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Technology Technik

Reliable Operation with BACnet/SC

Sicherer Betrieb mit BACnet/SC

Many projects highlight the need to BACnet/SC. Each site is equipped with a manufacturer-independent. The required
for BACnet/SC to meet IT security primary and a failover hub. Thanks to routing certificates are written to the Network Port
requirements. Rumours suggest that using functionalities, three BACnet/SC networks are objects as a ZIP file.
BACnet/SC certificates is complicated. interconnected but logically separated. This
However, initial practical experience shows ensures security, flexibility and self-sufficient Certificate management in projects
successful implementations. operation.
Viele Projekte verdeutlichen die Some people fear that self-signed certificates
Notwendigkeit von BACnet/SC zur “The One” office building in Nuernberg are insecure. However, the X.509 certificates
Erfüllung von IT-Sicherheitsanforderungen. exemplifies modern building management with used are always the same and are therefore
Gerüchten zufolge soll der Einsatz der SAUTER Vision Services. Thanks in particular always equally secure. The question is who
BACnet/SC-Zertifikate kompliziert sein. to this cloud connection via the internet, the issues, manages and signs these certificates.
Doch erste Praxiserfahrungen zeigen connection is secure and encrypted using An external IT trust service provider, the FM
erfolgreiche Implementierungen. BACnet/SC. There is no need for additional VPN operator or the organisation’s own IT department
technologies. can be used for this.
For several years now, BACnet Secure Connect
(BACnet/SC) has offered vendor-neutral and Commissioning requirements The simplest approach: the installer provides
IT-secure building automation (BA). Although the its BACnet/SC devices with its own self-
need for enhanced IT security in BA projects is Before the first communication takes place, signed certificates. In all cases, the certifying
undisputed, use of BACnet/SC has so far been BACnet/SC requires the creation and authority must be trusted. It should remain
limited. configuration of the necessary TLS certificates reliably accessible for many years. A process for
for all nodes. This is a new and unfamiliar certificate creation and exchange must therefore
Selection of completed customer projects process in BA projects. In the IT environment, be established.
there are various technologies available for such
Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe AG (KVB) is the operator certificates, e.g. the de facto standard ACME Contrary to the assumption that the replacement
of public transport in Cologne and is therefore or EST as per RFC 7030. With BACnet/SC, the of BACnet/SC certificates is very labour-
part of the critical infrastructure. SAUTER has BACnet standard from revision 1.24 onwards intensive, practical experience shows that
modernised KVB’s building automation system must be adhered to so that BA remains replacing around 100 BACnet/SC certificates as

BACnet/SC Topology.
BACnet/SC Topologie.
© SAUTER Deutschland

42 BACnet Europe Journal 45 09/26