BACnet BIBB’s TABLE – Bacnet Interoperability Building Blocks

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BACnet BIBBs: BACnet Interoperability Building Blocks

BIBBs (BACnet Interoperability Building Blocks) are a standardized way to describe what a BACnet device can do in terms of protocol services and capabilities. In real projects, this is critical because BACnet devices are often sourced from multiple vendors and installed in systems that must interoperate (BMS front ends, controllers, routers, gateways, and supervisory applications). The presence of “BACnet” on a datasheet does not guarantee two products will work together in the way an integrator expects. BIBBs provide a common vocabulary that helps engineers specify and validate interoperability.

A BIBB definition typically includes both a capability category (for example, Data Sharing or Alarm and Event Management) and a specific functional block. Many BIBBs have an A or B suffix. In general terms, these variants represent different role expectations and conformance requirements for the device type and the service. As an example, a “ReadProperty” capability may be expected in both client and server roles, but the detailed conformance statement and test expectations differ depending on whether the device is acting as the requester, the responder, or both.

Engineers and commissioning teams commonly use BIBBs in three practical ways:

Procurement/specification: define required BIBBs for controllers, supervisory devices, and integration gateways.
Interoperability validation: confirm that a device supports the services required by the head-end or by other devices.
Troubleshooting: isolate whether a failure is due to missing service support versus configuration, network, or device issues.

BACnet conformance statements (often called PICS) and BTL listings typically include BIBB declarations. If you are integrating third-party equipment, comparing BIBBs is a fast way to determine whether features such as COV reporting, alarm acknowledgement, scheduling, trend retrieval, time synchronization, and device management can be expected to work without vendor-specific workarounds.

Notes on BIBB's are provided here: https://store.chipkin.com/services/stacks/bacnet-stack

Data Sharing

Data Sharing BIBBs describe how BACnet clients and servers exchange property values, including support for reading, writing, and subscription-style updates (COV). These are the foundational capabilities used for monitoring and commanding points across a BACnet network.

DS-RP-A - ReadProperty-A
DS-RP-B - ReadProperty-B
DS-RPM-A - ReadPropertyMultiple-A
DS-RPM-B - ReadPropertyMultiple-B
DS-WP-A - WriteProperty-A
DS-WP-B - WriteProperty-B
DS-WPM-A - WritePropertyMultiple-A
DS-WPM-B - WritePropertyMultiple-B
DS-COV-A - Change Of Value-A
DS-COV-B - Change Of Value-B
DS-COVP-A - Change Of Value Property-A
DS-COVP-B - Change Of Value Property-B
DS-COVU-A - Change Of Value Unsubscribed-A
DS-COVU-B - Change Of Value Unsubscribed-B
DS-V-A - View-A
DS-AV-A - Advanced View-A
DS-M-A - Modify-A
DS-AM-A - Advanced Modify-A
DS-WG-A - WriteGroup-A
DS-WG-I-B - WriteGroup-Internal-B
DS-WG-E-B - WriteGroup-External-B
DS-VSI-B - Value Source Information-B
DS-COVM-A - Change Of Value Mulitple-A
DS-COVM-B - Change Of Value Mulitple-B
DS-LSV-A - Life Safety View-A
DS-LSAV-A - Life Safety Advanced View-A
DS-LSM-A - Life Safety Modify-A
DS-LSAM-A - Life Safety Advanced Modify-A
DS-ACV-A - Access Control View-A
DS-ACAV-A - Access Control Advanced View-A
DS-ACM-A - Access Control Modify-A
DS-ACAM-A - Access Control Advanced Modify-A
DS-ACUC-A - Access Control User Configuration-A
DS-ACUC-B - Access Control User Configuration-B
DS-ACSC-A - Access Control Site Configuration-A
DS-ACSC-B - Access Control Site Configuration-B
DS-ACAD-A - Access Control Access Door-A
DS-ACAD-B - Access Control Access Door-B
DS-ACCDI-A - Access Control Credential Data Input-A
DS-ACCDI-B - Access Control Credential Data Input-B

Alarm and Event Management

Alarm and Event Management BIBBs describe how devices generate, distribute, and acknowledge alarms/events. In building automation, this affects everything from operator alarm views to remote acknowledgements, event log retrieval, and notification forwarding. In commissioning, missing alarm-related BIBBs often explains why alarms are visible locally but do not appear correctly at the supervisory level, or why acknowledgement workflows fail.

AE-N-A - Notification-A
AE-N-I-B - Notification-Internal-B
AE-N-E-B - Notification-External-B
AE-ACK-A - Acknowledge-A
AE-ACK-B - Acknowledge-B
AE-ASUM-A - Alarm Summary-A
AE-ASUM-B - Alarm Summary-B
AE-ESUM-A - Enrollment Summary-A
AE-ESUM-B - Enrollment Summary-B
AE-INFO-A - Information-A
AE-INFO-B - Information-B
AE-LS-A - LifeSafety-A
AE-LS-B - LifeSafety-B
AE-VN-A - View Notifications-A
AE-AVN-A - Advanced View Notifications-A
AE-VM-A - View and Modify-A
AE-AVM-A - Advanced View and Modify-A
AE-AS-A - Alarm Summary View-A
AE-ELV-A - Event Log View-A
AE-ELVM-A - Event Log View and Modify-A
AE-EL-I-B - Event Log-Internal-B
AE-EL-E-B - Event Log-External-B
AE-NF-B - Notification Forwarder-B
AE-NF-I-B - Notification Forwarder-Internal-B
AE-CRL-B - Configurable Recipient Lists-B
AE-TES-A - Temporary Event Subscription-A
AE-LSVN-A - Life Safety View Notifications-A
AE-LSAVN-A - Life Safety Advanced View Notifications-A
AE-LSVM-A - Life Safety View and Modify-A
AE-LSAVM-A - Life Safety Advanced View and Modify-A
AE-AC-A - Access Control-A
AE-AC-B - Access Control-B
AE-ACAVN-A - Access Control Advanced View Notifications-A
AE-ACVM-A - Access Control View and Modify-A
AE-ACAVM-A - Access Control Advanced View and Modify-A

Scheduling

Scheduling BIBBs address how devices implement and expose schedules. Scheduling in BACnet is not just a convenience; it is often part of the operational control strategy (occupied/unoccupied control, setpoint management, equipment staging). If a supervisory application cannot read or modify schedules in a consistent way, operators may revert to manual overrides that create energy waste or inconsistent comfort.

SCHED-A
SCHED-I-B - Internal-B
SCHED-E-B - External-B
SCHED-R-B - Readonly-B
SCHED-AVM-A - Advanced View and Modify-A
SCHED-VM-A - View and Modify-A
SCHED-WS-A - Weekly Schedule-A
SCHED-WS-I-B - Weekly Schedule-Internal-B
SCHED-TMR-I-B - Timer-Internal-B
SCHED-TMR-E-B - Timer-External-B

Trending BIBBs define how historical point data is stored and retrieved, including automated trend retrieval. Trend data is used for diagnostics (e.g., valve hunting, control loop tuning), energy analysis, and verification of sequences of operation. In the field, a lack of trend retrieval support can lead to “blind” troubleshooting where technicians cannot validate system behavior over time.

T-VMT-A - Viewing and Modifying Trends-A
T-VMT-I-B - Viewing and Modifying Trends-Internal-B
T-VMT-E-B - Viewing and Modifying Trends-External-B
T-ATR-A - Automated Trend Retrieval-A
T-ATR-B - Automated Trend Retrieval-B
T-VMMV-A - Viewing and Modifying Multiple Values-A
T-VMMV-I-B - Viewing/Modifying Multiple Values-Internal-B
T-VMMV-E-B - Viewing/Modifying Multiple Values-External-B
T-AMVR-A - Automated Multiple Value Retrieval-A
T-AMVR-B - Automated Multiple Value Retrieval-B
T-V-A - View-A
T-AVM-A - Advanced View and Modify-A
T-A-A - Archival-A

Device and Network Management BIBBs

Device and Network Management BIBBs cover services used to manage devices over time: device binding, communication control, time synchronization, backup/restore, and other supervisory operations. These BIBBs often matter most when a BACnet network is scaled or when devices must be maintained remotely (for example, commissioning from a head-end or performing time sync across controllers and supervisors).

DM-DDB-A - Dynamic Device Binding-A
DM-DDB-B - Dynamic Device Binding-B
DM-DOB-A - Dynamic Object Binding-A
DM-DOB-B - Dynamic Object Binding-B
DM-DCC-A - DeviceCommunicationControl-A
DM-DCC-B - DeviceCommunicationControl-B
DM-TM-A - Text Message-A
DM-TM-B - Text Message-B
DM-TS-A - TimeSynchronization-A
DM-TS-B - TimeSynchronization-B
DM-UTC-A - UTCTimeSynchronization-A
DM-UTC-B - UTCTimeSynchronization-B
DM-RD-A - ReinitializeDevice-A
DM-RD-B - ReinitializeDevice-B
DM-BR-A - Backup and Restore-A
DM-BR-B - Backup and Restore-B
DM-R-A - Restart-A
DM-R-B - Restart-B
DM-LM-A - List Manipulation-A
DM-LM-B - List Manipulation-B
DM-OCD-A - Object Creation and Deletion-A
DM-OCD-B - Object Creation and Deletion-B
DM-VT-A - Virtual Terminal-A
DM-VT-B - Virtual Terminal-B
NM-CE-A - Connection Establishment-A
NM-CE-B - Connection Establishment-B
NM-RC-A - Router Configuration-A
NM-RC-B - Router Configuration-B
DM-ANM-A - Automatic Network Mapping-A
DM-ADM-A - Automatic Device Mapping-A
DM-ATS-A - Automatic Time Synchronization-A
DM-MTS-A - Manual Time Synchronization-A
DM-SP-VM-A - Slave Proxy-View and Modify-A
DM-SP-B - Slave Proxy-B

Network Management

Network Management BIBBs address BBMD and foreign device concepts used to route BACnet/IP broadcasts across subnets. These capabilities become important when BACnet/IP devices must communicate across routed IP networks, VLANs, or WAN links where broadcast traffic does not naturally traverse.

NM-BBMDC-A - BBMD Configuration-A
NM-BBMDC-B - BBMD Configuration-B
NM-FDR-A - Foreign Device Registration-A

Gateway

Gateway BIBBs are used when a device represents a virtual network or embeds objects that proxy or expose data from another system. This is relevant in BACnet protocol conversion, where a gateway may present non-BACnet devices as BACnet objects to supervisory systems.

GW-VN-B - Virtual Network-B
GW-EO-B - Embedded Objects-B

Network Security

Network Security BIBBs describe security-related roles and capabilities, including key management and secure devices/routers. These become increasingly relevant when deploying BACnet/SC (BACnet Secure Connect) or when security posture requires encryption and managed authentication in BACnet networks.

NS-SD - Secure Device
NS-ED - Encrypted Device
NS-MAD - Multi-Application Device
NS-DMK-A - Device Master Key-A
NS-DMK-B - Device Master Key-B
NS-KS - Key Server
NS-TKS - Temporary Key Server
NS-SR - Secure Router
NS-SP - Security Proxy

How to Use This List in Specifications and Integration Projects

When writing project specifications, it is usually more effective to list required outcomes (e.g., “supervisory system shall subscribe to COV for key points,” “operator shall acknowledge alarms from the head-end,” “weekly schedules shall be editable remotely”) and then map those outcomes to required BIBBs. This prevents over-specifying features that are not needed while ensuring that the required interoperability exists.

During commissioning, comparing the BIBBs implemented by each device can help isolate issues quickly. For example:

If COV subscriptions fail, confirm DS-COV/DS-COVP support on the server side and subscription behavior on the client.
If alarm acknowledgement fails, confirm AE-ACK support and that alarm enrollment/notification is configured appropriately.
If schedules cannot be edited, confirm SCHED-VM or SCHED-AVM capabilities and the object/property permissions.
If time synchronization is inconsistent, confirm DM-TS/DM-UTC support and validate network time sources.

For product developers, BIBBs provide a structured roadmap: implementing the right set of BIBBs for a target device class (controller, router, gateway, workstation) reduces integration friction and improves compatibility with common BACnet tools.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is the difference between a BACnet service and a BIBB?

A BACnet service is a specific protocol operation (e.g., ReadProperty, WriteProperty, SubscribeCOV). A BIBB is a standardized building block that groups services and requirements into an interoperability capability statement used for specifications and conformance.

Q2: Why do BIBBs often have “A” and “B” variants?

The A/B variants represent different conformance roles and requirement sets associated with the same general capability. In practice, devices may implement one variant, the other, or both depending on whether they are acting primarily as client, server, or a more advanced device class.

Q3: If a device supports ReadProperty, is that enough for interoperability?

Not always. Many supervisory workflows depend on additional capabilities such as ReadPropertyMultiple, COV subscriptions, alarm/event services, schedule objects, trend logs, and device management services. BIBBs help identify what is present beyond the basic read/write functions.

Q4: How do BIBBs relate to BACnet testing and BTL certification?

BIBBs are commonly declared in BACnet conformance statements and are used as part of interoperability and conformance testing programs. Third-party listings such as BTL typically reference the capabilities supported by the device, which is often expressed using BIBBs.

Q5: Which BIBBs are most commonly needed for typical BMS integrations?

Most projects rely on Data Sharing (Read/Write and often COV), Alarm and Event Management (notifications and acknowledgement), Scheduling (view/modify schedules), Trending (trend retrieval), and Device/Network Management (time sync and device discovery/binding). The exact selection depends on the device role and the project’s operational requirements.