FieldServer FS-8700-105 Release note

ASierraMonitorCompany
APPLICABILITY & EFFECTIVITY
Effective for all systems manufactured after May 1, 2001
Driver Manual
(Supplement to the FieldServer Instruction Manual)
FS-8700-105
National Time & Signal FACP
(Fire Alarm Control Panel) Driver

FS-8700-105_National_Time_and_Signal_FACP Manual Table of Contents
FieldServer Technologies 1991 Tarob Court Milpitas, California 95035 USA Web:www.fieldserver.com
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] Toll_Free: 888-509-1970 email: [email protected]om
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. National Time & Signal FACP Driver Description......................................................... 1
2. Driver Scope of Supply....................................................................................................... 2
1.01 Supplied by FieldServer Technologies for this driver ................................................... 2
3. Hardware Connections....................................................................................................... 3
1.02 Connection Notes...........................................................................................................3
4. Configuring the FieldServer as a National Time & Signal FACP Client...................... 4
1.03 Data Arrays/Descriptors................................................................................................. 4
1.04 Client Side Connection Descriptions ............................................................................. 5
1.05 Client Side Node Descriptors......................................................................................... 6
1.06 Client Side Map Descriptors.......................................................................................... 7
4.1.1. FieldServer Related Map Descriptor Parameters...................................................... 7
4.1.2. Driver Related Map Descriptor Parameters .............................................................. 7
4.1.3. Timing Parameters...................................................................................................... 8
4.1.4. Map Descriptor Example 1 – Port has no Sub-Ports................................................. 9
4.1.5. Map Descriptor Example 2 – Port has Sub-Ports.................................................... 10
5. Configuring the FieldServer as a National Time & Signal FACP Server................... 11
Appendix A. Advanced Topics.............................................................................................. 12
Appendix A.1. Modifying the Trouble String Table............................................................. 12
Appendix A.2. Controlling which arrays get cleared when a Reset is received. .................. 12
Appendix A.3. Controlling case sensitivity in Trouble String Matching.............................. 13
Appendix A.4. Trouble Strings ............................................................................................. 13
Appendix A.5. Panel / Driver Synchronization..................................................................... 15
Appendix A.6. Connection Status......................................................................................... 15
Appendix A.7. Node Status................................................................................................... 15
Appendix B. Troubleshooting tips........................................................................................ 17
Appendix B.1. Connection Tips & Hints.............................................................................. 17
Appendix B.2. Exposing Driver operating Statistics............................................................ 17
Appendix B.3. Driver Error Messages.................................................................................. 18
Appendix C. Revision History............................................................................................... 25

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1. National Time & Signal FACP Driver Description
Fire Alarm Control Panels (FACPs) are manufactured by the National Time and Signal Corp.
The series 900 and 902 FACP’s can be purchased with a ‘BACnet’ interface option. When
suitably equipped and when this interface is enabled, the FACPs can transmit data to a
FieldServer which can, in turn, make this data available to other devices including devices which
are capable of communicating using the BACnet and other protocols.
This driver is a passive client driver. This means that the driver does not actively poll for data but
listens passively for data to be sent by the FACP’s that it is connected to. Messages sent by the
panel are either ignored stored by the FieldServer based on panel status. How these messages
are processed is dependent on the configuration.
No automatic panel data synchronization technique exists. The data in the FieldServer and the
panel status have to be synchronized manually.
This is a serial driver. Data is transferred using RS-232 or RS-485 (with converter).
The driver provides both client and server emulation. The server side of the driver is intended to
support FieldServer’s Quality Assurance program and is not intended to provide complete
emulation of a FACP. Thus the server side is not fully documented. However, at a customer’s
request the server side functionality can be documented and enhanced. If you are interested in
this functionality, then please contact FieldServer’s sales group.
Max Nodes Supported
FieldServer Mode Nodes Comments
Client 1 One such connection can be made per FieldServer port.
Server
Server emulation provided for QA purposes only. Not
supported or documented except at customer request.

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2. Driver Scope of Supply
1.01 Supplied by FieldServer Technologies for this driver
FieldServer Technologies
PART # Description
FS-8917-16 RJ45 pigtail cable.
FS-8700-105 Driver Manual.

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3. Hardware Connections
The FieldServer is connected to the ‘BACnet’ port of the FACP as shown in connection drawing.
Pin 1 = RX - Brown
Pin 5 = GND - Blue/White
Pin 8 = TX - Orange/White
TD
RD
GND
CH1 +
CH1 - GND CH2 + CH2 -
1.02 Connection Notes
A FACP network consists of up to 32 panels. One of those panels acts as the network
interface by means of its ‘BACnet’ interface port. This interface serves data to the
FieldServer by means of a serial connection. Each one of these connections requires
exclusive use of a FieldServer port. Thus, only one network of FACP’s can be connected to
one FieldServer serial port.

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4. Configuring the FieldServer as a National Time & Signal FACP Client
For a detailed discussion on FieldServer configuration, please refer to the FieldServer
Configuration Manual. The information that follows describes how to expand upon the factory
defaults provided in the configuration files included with the FieldServer (See “.csv” sample files
provided with the FS).
This section documents and describes the parameters necessary for configuring the FieldServer
to communicate with a National Time & Signal FACP Server.
1.03 Data Arrays/Descriptors
The configuration file tells the FieldServer about its interfaces, and the routing of data
required. In order to enable the FieldServer for National Time & Signal FACP driver
communications, the driver independent FieldServer buffers need to be declared in the “Data
Arrays” section, the destination device addresses need to be declared in the “Client Side
Nodes” section, and the data required from the servers needs to be mapped in the “Client
Side Map Descriptors” section. Details on how to do this can be found below.
Note that in the tables, * indicates an optional parameter, with the bold legal value being the
default.
Section Title
Data_Arrays
Column Title Function Legal Values
Data_Array_Name Provide name for Data Array Up to 15 alphanumeric
characters
Data_Array_Format Provide data format. Each Data
Array can only take on one format.
Float, Bit, UInt16, SInt16,
Packed_Bit, Byte,
Packed_Byte,
Swapped_Byte
Data_Array_Length
Number of Data Objects. Must be
larger than the data storage area
required by the Map Descriptors for
the data being placed in this array.
1-10,000
Example
// Data Arrays
Data_Arrays
Data_Array_Name, Data_Format, Data_Array_Length,
DA_AI_01, UInt16, 200
DA_AO_01, UInt16, 200
DA_DI_01, Bit, 200
DA_DO_01, Bit, 200

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1.04 Client Side Connection Descriptions
Section Title
Connections
Column Title Function Legal Values
Port Specify which port the device is
connected to the FieldServer P1-P81
Protocol Specify protocol used National_Time_FACP, National_Time_Fire,
natsco_facp
Baud* Specify baud rate 9600 Baud (Vendor
limitation)
Parity* Specify parity None (Vendor limitation)
Data_Bits* Specify data bits 8 (Vendor limitation)
Stop_Bits* Specify stop bits 1 (Vendor limitation)
Handshaking* Specify hardware handshaking None
NATSfacp_Timeout*
Specify a time in seconds. The
driver reports the connection as
being offline when a new valid
message has not been received on
the connection during this interval.
Each time one is received the
interval is restarted. If this parameter
is omitted then the driver assumes a
period of 180 seconds.
0-600 seconds.
Default = 180Secs.
NATSfacp_Status_DA*
Use this parameter to specify a Data
Array. The Data Array need only
contain one element as only the 1st
element is used for the connection
status. If the connection is ‘online’
then the 1st element is set to 1. If the
connection is offline then the 1st
element is set to zero.
We recommend that the Length of
the DA be set to 33. One element for
the connection status and the other
32 elements for Node / Panel Status.
Further information is provided in
Appendix A.7
Up to 15 alphanumeric
characters
1Not all ports shown are necessarily supported by the hardware. Consult the appropriate Instruction manual for
details of the ports available on specific hardware.

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Example
// Client Side Connections
Connections
Port, Protocol, Baud, Parity, NATSfacp_Timeout, NATSfacp_Status_DA
P8, National_Time_Fire, 9600, None, 120s, DA_NATS_STATUS1
1.05 Client Side Node Descriptors
Create one node for each panel connected to the National Time & Signal Network. You can
have multiple nodes on the same port.
Section Title
Nodes
Column Title Function Legal Values
Node_Name Provide name for node Up to 32 alphanumeric characters
Node_ID This parameter is used to specify
the PANEL number. 1-32
Protocol Specify protocol used National_Time_FACP,
National_Time_Fire, natsco_facp
Connection Specify which port the device is
connected to the FieldServer P1-P82
Example
// Client Side Nodes
Nodes
Node_Name, Node_ID, Protocol, Connection
Panel1, 1, National_Time_FACP, P1
Panel2, 2, National_Time_FACP, P1
2Not all ports shown are necessarily supported by the hardware. Consult the appropriate Instruction manual for
details of the ports available on specific hardware.

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1.06 Client Side Map Descriptors
4.1.1. FieldServer Related Map Descriptor Parameters
Column Title Function Legal Values
Map_Descriptor_Name Name of this Map
Descriptor Up to 32 alphanumeric characters
Data_Array_Name Name of Data Array where data is to be stored in the
FieldServer
One of the Data Array names
from “Data Array” section
above
Data_Array_Offset Starting location in Data
Array 0 to maximum specified in “Data Array” section above
Function Function of Client Map
Descriptor RDBC, WRBC, WRBX
4.1.2. Driver Related Map Descriptor Parameters
Column
Title Function Legal Values
Node_Name Name of Node to fetch data from
One of the node
names specified in
“Client Node
Descriptor” above
Data_Type
You must specify one of the 4 choices.
If the ‘Any’ type is used then all messages will be
stored using the MD irrespective of the Data
Type.
Do not create two MD’s with all parameters the
same except that one has a specific Data Type and
the other has ‘Any’. The driver can only store data
in one MD.
Alarm
Trouble
Supervisory
Other
Any
Board The Board Number. One set of Map Descriptors
required for each board. 1, 2, 3 etc...
Loop The Loop number on the Board. One set of Map
Descriptors required for each loop. 1,2,3 etc
Port-Type Use one of the 4 permitted values shown on the right. You can abbreviate the port-types to use the
1st character.
Input; Output;
Fault; P(Other)
Address
The address and length are used to specify a range
of Port Numbers. Think of the Address as a
synonym for port.
Starting address of read block
1,2, 3 … etc

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Length
Length of Map Descriptor. Specifies the number
of ports processed by the MD.
Thus if address is 1 and length is 10 the Map
Descriptor processes ports 1... 9 inclusive.
1, 2, 3 etc.
Ensure that the
length added to the
offset is no greater
than the Data Array
length.
Sub-Port-
Type
Set this parameter to ‘None’ to store data for a
range of ports which do not have sub-ports. To
store data for a specific port, set the sub-port type
appropriately. If the sub-port-type is ‘Other’, it
must be specified in the configuration file as
‘S(Other)’ or 'S'. Only the first character is used,
therefore the configuration may omit the rest of
the term (e.g. it is sufficient to specify ‘I’ for
‘Input’)
Input; Output;
Fault; S(other);
None
Sub-Port May be omitted if sub-port-type=None. 1,2,3 etc
4.1.3. Timing Parameters
Scan_Interval This commonly used parameter has no meaning for this driver as the driver is a passive client driver and does not
poll for data.

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4.1.4. Map Descriptor Example 1 – Port has no Sub-Ports.
This Map Descriptor is used to store messages from ‘Panel2’ if they meet the following criteria
Panel
Number = Node ‘Panel2’‘s Node_ID
Board = 1
Loop = 2
Port-Type = Inputs
Port = 1 to 100 (Address and length
parameters)
Data_Type = Alarms
Typically you will create one MD for each of the 4 data types for each Panel/Board/Loop/Port-Type/Port combination. Only messages
which report trouble allocated to the ‘Alarm’ category will update the DA below. Appendix A.4 provides more information on which
messages are allocated to each data type.
If any of the Port’s has a sub-port then additional MD’s must be created because the Sub-Port_Type = None.
Map_Descriptor_Name, Data_Array_Name, Data_Array_Offset, Function, Node_Name Board Loop Data_Type Port_Type Address Length Sub-Port_Type
P2B3L4_ia, P2B3L4_iA , 0, Passive_Client , Panel2 , 1 2 Alarms Input 0, 100 None
Driver cannot poll.
Always use this
keyword.
Address is a synonym for
‘Port’. Use the length to
tell the driver the Port
range

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4.1.5. Map Descriptor Example 2 – Port has Sub-Ports.
This Map Descriptor is used to store messages from ‘Panel2’ if they meet the following criteria
Panel Number = Node ‘Panel2’s Node_ID
Board = 1
Loop = 2
Port-Type = Inputs
Port = 20
Data_Type = Alarms
Sub-Port-Type = Output
Sub-Port-
Number = 1
Map_Descriptor_Name, Data_Array_Name, Data_Array_Offset, Function, Node_Name, Board, Loop, Data_Type, Port-Type, Address, Length, Sub-Port-Type Sub-Port
P2B3L4_ia, P2B3L4_iA , 0, Passive_Client , Panel2 , 1, 2, Alarms, Input, 0, 1, Output 1

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5. Configuring the FieldServer as a National Time & Signal FACP Server
Server side emulation has been developed and is functional. (FST use this functionality to
complete the QA requirements and to ensure that the driver is compatible with firmware changes
not directly related to this driver.)This has, however, not been documented and is not supported.
If you require the server side of this driver for one of your projects then contact the sales group at
FST.

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Appendix A.Advanced Topics
Appendix A.1. Modifying the Trouble String Table
The trouble string table can be modified/extended using the configuration file.
In the example below, the keyword ‘Broken’ is added and allocated an index value of 1 and a
trouble type of 1. When this message is received it will not be used to clear the Data Arrays
The following are permitted Trouble_Types
1 – Alarms
2 – Troubles
3 – Supervisories
4 – Others
Use the same system to modify existing entries in the table. If the Trouble string exists then
the driver updates the other values. If the string doesn’t exist then a new entry is added. The
table has space for 100 strings.
Driver_Table
Trouble_String, Index_Value, Trouble_Type, Is_Reset, Protocol
Broken, 1, 1, No, National_Time_Fire
Fixed, 0, 1, No, National_Time_Fire
DigiFail, 99, 2, No, National_Time_Fire
Appendix A.2. Controlling which arrays get cleared when a Reset is received.
When a reset message is received on a port then all Data Arrays being used by the Map
Descriptors on that port will have their values set to zero. Specifically: each Map Descriptor
is associated with a section of a Data Array based on the ‘Data Array Offset’ parameter and
the ‘Length’ parameter specified on the Map Descriptor. It is these sections that get reset
when a reset message is received. It is possible to modify this behavior by poking the value
1 into offset 5 in the stats Data Array. You can do this on a temporary basis using the Ruinet
utility or on a permanent basis by including the following in your configuration. Only the
Data Arrays associated with Map Descriptors with panel numbers matching the panel number
of the incoming message are reset.3
Data_Arrays
Data_Array_Name, Data_Format, Data_Array_length
natsfacp-stats, natsfacp-stats, 1000
3If you cut and past the above text into your configuration file ensure that you do not duplicate the line which says
“natsfacp-stats, natsfacp-stats, 1000,” Duplication will cause an error.

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Preloads
Data_Array_Name, Preload_Data_Value, Preload_Data_Index
natsfacp-stats, 1, 5
Appendix A.3. Controlling case sensitivity in Trouble String Matching
When a message is processed the driver extracts the 8 character trouble string from the
message and compares it against the contents of the table provided in Appendix A.4. The
comparison is case sensitive by default. It is possible to modify this behavior by poking the
value 1 into offset 1 in the stats Data Array.
You can do this on a temporary basis by using the Ruinet utility or on a permanent basis by
including the following in your configuration.
Data_Arrays,
Data_Array_Name, Data_Format, Data_Array_length
natsfacp-stats, UINT32, 1000
Preloads,
Data_Array_Name, Preload_Data_Value, Preload_Data_Index
natsfacp-stats, 1, 1
Appendix A.4. Trouble Strings
The table below outlines the various messages which are reported by a National Time &
Signal FACP. Each message is allocated to a data type. The data type can be changed – refer
to Appendix A.1.for more information.
If a message is processed with a trouble string corresponding to a row in the table indicating
that the string is used for a reset then the Data Arrays used for that connection will be
cleared.
Trouble String Index
value Data_Type Used to Reset Data Arrays
Alarm 1 Alarms 0
Suprv 2 Supervisories 0
OutpShrt 3 Troubles 0
OutpOpen 4 Troubles 0
OutpOcur 5 Troubles 0
InpOpen 6 Troubles 0
I/PwrFail 7 Troubles 0
Wdt Fail 8 Troubles 0
Low Batt 9 Troubles 0
AC Fail 10 Troubles 0

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Trouble String Index
value Data_Type Used to Reset Data Arrays
GndFault 11 Troubles 0
CommFail 12 Troubles 0
WalkTest 13 Troubles 0
InpDsbl 14 Troubles 0
OutpDsbl 15 Troubles 0
CommDsbl 16 Troubles 0
Sys Fail 17 Troubles 0
24V Fail 18 Troubles 0
LoopTbl 19 Troubles 0
InputTbl 20 Troubles 0
AudioLink 21 Troubles 0
DVR Fail 22 Troubles 0
DirtySnsr 23 Troubles 0
MicTimer 24 Troubles 0
DeviceErr 25 Troubles 0
Addr Err 26 Troubles 0
ExtraDev 27 Troubles 0
ShortTbl 28 Troubles 0
Open Tbl 29 Troubles 0
OverHeat 30 Troubles 0
DigiFail 31 Troubles 0
Switch 32 Others 0
RemoteAct 33 Others 0
Monitor 34 Others 0
AlrmSilG 35 Troubles 0
PnlSil L 36 Troubles 0
Reset G 37 Troubles IS_RESET
Brd Dsbl 38 Troubles 0
PortDsbl 39 Troubles 0
ActnDsbl 40 Troubles 0
Drill G 41 Alarms 0
Drill L 42 Alarms 0
AlrmSil L 43 Troubles 0
PnlSil S 44 Troubles 0
Reset L 45 Troubles 0
Burglar 46 Others 0
DuplAddr 47 Troubles 0
TechMode 48 Troubles 0
ConfigErr 49 Troubles 0
DigiClasA 50 Troubles 0
City Dis 51 Troubles 0
Dev Stat 52 Others 0

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Trouble String Index
value Data_Type Used to Reset Data Arrays
Call In 53 Troubles 0
MicSwitch 54 Troubles 0
PnlSil G 55 Troubles 0
Unknown 56 Troubles 0
Appendix A.5. Panel / Driver Synchronization
There is no automatic system of synchronizing the Fire Alarm Panels and the data in the
FieldServer. This is because the FieldServer cannot poll for status information from the panel
but has to rely on the panel sending messages with changes in status.
To synchronize the panel to the FieldServer you should push the reset button on the Fire
Alarm Panel. When this is done the driver clears all the Data Arrays associated with the
connections. In this case ‘associated’ means those DA’s used by the Map Descriptors
logically connected to the serial port on which the message was received. This is the default
behavior of the driver – however it is possible to limit the Data Arrays which get cleared so
that only those DA’s associated with the panel which sent the message get cleared. Further
information is provided in Appendix A.2
Appendix A.6. Connection Status
This is a passive client driver connected to a Fire Alarm Panel. Normally there are no alarms
and thus there would be no way for the FieldServer to know if it was still connected to the
FACP network. The National Time & Signal panel, however, sends a message at a regular
interval of approximately one minute. This driver uses this message to monitor and report the
status of the connection.
A connection timeout may be specified. Read about the NATSfacp_Timeout and
NATSfacp_Status_DA connection parameters in section 1.04.
If the driver doesn’t receive a ‘valid’ message within this timeout period then the driver
considers the connection as lost. It reports this providing a connection status bit which can be
monitored by the upstream node. The bit is set to 1 when the connection is good and set to
zero when the connection is lost.
A ‘valid’ message is one that does not fail parsing.
Appendix A.7. Node Status
If the FACP sends a message that one of its networked panels has a communications failure
by sending a message with the Trouble String = “CommFail” then the driver reports that
panel/Node as offline. If the event is restored to normal then the driver reports the node as
being online. Furthermore, if a valid message is received from a panel in an offline state then
the driver sets the node status to online.

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Thus: A Comms Fail message puts the node offline and the node is put online when either a
valid message is received from the panel or the Comms Fail event is restored.
The driver reports the node status by updating the Data Array specified by the
NATSfacp_Status_DA parameter specified on the connection. If this parameter is not
specified then the node status cannot be reported. Ensure the Data Array is at least 33 items
long. The 1st element is used for the connection status. The remaining 32 elements are used
for node status. One element for each node and the offset corresponds to the Node_ID/Panel
number.
This is the only way that an upstream node can monitor if the node is online/offline. The
data obtained by this driver will always be made available to other drivers even if the node
associated with the driver is offline.

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Appendix B.Troubleshooting tips
Appendix B.1. Connection Tips & Hints
The Panel must be configured to send ‘Extended’ Messages. This is not the default state. The
following procedure is used to achieve this setting.
1) Hit Menu/Exit
2) Use arrow keys to go to Tech Menu
3) Press up arrow twice to enter password of 2000
4) Hit Enter (at this point the panel makes a beeping noise)
5) Hit Panel Silence
6) Use arrow keys to move to Factory
7) Hit Enter
8) Use arrow keys to move to RS232CNFG
9) Hit Enter
10) Use arrow keys to move to Settings
11) Hit Enter
12) Use arrow keys to move to Expanded
13) Hit Enter
14) Hit Exit
15) Hit Exit
16) Use arrow keys to move to Tech Exit
17) Hit Enter
Appendix B.2. Exposing Driver operating Statistics
The driver makes some of its operating statistics available in a Data Array where they can be
read by an upstream device. The lines from the example below can be cut and pasted into a
configuration file.
Data_Arrays
Data_Array_Name, Data_Format, Data_Array_length
natsfacp-stats, UINT32, 1000
The driver maintains one set of stats for each communication port.
To determine the base offset use the following formula:
Base Offset = Port Number * 100 where Port Number is the port number printed in the error
log by message #22.
Relative
Offset4Description
4Add this number to the Base Offset

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Relative
Offset4Description
6 Increments each time a port 'Alive' message is received
7 Increments each time a message is received and is sent to the parsing routine
8 Increments by message length each time a message is received and is sent to the
parsing routine
9 Increments each time a message is received and is sent to the parsing routine
10 Increments each time a message is received and is sent to the store routine
11 Increments each time a message is received and is sent to the store routine and
results in a store
12 Increments each time a message is received and is sent to the reset routine
13 Increments each time a message is received and is sent to the reset routine and
at least one DA was reset
14 Panel Number: Most recent message (after parse, prior to store)
15 Board Number: Most recent message (after parse, prior to store)
16 Loop Number: Most recent message (after parse, prior to store)
17 Port Type: Most recent message (after parse, prior to store). ASCII value
shown. ASCII value shown.
28 Port Number: Most recent message (after parse, prior to store)
19 Sub Port Type: Most recent message (after parse, prior to store). ASCII value
shown.
20 Sub Port: Most recent message (after parse, prior to store)
21 Trouble String Index: Most recent message (after parse, prior to store)
22 Trouble Level: Most recent message (after parse, prior to store). Ascii value
shown.
Data_Arrays,
Data_Array_Name, Data_Format, Data_Array_length,
natsfacp-stats, UINT32, 1000,
Appendix B.3. Driver Error Messages
Message Interpretation and Corrective Action
NATS:#01a FYI Validation
ignored for simulation.
MD=%s
This message is normally only printed when the driver is
being tested for QA purposes. If it is printed during
normal operation, take a log and call Technical support.
There are a number of variants of this message. Be sure to
quote the correct one when reporting the error.
NATS:#02a Err. Bad Port-
Type=0x%x. Expected
I/O/F/P.
A Map Descriptor is being validated and has been rejected
because the ‘Port-Type’ has not been correctly specified∗