How to Install the Johnson Controls CCT Tool

Overview

To install the Johnson Controls Controller Configuration Tool (CCT), obtain the installer for your intended release, run it with Windows administrator privileges, select the appropriate default or custom setup path, wait for the Complete window, import the required controller packages, and activate CCT and package licenses separately.

This guide covers Johnson Controls CCT for configuring field controllers. It does not apply to other products that share the CCT abbreviation. The exact workflow depends on three facts: the CCT or FX-PCT release already installed, whether the computer already has a supported SQL Server environment, and whether you need custom database credentials or a different destination folder.

Installation therefore has five distinct stages: preparation, upgrade-path selection, base software installation, package and license configuration, and verification. Do not treat the end of the base installer as proof that packages are imported, licenses are active, or communication with a controller works. The supplied Johnson Controls documentation establishes separate completion signals for those supported stages.

Step 1: Confirm the version, access, and prerequisites

Start by identifying the exact release you intend to install. Installer names, upgrade rules, supported operating systems, prerequisite software, and SQL Server behavior vary between CCT releases. Instructions for Release 15.0, for example, name JohnsonControlsControllerConfigurationTool_15.0.exe, while the Release 18.0 guide names ControllerConfigurationTool_18.0.exe. The Release 18.0.1.7 patch uses ControllerConfigurationTool_18.0.1.7.exe.

For Release 18.0.1.7, Johnson Controls directs authorized users to the Johnson Controls License Portal. After signing in, locate Controller Configuration Tool (CCT) on the Software tab, select Download in the Actions column, and choose version 18.0.1.7. The Release 18.0 documentation also identifies TL-CCT-0 as the part number used to order CCT software. These references establish the documented portal and ordering identifier, but they do not establish the entitlement, purchase, or renewal terms applicable to a particular organization.

Before opening setup, record the inputs that determine the rest of the procedure:

• Confirm that you can use a Windows account with Administrator privileges, as required by the CCT installation instructions.
• In an existing CCT or FX-PCT installation, open Tool Version and record the displayed release.
• Determine whether the computer already runs SQL Server and, if it does, which instance and authentication method you expect CCT to use.
• Obtain the installer for the intended CCT release and confirm that its filename matches the release-specific documentation.
• Establish access to the required Field Controller Packages and, where applicable, SA Bus Device Packages and license records.
• Preserve any installation information your organization needs before changing an existing deployment. The supplied sources do not define a backup procedure, so follow your organization’s documented process rather than inventing one for CCT.

Do not reuse an older release’s hardware or software specifications as though they apply to Release 18.0 or patch 18.0.1.7. One older guide specifies particular Windows 10 editions and 16 GB of memory with a 4 GB minimum, but the supplied evidence does not provide a complete Release 18.0 list covering the operating system, processor, memory, disk space, frameworks, or every supported SQL Server version. Check the official guide matching the installer you obtained before proceeding.

Preparation is complete when you have the exact installer, administrator access, the existing tool release, and the computer’s SQL conditions recorded. Those facts provide the inputs for the upgrade and installation decisions that follow.

Step 2: Choose the correct fresh-install or upgrade path

Use the release shown under Tool Version to decide whether setup is a fresh installation, a removal followed by installation, or a supported direct upgrade. This decision must be made before running the newer installer because Johnson Controls documents different treatment for older CCT and Facility Explorer Programmable Configuration Tool (FX-PCT) releases.

The Release 18.0 document introduction establishes these branches:

• With no existing CCT or FX-PCT installation, follow the fresh-install procedure for the intended release.
• If Release 10.2 or earlier is installed, uninstall it before installing CCT Release 10.3 or later.
• If Release 10.3 is installed, the documented rule permits a direct upgrade to CCT Release 13.0 or later.
• For any release combination not covered by those rules, use the official installation or upgrade guide for the source and target releases rather than inferring that a direct upgrade is supported.

Patch 18.0.1.7 has its own documented upgrade route. Its instructions say to run the patch installer as administrator and use Upgrade in the Controller Configuration Tool 18.0 Setup window. If SQL Server uses Windows credentials, retain Windows authentication; otherwise, clear the Windows Authentication checkbox before selecting Upgrade.

The outcome of this step is a written choice—fresh installation, required removal, or a documented direct upgrade—supported by the source and target releases. It is not yet evidence that the installation itself has succeeded.

Worked example: upgrading from Release 10.3

Suppose Tool Version reports CCT Release 10.3 and the target is Release 13.0 or later. The documented branch permits a direct upgrade, so the Release 10.2-or-earlier removal requirement does not apply to this scenario. You would obtain the correct target-release installer and then follow that release’s upgrade instructions.

This example is deliberately narrow. It does not prove that every release newer than 10.3 can be upgraded directly to every later release. If Tool Version displays a different source release, verify the combination in the matching Johnson Controls guide before selecting an upgrade action.

Step 3: Install CCT using the appropriate setup path

Install CCT with the filename and setup interface documented for your selected release. For Release 18.0, the custom installation guide identifies ControllerConfigurationTool_18.0.exe. For patch 18.0.1.7, Johnson Controls identifies ControllerConfigurationTool_18.0.1.7.exe and directs the user to right-click it and select Run as administrator.

After setup opens, choose the standard Install path if the documented defaults fit the workstation. Choose Custom when you need to select an existing SQL instance, choose between Windows and SQL Server authentication, or change the destination folder. Setup installs CCT prerequisites and Software Manager before installing CCT itself.

Keep release-specific labels attached to their releases. Do not assume that an installer filename, bundled SQL build, or button from one guide appears unchanged in another release. For both the supported Release 18.0 paths described here, the base-install completion signal is the Complete window followed by Finish.

Default versus custom installation

The default path minimizes setup decisions. Custom installation exposes database and destination settings that must match the existing environment. Use the following decision matrix only for the conditions established in the Release 18.0 documentation.

Installation condition	Default Install path	Custom path	Required check
Standard installation with no documented need to change SQL or the destination	Use Install	Not required for this condition	Continue until the Complete window appears
Existing supported SQL Server instance must be selected	Does not expose the documented SQL selection step	Open Custom, then select the instance from the Database tab	SQL Server Browser must use Automatic startup and be running when CCT starts
Current Windows credentials will authenticate to SQL Server	Use only if the normal installation path already matches the environment	Select Windows Credentials	The current Windows user must belong to the selected SQL Server’s sysadmin role
Existing SQL Server credentials will be used	Not the documented route for entering these credentials	Clear Windows Credentials, then enter the SQL username and password	The selected SQL user must belong to the SQL Server sysadmin role
CCT must be installed in a different destination	Uses the specified destination	Open the General tab, select Browse, and choose the location before Install	Confirm that setup proceeds using the selected destination

When no supported SQL Server version is present, the Release 18.0 setup documentation says it automatically installs Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Express with CU18. That is a Release 18.0 setup behavior, not a universal SQL specification for every CCT version.

The decision outcome should be explicit before you continue: standard Install, or Custom with a selected SQL instance, authentication method, and—if required—destination folder.

Run the installer and check the setup result

Close the base-install stage only after the installer displays its documented completion window. For Release 18.0 or 18.0.1.7, use this ordered sequence:

1. Obtain the installation files from the authorized source for your release. Confirm that the filename is ControllerConfigurationTool_18.0.exe for Release 18.0 or ControllerConfigurationTool_18.0.1.7.exe for patch 18.0.1.7.

2. Sign in with an administrator-capable Windows account. For 18.0.1.7, right-click the installer and select Run as administrator. On a Johnson Controls computer, the patch instructions instead identify Run JCI Elevated.

3. Verify that the Controller Configuration Tool 18.0 Setup window appears. The supplied evidence documents 18.0.1.7 only as a patch upgrade; for a fresh installation, follow the guide for the matching base release. For its documented patch-upgrade route, select Upgrade and apply the SQL authentication choice established earlier.

4. If you selected Custom for Release 18.0, configure the supported SQL instance and authentication on the Database tab. Use the General tab if you need to change the installation destination, then select Install.

5. Allow setup to install its prerequisite software, Software Manager, and CCT. If the Release 18.0 setup finds no supported SQL Server version, its documented behavior is to install SQL Server 2019 Express with CU18.

6. When the Complete window appears, select Finish.

The Complete window establishes completion of the base setup process described by the installer. It does not establish that controller packages are imported, licenses are active, CCT has passed a complete first-launch test, or a live controller is communicating.

Step 4: Import controller packages and activate licenses

Treat package import and licensing as separate post-install operations. Johnson Controls documentation does not present them as automatic consequences of reaching the installer’s Complete window. At Release 13.0 and later, the document introduction says both the CCT software and Field Controller package files require licensing.

Obtain the Field Controller Packages and applicable SA Bus Device Packages for the release from your authorized source. The 18.0.1.7 instructions direct users to obtain these packages from the License Portal after installing or upgrading CCT. Package availability and release compatibility should be checked against the documentation for the installed version.

Complete the supported post-install actions in this order:

1. Import each package by double-clicking its package collection file, or open Package Importer from the Windows Start menu and select the package there. Wait until Package Importer displays Finished importing before treating that package import as complete.

2. Open Software Manager from the Windows Start menu. The 18.0.1.7 instructions give the path Start > Johnson Controls > Software Manager.

3. In Software Manager, locate CCT in License Inventory. From Choose Action, select Activate New to begin the documented CCT licensing action.

4. Handle Field Controller package licensing separately. If a package is absent from License Inventory, select Add License. If it is already listed, use Activate New from Choose Action.

5. Repeat the import and licensing checks for each required package rather than treating one successful package as evidence that all packages are ready.

The distinction between Add License and Activate New matters. Field Controller package files are not automatically added to Software Manager’s License Inventory merely because they were installed. The Release 18.0 instructions say they appear there only after they have initially been licensed. Add License addresses a package not yet listed; Activate New is used when the item is already present and needs activation.

Verify the licensing requirements for SA Bus Device Packages in the official guide for the installed release before assuming that no additional licensing action is required. Preserve that release qualifier when working with older installations.

If CCT itself is not licensed after installation, the documentation says the Software License Check appears when CCT is first accessed. It also states that Field Controllers without a licensed Field Controller package are set to Artificial Field Device or Artificial IO Device in CCT. These are licensing-related states; they should not be confused with a failed package import.

This stage is complete only when Package Importer has shown Finished importing for the required packages and the separate CCT and Field Controller package licensing actions have been performed in Software Manager.

Step 5: Verify the supported completion signals

Verify each supported stage independently. A single successful window cannot prove the entire workstation-to-controller workflow because the evidence defines separate installation, package, license, and version checks.

Use the following post-install check:

• Base software: Confirm that setup displayed the Complete window and that you selected Finish.
• Package import: Confirm that Package Importer displayed Finished importing for every required package.
• CCT licensing: Confirm that CCT was located in Software Manager’s License Inventory and that the documented Activate New action was performed.
• Field Controller package licensing: If the package was missing from License Inventory, use Add License; if it was listed, use Activate New.
• Installed release: Open Tool Version and confirm the displayed release against the installer or patch you intended to apply.

These checks establish only what their documented signals show. Complete indicates that base setup reached its finish state. Finished importing indicates that Package Importer completed an import. The Software Manager actions distinguish CCT activation from package licensing. Tool Version identifies the release the tool reports.

The supplied evidence does not define a complete first-launch smoke test, a release-mode selection test, or a procedure proving successful communication with a live controller. Do not report those outcomes as verified merely because installation and licensing completed. Use the release-specific Johnson Controls operating documentation or authorized support procedure for commissioning and controller-communication validation.

Troubleshoot documented installation and SQL conditions

When setup does not proceed as expected, check the documented environmental conditions before changing unrelated Windows or SQL settings. The evidence supports a bounded set of privilege, service, role, and network checks; it does not support a universal error-code map.

• Administrator privileges: Run installation from a Windows account with Administrator privileges. For the 18.0.1.7 executable, use Run as administrator as directed by the patch instructions. If the expected setup window never appears or installation cannot write required components, first confirm that the documented elevation action was actually used.

• SQL Server Browser: When installing CCT on a computer that already runs SQL Server, set the SQL Server Browser service startup type to Automatic. The service must also be running when CCT starts. Verify both the configured startup type and the current service state; checking only one does not establish the other.

• SQL network access: The supplied evidence does not identify a required SQL port; check the official installation documentation for the installed release to identify the specific SQL connection, if any, that must be allowed. Confirm that this specific connection is allowed in the applicable environment. The supplied evidence does not define broader firewall rules or remedies for ports other than 1433.

• Windows authentication: If Custom installation uses Windows Credentials, the current Windows user must be a member of the selected SQL Server’s sysadmin role. A Windows administrator account is not, by itself, evidence of membership in that SQL Server role.

• SQL Server authentication: If you clear Windows Credentials and enter an SQL username and password, that existing SQL Server user must have the sysadmin role for the selected server. Recheck the selected instance as well as the credentials; a valid user on a different instance does not satisfy the documented selection.

• Existing SQL environment: Release 18.0 setup installs SQL Server 2019 Express with CU18 when it does not find a supported SQL Server version. If an existing instance is present but cannot be selected or is not accepted, do not infer that it is supported. Compare it with the SQL requirements in the official guide for the exact CCT release.

• Upgrade branch: If an older installation remains present, return to Tool Version and apply the documented boundary. Release 10.2 or earlier must be removed before installing Release 10.3 or later, while Release 10.3 has a documented direct-upgrade path to Release 13.0 or later.

These checks can confirm known prerequisites and narrow the affected stage, but they cannot identify the cause of every failure. The supplied sources do not map exact error messages to causes, explain installation logs, document unsupported SQL instances exhaustively, prescribe firewall changes beyond port 1433, or define recovery for failed live-controller communication. For those conditions, record the exact CCT release, installer filename, selected SQL instance and authentication method, observed window or message, and the last supported completion signal, then use the matching Johnson Controls release documentation or authorized support channel.