BACstac Windows Service

[skreidle]

Honeywell's Enterprise Building Integration software (EBI), as well as our internal software tools (ComfortPoint Open Studio, ComfortPoint Open Online), use BACstac to access BACnet/IP devices. However, I've encountered an apparent limitation in the BACstac service that inhibits some remote work I'd like to be able to do: I'm told that since our EBI is using BACstac on Windows Server installations (to communicate with and control customer BAS), our own tools can't be installed and run concurrently on those servers, since "only one tool at a time can use [the BACstac service]", according to one of my technical contacts.

Is that an accurate assessment, and/or is there a workaround? I'd like to be able remotely control datapoints and update controller software, through the customer server which I can remotely access, without a) leaving a service laptop onsite for that purpose, or b) shutting down EBI completely for the duration of any relevant service, which might not even work anyway -- it's unclear if the CPO software can even be installed on the server if EBI is monopolizing the BACstac service. (I sent a query to Cimetrics, and they suggested talking to "my device vendor". )

[MaxBurn]

Is this a simple "port 47808 is in use by another application" issue? I'm not familiar with that software.

If it is though you can add another IP address to the NIC and have each app use one IP address. Then tell one app to bind to one IP and the other to the other.

[skreidle]

To clarify, BACstac is "the leading BACnet protocol stack (SDK)" from Cimetrics.

[Reckles]

Are you trying to get EBI and CPO studio work on the same server?

[amigo]

I am not an expert in those two software, but can you not have both installed, and just run one at a time?

[Reckles]

Are you sure CPO Studio uses BACstac? We have never bothered to install both on the same server, but BACstac service and configuration tool gets installed automatically with EBI. However BACstac is not installed with CPO studio, could it be using a different method to access the BACnet network? If so you wouldn't have a problem. BACstac is quite old so I wouldn't be surprised if your statement on one tool at a time is correct.

[orion242]

Bacstac is still actively maintained / sold.

If its active, 47808 or whatever port its using will be tied up and anything else won't be able to use it unless you fool around with additional IPs / nics.

I doubt you could run two instances of Bacstac on the same machine. It runs as a service and also adds its tentacles to every NIC installed on the machine. They have a feature that allows multiple connections to the one instance, so I would have to assume that is the preferred way to pull that off. Would think that the applications going that route would have to be programed to use this.

[MaxBurn]

OK so if simply adding another IP to the NIC isn't enough because there's other resource conflicts you can always virtualize. Create another machine in something as simple as virtual box, bridge the network connection so that the VM presents on the same network as the host and you are all set.