Versions Compared

Old Version 2

changes.mady.by.user Kimberly Cruz

Saved on

compared with

New Version 3

changes.mady.by.user Kimberly Cruz

Saved on

Key

  • This line was added.
  • This line was removed.
  • Formatting was changed.
Table of Contents

Overview

The KNX connector is part of the KnxExt and it implements connector support for the KNX protocol. It follows the standard connector model:

  • Connectors: used to configure a JKNXC connection to a KNX access point (typically an IP interface)

  • Functions: provide access to read/write/learn from within your Axon scripts

Current support

Currently KnxExt supports the KNXNet/IP version of the KNX protocol. Reading and writing is supported via tunneling only. Device discovery is not yet supported.

Dependencies

The architecture of the KNX connector makes use of the JKNXC (Java interface which is modeled on the JDBC API. FIN leverages the JKNXC infrastructure for using various KNX Java drivers. The JKNXC interface is implemented by all FIN JKNXC drivers, therefore anyone who needs a customized KNX driver can simply implement the JKNXC interface.

These are the main dependencies for the KNX connector:

Image Removed

  • knxExt.pod: J2-owned library that implements the KNX connector. Interfaces only with knx.pod.  

    • Can use the connector Uri to allow user-defined drivers

    • Ensure that knxExt.pod is present in lib/fan/.

  • knx.pod: encapsulates the JKNXC interface (jknxc.jar)

    • Holds the *knxproj parser and the KnxLink definition

    • Ensure that knx.pod is present in lib/fan/

  • jknxc-[driver]: a custom implementation of the JKNXC interface.

    • The FIN implementation of JKNXC is based on the Open Source Calimero library, therefore the name of this dependency is jknxc-calimero.jar which bundles the jknxc.jar and calimero-core-x.x.jar

    • Ensure that jknxc-[driver] is present in lib/java/ext/

Another prerequisite is the units.props file which should be placed under \etc\knx. This file is responsible for translating the KNX DPTs into Haystack types.

Importing an ETS project (*.knxproj)

The startup point to any KNX configuration is defining the KNX topology of one or several installations using the ETS tool, which can be downloaded from the KNX Association website (http://www.knx.org ).

Here’s a sample project opened in ETS, showing the network topology, group addresses and the diagnostics/monitoring views:

Image RemovedImage Added

After creating and configuring a KNX project, a *.knxproj file will be available and can be imported into FIN.

To upload a *.knxproj file into a FIN project, go to FIN System Integrator Apps -> DB Builder -> Connectors -> Knx -> Projects, click on the Upload button and select a *knxproj file.

In the same view, the there are options of to Replace and or Deleteare available to the uploaded *knxproj file. When uploading a *knxproj file into a FIN project, that file is available for all Knx connectors created under that FIN project.

Image RemovedImage Added

Creating a KNX connector

The mandatory requirement to create a KnxConn is the connector Uri. Additionally you can opt to provide a *knxproj file or not.

The connector URI has the following format:

knx-[driver]calimero://[IP]:[port]/

where:

driver – (currently not implemented yet), default is calimero, users can have their own

  • IP – the IP address of the KNX interface/gateway device we use to access the KNX network

  • port - default for KNX is 3671

The FIN Knx connector URI also has an enhanced version where a KNX Group Address can be appended it, i.e. knx-calimero://192.168.1.100:3671/2/0/3. Additionally, the appended group address can have wildcards, like 2/1/* or 1/*/5, which would allow for similar/identical functionalities to operate on a batch of group addresses instead of a single one.

Test out theconnector using the knxPing Axon function:

read(knxConn).knxPing

or by You can test out your connector using the connector UI under the Equip Tree accessible from the DB Builder app.

If trying to establish connection to an endpoint using NAT (Network Address Translation), add the knxUseNat marker tag to the connector record. NAT usage without extra safety measures is not recommended. Port forwarding provides universal access to a local IP network and KNX system. Any Internet user can discover the open port on a static public IP address and can, for example, access the KNX network via ETS. It is recommended to connect to the endpoint via VPN and to change the default KNX port (3671) to one from the unreserved range (50000-60000).

Learning data points from an imported *.knxproj

Image Added

From the KnxConn view, discover the data points from the chosen *knxproj. Before learning a data point as a point in FIN, you have the ability to first edit its definition in the knxproj file by using the Edit Datapoint button in the point discovery interface.

This can be used for datapoints that don’t originally come with a data point type assigned from the knxproj, to configure if they are readable and/or writable or if need to change some of the point information before adding it to the equip.

Image Removed

Once done, select the points to add into the Equip Tree by clicking Add/Add all or drag and drop the point(s) under an equip.

Note

When editing a data point the changes are made on the imported knxproj file, therefore all other KnxConns using that *knxproj file will be impacted

.

Besides the FIN Discover view, learning can calso be done using the KnxLearn Axon function as following:

read(knxConn)

.

knxLearn

which returns a Grid of all discovered data points on that KnxConn.

Translating KNX DPTs into Haystack types

The KNX standard comes with a complex system of data point typing, which the *.knxproj parser inside the knx.pod translates into the FIN/Haystack data types.

Specifying the DPT

You can specify the data point type in the following formats. Refer to the KNX specification available at http://www.knx.org.

  • 1.009 (close/open encoding)

  • DPST-1-9 (close/open encoding)

  • DPT-1 (generic boolean, no subtype)

  • DPST-4-1[0] (retrieves the increase/decrease encoding bit of the generic DPST-4-1 data point type, which is an 8-bit encoding)

  • 4 or 4-xxx (generic DPST-4-xxx type)

  • 4.001 (DPT subtype)

  • 4.009.0 (first part of the DPST-4-9 DPT)

Units

Units translation from KNX to Haystack is done via the units.props file found under /etc/sys/. In case your *.knxproj file defines a non-standard KNX unit, you can add it to the units.props file or change an already existing binding in that file. A FIN restart is required after altering this file.

Reading and Writing

Reading and writing the same objects on KNX can be performed on the same group address or on dedicated group addresses independently. For example, reading a batch of switches/binary outputs is done with the 1/1/* group addresses, while writing to these channels is performed with the 1/0/* group addresses, or they both reading and writing can be performed on the same group address.

AXON funcs exposed by KnxExt

The following Axon funcs can be used to interface with the KnxExt:

Backend funcs:

Usage: knxPing(knxConn)

knxPing : performs an async ping on a given connector.

Usage: knxSyncCur(knxConn)

knxSyncCur: asynchronously synchronize current values for given list of proxy points

Usage: knxLearn(knxConn, null)

knxLearn : synchronous learn read on the given connector.

Usage: knxLearn()

knxFindProjectFiles: searches for *.knxproj files in the following places: \var\proj\[proj_name]\io, \var\proj\[proj_name]\data\knx, inside the pods(uploads what it finds into FIN and tags it as knxProjFile), file records with knxProjFile tag

Usage: knxDeleteProjectFiles(fileList)

knxDeleteProjectFiles: deletes *knxproj files from the FIN project

Usage: knxReplaceProjectFile(dictOriginalFile, dictReplacementFile)

knxReplaceProjectFile: replaces a *.knxproj file in the current project with another one

Usage: knxUpdateDataPoints(knxConn, dictListOfPoints)

knxUpdateDataPoints: writes changes performed on data points back to the *.knxproj used on a KnxConn

Usage: knxGetDataPoint(knxConn, pointUri)

knxGetDataPoint: returns data for a specific data point 

Usage: knxGetDataTypes(knxConn, intDptFormatDepthLevel, strDptId)

knxGetDataTypes: returns the data point types found in the knx_master.xml which is bundled in the *knxproj file assigned to a KnxConn

Frontend funcs:

Usage: finFormReplaceKnxProj(selectedKnxProjFile)

finFormReplaceKnxProj: gets called when an uploaded *

.

knxProj is selected in the Projects view and the Replace *knxproj button is pressed invoking the Replace message boxImage Removed

Usage: finFormUploadKnxProj()

finFormUploadKnxProj: gets called when the Upload *knxproj button is pressed and invokes the Upload message box

Image Removed

Usage: finFormConfirmKnxProj(targetRec, dictListKnxProjFiles)

finFormConfirmKnxProj: gets called when creating the drop-down used to select the *knxproj in the Add/Edit a KnxConn message box

Image Removed

Usage: finFormAddEditKnxConn(flagAddOrEdit, recId)

finFormAddEditKnxConn: gets invoked when adding/editing a KnxConn

Usage: finFormSelectKnxConnEdit()

finFormSelectKnxConnEdit: gets invoked when selecting a KnxConn in the Equip Tree and pressing the Edit button in the bottom left of the window

Image Removed

Usage: finFormEditKnxDiscoverySettings(listDataPoints, knxConn)

finFormEditKnxDiscoverySettings: gets invoked when the Apply button on the Edit Data Point settings form is pressed

Image Removed