BlackBerry Enterprise Server Development

[albertpv]

Hello community,

I'm quite new on the BB MDS from the server point of view so hope to not mix apples with berries :-) 

We are developing client-applications which use heavily network connections and we would like to see how they behave when the BB is configured towards BES and that BES has the MDS component enabled - So,the scenario we would like to test is this one: http://us.blackberry.com/apps-software/bb_mds_arch_large.gif

We want to achieve a testing scenario with not much effort as our aim is not hosting the BES for potential customers,it's only to have the most realistic scenario for our application testing.

To achieve that scenario:

Does anyone know if the Blackberry 'support' that for eg Godaddy offers (@see  http://www.godaddy.com/email/hosted-exchange.aspx?isc=gsfnsp01&ci=14628) )  with their Hosted Exchange Email is full BES? I don't think so but I would like to share experiences with other users about this service.

Also, if the first path is not good then I understandthe good path would be:

To have the exchange Server hosted somewhere (eg: Godaddy) , then configure our  BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express towards that Exchange deployment. When we got the BES installed  enable   the MDS component at our BES and finally achieve to configure our BB devices to our  BB Enterprise Server Express deployment. Is that right?

Thanks in advance

[gsandhu]

Hello,

I wouldnt be able to comment on Godaddy's support for their hosted exchange and BES environment.  If you are simply looking at testing your application connecting to an application server behind the corporate firewall via the MDS transport and do not require the Exchange server then your best approach would be to simply set up a BES server for applications.

http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/subcategories/?userType=2&category=BlackBerry+Enterprise+Server+...

The below kb article speaks to the different connections you can make from your BlackBerry application.

http://supportforums.blackberry.com/t5/Java-Development/Different-ways-to-make-an-HTTP-or-socket-con...

Cheers,

Gurtej

[albertpv]

Hi Gurtej,

Thanks for your tip, didn't know about BES server for applications.,it's an interesting solution as we are not very excited about the requirement of the Exchange server.

Finally I think that I mixed a bit the apples and the berries :-) 

In fact the "application server" where we want to connect is  outside the BES and the firewall.  It's on its own public IP,  but we apparently found:

- It looks that for some corporate users (so with BES Enabled in their device) we cannot use direct TCP to reach that Public IP (I mean that appending ;deviceside=true to the socket connections doesn't work) .  On the device they''ve the APN properly configured for reaching that IP, wifi disabled etc.. On this scenario when we use the MDS (so append ;deviceside=false ) it can connect to the application server.

- It  looks for other corporate users (also with BES Enabled on their device) we can use direct TCP (so append ;deviceside=true) to reach that Public IP without problems

Does this make sense?  Could the problem appear due to  some setting of the defined BlackBerry Policy Service at their BES? ( http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/12873/Architecture_BES_224446_11.jsp)

BR,

Albert

[BlackCloud]

If you do not have full control of BlackBerry policies then that may be one of the issues. I highly recommend CloudWire when it comes to Hosted BlackBerry Enterprise Server.

[gsandhu]

Please refer to the below BES Policy reference guide. If you are unable to make a direct tcp connection they would imply the BES external connections policy is set to disallowed

http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/16713/

Cheers,

Gurtej

[albertpv]

So I understand that if users download the application OTA (for eg. opening the JAD from the browser)

·BES administrator will need to allow the installation of that application adding it to the permitted Unlisted applications

·BES administrator will need to allow external connections in order to use direct tcp for that app

But my doubts now are:

A- If the application needs to do TCP connections to whatever-domain.com on the ports [5000:5050] BES administrator will need also to  allow unlisted application to connect to that domain and to that range of ports? (So I understand IPs and outgoing TCP ports used by the application are needed by the BES admin, right?)

B-Could the BES firewall rules be disabled/changed only for one permitted unlisted application?

In case that is possible which information needs BES administrator to change rules just for one unlisted application? The module name?

Br

[albertpv]

up!

[gbeukeboom]

All applications are allowed to be installed to BES-activated devices by default. There is no Software Configuration automatically applied to users so there is no restrictions on what can be installed.

If you did apply a Software Configuration then you could enforce things such as Application white and black listing, restricting application functionality etc.

Note that Direct TCP connections do not go through the BES MDS, they are routed directly through the carrier gateway, so you would not need to open any ports on the BES. If the application connects through BES MDS and requires a specific port to connect to a server external to the BES Intranet, then you would need to open that port for the BES, this would be opened for all applications.

[albertpv]

Very interesting. I was thinking default BES policy was forcing to use the BES/MDS connection and that BES admin needed to add a policy for allowing Direct TCP for unlisted apps but from your comment I see not.  It is only needed if admin initially added special policies on the BES.

Just another topic I'm not sure yet:

For any app using UDP connections I think it is mandatory  to have Direct TCP/Wifi enabled  because as far as I know it is not possible to stablish UDP connections throgh the BES/MDS connection. as ConnectionFactory java doc states [1] . Is that correct?

[1] Note: WAP 1.x, WAP2, MDS and BIS_B do not support udp:// or datagram:// connections. If any such combination is specified, null will be returned and if a ConnectionAttemptListener is defined for the factory, it will be notified with a NoAvailableTransportException.

[gbeukeboom · Accepted solution]

The BES can't force applications to use a specific connection Transport, but it can stop it from using specific ones.

The Note is correct, UDP needs to be done through either Direct TCP or WiFi.