Jason Langridge's WebLog - MR Mobile! : Exchange

Activesync Error Codes and Resolutions

jasonlan — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 22:41:15 GMT

I often got email from my blog from people who are having issues with their device and Exchange Activesync.

Often they provide the Error Code and I always use the Reference at PocketPCFaq.com to provide them some guidance on what could be causing their problem.

If you haven't seen the list then take a look HERE

It provides details for Pocket PC 2002 all the way to Windows Mobile 6.1!

Activesync Tester solution

jasonlan — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 14:16:00 GMT

If you are having any problems with Exchange Activesync then this tool may be a great help. The AccessMyLan ActiveSync Tester simulates an ActiveSync client and provides a detailed diagnostic report with possible solution options. The tool can identify:

Host connectivity and name resolution (DNS) problems
SSL / Certificate issues
Exchange Server / ActiveSync configuration issues
User configuration issues

The ActiveSync Tester provides much more detailed and useful diagnostic and remediation information than handset ActiveSync error codes enabling you to quickly identify and resolve your ActiveSync issues. The tool does not transmit any user or server information to AccessMyLan.

You can get more details HERE

Email Prioritizer released by Office Labs

jasonlan — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 07:35:00 GMT

Spotted this over on Steve’s Blog and couldn’t help by repost it. Our Office Labs team has released a prototype tool that helps you manage email overload. This concept test provides a “do not disturb” button that temporarily pauses new email arrival, and prioritizes email with a 0-3 star rating system.

You can get more details HERE

RIP Mobile Middleware?

jasonlan — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:28:00 GMT

I was reading an interesting post by MobileToday about Nokia’s move to remove the Blackberry Connect Client from their latest E Series of Devices. Nokia plan NOT to ship the Blackberry client on their E71 and E66 devices but utilise the Mail for Exchange client that talks directly with Microsoft Exchange. This client uses the inbuilt Microsoft Exchange Server Activesync that Windows Mobile devices also use.

Obviously RIM is a competitor to Nokia (as RIM make most of their revenue from Hardware) so it’s not a surprising move. It did get me thinking though that if Mobile email is to become a commodity and evolve past ‘mahogany row’ then the incremental costs incurred by having to deploy middleware need to be avoided.

I often get the question from Mobile Operators sales team asking how Exchange vs Blackberry compares from a cost perspective when they forget that a customer needs to have a backend mail system to use Blackberry. What’s surprising is that the middleware component often costs considerably more in licensing than the backend mail system per user.

With Nokia, Symbian, Motorola and Apple licensing Exchange Activesync how long can these middleware solutions survive and will direct access to Exchange (or Lotus Notes) become the primary method of access to mobile email (just as Outlook Web Access has for browser based access)

I’m interested in your thoughts….

AstraSync – Activesync for Blackberry

jasonlan — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:30:00 GMT

This is an interesting development that my colleague Jeff forwarded to me…

In their own words…

AstraSync™ is a new software plug-in for BlackBerry® Smartphones that performs two-way over-the-air synchronization of email, calendar and contact data with a Microsoft Exchange 2007 or MailSite Fusion server.

AstraSync does this by implementing the Exchange ActiveSync and DirectPush protocols.

This means that a customer can use their existing Blackberry Devices whilst removing the need for the Blackberry Enterprise Server infrastructure.

I haven’t tried it but would love to hear from people who have!

Small Business Server 2008 to launch on November 12th

jasonlan — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:11:25 GMT

If you are a Small Business (or a Partner selling into Small Business customers) – this is great news! Why? Well because it gives you access to Exchange 2007 and all the great capabilities then for Windows Mobile!

Small Business Server 2008 (previously code-named Cougar), and EBS (previously code-named Centro) are both a part of the new Windows Essential Server Solutions (WESS) family brand name, which is a family of integrated, all-in-one IT solutions designed and priced for small and midsized businesses.

They will both be launched on November 12th but you can get Beta evaluations already from HERE

Exchange Activesync Reporting for Exchange 2003/2007

jasonlan — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:55:00 GMT

I regularly get asked this and I've blogged before on this topic but thought I'd just provide a new article on this topic as we had an internal email debate on this and there were some great resources identified!

I get asked by lots of customers how they can report on their Exchange Activesync usage. The resources below should point you in the right direction!

Exchange Server 2003:

Exchange 2003 - ActiveSync reporting http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2006/02/14/419562.aspx
More on Exchange ActiveSync Reporting with Log Parser - COM object availalbe http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2006/03/03/421149.aspx
More fun with Logparser and Exchange logs http://msexchangeteam.com/archive/2007/09/12/446982.aspx

Exchange Server 2007:

Exchange ActiveSync Reporting Services http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb201675(EXCHG.80).aspx