CBAS Workstations: How Many, How to Program, and How to Connect

The term for a Workstation in CBAS is GW. Some people think that means gateway, but it really means Graphical Workstation. On the DPU or Automation Server, CBAS runs the Database for the building in Real Mode and communicates to the Controllers at the site. Workstations connect to the DPU and basically share the database, freeing up the DPU.

From CBAS on a GW, you can do almost everything that can be done on the DPU: command points; change Logic, Schedules and PIDs etc; run reports; add and remove Access Control Cards; add users etc. Some things you can’t do from a GW are make backups, or add and remove controllers, points, channels, etc.

By default, CBAS Professional allows up to 2 GWs to connect at one time. You can program as many as you want in the Workstation Channel, but only 2 can connect. However, additional GWs can be purchased and added to the site license giving the building more.

Generally, when the database is first programmed and the controllers commissioned, 2 GWs are added to the database by the technician doing the installation. To add GWs to the DPU, go to Editor Mode then Hardware View, click the Workstation Channel then Controllers. On a new database, you will only see the Local GW, which is really the graphical interface to the DPU running in Real Mode, and always shows that it has Normal communication. Click Add a GW/Stringserver.

Give it a name that indicates where it is located or who is using it, then choose GW for the configuration and click Add NOW!

Once you have added all needed GWs, escape from the Workstation Channel screen then click it again and click Program. On this screen, make sure the IP address listed is the IP address of the DPU’s network card. You can get this by opening a Command Prompt and typing ipconfig/all then Enter. If you have more than one IP address, make sure you enter the one that is on the subnet where the GW computers are. Otherwise, CBAS doesn’t know which network card to reply back to, so it might choose the wrong one. There are 2 fields for the IP address, which facilitates a Secondary DPU connection (redundant DPU). Enter the same IP address in both fields if you do not have this. Once entered, escape and you can return to Real Mode. You can change the IP address in Real Mode but you have to restart CBAS after.

To connect a GW, you must have CBAS installed on another computer. The version of CBAS must be fairly close to the same version as the DPU. To see what version is running on either the GW or DPU, go to System, then CBAS Version and note the Product Version. If you are not on the same version, you can close CBAS and copy the CBAS19.exe from the C:\CBAS19 folder on the DPU and copy it to the same location on the GW.

When you open CBAS on the GW, it will probably open in Editor mode. If a database opens, close it by going to Database, Close Database. Once closed, you will only see Database and System on the Main Menu. Click Database, then Open Database and choose Remote GW.

Type in the IP address of the DPU then check the box to Load GW Names and wait. If successful, you can click the dropdown list above and choose a GW name that is not already connected. The list will tell you which ones are not connected. If they are all connected, then you need to add more GWs to the DPU. DO NOT TRY TO CONNECT AS THE LOCAL GW. After choosing a GW, click the connect button and give it a minute to download, then you can begin using CBAS.

There are a few things that can prevent the connection. The DPU might not be in Real Mode.

If you get a TCP\IP error then you might have the wrong IP address for the DPU or there could be a network problem preventing the connection. It’s possible that TCP\IP ports are blocked on the network.

It could also be the Windows Firewall on the DPU. Turn off the firewall or make an exception for incoming IP Port 8750. If the CBAS version is 15 or later, you also need to open port 3306 for MySQL.

Workstations are a good thing to have when multiple engineering or security personnel need to have access to CBAS.