Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server 1.0.1 - Release and Installation Notes

$Rev: 534 $ - Release Date: 15 December 2009

Table of Contents

Introduction

Thank you for downloading Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server 1.0.1.

Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server 1.0.x ("Scalix Connect for BES" or "SCBES") is a connector that links the Exchange Edition of RIM's Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) or Blackberry Professional Software (BPS) products to Scalix. It provides Scalix users with the full integrated Blackberry user experience including push email, wireless calendar and contact synchronization, remote address book lookup and more. It provides system administrators with all the benefits of mobile device management available for BES and BPS.

Scalix Connect for BES works in combination with Scalix Server release 11.4. Future releases of Scalix Connect for BES will be part of Scalix Server releases, starting with Scalix Server release 11.5.

No Scalix Software is required on the user's mobile device. All device types that are supported for the BES and BPS will work with the Scalix Connect for BES solution. The User Interface on the device will be fully controlled by the device manufacturer.

The device needs a subscription from a Blackberry-enabled mobile operator. The subscription must be enabled for Blackberry Enterprise Activation. Please contact your mobile operator for details. Note that the Blackberry protocol used by the device to communicate with the BES requires the communication to go through a carrier network and a Network Operations Center operated by RIM. Together, these components make up "The Blackberry Infrastructure". Blackberry devices cannot communicate with a BES or a BPS using a local wired or wireless network. This is the nature of the Blackberry solution and is outside Scalix' control.

Supported Setups and Licensing

Scalix Connect for BES will support different deployment models together with Scalix 11.5:

For Scalix Small Business Edition, only the One-to-One configuration will be available. For Scalix Enterprise and Hosting Editions, both models will be available.

Scalix Connect for BES 1.0.x only supports the "One-to-One" model together with Scalix 11.4. You will have to install a separate BES/BPS server for each Scalix 11.4 Server. The One-to-Many model will be available with Scalix 11.5.

The following requirements need to be met to be able to run Scalix Connect for BES 1.0.x:

Supported Platforms

All Windows operating systems supported for the BES/BPS should work with Scalix Connect for BES 1.0.x. Scalix internal testing has been done with Windows Server 2003, both 32- and 64-bit as well as Windows Server 2008.

Supported Devices

All Blackberry devices or other vendor's devices running Blackberry Connect software that are supported by BES/BPS will work with Scalix Connect for BES 1.0.x.

Supported Functionality

Scalix Connect for BES 1.0.x supports the following aspects of the Blackberry solution:

The following functionality is currently not available and will be added in a later release:
Many other features of the Blackberry solution do not require any interaction and will work as documented by RIM, e.g. device management, etc.

Changes and Fixes

Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server 1.0.1

Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server

Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server 1.0

Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server

Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server Beta 2

Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server

Installation

For the purpose of these installation instructions we use the following sample hostnames:

To integrate Scalix with a Blackberry solution, you will need to perform these steps:

  1. Create BES admin user on the Scalix server
  2. Install BES Server OS
  3. Install Active Directory
  4. Install MAPI CDO
  5. Install Outlook
  6. Install Scalix Connect for BES
  7. Create the BES MAPI profiles
  8. Install BES/BPS

Creating the BESAdmin user on the Scalix server

You need to create a technical admin account with mboxadmin privileges on the Scalix server. This user is commonly called besadmin. To create such a user, execute the following command as "root":
# omaddu -n "BESAdmin/company" -p bbpassword -c mboxadmin besadmin
In this command, "company" is your primary mailnode, which can be determined with the "omshowmn" command, "bbpassword" is a freely chosen password that you should note. You can also freely choose both the User name ("BESAdmin") as well as the Authentication Id ("besadmin"). If you use a name different from this example, please also take a note.

Installing BES Server OS

Install the Windows operating system on the machine which is to become the BES server. We have tested using Windows Server 2003 and 2008, 32-bit or 64-bit, US/English. RIM provides a software compatibility matrix that should be checked to ensure that the Windows and BES versions are compatible.

Installing Active Directory

An existing domain controller can be used, but for the purpose of these instructions it is assumed that a new domain controller will be setup on the BES server.

  1. On the BES server run "dcpromo" to make the machine a domain controller for the domain company.com
  2. Add an account called "BESAdmin" to the domain.
  3. Ensure the "BESAdmin" account has administrator privileges by adding it to the "Domain Admins" group.
  4. Ensure the "BESAdmin" account has "Allow logon locally" and "log on as a service" privileges enabled in the domain security policy.

Note: The assignment of "Send As", "Receive As", "Administer Information Store" and "ViewOnlyAdmin" privileges in the RIM BES documentation can be ignored.

It is important that the remainder of the install process be completed using the Active Directory "BESAdmin" account.

Installing MAPI CDO

Install the Microsoft Exchange MAPI/CDO client. This is available for download from Microsoft.

Installing Outlook and create the BES MAPI profiles

Install Microsoft Outlook. We have tested using Outlook 2007, US/English, all Service Packs and Updates applied.

Installing Scalix Connect for BES

Install Scalix Connect for BES. To do this, double-click on the provided MSI file and follow the on-screen instructions.

Creating the BES MAPI Profiles

  1. Go to "Control Panel", "Mail".
  2. If they exist already, delete the "BlackBerryServer" and "BlackBerryManager" MAPI profiles. This step is particularly important when upgrading from BES V4.1 to BES V5.0 because it ensures that the profiles contain extra information required by BES V5.0.
  3. Create new profiles under the same name. Make sure that you select "Scalix Server" from "Additional Server Types". Enter the name of the Scalix Server you want to connect to, e.g. "scalix.company.com". For Username and Password, use the Authentication Id and Password of the "BESAdmin" user you created before, i.e. "besadmin" and "bbpassword" in the example.

Installing BES/BPS

The installation works along the lines of the setup as outlined in the BES/BPS documentation. The following steps need to be executed:
  1. Install BES/BPS as per RIM's instructions. During installation, you may be asked to provide Exchange Server details. Leave these details blank. Also, the BES/BPS installations may suggest alternate ways to install the CDO library. The only way supported for Scalix Connect for BES is to use the Exchange MAPI/CDO client as outlined in Step 1.
  2. At the start of a BES V5 install you will be reminded to configure "Send As" permissions, this can be safely ignored.
  3. Towards the end of a BES V5 install you will prompted to provide LDAP settings; these should be configured to use the domain controller and not the Scalix server. BES should automatically populate the LDAP settings and only require the password to be entered.
Note: If you don't have a BES license, you can request an evaluation version at www.blackberry.com/go/trial. Alternatively, you can also use the Blackberry Professional Software Express available at http://na.blackberry.com/eng/services/server/offers/professional_express.jsp. As of this writing, RIM offers a 1-user license for free with each Blackberry device. Further CALs can be purchased from RIM or your mobile operator and installed on the system.

Scalix Hosting Edition Configuration

When using Scalix Connect for BES with Scalix Hosting Edition, BES itself also needs to be configured to run in Hosted Mode. This is needed so that address book filtering takes place, otherwise BES users will see users on other mailnodes when doing address book lookup operations.

BES Hosting Mode Prerequisites

Please make sure that the following is true:

Setting up BES for Hosted Mode

  1. After Installation, using regedit on the BES system, add the following Registry Key:
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Research In Motion\BlackBerry Enterprise Server\Agents\HostedServer
    This should be setup as a DWORD with a value of "1"
  2. Restart the BES using the Windows Services control panel

User Setup

To setup a user for BES, a number of things need to be done

Acquire a Blackberry Enterprise-enabled device

You will need a Blackberry device or a 3rd-party device running Blackberry Connect software (e.g. certain Nokia or Sony-Ericsson models) with an appropriate mobile subscription. The latter must be enabled with a Blackberry plan from your mobile operator. Terms, conditions and pricing differ in various markets. Make sure that the device is enabled for "Enterprise Use" or "Enterprise Activation", as the standard Blackberry service usually relates to the "Blackberry Internet Service", which is a simplified service for Push Email based on consumer IMAP accounts.

Please note that if you have used the device before to receive your Scalix email using the Blackberry Internet Service (BIS), you will have to remove this configuration from the device before you activate it with the Blackberry Enterprise Server. Accessing the same email account on a single device using both methods in parallel is not supported. You can leave other email accounts like your personal Gmail or Hotmail account configured to deliver to the device using BIS.

Setting up the Scalix user

The Scalix user using the Blackberry connection needs to be setup as a Scalix Premium User. This can be done using the Scalix Admin Console (SAC) or the ommodu command (see the man page for details). See above for licensing requirements.

Registering the User with BES/BPS

The user needs to be registered on the BES. Follow these steps for BES/BPS V4.1:
  1. Start "Blackberry Manager"
  2. Select your BES Server and the "Users" tab
  3. Click on the "Add user" link and select one or multiple users from the Address Book listing
  4. Set an Activation Password for the user(s). To do this, right click on the user. The Activation Password must be used by the user once during his Enterprise Activation.
  5. The Blackberry Infrastructure sends an Email to the user's account. This will disappear automatically as its being picked up by the BES. The user should not delete or modify this email.
For the BPS, the steps are the same, although the UI is simplified.

Follow these steps for BES V5.0:

  1. Open Internet Explorer
  2. Go to the following URL: https://bes.company.com:443/webconsole/login
  3. Logon either using the "BlackBerry Administration Service" or "Active Directory" authentication (The authentication method is chosen during the install)
  4. On the "Home" screen click "Create A User" and type in a search string for the user
  5. Select the desired user from the search results
  6. Enter the activation password and create the user.
Note: BES V5 maintains a cached user list which is updated on a periodic basis. This means that accounts added to the Scalix server do not become visible immediately.

Note: If you are using Internet Explorer 8 you will need to enable compatibility view before logging onto the BlackBerry Administration Interface.

Enterprise Activation

Once the user is registered, he can perform device activation himself. To do this, execute these steps on the device:
  1. Go to Settings/Advanced/Enterprise Activation. If this item is not present, check with your mobile operator, this may be because your plan is not activated for Enterprise use. You may also have to start the device's "Setup Wizard" and tell the device to enable the use of a "Corporate Account" for messaging.
  2. Enter your primary Email address, e.g. "mruser@company.com" and the activation password setup in step 4 of the registration.
  3. Activation will now proceed and the device will start synchronizing and receiving email. The process can take anywhere from few minutes to a couple hours, depending on the size of the users mailbox, calendar and contact listing.

Operations

Restarting BES/BPS

To restart the BES/BPS, go to the Windows "Services" Admin Panel, select the "Blackberry Controller" service and hit restart. All other services will be restarted as well.

Log Files

Troubleshooting

Installation Failures

If Installation fails, the following items should be verified:

Device Enterprise Activation Failures

If Activation fails, the following things should be verified:
  1. Activation succeeds. In this case immediately following the initial OTAKEYGEN message further OTAKEYGEN logs will be seen as the client and server perform a handshake. This will be followed by a number of messages being queued and delivered to the device. At the end of the activation completed is logged. It is common for the server to report activation complete sometime before the client does.
  2. Activation fails. There are many reasons why an activation might fail. The most common to date is having the wrong mobile plan to allow BES usage or the plan being incorrectly setup by the mobile provider. In this case an OTAKEYGEN will be seen arriving at the server but no subsequent activity will be seen. Eventually the activation will usually be canceled by the user resulting in an OTAKEYGEN abort.
  3. Activation is canceled. If the user cancels the activation an OTAKEYGEN abort is logged.

User does not receive new Email

Issues with Device Behavior

By in large, Scalix Connect for BES is not responsible for device behavior. Users familiar with the Blackberry Enterprise Server solution connected to an Exchange server will find most behaviors expected. Users who have never worked in a BES environment may find the following awkward:
Please check BES/BPS and device documentation before raising a support case with Scalix.

Support

Please contact Scalix Technical Support to report product issues and request help with Scalix Connect for BES 1.0. See http://www.scalix.com/support for details. A commercial support entitlement is needed to use Scalix Technical Support.

If you report an issue, please provide us with as much information as possible, e.g.:

Known Issues and Workarounds

Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server

Bug

Issue

Comment/Solution/Workaround

19529

BES creates multiple sessions with Scalix server

In certain situations, BES/BPS can create multiple connections to the Scalix backend server. It should only use one. The sessions are not used for anything and remain in the session list. Eventually and in rare cases this could lock out the user as there is a default maximum of 17 UAL sessions against a single mailbox in Scalix. The limit can be raised by setting the MAX_SIGNON_PER_USER parameter in general.cfg or user.cfg. The extra sessions can be cleared by restarting the BES/BPS. This will be fixed in a later release

19533

Single BES/BPS server should be able to connect to multiple Scalix servers

This is a known limitation of Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server together with Scalix 11.4.x. Configurations where a single BES/BPS system can be used to service users on multiple Scalix servers will be supported with Scalix 11.5 and the version of Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server that ships with it

19546

Support for View Availability

This is a known limitation of Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server. The functionality will be supported in a later release

20172

Devices showing plain text versions of messages show too much whitespace

This is a known issue with Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server. It is benign in that all information is displayed. Message rendering will be improved in a future release of the product

20482

Out Of Office functionality logs errors

These errors can be safely ignored and do not indicate any user-visible problem. Error handling will be improved in a future release

20491

Distribution Lists not supported on Blackberry devices.

Distribution Lists in Outlook Contacts Folder are not available on the Blackberry device. This is a known limitation of Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server. The functionality will be supported in a later release

20496

Japanese text message not showing up correctly in BB device.

This is a known issue with Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server. It will be fixed in a future release

20696

BB device showing wrong Folder Hierarchy.

This is a known issue with Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server. It will be fixed in a future release

20707

In multi-server environments, BES is intolerant to DRS connectivity issues

While talking to it's associated Scalix Server, Scalix Connect for BES needs to find the home server of ever user in the SYSTEM address book. For this, all servers in the multi-server environment need to available in the mailnode mapping table, as seen as the output of the "omshowmn" command on the Scalix server. Firewalls between servers must allow free-flowing traffic on port 5757/UDP. In cases where this is not possible, the workaround may be to manually populate the mailnode mapping table using the "omaddmnmp" command. Future versions of Scalix Connect for BES will be more tolerant for environments with partial mailnode mapping tables

20708

Sometimes messages disappear from device after message moves between mailbox sub-folders.

This is a known issue with Scalix Connect for Blackberry Enterprise Server. It will be fixed in a future release

(c) Copyright 2009 Scalix Corporation. All rights reserved.