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BES 5.0 SP2 MR4 for Exchange Released

hdawg — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 08:05:00 GMT

BES 5.0 SP2 MR4 was just released ... and only 1 thing fixed; heh.

In a Microsoft Exchange 2010 environment with a lot of activity, the BlackBerry Enterprise Server might take
longer than expected to send email messages to the device. (DT 1006793)

For more information about how to improve BlackBerry Enterprise Server performance, see the Managing the
BlackBerry Enterprise Server Performance in a Microsoft Exchange 2010 Environment Technical Note.

So apply this ... and RTFM (y)

Source: Release notes

Space allocation in the BES Config Database for users

hdawg — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 08:05:00 GMT

So I just saw this KB article; neat point of information:

The maximum permitted record space for each BlackBerry smartphone user is 4850 KB in the BlackBerry Configuration Database and the average space required by each BlackBerry smartphone user is 400KB. A typical entry in the MsAddresses table in the BlackBerry Configuration Database is approximately 300 bytes in size. The MsAddresses table contains two copies of the contact list so that the BlackBerry smartphone user accounts can be managed. If more than two copies exist, the BlackBerry Mail Store Service uses a stored procedure to delete the extra copies nightly. The stored procedure deletes 3000 rows during each procedure call with a delay of 5 seconds between procedure calls.

The MSAddresses table contains the user lists and distribution lists that are located in the Microsoft� Active Directory�. Record data in the MSAddresses table uses approximately 1.043 KB of storage space. If the Microsoft Active Directory contains 100,000 items, the storage space for the table is approximately 100 MB.

Source

So while the average space is ~400KB, the max could hit 4850KB; at least you now know theoretically how big your BESMgmt could get.

iOS 4 and Exchange ActiveSync broken?

hdawg — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:33:03 GMT

Let's face it ... we can't ignore the iPhone ... and neither can Microsoft: Official comments from Microsoft on the Exchange Team Blog regarding the problems with iOS 4 and Exchange ActiveSync.

Free tool: Certificate Manager for Exchange 2007

hdawg — Fri, 28 May 2010 08:05:00 GMT

I read a great article on bink.nu that talks about using a swee GUI tool to manage certificates with Exchange 2007. Definitely a must read for any Exchange Admins out there (y)

How much data do you use?

hdawg — Thu, 27 May 2010 08:05:00 GMT

Over in the forum, gibbyoh started a great thread asking "How much data do you use?".

I know a bunch of people that tether like mad, stream videos and music constantly so they must rack up a bit of usage. I'm not too crazy, but check out How much data do you use?? and give some feedback!

Every major mobile platform getting an upgrade ...

hdawg — Wed, 26 May 2010 08:05:00 GMT

Anyone else notice this? Every major platform (that I deal with) is getting an upgrade or going through a revolution. Sorry, I don't work much at all with Symbian.

BlackBerry OS 6

Apple iPhone 4.0

HP purchasing Palm

Android 2.2

Windows Phone 7

So what are y'all waiting for?

Script to grab some user info and handheld free memory

hdawg — Thu, 13 May 2010 08:05:00 GMT

A friend of mine wanted to take two scripts he had:

Obtained device free handheld memory
Grabbed some user info from various tables (Name, email address, BES, Mode, OS Version, Password status (enabled / disabled) IT Policy name & applied time)

and wanted them combined into a single query. The difficult thing is that to get free handheld memory you need to do some converting and parsing of data from the SyncDeviceMgmt table in the BlackBerry Configuration Database.

So what we do is grab the free device memory information and throw it into a temporary table, and then use that data to go into our other script. The cool thing here is that we create a table in memory which is good for the life of the script, and then it is gone. So it is there for us when we need it :)

For those of us that find it challenging to extract info out of the BAS, scripts like this definitely help out!

Code:

DECLARE FreeHandheldMemory TABLE (
UserConfigId int,
FreeHHBytes int)

INSERT INTO FreeHandheldMemory (UserConfigId, FreeHHBytes)
SELECT UC.Id, convert(int, substring(SDM.data, patindex('%3>%',SDM.Data)+2, patindex('%%',SDM.data) - patindex('%3>%',SDM.Data) - 2))
FROM SyncDeviceMgmt SDM, UserConfig UC
WHERE SDM.TableId ='5' and SDM.UserConfigId = UC.id

SELECT  UC.DisplayName, UC.MailboxSMTPAddr, SC.ServiceName, vUCS.ModelName, vUCS.AppsVer, FHHM.FreeHHBytes, vUCS.PasswordEnabled, vUCS.ITPolicyName, vUCS.ITPolicyTime
FROM   ITPolicyStatus ITPS, UserConfig UC, ServerConfig SC, vUserConfigStats vUCS, FreeHandheldMemory FHHM
WHERE ITPS.UserConfigId = UC.Id AND UC.ServerConfigId = SC.Id AND UC.Id = vUCS.Id AND UC.Id = FHHM.UserConfigId
ORDER BY UC.DisplayName

Eliminating Traditional Backups using native Exchange 2010 Functionality (Part 1)

hdawg — Wed, 12 May 2010 08:05:00 GMT

Henrik Walther is putting together a multi-part blog series on Eliminating Traditional Backups using native Exchange 2010 Functionality.

Exchange 2007 was a huge change / improvement / whatever you'd like to call it to the messaging and collaboration world, but don't think Exchange 2010 isn't equally as awesome.

I'll keep you up to date on what Henrik says and expect to see a bunch of content from me on how BES + Exchange 2010 = a better world for us BlackBerry Enterprise Server admins.

Bulk import BES CAL (license keys)

hdawg — Tue, 11 May 2010 08:05:00 GMT

I was recently working with a friend who was building a new BES 5 environment / migrating from 4.x and had more than 200 CAL's that needed to be added to the database.

Adding through the BAS is a "one at a time" approach with no easy way to do the import ... but as we all know the keys are all stored in the BlackBerry Configuration Database (BESMgmt) in the licensekeys table. So we'd just add the data to the table in question, right? Well ... kinda.

I was going open up my favorite SQL Query Analyzer to do a simple:

Code:

INSERT INTO licensekeys
VALUES ('besx35-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX', '0')

... but then I figured I bet there is a stored procedure that the BAS calls when it adds a key to the database ... and then I found insertkey. I don't know if the BAS uses it (I haven't bothered to look) but the insertkey SP does error handling and I guess is a little more "supportable".

So now, instead we have:

Code:

exec insertkey 'besx35-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX', '0'

Do some copy / paste with Excel and you're good to go. Oh yeah, there's also deletekey ... guess what that does?

I love my OtterBox case

hdawg — Mon, 10 May 2010 08:05:00 GMT

I think the title says it all ... but seriously OtterBox is the way to go.

I got a BlackBerry Bold 9700 Commuter Series Case at WES (just by going to the booth and asking politely) and I wasn't sure if I would actually use it ... but it was swag and I wanted one.

I got the case put the screen protector and 2 part case on the device and haven't looked back. Having used a Bold 9000 for year and then going to the 9700 it was a bit of an adjustment from the big device back to the small one (no complaints though) and with the OtterBox case now on my 9700 it still feels smaller than the 9000.

Bravo to OtterBox for continuing to put out great products and getting them better and better with each new release!

When Do You Need to Wipe? A Guide to BlackBerry Potty Training

hdawg — Sun, 09 May 2010 08:05:00 GMT

I'd like to make this a living / work in progress entry and would really like feedback for when y'all wipe your device.

Personally I hate having to wipe a device. The only time I wipe is when I'm upgrading the OS and I absolutely hate it, because I then need to reconfigure all the poorly written applications I use as a restore doesn't restore their configuration settings.

But sometimes there are valid reasons to wipe a device. Here are a few I've collected:

Running low on memory and just can't recover enough. At the same time this would also be a good opportunity to upgrade an OS. It is possible that the OS had a memory leak or some version of an app.
Corrupt message database. User can send messages, receive a message (and the device sends the delivery confirmation), but the received email is nowhere on the device - even via search. Sure you could do an advanced wipe and perhaps just wipe a database ... but depending on the person you're working with it may just be easier to do a full wipe ... again another good op to upgrade the OS :)
If someone moves from one BES to another BES and they don't share configuration databases. This is actually a requirement ... you need to do a security wipe to get the device to activate on the new BES
Selling a device. You don't want to give someone a device with any of your personal info on it. Wipe it, and upgrade the OS to the newest for them!

So when do y'all wipe your device?

... and Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there (y)

away for a few days ... I lied

hdawg — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:04:19 GMT

I tell ya folks you mean to go away for a few days and it turns into several weeks.

Buying a house, moving 1000 miles away (still in progress), a busy job that you love, oh and WES puts a thorn in trying to keep the blog up to date.

Well ... lets see if I can keep on track for now.

For your tidbit of info today I'll pass on something I learned from a good friend that knows how to make (he roasts his own beans too) a mean cup of coffee.

If you're using BIS and have a gmail integrated account you may notice mailbox / handheld reconciliation is a great feature ... but the limitation ... it may take up to 6 hours for the reconciliation to occur.

So it works ... just not quickly. Don't be surprised when this happens :)

away for a few days

hdawg — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 09:05:00 GMT

Hey everyone! I'll be taking a break until next Tuesday as I'm taking my wife away for her birthday. Having a Winter birthday she only asked for sun and warm ... so we're off!

See y'all in a few days ...

What can't you do in BES?

hdawg — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 09:05:00 GMT

So I figured I'd start a little wish list of things I wish I could do with BES, but can't ... please add on whatever yours are. Perhaps it is possible and you just don't know about it!

The ability to identify when a call is dropped / ended prematurely. Sure we can get call log info, but what about reporting back to carriers lots of dropped calls ... especially for a particular user
The ability to restart a single messaging agent. When a single agent gets hung / stopped the only supported way to get it back is to reboot the BES.
Force device information to sync on demand. Instead of waiting that 4 hour period for the device to push data back to the BESMgmt database (such as free memory / apps installed) I'd like to be able to initiate an update in real time

So that is the start of my list ... what do y'all have?

How Buzz, Facebook, Twitter Create 'Social Insecurity'

hdawg — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 09:05:00 GMT

Mike Elgan over at CIO.com recently wrote an article titled How Buzz, Facebook, Twitter Create 'Social Insecurity'. Given that we all have mobile devices and probably most of us are using some if not several forms of social media in their life I figured this would be of interest. I've not adopted foursquare, but do use Facebook and Twitter to keep up and in touch. Are you safe with what you're putting out there?

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express

hdawg — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:05:00 GMT

ok ok ok everyone posted yesterday about the availability of BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express Edition. I previously mentioned some info about the impending release but lets dive a little deeper ...

First off, remember that BES Express is effectively BPS 5.0. You'll get most of the base functionality that BES touts, but expect some limitations. Just like BPS never got past SP4 of 4.1, expect there to be limited functionality going forward. Yes you're getting BES ... but you're getting what you pay for; don't forget that. BES Express is a great way for RIM to get people to use more BlackBerry handhelds and to further integrate work / personal life. Don't get me wrong, I love it ... but keep that in mind.

Take a look at the attached; BES Express Policy Reference Guide. You'll notice there are significantly less policy settings in this guide than in the BES Policy Reference Guide For a complete guide of BES Express Policy settings check out KB21123. Sure these rules will fit most small business and organizations looking to implement BES ... but if it doesn't and you've invested in BlackBerry you'll need to pay for full BES. I think there is a way to make all IT Policy settings work with BES Express with some database manipulation, taking what is in a BES database, but that's for another day.

Let's move on to activating smartphones with BES Express. The cool thing is you don't need a BES data plan to work with BES Express. You needed it for BPS and the old BES Express ... but now you don't. If you don't have a BES data plan, but instead have a BIS data plan you can Enterprise Activate ... just not wirelessly. Definitely cost /effort prohibitive in an enterprise, but in a small organization use Desktop Manager, Web Desktop Manager, or the BAS (tethered). If you want to use Wireless Enterprise Activation or a WiFi Enterprise Activation you'll need to have a BES data plan provisioned. That said, I can't think of why you couldn't provision a device with a BES data plan, complete the Enterprise Activation and then remove the BES data plan, leaving only the BIS data plan. Check out the following KB's about activation devices on BES Express:

KB21209 - How to check if a BlackBerry smartphone can be used in a BlackBerry Enterprise Server or a BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express
and
KB21124 - How to activate a BlackBerry smartphone using BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express version 5.0 SP1

Last, let's take a quick look at migration and upgrade options for BES Express ... This is where, in my opinion the product really goes downhill I wish I could say it shined here ... but no. I get it ... BES Express is a reduction in functionality so migrating TO it would obviously be difficult, and why would you provide the ability to downgrade a product ... but for those running BPS this is an obvious upgrade. I can upgrade from BPS to BES, but I can't to BES Express? #fail.

If you want to move from any version of BES up until 5.0 SP1 or BPS 4.1 SP4 to BES Express, RIM provides these steps to do so:

Delete the BlackBerry smartphone user account from the current BES
Back up the BlackBerry smartphone (so you can restore anything after the new activation)
Perform a security wipe on the BlackBerry smartphone (yup, you're wiping it all)
Add the BlackBerry smartphone user as a new user on BES Express (oh joy)
Activate the BlackBerry smartphone
Restore any settings / options / applications.

Hey, that's the same procedure I'm supposed to use if I move domains (and can't use the Enterprise Transporter) or if I go from Domino to Exchange. Again, sure m a small organization I can do this without too much pain ... but this certainly doesn't make it easy to implement if you already have BPS/BES ... this isn't an upgrade.

I'm glad to see this new BES Express ... but I'm sad at the epic failure with the inability to upgrade from BPS; which really would have been the sweet spot for this product. Here's to hoping that functionality gets added soon ... maybe WES?

Attached Files

	BlackBerry_Enterprise_Server_Express_for_Microsoft_Exchange-Policy_Reference_Guide-T323212-984331-02 (333.1 KB, 747 views)
	Policy_Reference_Guide.pdf (1.41 MB, 435 views)

BlackBerry on a plane

hdawg — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 09:05:00 GMT

I previously posted about changing a MAC address using a BB on the plane ... and I'm sure this violates some ToS, but why couldn't I just use my BB to connect to WiFi on a plane with Tether?

This weekend I flew around the country and had some free WiFi codes so I didn't try ... but I could save $2 per use, AND get both my BB and laptop connected by using this.

Like I said, I didn't try it this time ... but I think I will next time!

Whatcha think?

personal + work email & sync

hdawg — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 09:05:00 GMT

I can't be the only one in this position... I use a single BlackBerry, a 9700 provisioned on at&t. I've previously had Cellular One, Sprint, VoiceStream, Verizon, and T-Mobile; however this isn't a discussion on which carrier and why. They each served their purpose at the time.

What all of the carriers currently share is the ability to use BIS + BES functionality on a single device. We all love this functionality, and it allows you to carry a single device for both personal and business use. Maybe I'm an anomaly here, but I think not ... here's my scenario:

I want to have my BIS + BES email (which I can do)
I want to have my personal and work calendar (which I'm either too lazy to figure out or just cant be done through my current method ... but I doubt this is the case)
I want to have my personal and work contacts (see above)

I use Outlook 2010 connecting to Exchange 2007 for both my personal email and my work email. My BIS integration is through OWA, and BES ... well ... is BES.

What do you do to get all that info there? I'd sure love to use Desktop Manager to bring in my personal info, but that isn't supported with Outlook 2010 ... luckily my contacts don't change often and I got a good sync in prior to upgrading.

Thoughts? I know there are some BIS wizards that can help me out :)

Each BES gets its own besadmin account

hdawg — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:05:00 GMT

... does it? Should each BES have it's own administration account / mailbox?

Simple answer, Yes. Here's why, for any environments with multiple BES:

Single points of failure are never good (if that mailbox is unavailable, no services will start / restart)
It is recommended to keep each BlackBerry users' mailbox close to the BES ... same goes for the administration mailbox
Do you have different groups managing different servers? Different accounts help with this management over servers
If there is ever a problem with the mailbox / mailbox server you've got built in redundancy

Do y'all have a separate mailbox for each BES? Perhaps a single mailbox per data center? Do tell ...

How to reload missing BlackBerry smartphone data into the BlackBerry Manager

hdawg — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:05:00 GMT

Read the full details at KB17542 - How to reload missing BlackBerry smartphone data into the BlackBerry Manager ... however here's an example of how to actually use it.

Download the BRK Tool SyncRequest.exe and run the command: SyncRequest -n SQLServer -db BESMgmt -sync "Handheld Agent" -value_type emailaddress hdawg@port3101.org

Where:

-n = hostname of SQL server hosting your BlackBerry Configuration Database
-db = name of your BlackBerry Configuration Database
-sync = name of the BlackBerry database to sync
-value_type = user identification. Can be display name, email address, PIN, BB HH model, or device version
-value = actual user data, such as hdawg@port3101.org

Check the [URL="http://blog.port3101.org/hdawg/49-bes-logs-whats-them-part-13-20-sync-log.html"]SYNC log[/URL and it'll show the process with [SYNC-DSession] "headings" and "*** SLOWSYNC COMPLETE *** NAME" for each device/user.

You can also use the command: SyncRequest -n SQLServer -db BESMgmt -list which will give you a list of all databases that you can initiate a sync.