BlackBerry® Enterprise Service 10

[javajunkee]

I need a sanity check on the message flow for BB10 - BES10 (BDS 6.2) - Exchange 2010.

We have procured three BB 10 devices and I have successfully activated them through our Blackberry Device Service (BDS 6.2). I am not using the Blackberry Router. Each BB device now has Personal and Work Space, the latter of which I’m able to manage completely. Messaging on the devices is functioning normal.

Having reviewed the documentation and viewed logs on the BDS server, it appears messaging does not flow through the BDS server, but rather takes the path of BB handheld to Exchange 2010 messaging server via Active Sync (as all other Active Sync devices do). This is actually what I expected, however my Mgr thinks BDS still handles messaging as our production BES 5.0.3 does. 

I found the below in the BDS 6.2 Feature and Technical Overview doc, that makes no mention of message flow through BDS:

1. The device issues an HTTPS request to the messaging server and requests that the messaging server notifies the device if any items change in the folders that are configured to synchronize.
2. The device stands by. You can adjust the synchronization time, depending on your messaging server.
3. The messaging server checks for any new or changed items and notifies the device when items change or new items come into the user's mailbox. The notification contains the name of the folder that has the new or changed item.

   a. Changed items include marking an email as read, moving an email into a sub folder, updating organizer data
   b. New items include receiving a new email or creating a new organizer data entry

4. The device issues a synchronization request for the folder.
5. The messaging server synchronizes the changed files with the device.
6. When the synchronization is complete, the device issues another request to restart the process.
7. If there are no new or changed items during this interval, the messaging server sends a "HTTP 200 OK" message to the device.
8. The device issues a new PING request.

Are my findings correct? If not, is there any documentation clarifying this?

Also in regard to Level 1 notifications, I've been unable to figure how to set this on the device and have been unable to locate documentation on whether this feature exists on BB 10?

Thank you in advance for any information provided

[knottyrope]

PIN messaging has been removed which is level 1

[javajunkee]

knottyrope, Thx for the reply.

No way . . . 

Level One messages are PIN message, even though they originate from Exchange? I always thought PIN messages were where you would send directly to a device, by passing Exchange using the PIN as the Send To address.

Didn't want to tackel the message routing question eh? 

[oliwer]

PIN Messages are Level1 by default on the legacy devices. But that can be turned off on the device itself.
You also can configure other messages for level 1, but currently not on BB10/BDS.
Your Message Flow is correct, but the BDS is utilized by the device to create a tunneld EAS connection to the mailserver. The BDS will not handle the messages, you will not see a messageflow on the BDS, it just forwards the connection to the Exchange.

[knottyrope]

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javajunkee wrote:

knottyrope, Thx for the reply.

Didn't want to tackel the message routing question eh? 

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lil busy here with a new SAN

[javajunkee]

oliwer,

Thank you for your comments!

Message Flow: OK, I think we're on the same page. During activation, the email profile is sent to the device after the device has communicated with the Blackberry Infrastructure and the Blackberry Enterprise Service (Via SRP ID). Upon receiving the email profile which contains our Active Sync server name, the user inputs their credentials and an Active Sync connection is established between the device and our perimeter Exchange CAS server. Nothing else is in play at this point, neither the BDS or Blackberry Infrastructure, correct? I'm not quite understanding where a tunneled EAS connection comes into play, unless you are referring to the SSL encrypted Active Sync connection between the device and the Exchange CAS server.

Level 1 Messages/Notifications: My original question was about Level 1 messages, not really PIN messages. We extensively use message filtering coupled with the "Forward with Level 1 Notification" option. Sounds like this is being eliminated.

[javajunkee]

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knottyrope wrote:

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javajunkee wrote:

knottyrope, Thx for the reply.

Didn't want to tackel the message routing question eh? 

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lil busy here with a new SAN

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I hope you know I was kidding!

[javajunkee]

I found a couple of paragraphs within the Security Technical Overview doc which I believe answers my question:

Devices use Microsoft ActiveSync to synchronize email messages, calendar entries, and contacts with your organization’s
messaging server. The BlackBerry Device Service can allow devices that are not connected to your organization's internal
network or do not have a VPN connection to synchronize with the messaging server without requiring you to make
connections to Microsoft ActiveSync available from outside the firewall.

Microsoft ActiveSync can be configured to allow only connections with the BlackBerry Device Service. The BlackBerry
Device Service allows devices to synchronize securely with the messaging server over the BlackBerry Infrastructure using
the same encryption methods that it uses for all other work data. When the BlackBerry Device Service provides the
connection between your messaging server and devices, the BlackBerry Device Service IT policies take precedence over
any Microsoft ActiveSync policies that are set for the devices.

I've highlighted where my confusion may have originated, " . . . can be . . . "

Well we have Active Sync available externally for those on iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 8. I'm thinking why bother with the extra steps to completely encapsulate Blackberry messaging to flow through BDS, when the BB10 device can communicate directly with our perimeter Exchange CAS server over SSL.

Can anyone provide a case why you would not want to do it this way?

[knottyrope]

dont keep public EAS unless you are quarantining clients

we had many people activate ipods, tablets etc on Exchange 2003 once the install file went loose

[-BD-]

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ajoykanbil wrote:

i have setup BDS 6.2,  i am able to activate device but mail flow is not working what could have been went wrong?

what all i need to check? i am using exchnage 2010.

do i need to specify cas array?

whether the service account shoud have mailbox in 2010 like BES5 with sentas permission?

and SMTP configuratation needs to be done?

i dont have a router server...  my network we already have a BES 5 running.

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Have you created an email profile and applied it to your user?  BDS uses ActiveSync now rather than MAPI so just activating the user will not get mailflow going.