T1S1a - The BACnet Open Standard

The BACnet Open Standard
Ben H. Dorsey III

Director of Communications
KMC Controls, Inc.
Preview
• BACnet—the standard
• BACnet—the community
• BACnet—and you

But first . . .
• Next year’s BACnet Conference
• Needs a theme and logo

Caution
• BACnet is BIG

Part 1
BACnet—the standard
What is BACnet?
• A book
• An open standard
• A data communications protocol
• An acronym: Building Automation and Control Networks
• A means of integrating building systems
• A way of life!

So . . .
• BACnet is a data communications protocol and an

agreed-upon set of rules for creating interoperable
networks of building systems.

Encompassing . . .
• Building Automation Systems (BAS)

• HVAC Central Plant (Chillers, Boilers, Large Air
Handlers)
• Lighting
• Perimeter and Object Security
• Fire and LifeSafety
• Elevators
• The integration of all of the above.

Who did it?
• A working group (standard
project committee) of the
American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating and Air-
Conditioning Engineers
(ASHRAE).
• Began work in 1987 under
tremendous opposition (some
said it would NEVER be done).
• Published as a standard in
1995.
• Supported and maintained by
ASHRAE Standing Standard
Project Committee 135.
It’s Alive!!!
• By design, the standard is under continual

revision.
• First published in 1995.
• In recent times, most manufacturers’ products
were designed to the 2001 standard.
• Then, the 2004 standard was published (and
manufacturers, of course, responded).

Not a Reactive Process
• Addenda are issued as the committee works.

• Public review and comments are mandatory
and common.
• So, for example, when 2004 was issued, it
consisted of 2001 + previously issued
addenda. (No surprises.)

What the Standard Defines
• In essence, the standard defines the messages that

devices exchange and how they are delivered.
message transport

Further . . .
• The rules of the protocol apply to
– Electrical signaling
– Addressing
– Network access (master/slave, peer-to-peer)
– Error checking
– Flow control
– Message sequencing and segmentation
– Presentation format (compression, encryption)
– Message format
Source: Mike Newman, BACnet pioneer

Another Pyramid?
• The protocol can be viewed as a matrix of layers.
BIBBS
Services
Devices
Objects
Properties

Properties
• The nucleus to the BACnet
atom—the smallest piece of
BACnet information
BIBBS
• Properties can be read and
written. Services
• Properties can provide
command control. Devices
• They consist of names and

values. Objects
Properties

Properties
• Example: high_limit = 78.0

• The standard requires some properties; other properties
are optional; still others can be proprietary.
• Required properties must be implemented for each
object type.
• Optional properties do not have to be implemented, but if
they are, they must conform to the specification.

Property Identifiers
• Property types 0 – 511 are reserved as standard.

• 166 of these are currently defined in the BACnet
specification.
• Property types above 511 are proprietary and unique to
the vendor.
• The Vendor ID property is used to identify the
manufacturer.

Objects
• Objects are the fundamental
building blocks (atoms) of the
standard.
• Objects represent data that
BIBBS
originates in physical inputs,
physical outputs, or software
processes. Services
• Each BACnet Object

possesses a number of Devices
properties.
Objects
Properties

Object Types
• The standard specifies 25 types of objects:
Binary Input Binary Output Binary Value Analog Input Analog Output
Analog Value Multi-state Multi-state Multi-state Averaging

Input Output Value
PID Loop Trend Log Command Calendar Schedule
Life Safety Life Safety Notification Event Program

Zone Point Class Enrollment
File Group Device Pulse Accumulator
Converter

Objects
• Vendors can implement proprietary object types.

• When they do so, they use standard data types to
promote interoperability.

Object IDs
• Numerical identifier that combines object type and

instance number.
• Object types 0 – 127 are reserved to identify standard
BACnet objects.
• Object types 128 – 1023 are used to identify proprietary
objects.

Object IDs
• BACnet devices will support any mixture of object types

up to a limit of 4,194,303 instances.
• Object IDs are typically referred to in this manner:
Analog Input, 5

Objects—Summary
• Objects standardize the organization of data to facilitate

the exchange of data between different vendors’
products.

Devices
• There are six device types or profiles
specified by the standard:
– Operator Workstation (B-OWS)
BIBBS
– Building Controller (B-BC)
– Advanced Application Controller Services
(B-AAC)
– Application Specific Controller Devices
(B-ASC)
– Smart Actuator (B-SA) Objects
– Smart Sensor (B-SS)

Properties

Services
• Think of BACnet services as the
messages that BACnet devices
send to each other.
• Some services read and write
BIBBS
properties of one or more
objects.
• Other services send notification Services
of alarms or special events.
Devices
• Still other services read and
write files.
Objects
Properties

Services
• BACnet services follow a Client-Server model.

– A BACnet client is a device that requests a service
– A BACnet server is a device that performs a service

Categories of Services
• Alarm and Event
– Routing & event notification
• File Access
– Accessing & manipulating files contained in devices
• Object Access
– Read and write properties
– Create and delete objects
– Manipulate lists of data
• Remote Device Management
– Remote monitoring and control of devices
• Virtual Terminal
– Used by a client user to establish a connection to an application
program server in another BACnet device.

Services—ReadProperty
We wish to read the present value for an analog input called “SPACE_TEMP”
Service= ReadProperty
‘ObjectIdentifier’ = (Analog Input, Instance 5)
‘PropertyIdentifier’ = Present_Value
Operator Workstation
(client)
MS/TP AAC
(server)
Assuming the target machine can locate the object with this ID and the requested properties, the
result would be:
Service= ReadProperty
‘ObjectIdentifier’ = (Analog Input, Instance 5)
‘PropertyIdentifier’ = Present_Value
‘Value’ = 72.3
The result indicates that the present value of “SPACE_TEMP” is 72.3

Source: ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 135-2004, page 494

BIBBS
• BACnet Interoperability Building
Blocks
• BIBBS are collections of
services
• BIBBS define 5 areas of
BIBBS
interoperability:
Services
– Data Sharing
– Alarm and Event Devices
Management
– Scheduling
Objects
– Trending
– Device and Network Properties
Management

Data Sharing BIBBS
Description B-OWS B-BC B-AAC B-ASC B-SA B-SS
DS-RP-A (read property) • •
DS-RP-B • • • • • •
DS-RPM-A (read property multiple) • •
DS-RPM-B • •
DS-RPC-A (read property conditional)

DS-RPC-B
DS-WP-A (write property) • •
DS-WP-B • • • •
DS-WPM-A (write property multiple) •
DS-WPM-B • •
DS-COV-A
DS-COV-B
DS-COVP-A
DS-COVP-B
DS-COVU-A (COV, unsolicited) •
DS-COVU-B •

Alarm & Event Management BIBBS
AE-N-A (notification) •
AE-N-I-B (notification, internal) • •
AE-N-E-B (notification, external)
AE-ACK-A •
AE-ACK-B • •
AE-ASUM-A (summary)
AE-ASUM-B
AE-ESUM-A (enrollment summary) •
AE-ESUM-B •
AE-INFO-A •
AE-INFO-B • •
AE-LS-A (life safety)
AE-LS-B

Scheduling & Trending BIBBS
SCHED-A •
SCHED-I-B (internal) •
SCHED-E-B (external) •
T-VMT-A (viewing & modifying) •

T-VMT-I-B •
T-VMT-E-B
T-ATR-A (automated trend retrieval) •
T-ATR-B •

Device & Network Management BIBBS (1 of 2)
DM-DDB-A (dynamic device binding) • •
DM-DDB-B • • • •
DM-DOB-A (dynamic device object) • •
DM-DOB-B • • • •
DM-DCC-A (device communication control) •
DM-DCC-B • • •
DM-PT-A (private transfer)
DM-PT-B
DM-TM-A (text message)
DM-TM-B
DM-TS-A (time synchronization) •
DM-TS-B • or • or
DM-UTC-A (UTC time synchronization) •
DM-UTC-B (UTC time synchronization) • •
DM-RD-A (reinitialize device) •

Device & Network Management BIBBS (2 of 2)
DM-RD-B • •
DM-BR-A (backup & restore) •
DM-BR-B •
DM-R-A (restart)
DM-R-B
DM-LM-A (list manipulation)
DM-LM-B
DM-OCD-A (object creation & deletion)
DM-OCD-B
DM-VT-A (virtual terminal)
DM-VT-B
NM-CE-A (connection establishment) • •
NM-CE-B
NM-RC-A (router configuration)
NM-RC-B

BIBBs Summary Example: B-BC
• Data Sharing
– Ability to provide the values of any of its BACnet objects
– Ability to retrieve the values of BACnet objects from other devices
– Ability to allow modification of some or all of its BACnet objects by another device
– Ability to modify some BACnet objects in other devices
• Alarm & Event Management
– Generation of alarm/event notifications and the ability to direct them to recipients
– Maintain a list of unacknowledged alarms/events
– Notifying other recipients that the acknowledgement has been received
– Adjustment of alarm/event parameters
• Scheduling
– Ability to schedule output actions, both in the local device and in other devices, both binary and
analog, based on date and time
• Trending
– Collection and delivery of (time, value) pairs
• Device & Network Management
– Ability to respond to queries about its status
– Ability to respond to requests for information about any of its objects
– Ability to respond to communication control messages
– Ability to synchronize its internal clock upon request
– Ability to perform re-initialization upon request
– Ability to upload its configuration and allow it to be subsequently restored
– Ability to command half-routers to establish and terminate connections

Transport Options
• BACnet IP
• BACnet Ethernet (8802-3)
• Master Slave/Token Passing (MSTP)
• ARCnet
• LonTalk
• Point-To-Point (PTP)

Transport Comparison
BACnet IP Popular, fast. No real performance Broadcast issues.
difference between this and 8802-3.
Use BBMD or PAD router to get
across an IP router.
BACnet 8802-3 Popular, fast. No real performance Cannot get across IP

difference between this and IP. routers.
MSTP Very popular, especially as a low- Lower performance.

level bus technology for AACs and
ASCs. Uses EIA-485 signaling over
twisted pair wiring.

BACnet Layers vs OSI Layers
Standard OSI Reference Model
Application BACnet Layers Equivalent OSI Layer
Presentation
BACnet Application Layer Application
Session
BACnet Network Layer Network
Transport
ISO8802-2 (IEE 8802.3) Data Link
MS/TP PTP
Type 1
Network LonTalk
ISO8802-3
ARCNET Physical
(IEE 802.3) EIA-485 EIA-232
Data Link
Physical
Source: ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 135-2004, page 9

Auxiliary Devices
• Routers
– Useful when networks using different BACnet
transport options need to exchange data.*
Router
Operator Workstation on 
BACnet IP network
BACnet MSTP Controller Network
*This concept is referred to as

“Internetworking.”

Auxiliary Devices
• Gateways
– Useful when devices on a BACnet network must
exchange data with devices on a non-BACnet
network.*
Gateway

*This is also
Internetworking.
Proprietary Network
BACnet network

So, what’s the difference?
• A router is really a pass-through device. It doesn’t
change the form or content of the message but just
the packaging—much like repackaging a standard
USPS letter for sending via Fedex.
• A gateway has to translate and is inherently more
complex. It opens the letter, translates it into a
second language, and puts it back into some sort of
envelope and sends it on.
Source: Mike Newman, BACnet pioneer

How Does BACnet Work?
Application Language
Representing •Objects
Information
Making Requests •Services

and Interoperating
Transport System •LANs

•Internetworking
Source: David Fisher, PolarSoft

Typical System View
Management Level B-OWS
Ethernet or IP LAN
B-BC Router Gateway

Integration Level
MSTP LAN Proprietary LAN

Field Controller Level
B-ASCs & B-AACs

B-SS Proprietary Controllers
Application Level
BACnet-enabled Applications & other apps

Part 2
BACnet—the community
Engineers & Educators
• Members of ASHRAE
– 12 standard regions with 7-16 chapters in each
– Beyond America, ASHRAE reaches into Canada and South
America.
– Beyond the Americas, ASHRAE reaches into
• Hong Kong Middle East Scotland
• Malaysia India Wales
• Philippines Africa Ireland
• Singapore Europe
• Taiwan Scandinavia
• Thailand England

SSPC 135
• Consists of 7 working groups:
– Applications
– Lighting Applications
– Life Safety & Security
– Network Security
– Objects & Services
– Utility Integration
– XML & Web Services

Manufacturers
• The BACnet Manufacturers Association
– Formed in January 2000 to "encourage the
successful use of the data communication
protocol, "BACnet", in building automation and
control systems, through interoperability and
compliance testing, educational programs, and
promotional activities.“
– www.bacnetassociation.org

Corporate BMA Members

Plugfests
• Among the many initiatives undertaken by the BMA are
interoperability workshops or “plugfests.”
• At this Fall’s workshop in Massachusetts, more than 27
companies took part in a 3-day event of validating product
interoperability.

Interests Groups
• BIGs consist of users, integrators, manufacturers,
contractors, and other interested parties.
Interest groups now forming

in Russia & Sweden

BTL
• BACnet Testing Laboratories
– Established under direction and
continued supervision of the BMA in
Feb 2000
– “Our goal is to improve
interoperability between BACnet
products through a combination of
BTL lab testing, multi-vendor
interoperability testing, and
adherence to the BTL's device
implementation guidelines.” (Jim
Butler, BTL Manager)
– Lists products by issuing mark

BTL
• Uses an application specifically developed for this
purpose and known as Visual Test Shell.
• Has freedom to make requirements above and
beyond the minimum requirements specified in the
standard.
• Manufacturers are given pretest guidelines.
• Requires an extended engineering commitment of
manufacturers.

Part 3
BACnet—and you
BACnet & You
• Why go BACnet?
• Engineer & owner considerations
• Is it really interoperable?
• What’s next?

BACnet Benefits
• It is an accepted standard domestically
(ASHRAE/ANSI 135-2004), in Europe (CEN TC 247),
and worldwide (ISO 16484-5).
• It was developed specifically for building systems.
• While HVAC is at its roots, the standard nicely
incorporates other integrated functions.

BACnet Benefits
• It can be implemented on low-cost networks
(dedicated or shared) and is extremely flexible in LAN
types.
• BACnet devices are cost competitive with long-
standing proprietary devices.
• The standard specifically provides for scheduling,
trending, and alarming.

BACnet Benefits
• It is easily scalable at all levels for any size job.

• It is completely open and not dependent on specific
hardware.
• It provides for automatic device discovery (saving
installation costs).

BACnet Challenges
• It does not specify hardware configuration. Therefore,

configuration tools (required for initial device setup) vary
by manufacturer.
• No standard application types are defined; therefore, it’s
not yet plug-n-play.

Considerations
• Become familiar with PICS
– Protocol Implementation Conformance Statements
– Defined format
– Specify device type, BIBBS supported, Object
Types supported, and Data Link layer transport
options.
– Required for each BACnet device
– Available to you

Considerations
• Become familiar with PICS.
• Look for “native” BACnet.
– Native BACnet typically refers to a device that
inherently represents data in BACnet format and
communicates utilizing BACnet messaging. Native
BACnet devices can be connected to a BACnet
system without requiring a gateway device or
software driver to translate to and from any
proprietary protocols. (Source: Delta Controls website)

Considerations
• Specify BTL listed products.
– This is the BACnet community’s seal of approval.
– Note exception for operator workstations (no
testing yet scheduled).

Considerations

• Need spec writing assistance?
– Do not go to the standard (at least for this purpose).
– Use your manufacturers’ reps.
– Try www.ctrlspecbuilder.com.

Considerations

• Get spec writing assistance if needed.
• Use protocol analyzers.

Considerations

• Get spec writing assistance if needed.
• Use protocol analyzers.
• Demand training.

Is it really Interoperable?

Sample Interoperability
• 450 Golden Gate, San Francisco—Phillip
Burton Federal Building
• Landmark BACnet installation using two
vendor systems (Alerton BACtalk and
Trane Tracer Summit) on BACnet network.
• 9000 points, over 1000 VAV terminal units,

8 large AHUs, 13 single-zone AHUs

• Paducah Community College, Kentucky
• BACnet installation using two vendor systems
(Alerton and Reliable Controls) on BACnet
network.
• 6 buildings, 1000 points

• NY Metropolitan Hospital, Manhattan
• BACnet installation using two vendor
systems (Delta Controls and KMC
Controls) on BACnet network.
• Recent isolation wing renovation
brought KMC AACs onto the Delta
ORCAview® network.

Sample Interoperability/Integration
• University of Arizona
• 435 total buildings. BACnet IP campus
WAN
• Numerous vendor systems featuring
BMA members Automated Logic
Corporation and FieldServer
Technologies
• ALC’s WebCTRL® manages the front
end. FieldServer integrates numerous
devices and systems (including
Modbus, LonWorks, and Simplex) into
the BACnet network.

Where is BACnet Going?
• BACnet support of IP communications lays the
necessary groundwork for enterprise-wide
challenges.
• To meet these challenges, however, will require
greater utilization of Internet protocols developed in
the IT realm.

XML & Web Services
• Not really applicable to field-level controllers but high-level
communications.
• XML provides for examining high-level data while not being
dependent on the communication protocol of the BAS, such as
BACnet.
• So, BACnet manufacturers need to support XML in the operator
workstation, for example.
• Further, web services, such as .NET, provide for greater
possibilities in information exchange.
• The SSPC 135 XML Working Group is defining how data can be
exchanged consistently between building automation systems
and other enterprise management systems.

Further Resources
• www.bacnet.org
• www.bacnetassociation.org

So, what are you waiting for?

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The BACnet Open Standard

Ben H. Dorsey III

The BACnet Open Standard

The BACnet Open Standard

The BACnet Open Standard

The BACnet Open Standard

• BACnet is a data communications protocol and an

The BACnet Open Standard

• Building Automation Systems (BAS)

The BACnet Open Standard

• By design, the standard is under continual

The BACnet Open Standard

• Addenda are issued as the committee works.

The BACnet Open Standard

• In essence, the standard defines the messages that

The BACnet Open Standard

Source: Mike Newman, BACnet pioneer

The BACnet Open Standard

The BACnet Open Standard

• They consist of names and

The BACnet Open Standard

• Example: high_limit = 78.0

The BACnet Open Standard

• Property types 0 – 511 are reserved as standard.

The BACnet Open Standard

• Each BACnet Object

The BACnet Open Standard

Analog Value Multi-state Multi-state Multi-state Averaging

Life Safety Life Safety Notification Event Program

The BACnet Open Standard

• Vendors can implement proprietary object types.

The BACnet Open Standard

• Numerical identifier that combines object type and

The BACnet Open Standard

• BACnet devices will support any mixture of object types

The BACnet Open Standard

• Objects standardize the organization of data to facilitate

The BACnet Open Standard

– Smart Sensor (B-SS)

The BACnet Open Standard

The BACnet Open Standard

• BACnet services follow a Client-Server model.

The BACnet Open Standard

The BACnet Open Standard

The result indicates that the present value of “SPACE_TEMP” is 72.3

The BACnet Open Standard

The BACnet Open Standard

DS-RPM-A (read property multiple) • •

DS-RPC-A (read property conditional)

DS-WPM-A (write property multiple) •

The BACnet Open Standard

AE-N-I-B (notification, internal) • •

AE-N-E-B (notification, external)

AE-ESUM-A (enrollment summary) •

AE-LS-A (life safety)

The BACnet Open Standard

Description B-OWS B-BC B-AAC B-ASC B-SA B-SS

T-VMT-A (viewing & modifying) •

The BACnet Open Standard

DM-DDB-A (dynamic device binding) • •