educational tool. It assumes that the reader has a basic understanding and familiarity with Andover
Continuum. EcoStruxure Building Operation, and EcoStruxure™ Building (formerly known as
SmartStruxure™ solution).
[ FAQs ] Refresh Andover Continuum technology with EcoStruxure Building Operation
What does it mean to refresh my technology?
Refreshing a site’s technology is the process by which a customer site is moved from one of Schneider
Electric’s legacy building management systems (BMS) to EcoStruxure Building Operation, the software
powering EcoStruxure Building (formerly SmartStruxure solution) – whether:
 Modernizing the user’s experience with new interfaces – e.g. WebStation, mobile apps, and/or
 Fully replacing the legacy BMS front-end – e.g. software, network controllers
There are usually tools and features released per legacy BMS to facilitate the refreshing of technology. The
ultimate goal is to help bring customer sites up to EcoStruxure Building Operation to benefit from the new
features, new user experience, and expand the site with new components as needed.
What is conversion?
Conversion is one of the available tools or processes (depending on the legacy BMS). It’s the process by
which contents from the legacy BMS are converted to EcoStruxure Building Operation.
In the case of Andover Continuum, the contents of select controllers will be converted so that network level
controllers (e.g. bCX1, NetController) can be replaced by SmartX Controller – AS-P (for the Infinet devices)
or SmartX Controller – AS-B Automation Server (for local IO) models. Note, some re-engineering and re-
wiring will be required. However, the resulting savings in time and cost is drastic when compared to
completely replacing and re-engineering the existing system.
Background material for refreshing Andover Continuum
For information on all the features of refreshing the Andover Continuum technology, visit The Exchange
and use search keyword: refreshcontinuum.
Conversion features preview:

This FAQs document focuses on the technology refresh process when using the conversion features
available now. Throughout this document, the term Automation Server is used as the server device that is
the target of the conversion process. Note that conversion of an Andover Continuum Infinet project will
require the SmartX Controller – AS-P (Automation Server – Premium). Conversion of an Andover
Continuum b3 project can use any of the Automation Server models.
Another preview asset for your reference includes:

 Architectural representation of refreshing Andover Continuum technology with EcoStruxure
Building Operation: Contains bulleted notes and provides step-by-step processes for refreshing
Andover Continuum BACnet and Infinet technologies to EcoStruxure Building.
Refresh Andover Continuum technology with EcoStruxure Building Operation FAQs Sept. 2019 Page 2 of 11
This document is company confidential and should not be shared or distributed outside of Schneider Electric™ and Schneider Electric partner organizations.
Questions within this FAQs document
The following questions are addressed within this document:

1. What sites should be targeted to refresh first?
2. Are there any differences in feature support that I should consider when choosing which sites to
refresh?
3. How do I handle XDriver integration?
4. What are the steps for success?
5. What will be converted and when will these features be available?
6. What will not be converted using the conversion features?
7. What will need to be re-engineered?
8. Can I re-use the conversion tools as new features are released?
9. What architectural and operational considerations do I need to think about and plan for?
10. Will IOU modules (connected to a NetController) be supported in conversion?
11. Do I have to upgrade the site to Andover Continuum v2.0 to use the conversion features?
12. What can I do now to prepare sites to be refreshed with EcoStruxure Building Operation
technology?
13. How do I come up with a budget for a site?
14. Can I save some money and have b3 controllers on the same AS-P as my Infinet?
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What sites should be targeted to refresh first?

Andover Continuum HVAC sites (or non-security sites) should be targeted first. Sites where the
access control portion of the system can be easily isolated can also be considered.
2. Are there any differences in feature support that I should consider when choosing which
sites to refresh?
As the objects and features supported in EcoStruxure Building Operation are different than those in
Andover Continuum, it is important to consider each site’s functional needs (and how they are
implemented) to minimize potential issues.
Sites that use the following have potential feature and/or usage shortfalls.
 Dial-up remote sites
 Widespread use of OpenList, GetObject or GetName programs
 Widespread use of html streaming PE programs for web pages or data delivery
 Extensive XDriver usage that is neither Modbus® nor LON
 Extensive PE Driver usage
 Extensive use of workstation programming
 I/O Module mismatch:

o Most ACC IOU modules can be duplicated with EcoStruxure central I/O modules,
but be careful of any necessary re-wiring, etc.
o EcoStruxure central I/O modules have no counterpart for – high speed counter
inputs on DI8, DI-6 AC, DO-6 TR, DM20, LO2, LD1, Infistat, VM1, VS-8
3. How do I handle XDriver integration?

There are several options to consider for how to handle transition of XDriver integration:
a. First and highest recommended approach: If the driver is to a common third party
manufacturer, contact the manufacturer. It is quite possible that the manufacturer has an
add-on communications card option available – e.g. BACnet, LON, or Modbus. If there is a
comm. card available, then any of these protocols could be used to bring the third party
equipment directly into EcoStruxure Building Operation.
b. If the XDriver is on a BACnet bCX1, then leave the bCX1 and XDriver in place. Simply
integrate the bCX1 into EcoStruxure Building Operation using BACnet/IP.
c. If the XDriver is on an “Infinet” CX (e.g. NetController), then you can consider replacing the
CX with a bCX1. The original CX dump file would need to be massaged to be able to load
into the bCX1, but once that is complete the XDriver can remain in place and solution b can
be followed.
d. If the XDriver is very common and has current protocol documentation, then it might be
possible to contract with the Schneider Electric ISC (International Solutions Center) group
for the development of a custom SmartDriver.
Note: Options “b” and “c” enable data exchange with integrated products and still require
CyberStation to remain in place for configuration changes. However, longer term
permanent alternate solutions should be explored to eliminate the dependency on
CyberStation software.
4. What are the steps for success?

The following is an overview of the steps used to refresh Andover Continuum technology to
EcoStruxure Building Operation using the conversion features.
i. The most important step is to confirm that the site is operating correctly today. Any poor
operation today will not be fixed by the process. Remember the old saying: “Garbage in,
garbage out”. You should do a thorough walk-through of the site to assess the physical
layout.
ii. Review the operation of the site to determine how best to minimize downtime and to
maximize visibility of all data through the process. Topics to consider:
o Will two separate User Interfaces (UI) be acceptable or even preferable – i.e. both
CyberStation and EcoStruxure Building Operation (SBO)?
 If the site is regularly reconfiguring, then 2 UI is best.
 If the site is primarily for viewing and monitoring alarms, then one
consolidated UI may be preferred.
o Is it a BACnet site that can allow un-transitioned units (e.g. non-converted bCX1s)
to be viewed in SBO via BACnet/IP?
iii. Make any known configuration and/or programming changes before conversion that will
make the process easier. Examples include:
o EcoStruxure Building Script programming uses the “.” character in a different way
than Plain English does. Consequently, the conversion program will automatically
change an “.” in the point name declaration of the Script Program to be an
underscore “_”. The object name itself, however, will have the original name.
 If this automatic change is objectionable, then manually remove any “.” from
point names before conversion.
o Confirm that each output and numeric is controlled from only one program.
o Confirm that all numerics that are digital in nature have $### as their stated format.
 If they are not formatted to $###, then they will be converted to analog
value objects in SBO.
o Confirm that all numerics that store values that will be used in the control operation
after conversion have their “setpoint” attribute set to True.
o Confirm that all Digital Outputs that are truly digital in nature have $### as their
stated format.
 If they are not, then they will be converted to Digital Pulsed Output objects
in SBO.
iv. Do a full backup of the site’s SQL database and archive of all configuration and historical
data.
v. Since the conversion will take place on an ASCII dump of a CX and its child controllers,
create a list that shows in what order the CXs will transitioned.
vi. From CyberStation, create ASCII dump files for sample CX’s, including their child
controllers.
vii. Perform the conversion on the sample dump files.
viii. Review the output and error log of the sample conversions and determine what, if any,
additional manual re-work should be done before the actual conversion process is to begin.
ix. Select the first CX or group of CX’s to be converted.
x. Notify the customer and/or users that no changes should be made after the ASCII dump has
been captured.
o If further changes are made, they will not transfer over to EcoStruxure Building.
xi. Install Project Configuration Tool (PCT) in the office or on site, and create a project for
modernization
xii. Create ASCII dump files of the CX units selected in previous step (ix), including their child
controllers.
xiii. Edit the (modernization) project in the PCT
o Create the Enterprise Server
o Create the Automation Server(s) corresponding to the converted CX’s
xiv. Start the conversion program – including the CX dump files as the input and the PCT project
as the destination.
o Notes:
 It’s possible to have the conversion output go directly to a live Automation
Server, but the PCT will facilitate any fix-ups that may be required.
 Conversion is only accomplished for the child controllers. CX level
conversion must be done manually or using the Automated Engineering
Tool.
xv. Perform the necessary changes and clean-up to the Automation Servers and their child
controllers
o Refer to FAQs #5, #6, and #7 on what will be converted and what will be re-
engineered
xvi. Install the Enterprise Server and WorkStation software on site.
xvii. Install the first Automation Server.
xviii. Deploy the Automation Server from the PCT project to the live Automation Server on site.
xix. Confirm complete deployment.
xx. From CyberStation reset all b3 or Infinet controllers.
xxi. Transfer field bus wiring from CX to the corresponding (and deployed) Automation Server
using the documented procedure to prepare and transfer the field bus wiring from the CX to
the AS-P
o Consider the possibility of converting Infinet trunks separately rather than all at
once to reduce downtime.
o This can be accomplished fairly easily if using an Infilink. Locate a second Infilink to
attach to the AS-P; then reset all Infinet controllers on Trunk1, move it to AS-P,
download and checkout. Repeat for remaining trunks
xxii. Confirm communication to all field controllers.
xxiii. Download all field controllers.
xxiv. On a “per field controller” basis (or however rapidly you are comfortable), activate the
programs.
xxv. Verify proper equipment operation.
xxvi. Repeat for all converted Automation Servers.
xxvii. Perform the necessary Enterprise Server related items – e.g. creating graphics, extended
trend logs, user accounts.
xxviii. Once all network controllers are successfully converted and the site is fully running on SBO,
remove Andover Continuum software components – including CyberStation workstations
and the SQL server.
5. What will be converted and when will these features be available?

The conversion phases are currently broken out as follows:
i. Conversion features – BACnet
o Inputs, Outputs, Numerics (Value Objects), DateTimes, Strings, Functions and
Programs are considered the minimum amount to be delivered as a package.
o Programs (and functions) will include auto-binding for all objects contained within
the same controller.
ii. Conversion features – Infinet:
o Inputs, Outputs, Numerics (Value Objects), DateTimes, Strings, Functions and
Programs are considered the minimum amount to be delivered as a package.
o Programs (and functions) will include auto-binding for all objects contained within
the same controller.
o Alarm links will be maintained and dummy alarms created at the Network level
controller
iii. Conversion features – ACC IO
o NetController or bCX code can be converted using the Automated Engineering Tool
6. What will not be converted using the conversion features?

The following will not be included as part of the output of the built-in conversion tool.:
 CX level objects (See previous section on Conversion of ACC IO)
 Groups will not be converted.
 List views will not be converted.
 Graphics will not be converted and will need to be re-created, but the cost can be minimized
using a graphics outsourcing resource. Refer to the Graphics Inquiry Form.
7. What will need to be re-engineered?
The following is a summary of items that will have to be re-engineered for each transition:
 CX level points and programs (See previous section on Conversion of ACC IO)
 Users and permissions
 Graphics
 Workstation-based programs
 BACnet Alarms, BACnet schedules
 Alarms
 Schedules
 Any external references, i.e., references outside the Infinet controller:(Infinet controller
to/from Infinet controller; Infinet Controller to/from AS-P; Infinet controller to/from other AS-P
or Infinet controller) will need to be bound explicitly after the conversion.
8. Can I re-use the conversion tools if new features are released?

Once a set of controllers have been converted and reside under new Automation Server models (i.e.
Automation Server, SmartX Controller - AS-P), it makes no sense to accomplish any further
conversion on it.
9. What architectural and operational considerations do I need to think about and plan for?
Some items to consider:
 There is no concept of a “WorkStation” as a static entity in the system. Therefore, alarms
are not delivered to a workstation; they are delivered to a user. So, a user must be logged
in to EcoStruxure Building Operation to see them. Or a “Logged Out” User can be created
using the “Guest Account” capability of EcoStruxure Building Operation.
 Programs in the Automation Server operate based upon an application task scheduler. This
is slightly different than the scan based system.
10. Will IOU modules (connected to a NetController) be supported in conversion?

IOU modules are not physically supported off of an Automation Server. Use EcoStruxure Building
Operation central I/O modules or a SmartX server with on board IO (such as an AB-B) to replace
Continuum IOU modules:
 Considerations:
o There are differences in point types and count.
o EcoStruxure Building I/O modules are mounted centrally with the Automation
Server; they cannot be mounted remotely at long distances. However, it is possible
to take advantage of the remote IP IO capability in EcoStruxure Building when there
are remote ACC IO modules
o See FAQs #2 for other considerations.
11. Do I have to upgrade the site to Andover Continuum v2.0 to use the conversion features?
Upgrade to Andover Continuum software v2.0 is not required for use of the conversion features.
However, upgrade to v2.0 is recommended for the following reasons if a Continuum front end will
remain in place during a phased transition. If the entire site will be transitioned in one step, there’s
no need for upgrading to Continuum v2.x.
 Benefits of the latest new features and fixes
 Compliance of the Andover Continuum Software Support Policy – PA-00272
o Andover Continuum v1.94 software was only supported through April 2015
12. What can I do now to prepare sites to be refreshed with EcoStruxure Building Operation
technology?
The following are some suggested actions that you can take to prepare your customers’ sites for
modernization:
 If you haven’t already, talk to customers about EcoStruxure and the benefits of refreshing
their BMS technology
 Confirm that the site is operating correctly today. Any poor operation today will not be fixed
by the process
 Create a plan that will minimize risk, site downtime, and cost for your customers
o Determine the order in which sections (or networks) will be converted
 Explore alternate integration methods (e.g. comm. cards), such as BACnet, LonWorks®,
Modbus or web services
 Execute manual fix-ups in programs and object formats (as described in this document) to
ease conversion
13. How do I come up with a budget or cost for transition of a site?

An accurate cost can only be determined with a thorough study and examination of all issues.
Here are some important things to consider when trying to determine the cost:
 Pre-engineering work can be streamlined through use of the PCT.
 Post deployment will require verification of proper operation of each field controller.
 Users need to be re-created; they do not convert.
 Graphics need to be re-created, but the cost can be minimized using the graphics
outsourcing resource. Refer to the Graphics Inquiry Form.
 Trend groupings and charts will need to be created.
 BACnet Alarms will need to be recreated
 Schedules will need to be recreated
 Determine whether the site will use an external log database or will use the more
abbreviated internal storage method to duplicate any reporting that was done by the
CyberStation.
o If the external log storage will be used, there will be a need for a feature license to
activate it
o Internal storage can be augmented through the use of Reports Server which will
need to be configured and installed
 Determine if there is a need (or not) for a temporary window into the existing system from
the EcoStruxure Building WorkStation – i.e. data exchange using BACnet/IP.. If that window
is required then the time to build it must be included.
A potential rule of thumb might be to:

 Look at the project as if it were a new project.
 Calculate the hours required for software engineering and checkout.
 Consider some percentage (e.g. 30%) of the “new” project software and some percentage
(e.g. 20%) of the new project checkout.
o Percentage values may differ based on execution variables per integrator – e.g.
product expertise
 Add in any other hardware cost that is incurred
14. Can I save some money and have b3 controllers on the same AS-P as my Infinet?
No. The AS-P does not support the operation of Infinet and BACnet MSTP, regardless of b3 or
other MSTP device. It can support Infinet and BACnet IP, but NOT BACnet MSTP.
Regional contacts
For more information, please contact your regional EcoStruxure Building solution category manager:
 Americas: Americas.EcoStruxureBuilding@schneider-electric.com
o North America: Lonnie Laue
o South America: Patricia Lombardi
 EMEA: EMEA.EcoStruxureBuilding@schneider-electric.com
o UK&I, Nordics, Germany (DACH): Steve Harris
o CEE, CIS, Continental Europe: Toni Tiers
o Middle East: Mutaz Mujahed
o Africa: Fady Morgan
 Asia Pacific: AsiaPac.EcoStruxureBuilding@schneider-electric.com

o East Asia, Japan: Godfrey Lai, Jeffrey Yap
o India: Deepak Patni
o China: Frederick Fan
o Australia/NZ: Frederick Fan

Andover Continuum To EcoStruxure Building - Frequently Asked Questions - Technology Refresh

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Refresh Andover Continuum™

technology with EcoStruxure Building

What does it mean to refresh my technology?

Background material for refreshing Andover Continuum

Conversion features preview:

Another preview asset for your reference includes:

Questions within this FAQs document

The following questions are addressed within this document:

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What sites should be targeted to refresh first?

 I/O Module mismatch:

3. How do I handle XDriver integration?

4. What are the steps for success?

o Create the Automation Server(s) corresponding to the converted CX’s

5. What will be converted and when will these features be available?

6. What will not be converted using the conversion features?

8. Can I re-use the conversion tools if new features are released?

10. Will IOU modules (connected to a NetController) be supported in conversion?

13. How do I come up with a budget or cost for transition of a site?

A potential rule of thumb might be to:

 Asia Pacific: AsiaPac.EcoStruxureBuilding@schneider-electric.com

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