The S4 Open appliances integrate into legacy Johnson Controls Metasys building automation systems and publish the results to open interfaces.

1. Steven E. Jones
The S4 Group Inc.
© 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.
1

2. M3 / M5 Workstation
Ethernet Network
N30 / NCM
Supervisory Controller N2 Protocol
(RS-485)
VMA Device DX-9100 TEC2145-2 MS-MIG3120
TCS Basys
(N2B (System 91 (N2 Open (Metasys
(VND Device)
Protocol) Protocol) Protocol) Integrator)
2 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

3.  S4 Open appliances are designed to facilitate Integration of cost effective,
building automation solutions.
 Extends the reach of Metasys® to enterprise solutions
 Automatically discover and configure N2 devices
 Merge multiple N2 buses into a virtual N2 bus
 Automatically translate N2 addresses
 Extend N2 interfaces over Ethernet TCP/IP connections
 Enhance Metasys® with Open interfaces including OPC, BACnet, and
others
 Control all S4 Open appliances through one S4 Open: Management
Console.
 All N2 sub-protocols are fully supported. (N2B, System 91, N2 Open,
Vendor Devices, Metasys Integrator)
◦ ALL N2 devices are supported
 Works with any generation of Metasys that supports N2
◦ See http://www.thes4group.com/Downloads/PDF/metasys_eng.pdf
3 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

4.  Salvage Legacy N2 Field Devices
◦ Benefit: Leverage existing infrastructure
◦ Replace HMI with BACnet or OPC based solution
◦ Merge legacy busses if desired
◦ Manage new and existing equipment from one interface
 Phase Out Legacy N2 Field Devices
◦ Benefit: Cost of upgrading can be distributed over any length of
time
◦ Replace HMI with BACnet or OPC based solution
◦ Gradually replace Legacy equipment with new solution
◦ Transitioning to new equipment is seamless
◦ Unplug N2 Router when upgrade is complete
4 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

5.  The legacy supervisory controller can be removed
completely if the new head end can perform the following:
◦ Occupied / Unoccupied schedules. The N2 field devices
normally do not include a time clock so they completely rely on the
head end for scheduling activities.
◦ Trending and logging activities.
◦ Global Variable support. For example, an outside air temperature
sensor on one N2 device may be shared with other N2 devices on the
same N2 bus or with N2 devices on other Metasys networks.
◦ Custom logic coded into the NCM or other supervisory controllers
with GPL, JC Basic, or other languages.
 If the new head end meets the above criteria and the legacy
supervisory controller is removed the S4 Open appliance will
act as bus master.
5 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

6. MODEL N2 UPSTREAM DOWNSTREAM
DEVICES N2 PORT N2 PORTS
BACnet-N2 Router-16 16 No 1
BACnet-N2 Router-32 32 No 1
BACnet-N2 Router-64 64 No 1
BACnet-N2 Router-128 128 No 1
BACnet-N2 Router-256 253 (Note 2) Yes (Note 1) 1 (Expandable)
OPC-N2 Router-16 16 No 1
OPC-N2 Router-32 32 No 1
OPC-N2 Router-64 64 No 1
OPC-N2 Router-128 128 No 1
OPC-N2 Router-256 253 (Note 2) Yes (Note 1) 1 (Expandable)
Note 1: Utilizing the Upstream N2 port allows you keep legacy Metasys supervisory controllers ® in place.
Note 2: Johnson Controls reserves N2 addresses 0, 254, and 255.
6 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

7.  Validate that the customer’s N2 Bus is
within specifications with a digital volt
meter or a…
 ComBus Quick Tester
◦ Quickly tests the entire N2 system
◦ Checks bus voltages indicating Pass/Fail
◦ Counts all devices on the bus and identifies each
by hardware type and N2 address
◦ Works as a Master Controller to check the entire
system or segments of the network
 Schedule and complete any maintenance
work before starting integration
7 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

8.  Using JCI’s Metasys ® Utilities Identify
◦ What applications are loaded on existing controllers
◦ Custom logic in the supervisory controller that needs to be
replicated
◦ Which points are relevant to bring in to the new head-end
◦ Which controllers are obsolete and require replacement
 Metasys ® Utilities are available through distribution
◦ M-Tools package
 HVAC Pro – N2 Open and VMA devices
 GX9100 – DX-9100
 If you do not have Metasys expertise
◦ Find an independent consultant
◦ DO NOT Guess!
8 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

9. 9 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

10.  Each N2 Device Type Template
starts out with a header section
 Next is the Point Map section
 Used by Auto Configure Wizard
◦ Application Device Type
◦ Hardware Device Type
◦ Probe For Points
 Can be manually assigned
 Field customizable
 Stored in On-board Catalog
 Off-line library available
 Unique Device Concerns
◦ VND
◦ MIG
◦ Point Multiplexer
© 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.10

11.  Install S4 Open Management Console
◦ Free management utility provided by S4 that works as a
Microsoft Management Console snap-in
 Load Device Type Templates
 Run Auto Configure Wizard
◦ You will need to manually assign device type templates to
vendor devices after completion
11 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

12. Note: N2 devices will appear off-line to the supervisory controller
during the auto configuration process.
12 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

13.  With the management
console you can…
◦ Test read and write to
any point on any device
◦ Review detailed
information on any
device
◦ Rename, create, and
delete points or
devices, real or virtual
◦ Manage all S4 Open
appliances detected on
the Ethernet network
13 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

14. M3 / M5 Workstation
Replacement
Workstation
Ethernet Network
N30 / NCM
Supervisory Controller Install the replacement OPC or
BACnet HMI / Head End
S4 Open
Appliance
N2 Protocol
(RS-485)
VMA Device DX-9100 TEC2145-2 MS-MIG3120
TCS Basys
(N2B (System 91 (N2 Open (Metasys
(VND Device)
Protocol) Protocol) Protocol) Integrator)
14 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

15.  Develop Graphics for HMI
 If the legacy head end is being removed:
◦ Define Schedules
◦ Define Trends
◦ Replace any Global Variables
◦ Replace any supervisory controller logic
 Be aware: the legacy head end and the replacement
workstation may both try to control the same
points!
◦ Last one in wins
15 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

16. M3 / M5 Workstation
Replacement
Workstation
Ethernet Network
N30 / NCM Remove Legacy Metasys
Supervisory Controller Supervisory Controller and
Workstation
(Optional)
S4 Open
Appliance
N2 Protocol
(RS-485)
VMA Device DX-9100 TEC2145-2 MS-MIG3120
TCS Basys
(N2B (System 91 (N2 Open (Metasys
(VND Device)
Protocol) Protocol) Protocol) Integrator)
16 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

17.  BACnet IP
 BACnet-N2 Router Device ID and Network
◦ This can be set and easily modified via the management
console
◦ The entire Metasys installation is published as one BACnet
device
 Standard BACnet Data Objects are Supported
 Instance Numbers are based on the published N2
address
◦ Six digit Instance Numbers
◦ Leftmost 3 Digits reflect the source N2 address
◦ Rightmost 3 digits make the object unique
17 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

18.  The S4 Open: Management Console transparently
creates a local OPC Proxy Server and establishes a
tunnel to the OPC-N2 Router
 The OPC Proxy Server, and associated tunnel, are
established on the local machine during the Auto
Detection process, or manual linking process, for S4
Open appliances.
 From the standpoint of an OPC client application, it
is talking to a local OPC server so there are no
DCOM configuration or security issues
18 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

19. Optonal
M3 / M5 Replacement
Workstation Workstation
Ethernet Network
N30 / NCM
Supervisory
S4 Open
Controller
Appliance
N2 Protocol
(RS-485)
VMA Device DX-9100 TEC2145-2 MS-MIG3120
TCS Basys
(N2B (System 91 (N2 Open (Metasys
(VND Device)
Protocol) Protocol) Protocol) Integrator)
VMA Device DX-9100 TEC2145-2 MS-MIG3120
TCS Basys
(N2B (System 91 (N2 Open (Metasys
(VND Device)
Protocol) Protocol) Protocol) Integrator)
19 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

20.  No two devices can have the same address so…
◦ The N2 Router translates N2 addresses to resolve duplicate addresses
◦ Device on the lower bus keeps original address
◦ No need to manually change N2 device switches
20 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

21.  The N2 bus is limited to 9600 baud half-duplex
◦ The S4 Open appliance protects the N2 bus from becoming overwhelmed
with requests from high speed Ethernet interfaces
◦ The S4 Open appliance has built in performance and error monitoring
capabilities
 Installation problems
◦ Validate the N2 bus
◦ Repair any electrical or installation problems
 Polling a large number of points at high frequency
◦ EMF interference and malfunctioning N2 devices, along with other
factors, contribute to time-out, data loss, and associated errors
 These issues compound exponentially as the physical downstream
Bus grows in size and age
 JCI Engineering Guidelines
◦ N30 – 50 N2 devices
◦ NCM – 100 N2 devices
21 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

22.  The N2 bus is limited to 9600 baud half-duplex
◦ This can’t be changed!
 Split a single large N2 Bus into multiple segments
◦ Each segment is brought into a single N2 Router on separate
downstream ports
◦ The new configuration will continue to look and behave like a
single N2 Bus to any upstream supervisory controllers
◦ This is all achieved without the need to implement any new logic
in the supervisory controller or extensive rewiring.
 Split a single large N2 Bus into multiple segments
◦ Each segment is served with its own S4 Open Appliance
◦ From the point of view of the supervisory equipment there are
now 2 separate N2 buses
◦ At the field level, communications are running much more
smoothly and efficiently.
22 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

23.  Currently, all points on all devices are discovered on
the downstream legacy network(s) and published as
a list of points on one BACnet device
 A future enhancement will enable the router to
discover N2 devices and publish them as individual
BACnet devices – our OPC router already has this
functionality
 BBMD Support
23 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

24. BACnet or OPC
(ETHERNET)
Downstream N2 Connection Via
Advantech ADAM Ethernet Serial
Server Replacement
Workstation
Ethernet Network
BACnet or OPC
(ETHERNET)
N2 Protocol
(ETHERNET)
(ETHERNET)
N2 Protocol
ADAM
Serial Server S4 Open
N2 Protocol Appliance
(RS-485)
VMA Device DX-9100 TEC2145-2 MS-MIG3120
TCS Basys
(N2B (System 91 (N2 Open (Metasys
(VND Device)
Protocol) Protocol) Protocol) Integrator)
24 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

25. Example Integrations Using S4 Open Appliances
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26.  Problem
◦ A potential customer has a
small, one story, office building
with 12 units.
◦ The building has a total of 10 N2
devices
◦ The N30 supervisory controller
is no longer functioning, all N2
devices are in default operation
mode.
 Solution
◦ Replace N30 with BACnet-N2
Router 16
◦ Install new BACnet based HMI
26 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

27.  Problem
◦ A school district needs to keep
track of energy usage across a
diverse range of buildings
◦ A sizable percentage of the
buildings are Metasys based
◦ The district already uses an OPC-
based trending solution for central
reporting for some of the buildings
 Solution
◦ Install an appropriately sized OPC-
N2 Router in each building
◦ Connect each OPC-N2 Router to
the central office via existing IT
infrastructure
27 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

28.  Problem
◦ A potential customer wants to migrate from
Metasys to a purely BACnet-based system
◦ Budget does not allow for a complete upgrade to
take place all at once
 Solution
◦ Install one appropriately BACnet-N2 Router
for each legacy supervisory controller
◦ Install a new BACnet-based HMI, all data from
the legacy Metasys installation is immediately
available to the new system
◦ Leave the legacy controller in place and allow it
to continue communicating via the upstream
interface on the BACnet-N2 Router
◦ Run a parallel BACnet field bus and replace N2
controllers with BACnet controllers as budget
allows or as need arises
28 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

29.  Solutions using a Lego®-like architecture with plug-in modules
 Product family includes N2 Switch, OPC-N2 Router, BACnet-
N2 Router
Upstream Interfaces
Ethernet RS-232 RS-485
BACnet OPC Metasys N2®
SNMP XML/oBIX …

Auto Configure Scheduler JIT Compilers Administration
Virtual Universal
Devices Core Services Points
Routing Address Management Object Management

Metasys®
N2
OPC BACnet MODbus DALI Siemens P1 …
Ethernet RS-232 RS-485 Ethernet Serial Server
Downstream Interfaces
29 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

30.  Downstream Protocols
◦ Siemens P1
◦ Barber-Colman
◦ MODbus
◦ EnOcean
◦ …
 Upstream Protocols
◦ SNMP
◦ XML / oBIX
◦ …
 Built in logic to replace supervisory controllers
◦ Data Distribution Daemon
 Support for more serial server brands
 Wherever the market takes us
30 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.

31. 31 © 2011 The S4 Group, Inc.