The Rise of Smart Buildings 171
Roland Piquepaille writes "In a very well-documented article, Computerworld describes the current status of building automation systems (BAS) that control heat, air conditioning or lighting and how these systems are merging with traditional IT infrastructures. Computerworld writes that they're not enough standards in this industry and asks a fundamental question: who will administer these building networks, IT or facilities managers? Take for example Yale University which wants to connect 210 campus buildings, but also wishes "to integrate the BAS with the university's accounting system for billing and chargeback." Imagine the security risks involved with such an approach. This shorter summary contains selected excerpts of this must-read article."
READ THIS (Score:5, Informative)
THIS IS A ROLAND PIQUEPAILLE ARTICLE
Here is the "short summary":
The Rise of Smart Buildings
In a very well-documented article, Computerworld describes the current status of building automation systems (BAS) that control heat, air conditioning or lighting and how these systems are merging with traditional IT infrastructures. Computerworld writes that they're not enough standards in this industry and asks a fundamental question: who will administer these building networks, IT or facilities managers? Take for example Yale University which wants to connect 210 campus buildings, but also wishes "to integrate the BAS with the university's accounting system for billing and chargeback." Imagine the security risks involved with such an approach. Read more...
Let's start with a an assessment of the current situation.
As building automation systems (BAS) that control heat, air conditioning, lighting and other building systems get smarter, they're converging with traditional IT infrastructures. Emerging standards are enabling data sharing between building systems as well as with other business applications, improving efficiency and real-time control over building operating costs. Information security concerns, immature standards, the reluctance of vendors to give up proprietary technologies and ignorance among IT professionals of the convergence trend are all slowing the pace of this transformation, but it's gathering momentum.
But who will control such networks? And are there enough standards in this industry?
Open standards are just beginning to evolve and will likely break down the silos between building systems ranging from physical security to elevator controls. And the data from those systems is likely to be shared with other business applications such as the accounting system. This will allow for more-efficient buildings as applications are developed that can capitalize on newly converged data streams and real-time access to data.
[Right now,] standardization has started from the bottom up. Proprietary cabling systems in networks that link sensors and other devices to controllers on individual floors have given way in recent years to two competing, open protocols, BACnet and LonTalk, while floor controllers are migrating onto IP backbones.
Barry Haaser, executive director of LonMark International, says LonTalk and BACnet will prevail at the device level for technical and cost reasons. Others aren't so sure. "Instead of two guys running the IT and controls networks, why not one guy? I see IP going down to the individual device," says Anno Scholten, chief technology officer at BAS vendor Plexus Technology Ltd. in Irving, Texas.
IT infrastructure used in building automation systems This diagram shows how "building automation systems today rely on open, industry-specific protocols such as LonTalk (shown) or BACnet for device-level communications. But they increasingly leverage Ethernet and TCP/IP for home runs back to the control systems." (Credit for image and legend: Computerworld).
Let's take the example of Yale University to see how complex can be the merge between control systems and IT infrastructure.
But sharing the IP backbone raises security concerns among network administrators. Yale University is starting a project to consolidate its BAS onto an IP network that will link 210 campus buildings, and it plans to tie the BAS into a room-scheduling system that will automatically control energy usage based on room occupancy. For security reasons, Bill Daniels, manager of systems and technologies for the university's facilities group, has created an isolated, parallel network that's protected by firewalls and uses nonroutable IP addresses to keep data off the Internet.
Jerry Hill, director of systems engineering at Yale, says security is paramount. "We don't want a student to hack into our building management systems just beca
Re:READ THIS (Score:3, Insightful)
~Lake
Re:READ THIS (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:READ THIS (Score:3, Interesting)
The utilities and industry use SCADA to gather data from instrumentation and equipment. Then you just need the system that aggregates that information to report to F&A (finance & accounting).
As long as it's a one-way system, then the only risk for hack
Re:READ THIS (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Who fucking gives a shit, you jackholes (Score:2)
Me, I'm sick of Roland, in partnership with Slashdot editor's, apparently turning front page articles in to paid ads to drive traffic to Roland's web site. If he finds interesting articles, why doesn't he just submit them and face the same odds of them making the front page as the rest of us, slim, and not put in the links to the plagiarism on his web site to drive traffic to his site.
If he writes original work that is interesting and submits it great, put it on the front
Re:Who fucking gives a shit, you jackholes (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't give a shit. I'm sick of you and the rest of your trolling little clique. You've wasted an order of magnitude more space and reader time than this "Roland" whosit ever will, and unlike Mr. Pipquwhatever, you post your trash where I can't just skim past and not click the story if I'm not interested.
Putting a plagiarist, seeking ad revenue, on the front page posing as news is NOT OK.
Why the fuck not? Who cares? If he's plagiarizing, the people he is plagiarizing are free to
Re:Who fucking gives a shit, you jackholes (Score:2)
What exactly is it about stringing together four letter words that makes you think that is a good way to make a coherent point. Not sure why Howard Stern gets the grief he does when trash writing like yours is all over the Internet for kids to read.
Re:Who fucking gives a shit, you jackholes (Score:2)
they're? (Score:4, Funny)
Who will manage these? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Who will manage these? (Score:2)
Re:Who will manage these? (Score:1)
Re:Who will manage these? (Score:3, Funny)
IT will do it. (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:IT will do it. (Score:3, Informative)
The facilities management and Operating Engineers will be doing it. Just like they run building services now. I can imagine a bunch if CS/IT geeks going up against a bunch of good ole union boys about who has rights to this domain.
The unions already have been training and educating their members in 'modern' methods. This is really is the next step to inteligent controllers for things like chillers, boilers, elevato
Re:IT will do it. (Score:2, Interesting)
The only time anyone outside of maintenance needs to see this stuff is possibly scheduling occupancy.
And standards? Not in any of our lifetimes. Bet on it.
Derek
Re:IT will do it. (Score:4, Informative)
Don't be so cocksure about that. I'm part of a group of buildings professionals that provide infrastructure support for a major telecommunications carrier, and I can tell you for certain, our pay grade is superior to that of most IT managers and engineers in the company.
With regard to BAS systems, they are far more complex than networking gear. The systems we support typically employ a wide variety and large number of sensors, communicating on different protocols. The code is customized for each facility, since it must interface with and control equipment from multiple vendors. These systems require maintenance and troubleshooting skills atypical of most IT professionals.
I shudder at the thought of IT maintaining our BAS systems. One thing most of the IT professionals I've assisted over the years fail to realize is that electrical and mechanical infrastructure are the underpinnings of the rest of the facility. When you're out of power or cooling, you're out of business, plain and simple.
Re:IT will do it. (Score:5, Insightful)
But, despite what you may think about having an IT person jump right on the job because the system 'seems similar' to what they work on, the type of specialized training involved in dealing with building systems is much different than typical IT work. I would think at least a year-long training program would be required before anyone could become an apprentice. And then another year or two of on-the-job training before you are fully qualified to work on your own. If your project hiccups, fine... you might lose some sales, computers might go down temporarily, services might be unavailable. If your building systems hiccup, you might burn a building down, hinder hundreds of people from doing their jobs, or damage millions of dollars of equipment, samples, resarch, etc. Need me to prove my point? Give most IT staffers a wiring diagram, and they'll scratch their head and ask you what the hell it is
Subject Subject (Score:3, Insightful)
Clearly this is a job for... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Clearly this is a job for... (Score:3, Interesting)
(Note that the last references OPC [opcfoundation.org], apparently a sensor standard)
Re:Clearly this is a job for... (Score:2)
Dumb Idea (Score:1, Funny)
"Hmmm... this file on my drive is named viruswarning.com, that must mean it's a webpage!"
Wonder where they got the idea? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Wonder where they got the idea? (Score:1)
Re:Wonder where they got the idea? (Score:1)
Security? (Score:5, Insightful)
more fun and games (Score:3, Interesting)
How about turning your hot tub up to 210 degrees F? (99C for furriners)
how about turning your refrigerator up to 100 degrees for a few hours a day... and cooling stuff off just before you get home.
I think the smart building concept is wonderful... but those who can probably should roll your own until you are certain that the security problems have been solved.
Re:more fun and games (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Security? (Score:2)
Re:Security? (Score:1, Insightful)
Re:Security? (Score:2, Insightful)
And yes, I agree, there are some things more important than securing home systems, but the point is IF this system is released then there WILL be security problems. I don't think most people who aren't IT people will realize that. "Everything controlled via the internet? BRILLIANT!" would be the attitude taken by almost everyone, I think only us
Welcoming Message to our overlords (Score:2, Funny)
Roland Piquepaille is a troll (Score:5, Interesting)
he even has his own Wikipedia entry
Slashdot trolling phenomena [wikipedia.org]
and suprise suprise Timothy is mentioned too
no wonder people dont subscribe to this shit
Dude (Score:2)
As icing on the cake, I didn't bother to read the article, but immediately scanned the page for advertisements to click through on. OK, slim pickings -- there's the diploma mill, which normally I would be glad to see pay some of its ill gotten gains, except I wouldn't trust my browser (even though it is Firefox) on the web site of an outfit like that. So I settle on "goat cactus -- effortless algorithmic music for OSX", and am rewarde
Not one of Wikipedia's finest entries (Score:2)
The Grid, Philip Kerr (Score:1)
Fun thriller, about a building who kills off its inhabitants...
-- Marcio
Re:The Grid, Philip Kerr (Score:2)
I hate this (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:I hate this (Score:2)
Re:I hate this (Score:2)
The main problem is that at 6:00 everyone is trying the number at the same time, so it may take a half hour or more of redialing in order to get the lights back on.
Re:I hate this (Score:2)
New security frontiers (Score:4, Funny)
Every time this comes up... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Every time this comes up... (Score:2)
It just seems ridiculous. Sounds like a perfect example of the power of different lobbies.
you could look it up... (Score:2)
Re:Every time this comes up... (Score:2)
people don't get to write off the money they spend at Disney.
Am I missing something?
they're not enough standards (Score:1, Insightful)
Thank God there're enough standards in the English language that we don't have to read mistakes like this... oh...
I've seen a couple (Score:5, Informative)
In my experience, the customers have multi-building networks. Within each building, all the HVAC sensors and controls are all wired to a central control device, not over the network. The control device is typically some solid-state box bolted to the wall, not a PC.
All these boxes talk back to a central server (crummy PC with BAS software) over the WAN. The server then tells the boxes what to turn on and off and sends out alerts if something goes wrong. The alerting is basic, no SNMP or emails. A pager if you're lucky, but probably just a flashing message on the screen. My understanding is that there are some default settings the boxes can use if they should lose connection to the server.
As for this being an area for IT to take over, I don't see it. The vast majority of the work involved is with wiring HVAC sensors and systems back to the controllers and in programming the settings into the BAS software on the server. There is very little IT knowledge required. If you can program a cable modem router, you probably have enough IT knowledge to program the IT part of these things.
Re:I've seen a couple (Score:2, Informative)
Security? You can hack anything if you want to... Switch/routers and a solid campus firewall me
Re:I've seen a couple (Score:2, Insightful)
IT people would have no more idea what to do with HVAC controller errors than the DJ at your local radio station should know what to do with a RAID error.
I wish people would quit assuming that the network is more than just a service, like POTS lines e
Piquepaille should of read this bit (Score:3, Interesting)
from the article
Copyright © 2005 Computerworld Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Computerworld Inc. is prohibited. Computerworld and Computerworld.com and the respective logos are trademarks of International Data Group Inc.
enjoy the lawyers
Re:Piquepaille should of read this bit (Score:2, Troll)
No big problem. (Score:2)
IT and FM will merge (Score:5, Funny)
No more obligatory quotes! (Score:1)
It is so fracking annoying (Score:1)
Re:It is so fracking annoying (Score:2)
Re:It is so fracking annoying (Score:1)
Re:It is so fracking annoying (Score:2)
Cheap desk fan placed in the sensor's viewing area, maybe one of those "Drinking cup birds", pet ferret. Whatever.
Yes, but... (Score:2, Funny)
The boss' secretary (Score:5, Funny)
The boss' secretary. You know, the one who's always cold. She'll be setting the thermostat for every room in the entire facility from her desktop. Better stock up on Bermuda shorts.
Re:The boss' secretary (Score:2)
Bring it.
DALI (Score:5, Informative)
Re:DALI (Score:2)
Hmm...
must-read article (Score:1)
I've got a feeling somebody just tried to trick me into actually reading the article.
Well I'm long enough on slashdot to know better...
OS (Score:1)
Omni Consumer Products announces SAINT! (Score:2, Informative)
Oh, come on, I can't be the only one that saw the RoboCop miniseries [imdb.com]! Well, maybe I am.
this kind of stuff has been talked about for ages. (Score:5, Informative)
It all falls apart because of cost. I can control anyone of the different systems in your house/building, I can monitor any variable you want. But the cost point is much much higher than you would expect. Even for a small 2000 sq foot house to monitor each room, control lighting and so forth would cost tens of thousands of dollars installed.
Then it still wouldn't work well, because I can only monitor so many different variables, and there are too many exceptions.
For instance. I worked in a semi smart building. Part of it was that motion sensors turned the lights on and off. If it didn't sense movement for 5 minutes or so it shut off the lights.
All well and good until someone is in the bathroom alone for a legngthy constitutional. Then your trapped on the can in a dark room.
Yes a minor example, but just one of many thousands of issues that come up. Say heating. You want to lower heating in rooms that aren't used, so you lower the temprature. Then someone comes in to work for an hour or two. Well rooms don't heat up immediately, so while the system is trying to heat the room up, the person says, "It's to damn cold in here" and goes somewhere else.
Or the opposite, you turn off the air conditioning, then people avoid that room because it's hot and muggy, next thing you know you've got mold in the walls.
All for a system that costs tens of thousands of dollars for a small building, hundreds, or millions for a large building.
As to networked appliances. Who want's to update the software in their toilet so they can use their microwave.
Who wants to find out out their boiler has a bug that shuts it's down under certain conditions, only to be told.
"It's a known problem, it will be fixed in the next release."
Who wants to have to re-boot their stove.
For some things simple analog controls work fine, things like on/off switches, potentiometer based volume knobs, and tuning knobs.
I can't stand the current generation of car stereos because the volume goes in steps, either just a little bit too loud, or a little bit to quiet. In the old days I could fiddle with the tuning knob to get in a hard to reach signal. Now I can only go up or down
Re:this kind of stuff has been talked about for ag (Score:1)
I have the same problem, b
Re:this kind of stuff has been talked about for ag (Score:2)
The is an enormous space left over for a really good analoguesqueeelccch and farty noise; but...too many think that that it's a given that everything is already, or can be, modelled (usu. in terms of amplitude) - and the rest is some sort of artifact.
Sad but true.
Re:this kind of stuff has been talked about for ag (Score:2)
So hot! (Score:1)
When that day comes... (Score:1)
But either way, I would want one of those sets of robots like in the Fifth Element, so I can call a robot to pound on my back when I choke on a cherry.
Bad (or exagerated) journalism . . . (Score:5, Insightful)
Does this guy actually think that this article is of improtance and relevance to every single slashdot reader? Sounds like old TV commercials . . . "Tonight a very special episode of Blossom . . . the one you can't afford to miss . . .
Re:Bad (or exagerated) journalism . . . (Score:2)
Does Roland Piquepaille think that /. readers are that gullible or does he think that we're just that stupid?
Well, let's see.
- He's still posting stories.
- People are still going to his page.
- We're still here on slashdot.
Was your question rhetorical, kind sir?an architect squeaks (Score:5, Informative)
In the UK we call such systems BMS, Building Management Systems. It amounts to vaguely-intelligent way to manage building energy consumption; that is the sole remit. Realise that, while there may be ways to access the info remotely and thus expose the system to security risks
The real point is to monitor boiler firing cycles, and window-openings (night-purge cooling etc) remotely to minimise running cost.
;)
Yes, it's great. I can watch, in real-time , the window management of a school I designed two years ago, from a terminal 200 miles away. I can learn from it, in terms of how the building is really used, as opposed to how it was assumed to work. Can I over-ride choices? No, and neither can any one else by 'hacking' the system. The truth is, BSMS systems are dumb - they are pre-programmed and (at best) report. No-one (esp. the investors) is actually interested in spending for IP addresses for the windows on the Arts wing, the necesary actuators and so on. I can monitor these things only because the necessary sensing is already part of other systems - like the alarm systems.
To everyone who wants to set off the sprinklers at their High School: please realise that sprinkler heads are purely reactive and work solely on rate-of-rise of temperature; they are not remotely addressable. Smoke sensors, on the other hand, can be
Re:an architect squeaks (Score:3, Informative)
Re:an architect squeaks (Score:2)
In the UK we call such systems BMS, Building Management Systems.
Pfft. Talk to me again when you have a similar system set up and successfully running in a refinery or other similarly complex industrial facility like a chip fab.
Architects are always a pain in the arse - style minus substance and they rely on their civil/structural subcontracted engineers to do the heavy lifting.
Think the "oooh, shiny" client response phenomenon; that's essentially the market that architects cater to.
Useful applications (Score:1, Interesting)
enough with the "smart" crap (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:enough with the "smart" crap (Score:2)
Ctrl+Alt+Del (Score:2, Funny)
Today is August 5, 2006, Today is August 5, 2006... [wikipedia.org]
Yeah! till you have your first virus... (Score:2)
all your base are belong to us! (Score:2, Funny)
sum.zero
Good afternoon gentlement. (Score:2, Funny)
The real scoop. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:The real scoop. (Score:2)
Or else it's the facilities management types who can't type their way out of a paper bag dependent on whatever third rate retards took professional c
Re:The real scoop. (Score:2)
I worry more about promoted-to-Peter-Principle level, clueless MBA-types getting into positions of power than I do about naive IT dorks calling the shots for process control and safety system management. Who knows what a HAZOP is?
The _real_ engineering world has governing bodies (and stuff like that) to oversee the activities of its members. This is why bridges don't usually fall down and water comes out when you turn on the shower.
"Software engineers" are really "developers". The only computer-related
This is why it works (Score:2, Interesting)
One should think of a process control system (HVAC for the 3rd floor) as similar to a RAID sub-system. Multiple moving parts. Different devices computing their own sectors, timing, etc. Servo motors have their own control logic that manages spin up, spin down, head stepping. A supervisory RAID system manages striping, adding hot-spares, etc. All
"Smart buildings" reality check (Score:2)
First, this stuff has been around for years. Decades, in some cases. And it's been "real soon now" since the days of X10.
Here's a classic example, the Echelon LonWorks demo room [echelon.com]. This has been online for many years. You can turn the lights on and off, run the window blinds up and down, read the room temperature, and do similar amusing stuff. It's all done via power line networking.
As it turns out, LonWorks was modestly successful in building automation. But it's beco
The last thing we need (Score:3, Interesting)
I was having a conversation last night with a friend about how annoyed I am with the current crop of auto mechanics. I have a minor problem with my vehicle that I can't diagnose, but the shop won't even look at it.
Why?
"Because it isn't throwing a code."
Just because the check engine light isn't on doesn't mean there isn't a problem. The last thing we need are building supers who look at their computer screen and say, "I don't see a problem", because the water leak up on 17 hasn't gotten big enough for the computer to notice it.
Oversimplification (Score:2, Interesting)
I work for a large commercial real estate firm at a campus for a very large financial institution. Our facility is just over 1,000,000 sq feet and is comprised of 6 buildings including a data center. It is my opinion that the people that "take over" management and implementation of BAS's as they mov
Re:Oversimplification (Score:2, Insightful)
Amazing yes, usefull no. And contrary to what this is supposed to do, which is reduce energy costs, burning a bulb/bulbs you don't need is wstefull.
More usefull is the motion sensor I have for the bulb in my carport. When I pull in it lights up so I can get in the house, and flip that highly complicated analog switch to light the inside house.
Turning the light on when
Finally... (Score:2)
Call me a luddite, but... (Score:2)
However... where I work, we recently moved into a new building, with motion sensor controlled lights. These wo
I do this (Score:2)
There is a very old snapshot of how it was configured when I was in New Mexico at Barnnet [certsoft.com]. It is setup in a similar manner here in Oregon, but the HVAC system uses A/C instead of a swamp cooler.
Robust and secure (Score:2)
Re:Progress? (Score:1, Interesting)