Using the Workbench to create a BACnet device

This content describes the features of the previous BACnet driver. For the most latest BACnet driver, see BACnet / IP driver - Version 3.

The Workbench provides the view into a node's installation, configuration and resource definition. The Workbench also provides access and control over those resources.

A device is a resource that can represent a physical device, such as a programmable logic controller (PLC), an RF tag reader or a sensor. A device can also be defined in one node to represent a device that is defined and supported in another node. This allows your application solution to have access to devices and their data independent of their location or connectivity details.

The following devices can be defined with the BACnet driver:

BACnet controllers that are accessible through UDP/IP.
BACnet devices that have an MS/TP (master slave) connection to a BACnet controller that is accessible through UDP/IP.
BACnet devices that respond to UDP broadcasts of the BACnet WhoIs request. This type of broadcast is often times blocked by network administration rules, so it is typically uncommon for devices to respond to such requests.
These devices provide Read Only access to the tags defined on the physical BACnet device.

Defining a BACnet device

To define a device that represents a BACnet device, follow these steps:

From the Workbench left pane, expand the node where you want to define the BACnet device.
Select the Devices icon to display the Devices panel, right-click the Devices icon to display its pop-up menu, and then select New.
You also can select the New button at the bottom of the Devices panel.

The Device window appears.
Name the device. The device name can be up to 64 characters and include letters, numbers, and the underscore character. Spaces are allowed.
Use the Type down-arrow to locate the BACnet category, and then select the BACnet Client device type. The available device types are determined by the driver packages that are installed on the node.
The Device window changes to accommodate the BACnet Client device type.

To define a device that represents a BACnet Client device, set this new device's parameters as described in the following table.

Parameter	Description
Locate BACnet Device	There are four ways in which you can connect to a BACnet device using the driver. By IP - This is the most common way and is used to make a direct connection to a BACnet controller or other type of BACnet Device. Tags defined on all slave devices connected to the BACnet controller will be enumerated when the BACnet device is started. IP To MS/TP - This option is selected if you want to direct BACnet messages to a particular slave device connected to a BACnet controller. This selection will require a deeper understanding of configuration of the BACnet controller to allow messages to be correctly routed. Scan Specific Networks(s) and Scan All Networks - These options are rarely used primarily because most network administrators block the broadcast of UDP messages through the network. Selecting either of these options will result in a broadcast message being sent by the driver. Any controllers that respond will be queried for their list of tags.

Parameter

Description

Locate BACnet Device

There are four ways in which you can connect to a BACnet device using the driver.

By IP - This is the most common way and is used to make a direct connection to a BACnet controller or other type of BACnet Device. Tags defined on all slave devices connected to the BACnet controller will be enumerated when the BACnet device is started.
IP To MS/TP - This option is selected if you want to direct BACnet messages to a particular slave device connected to a BACnet controller. This selection will require a deeper understanding of configuration of the BACnet controller to allow messages to be correctly routed.
Scan Specific Networks(s) and Scan All Networks - These options are rarely used primarily because most network administrators block the broadcast of UDP messages through the network. Selecting either of these options will result in a broadcast message being sent by the driver. Any controllers that respond will be queried for their list of tags.

The following tables will break down the configuration settings based on the option selected in the Locate BACnet Device option.

By IP

Parameters	Description
BACnet Device IP Address	The IP Address of the BACnet controller device.
Port	This is the port number used by the BACnet controller device. The default is 47808, but can be changed.
Device ID	The Device ID, also known as the BACnet Instance Number of the BACnet endpoint device.
BACnet Network ID	The Network ID that the BACnet device belongs.
Transaction Timeout	Enter the timeout value to use when communicating with this device. This is entered in milliseconds.
Per Variable Security	Select Falseto disable the allocation of additional memory to track user to variable access for all variables in this BACnet enabled device. SelectTrue to enable this feature if required. For more information, see Setting up Read Write per device variable.

IP To MS/TP

Parameters	Description
BACnet Device IP Address	The IP Address of the BACnet controller device.
Port	This is the port number used by the BACnet controller device. The default is 47808, but can be changed.
BACnet Network ID	Enter the Network ID that the BACnet slave device belongs.
Remote Device / MAC Address	Enter the MAC Address of the BACnet slave endpoint device.
Device ID / Instance Number	The Device ID, also known as the BACnet Instance Number of the BACnet endpoint device.
Transaction Timeout	Enter the timeout value to use when communicating with this device. This is entered in milliseconds.
Per Variable Security	Select Falseto disable the allocation of additional memory to track user to variable access for all variables in this BACnet enabled device. SelectTrue to enable this feature if required. For more information, see Setting up Read Write per device variable.

Scan Specific Network(s)

Parameter	Description
Networks to Scan	Enter a comma delimited list of the numeric Network ID(s) that you would like to include when the device is started.
Transaction Timeout	This is the length of time the driver will wait for BACnet devices to respond with IAm responses to the BACnet WhoIs broadcast. BACnet devices that respond will be added to the list of known devices that will then be queried for tag information when the device is started.
Per Variable Security	Select False to disable the allocation of additional memory to track user to variable access for all variables in this BACnet enabled device. Select True to enable this feature if required. For more information, see Setting up Read Write per device variable.

Scan All Networks

Parameter	Description
Transaction Timeout	This is the length of time the driver will wait for BACnet devices to respond with IAm responses to the BACnet WhoIs broadcast. BACnet devices that respond will be added to the list of known devices that will then be queried for tag information when the device is started..
Per Variable Security	Select Falseto disable the allocation of additional memory to track user to variable access for all variables in this BACnet enabled device. SelectTrue to enable this feature if required. For more information, see Setting up Read Write per device variable.