[h@x0r]

Hey you BES brainiacs, got a tricky one for you.

I am running BES 4.1 w/sp2 and have 2 BBs; both have BES CALs. Last week I de-comissioned BES server on one box and completely removed all BB DB info. I then set up a brand-new installation, configured everything when I moved it to VM-based BES installation with SQL 2005 Express.

Since that time, I am unable to "see" the 2nd BB. When I add device CAL to BES and match it up to Exchange recipient, I am unable to see the PIN associated with the second BB CAL. The status is "initializing". I tried everything, re-running server config, wiping device, adding/removing user - to no avail. I can send messages from one BB to another via PIN but I just can't seem to be able to get it to be recognized in BB console. User reported that last time when he ran wireless activation, it crashed half-way through it. I re-issued activation password but without first seeing the BB PIN recognized by BES, it does not do me much good (so I think).

Weird thing is that 1 BB is visible and shows "Running" and another one is showing "initializing" and never finds corresponding "PIN".

Can anyone suggest anything?

[h@x0r]

Some of the things I should probably mention:

1. As I said earlier, this BES is running in a VMWare instance on Win2k3 with all the sp/hotfixes up to date.

2. this is running on a Dell Poweredge 2650 server with broadcom nics. I recently discovered that certain operations with older broadcom driver and NIC teaming caused vm host server to bluescreen. I updated drivers to the latest one, BSOD problem is now resolved.

3. When I am logged in as any other account but BESadmin, I am unable to configure MAPI settings. I when I try to resolve mailbox I am getting "The name could not be resolved. Network problems are preventing connection to the Microsoft Exchange Server computer. Contact your system administrator if this condition persists." The account I am trying to do it under has full exchange admin rights (running for about 2 years without issues), has domain admin rights, local admin rights, and been added to rim_BES_enterprise_admin DB group. After failure, this is the error that gets logged in event viewer:

EventID 20000, Source MNGR:
[ExchangeAdaptorDLL::Initialize] Failed in GetProfileName, result=0x80040113.

And EventID 20000, Source: MNGR:
Mailstore Connector failed to initialize; some functions may not be available.

I don't think it is a network issue, as I mentioned earlier the other PIN/BB works w/o problems and when I log in as BESadmin, I can resolve mailbox names. Also, I can telnet into my exchange box (port 25) from my VM BES server.

the plot thickens...

[h@x0r]

Ok, just figured it out. I guess in the end perseverence and lots of "what if" experiments pay off (albeit, from RIM standpoint I doubt this would prove to be a successfull business model in the long run).

here's what I found out/did:

1. The problem with resolving mail recipients was due to problem on exchange server. Once the exchange server was rebooted, I was able to log in on BES box using other admin account (the one that's not BES admin) and was able to configure MAPI profile (as well as resolve mail recipient/server successfully) and able to attach to BES Mgmt console.

2. I had user VPN into our network from his laptop, connect his BB via USB cable to his system and start desktop manager, at which point it prompted to generate new encryption key. He did the usual "move the mouse" thing and afterwards I asked him to launch desktop re-director.

3. Once desktop redirector started, his BB was activated and synched up, at which point it showed up in BES Mgmt console as "running".

I had user disconnect and was able to send/receive messages to/from him wirelessly, without BBdesktop redirector.

Lessons learned: when all else fails, abandon wireless activation and go for wired (and yes, do reboot)

Class dismissed.

[gziz]

how can you be a BES admin?

when you add a user its gonna say "initilizing" till the end of time untill you force it to activate.

the the PIN comes in after you start the activation which is common sence.

how the hell is the BES gonna know the PIN of the user just by adding a user to the BES, any blackberry PIN can be associated with that user.

[h@x0r]

Originally Posted by gziz

how can you be a BES admin?

when you add a user its gonna say "initilizing" till the end of time untill you force it to activate.

the the PIN comes in after you start the activation which is common sence.

how the hell is the BES gonna know the PIN of the user just by adding a user to the BES, any blackberry PIN can be associated with that user.

Your poke at my not being a BES admin didn't really do much to hurt my pride. "BES Admin" title is one I don't really care for nor aspire to attain.

If you're so "l337", riddle me this, riddler:
How does BES know where to send the wireless activation email/pwd if PIN is unknown to it before device is activated? I'm dying to hear your theories about that one. I was under the impression that CAL is tied to specific PIN.

IMHO, I think you're wrong. Based on what I've seen so far, I'm pretty certain you are. Please feel free to prove me wrong.

[gziz]

your hilarious for thinking that the PIN is associated with th elicense.

lets just say that you got a 20 user CAL and u only have 5 users and you add the new BB how would that BB's PIN be able to activate then if the CAL's were bought before the BB?

anyway this i show the wireless activation works.

1. add the user.
2. assign the password.
3, in the enteprise activation icon you put in the users email address and the activation password.
4. AS SOON AS YOU PRESS "ACTIVATE" THE BLACKBERRY SENDS THE "ACTIVATION EMAIL" TO WHATEVER EMIAL ADDRESS YOU PUT IN THE ENTERPRISE ACTIVATION ICON.
5. in the email there is a etp.dat attachment that holds the PIN of the BB and the encryption keys and the activation password that you typed on the HH.
6. when that email gets to th einbox the BES picks it up since it knows to expect it because youve been added to the BES.
7. th eBES first see's if th eactivation password match if they do it validated the encryption THEN ADDS THE PIN to the user because the PIN was in the attchment of the activation email that the BB sent to the inbox and then starts activating.

you get it now?

[Spawneh]

Gziz has pretty much described the whole activation procedure and while you don't aspire to being a BES admin it may be something you wan't to do to increase your knowledge about how the whole system fits together.

I know I would want to know whats happening with something im supporting.

[Cabronsote]

Schyeah, obvious.

[Dookie]

Hell yeah, Gziz is right.

[mbaker33]

I agree with both of you. Gziz, yes, this is the way it should be done. However, I have been able to create the user on BES, plug the device into his computer running BlackBerry Desktop Manager and the device is activated on the BES as him. This is how we generally have remote users activate as it is much easier than getting them to type the password, especially if they have one of the 7100 series.

[gziz]

yea thats a totally diffrnt process, thats a wired activation, in a wired activation the activation email is not needed because you are hard wired into the network. the steps above is only for wireless activations