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I am using mail2web free service to have my mail pushed to my WM5 device, but I don't like the idea of forwarding my private email to a company I don't know and I don't trust.
Normally I have my email at a home mail server running linux, and I was wondering if there's any open/free solution compatible with directpush technology to replace the need for an exchange 2003 server.
If it does not exist (i have been searching and couldn't find it), what is preventing someone of writing a free replacement? patent issues? authentication issues? I haven't sniffed the protocol yet, but I think it's impossible that no one has thought about it before... wouldn't you like to have your home imap server pushing your inbox to your PocketPC phone? If the protocol is not very obscure it should be easy to write a daemon that does it...
any thoughts or experiences?
Kerio Mail Server has the push compatibility.
Not free though, but it is an alternative to Exchange.
Their latest beta supports it. I reported a bug to them re: contacts getting corrupted but they say they fixed that in the latest build.
Can't retest now since that server is at another site I won't be visiting for a while.
Hmm the directpush "protocol" is pretty trivial it shouldn't be impossible to implement an open alternative.
I installed the latest Kerio MailServer yesterday. It works great!
Especially nice is that it runs on XP as well as Linux. Too bad about the price!
pof, have you had the chance to sniff the protocol?
not yet ivorh, been too busy with many other things, but this is still on the queue
sniffed
Heh, got bored so I setup an exchange account and sniffed the packets.
I'll go through them and post some details when I get a chance.
great ivorh!
Can you attach a capture in pcap format?
update and thoughts
Pof,
Hmm, ok a bit more thinking and digging and I'm not sure implementing an open alternative directly is that useful. Let me explain why:
The direct push only works with the outlook exchange active sync. When the device gets a "direct push" byte, it triggers a sync with exchange - the functionality is tightly bound together, and as far as I can tell you cant dip in and get it to do something else. So to get it working you would need a server providing the exchange http interface. This wouldn't be impossible but would need a lot of effort for little benefit.
I took a look at the open-exchange but that doesn't seem like an ideal solution since it would require a completely different server installed rather than IMAP or POP and as far as I can tell the Outlook connector isn't one of the open-source components anyway.
Now what I'm currently thinking would be a neat workaround would be to implement a custom "direct-push" to basically do exactly the same, have a client app on the device open an http connection to a server running, er, "OpenPush" if you like... use exactly the same technique of a keep-alive connection and occasional heartbeats, but on a message notification on the client get the client to trigger an IMAP pull.
Now this is where I need some advice.... I haven't done any Windows Mobile development yet, so can anyone tell me what sort of API is available to the messaging app? Can you/how do you trigger a mail pull? (oh someone please tell me it's not the same horrible old MAPI interface??).
PS I've just been capturing the data using a simple http proxy actually, I'll make some samples and upload them with descriptions.
Cheers,
Ivor.
http://www.ivor.it
Hi pof,
try funambol. It was formerly known as Sync4j. I once found it when I searched a complete sync solution that I could implement in the mailserver of my company. We are using kolab so I only tried the old Sync4j cause there is a kolab connector available for v2.3.
v3.0 implements (real) Push-Mail. Microsoft Active Push works with a http connection that is opened by the client. Funambol Push-Mail connects to a port the client opens. I didn't want to test any further cause I'm using a Wapflat and thus only get an internal IP and have to use a proxy.
http://www.funambol.com/opensource/
Perhaps this is what you are searching for
What I forgot to say: For funambol you install a java program on your phone wich will insert the received mails in your Pocket Outlook
Yay!
Pof,
Ha! Ok I've whipped up a version 0.0.0 of OpenPush. and it works rather nicely!
Basically it consists of two parts one is an app that runs on the mobile and operates in the same manner as DirectPush. It opens up a socket connection to the server and waits for a notification byte. If it recieves a byte it kicks off a mail retrieval.
The other is a daemon that runs on the server and watches for a change in the users mailbox if it changes (i.e. a mail has arrived) then it pops a byte down the socket.
It just needs finishing now...
Currently the daemon is just an app that listens on a dedicated socket. I plan on turning it into a mod_perl module and using http keep-alive in the same fashion as directpush.
Regards,
Ivor
ivorh, that sounds cool!!
I had a look at funambol but seems too 'bloated' for my needs, I think your OpenPush will be more tight to what I was looking for, so if you want a beta tester just send a link to it
Is there any specific server configuration? I am running a Gentoo server with courier-imap, sendmail and apache2.
Any chance you could extend the daemon so other programs can tie into your new-item notification? It would be cool to write a program that can keep files synchronized over-the-air with a desktop machine using push sychronization.
Pof,
Yeah it's just a prototype at the moment. So I need to write it properly next. At the moment the requirements are simply "perl". It's independent of mail system, it simply monitors a directory/file you give it for changes.
I'm going to write it to be a mod_perl module for various reasons, so the requirements will be just apache and mod_perl.
I'll hack some more tonight and try and get a 0.0.1 ready.
aatreya,
Well I'll keep it simple for now and just doing one job well.
Sound interesting to me.
I am new to this. Pardon me for some questions.
Do I need to buy a server at home?
This server can be any OS?
I am really happy to see some people trying to do just about the same I intended to. Today I started experimenting with Open-Xchange. I also have a Gentoo server that provides an ebuild for Open-Xchange, but after a bit of browsing it just seems like the thing MS Exchange and OX have in common is the similarity of their names. So installing OX and doing all the Exchange stuff with it does not seem to be an option.
So I looked into Funambol - sort of again. About a year ago I already tried to get Sync4J running to sync my SyncML phone. I did not succeed, but that just makes me eager to try it harder this time.
I also have to use a Proxy-Server for my GPRS connection but I want to have it working via WLAN, too, hence without proxy and the whole tunneling disco.
PS: Ivor, I am glad to meet You once again. When our roads crossed the last time, You just figured out how to get the CLE266 MPEG2 stuff working, respect!
A very rough pre-alpha version should be ready this weekend. I can only apologise in advance for the quality of my WM5 app!
But it's "working for me".
CWKJ,
At the moment the "server" is a simply perl app that watches for changes to a directory or file so its pretty portable. I run it on linux since that's what my mailserver is on.
As for needing a server at home... well its entirely up to you, really you want the server running wherever your mail is retrieved from.
If the app/system gets a bit more polished and advanced you might even find independent ISP's willing to add it as a service.
rabinath,
Heh! Small world.
I'd also like to be considered for Beta testing when available,
I run Ubuntu 5.10 Server at home, hosting 5 domains for myself, and would Love to not have to forward them through mail2web anymore as I don't like to reply because it will go through Mail2Web. I know I can create a separate "account" in Pocket Outlook but you can only have 5. I need more than that...
with direct push over the o2 wap proxy all https conections are closed after 2 min. this is becausse all 2 minutes a new sync is needed. This eats much battery. So why is it nnot possible to mak e a ppc client that just sends the current ip adsress to the client on the server. and the server just push the email to the known ip adress. The client on ppc just has to send a new ip in case it changes. this wouldt be much better for battery life.
Thats the reason Exchange-Activesync works the way that it does. The server sends out a text message that is handled at the system level on the PPC, and this is basically an instruction to sync with the server. No unneeded traffic just to check if there is anything new.
Most Celllar service providers are using NAT technology so reporting your IP address to a server and telling it to make a connection to that IP, would just be telling the server to connect to the "gateway" back into the Cellular network. A text message sent to what is called the "SMTP Gateway" for each service provider will get to the phone no matter if the phones IP changes.
I've searched and searched, but I can't seem to find anyone with this problem.
Basically, I'm trying to get my new Treo 750 to sync over wireless with my Exchange server. I run the Exchange server from my own house, on it's own domain. I've upgraded the Treo 750 to WM6. I previously did not try wireless sync on WM5. My Exchange server is 2003 SP2.
At first, I tried connecting via SSL only to get a message about the certificate not being valid. After fighting and fighting with trying to get the cert on the phone, I finally gave up and disabled SSL on the device in an attempt to connect.... via any means possible.
What I first thought was success has turned into another problem. I know I'm communicating with the server, as the policy from the domain controller made me set a device password. It was at that point that I knew I was getting somewhere. Now, when I hit "sync", I see it checking for changes. At the bottom of the screen, it'll run through each step: Contacts, Calendar, Email and Tasks.
Let me see if I can describe this..... It'll briefly pause at say... 0/80 for my Inbox, then count (very quickly, in large increments) till it hits the 80 and move on to the next item in the synchronization list. This cycle restarts after 5-10 seconds.
When I go to look in my Inbox, it's empty. The only thing I see is at the bottom: "Outlook E-mail 0 Items". Same with Contacts, Calendar, etc...
Now here's the kicker. If I send myself a test email from an outside account... say, Gmail, the sync app will then show "Email 0/81", then tick up to 81 and move on to the next item. However, nothing is downloaded. I can pull up a list of all the personalized folders I've created for my mailstore, and they're all there. I can "subscribe" to them, yet they remain empty as well.
I'm completely at a loss. I don't know what else to do at this point, and it's proving to be a difficult thing to search for. Any advice you can give would be very much appreciated....
As I said, this sync thing is happening pretty much non-stop. It'll rotate through the 4 steps (email, contacts, calendar, Tasks), wait a few seconds, then start it all over.
I've noticed that no other net apps work while this is happening. I actually have to go into ActiveSync and hit stop. After that, net applications (IM, PIE, Opera, etc...) work just fine.
Here is a (truncated) log from the device.
That looks pretty similar to the log I get from my device when I ActiveSync to Exchange. Jave you tried doing a backup and then hard resetting? I find that DirectPush is very finnicky with when it does and doesn't work but may just be my server.
Actually, to completely eliminate the device, I setup the MS WM6 emulator from a computer on an outside network. I got exactly the same thing as on the device. That pretty much tells me it's something on the server.
Here's another tidbit that might help. Before getting this phone, I setup BES Express on my Exchange server. I had problems with it working at first, and read through several guides before I had permissions working right. To this end, I made a lot of permissions-based changes on the Exchange server.
Could this be a permissions issue? How can I check if the permissions are correct?
Ok here's your problem, running another MAPI client on an Exchange server is NEVER a good idea. If you shut down the BES services and then reboot the server, what happens? Also, have you tried checking the Exchange Server event viewer for any info on what's happening server side?
Urthwhyte said:
Ok here's your problem, running another MAPI client on an Exchange server is NEVER a good idea. If you shut down the BES services and then reboot the server, what happens? Also, have you tried checking the Exchange Server event viewer for any info on what's happening server side?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Very good point. I hadn't even consider that. I don't even need it anymore.
That being said, what is the best way to go about uninstalling BES Express w/o jacking up the rest of the Exchange system? Also, have you ever actually heard of this causing the problem I'm experiencing? You sound pretty darn certain when you say: "Ok here's your problem". Each time I find or come up with a possible solution, it never seems to make a difference. Sure, my Exchange installation is "cleaner" and more standardized with each solution I try, but it never resolved the issue.
If you can provide me a decent guide or recommendation for uninstalling BES, I would appreciate it. Unless you have some better tips, I'm using these two pages as guides:
Perform a clean uninstall of the BlackBerry Enterprise Server
How to uninstall and re-install BlackBerry Enterprise Server on the same computer with minimal disruption
Ok, stopped all the services, uninstalled BES, deleted all related program directories, and removed all associated registry keys. Logged out of BESAdmin account and removed it from Active Directory.
I did all this from Remote Desktop, so the only thing left to do is reboot the server. I could do it remotely through command line, but it has a habit of freezing up during shut down (it's been doing it for years, doesn't seem to harm a thing). So I won't be able to reboot until I get back in town tonight.... just in case it freezes.
I have a few questions, though. Do I need to make any changes to MAPI (remove, stop, change, etc...)? I still need IMAP access for remote relatives, but I'm gonna get rid of that soon once I get them setup through the VPN.
Anything else I should remove/change?
Oh yeah, just for ****s and giggles, I tried synching again, both with the actual Treo 750 and also with a WM6 emulator on the remote server. I've also tried running the WM6 emulator from the same network as the Exchange server, just to eliminate the firewall, as Direct Push only seems to use ports 80 or 443, depending on whether you have SSL enabled or not.
Correct me if I'm wrong about the firewall ports.
Those are the same ports I have open, but much like yourself (and correct me if I'm wrong) just a casual Sysadmin. While I'm not entirely certain if BES is your issue, I'm inclined to think it may be a MAPI collision between the two. I haven't used BES myself so I can't really advise on the best method to uninstall, but I had a similar issue where my Outlook clients couldn't connect when I installed Outlook on the Exchange server. On another note, why set up VPN when you could just configure RPC over HTTP if you're running the server on Win2k3, it's probaly cut my support calls with users by aboyt 25%. If you'd like I can give you access to a server to compare it to, just PM me if you think that'd help.
I just saw that you also had IMAP open, that's definetly not going to be causing the issue, as I also have that running on my server and have people using it at this very minute. Also, have you tried checking on your device if you go into ActiveSync>Right Softkey>Options and then checking that the boxes besides Contacts, Calendars, Tasks, etc... are checked? I know it's stupid, but I've had issues like that before where I couldn't figure it out for the life of me.
Urthwhyte said:
Those are the same ports I have open, but much like yourself (and correct me if I'm wrong) just a casual Sysadmin. While I'm not entirely certain if BES is your issue, I'm inclined to think it may be a MAPI collision between the two. I haven't used BES myself so I can't really advise on the best method to uninstall, but I had a similar issue where my Outlook clients couldn't connect when I installed Outlook on the Exchange server. On another note, why set up VPN when you could just configure RPC over HTTP if you're running the server on Win2k3, it's probaly cut my support calls with users by aboyt 25%. If you'd like I can give you access to a server to compare it to, just PM me if you think that'd help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm not 100% sure, but I don't think Direct Push uses MAPI at all, so I'm pretty sure it can't be a "MAPI collision", so to speak. I was able to completely remove BES w/o any issues. I rebooted the computer last night, just to be sure, and I'm still showing the same problem. ActiveSync connects and looks like it's synchronizing, but in the end, nothing is actually downloaded from my phone.
I really believe it has something to do with permissions. I say this, because I had a very difficult time getting BES to work. I had to mess with a lot of permissions to get mail flowing to my Blackberry. I can't be sure that I didn't goof something up in the process.
With that being said, everything else works just fine. I can use OMA. I can use OWA either HTTP or SSL (forms-based authentication disabled, of course). I can connect without issue from IMAP, or directly via Exchange over VPN, etc...
Urthwhyte said:
I just saw that you also had IMAP open, that's definetly not going to be causing the issue, as I also have that running on my server and have people using it at this very minute. Also, have you tried checking on your device if you go into ActiveSync>Right Softkey>Options and then checking that the boxes besides Contacts, Calendars, Tasks, etc... are checked? I know it's stupid, but I've had issues like that before where I couldn't figure it out for the life of me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried that. I've also tried changing the settings for email from 3 days, to all the other options. It will change the amount of emails ActiveSync "sees", but they still do not download to the phone.
Oh yeah, as far as RPC over HTTP goes, it's one of those "I've always used..." things.
What are the advantages of RPM over HTTP?
I'm not quite sure it's a permissions issue, because as far as I know ActiveSync only uses the standard exchange accounts/services,+ a few virtual directories. What you can try doing is deleting the ActiveSync virtual directory, and then restarting the IIS and Exchange System Attendant services and see if that helps.
RPC over HTTP alleviates the need to have to login to a VPN to check email, it also makes it much easier to configure the client, as they only have to enter their Username+Password and enter the FQDN of the server.
Urthwhyte said:
I'm not quite sure it's a permissions issue, because as far as I know ActiveSync only uses the standard exchange accounts/services,+ a few virtual directories. What you can try doing is deleting the ActiveSync virtual directory, and then restarting the IIS and Exchange System Attendant services and see if that helps.
RPC over HTTP alleviates the need to have to login to a VPN to check email, it also makes it much easier to configure the client, as they only have to enter their Username+Password and enter the FQDN of the server.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I deleted the ActiveSync virtual dir (which actually had a much longer name), as well as the OMA virtual dir.
Now I get this message when I try to connect. I guess I need some help on rebuilding it now... heh.
As for RPC over HTTP... brainfart. I knew what it is, but I wanted access to remote shares.
As far as permissions go, I'm pretty sure it's not the problem as well. I just created a brand new user and had the same thing happen.
Flapjack said:
I deleted the ActiveSync virtual dir (which actually had a much longer name), as well as the OMA virtual dir.
Now I get this message when I try to connect. I guess I need some help on rebuilding it now... heh.
As for RPC over HTTP... brainfart. I knew what it is, but I wanted access to remote shares.
As far as permissions go, I'm pretty sure it's not the problem as well. I just created a brand new user and had the same thing happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you try stopping and then starting the Exchange System Attendant and IIS services, the folders should come back automatically. If all else fails, reboot and see if the folders come back.
Urthwhyte said:
Did you try stopping and then starting the Exchange System Attendant and IIS services, the folders should come back automatically. If all else fails, reboot and see if the folders come back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that trick, but if there is anything wrong in the metabase, it will not be overwritten.
I'll be using this guide to completely blast out and rebuild all the owa-related folders:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/883380/en-us
Ok, I rebuilt everything using Method 2 in the above-linked guide.
Now, I'm getting support code 0x85010014
This pages says the cause is SSL being enabled on the main site, but it's definitely not. There are other vdir pages that have SSL enabled, but none of the default MS dirs... only personal ones I created for other things.
http://www.messagingtalk.org/content/479.html
Is there any chance that you have FBA enabled, if you do theres supposed to be some way that you can trick ActiveSync to use a different folder or something. It wasn't really worth it to me, so I just ended up disabling it.
Urthwhyte said:
Is there any chance that you have FBA enabled, if you do theres supposed to be some way that you can trick ActiveSync to use a different folder or something. It wasn't really worth it to me, so I just ended up disabling it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the thing. I don't even have a certificate on the site right now. I got rid of the self-issued one, and now I'm waiting on my GoDaddy one. So I don't have FBA enabled. That's why that messages seems so weird...
Hmm, that's odd. I got the same error when I first configure ActiveSync, but now I forget what I did to resolve it. Also, is there any chance you have some sort of IM application, such as Google Talk or AIM? It's a bit easier to resolve these things if you can have a more back and orth communication then a orum post.
My company runs an exchange server for email, and I was wondering if anyknow knows how to connect to them, using the mogul. I went through the setup on the phone, with no success...Are their any additional steps required to connect to the server when you are not on the same network as the server?
Missing Certificate ?
I think you'll have to install the certificate from your Mailserver on the phone to get it working.
Do you get any active-sync error code when you're trying to sync ?
In general you get an error-code in ActiveSync which is telling you what's wrong...
IMHO the best idea would be: aks your IT-Stuff in your company
you need to add a server in active sync with your companys exchange server addy and your username/password
To be clear you need to enter your companies OWA server address. At most small companies this is your Exchange server and at most large companies it is your ISA server.
Example:
You access OWA using https://exchange.mycompany.com/exchange
You enter: exchange.mycompany.com in the activesync settings and you use your username, password and domain to authenticate
You also need to make sure Outlook Mobile Access is enabled on the Exchange Server and on your Exchange Mailbox. You will need to contact your IT Admin to verify these settings.
I'm in the same boat as the OP. I had been trying to hit the mail server directly or via VPN, with no luck, probably due to no certificate. Never thought about OWA. I set this up as indicated in the prior post, and checked 'Tasks' only (just to run a quick test), and it sync'ed fine. I then checked email and calendar, and now it takes me to a company sign-in web page (same page I encounter when using web access to OWA). Weird thing is the page is in the ActiveSync window and does not appear to be rendering correctly or completely (e.g. no 'submit' button). Nonetheless, I sign in and click where the submit button "should be" and the page goes away and it appears to start syncing, only to take me back to the sign-in page again after 15-20 seconds. Any suggestions on how to get past this point? I've tried logging in to OWA from IE, but ActiveSync still brings up this sign-in page. And yes, I've got my userID, pswd, and domain properly set up as well. Thanks.
BTW, my company IT won't help because they only support handheld access for specific company-issued devices.
try using mail.yourcompanymailserver.com/oma
its a lightweight version that handles easy in mobile browsers (only if your IT guys have enabled it)
as for the OP your exchange settings could vary depending on how your admin set it up, ssl (requiring a certificate) or not. to get the certificate from your company you can dl it from the server mail.yourcompanymailserver.com/cersrv
you log in using your mail credentials and you select download certificate chain and select a der 64.
save it to your phone and just install.
chances are though if your company is using a lot of treo's they dont require ssl because you can't install self issued certificates on them (good work palm). so if you want to ask your IT guys their setup and post it here i can try to walk through it with you.
this is my situation and how i got it to work.
Although i tried to internal address of 1x01po2s.domain.name, that didn't work.
I thought about it for a while, and reasoned if i can access my companies exchange server outside the network through a http://mail.domain.name address, then maybe that'll work hahaha
BAM! it did and now it works perfectly fine. Conincidentally, since i started trying to get this going last week, i emailed a few guys i know and the last one who got my email (it was forwarded to try to solve the problem) said that because of security policies, i am not allowed to do this. Ooops!
Here is a quick run down of my settings:
server address: mail.domain.name
ssl is selected (checked)
username: exchange/nt workstation login name
password: user password
domain: network domain (we have different domains)
save password is selected
under advanced you can select whatever options you like
next select e-mail, and any other options you want
and you're done!
I also enabled the push email icon and get my email regularly on my phone throughout the day.
Well, i hope that this helps some of you out.
server address: mail.domain.name
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just so folks know there is no standard for this, its whatever subdomain your company decided to put OWA on, for my company its webmail.companywebsite.com
best thing to do would be to ask someone in your company how to access email from outside the office using internet explorer, thats the address your lookign for
Sprint mogul (Titan) WM6.1 Rom update killed exchange server activesync
(Sorry in advance for the long Email) I purchased a Mogul from RS about three weeks ago. For the first week, it worked great! I logged into my company exchange server down loaded and synced email, cal,contacts,tasks ... was very excited. I also got very excited when I started t read threads in this blog .... it seems like there are some pretty smart members maybe someone can help!!
Noticed that there was a new Rom (Sprint TV and improved connection) installed the ROM.
Have spent endless hours with HTC technical support, sprint technical support (not an appropriate name). At times managed to get the email to load but never again Cal, Tasks, contacts. Always able to get sent emails to load (by checking option) . I'm left with a couple of alternatives (any others would be greatly appreciated (actually I really like this phone but I need my email,schedule,etc to work) The error is 0x8503001C there is no exact description about this from MSmobile it seesm to be an awh**** code. Searching on the web provides 1000s of hits unfortunately not just my issue.
o Go to an early Rom WM6.0. So far it seems like to do this I need to unlock the phone then flash the earlier rom?? Since no SIM card I need to hack the registry?? There are several products out there which is best (I do not mind paying for somethng that works well). I down loaded several "Oficial ROm versions ... unfortunately did not write down the number of the one the phone came with.
o Find some way of getting this thing to work well to keep the extra features
o My grace period ends in a week ... cancel with Sprint go to Att but there is not a 3G phone I like ... only Iphone ... it has issues for exchange server??
o I got my wife a Touch at the same time (it runs WM6.1) same issue. Downloaded once my corp email no cal, etc.
o I was told that this Rom was cooked up by MS & Sprint what a disaster
Please, please help ... Thanks in advance
Scurfer
Exchange email and Skype not working after Upgrading Sprint Touch to Wm6.1
The Exchange activesync died at connection and never can sync my company emails after I upgraded Touch to 6.1 Sprint/HTC ROM. Skype also does not work, no sound after first ring, even with 2.2.0.45. I like the GPS and Rev.A speed, and do not want to risk downgrading the ROM. Anybody encounter ssimilar situation?
Hi
I used to be able sync to my work Outlook email via ActiveSync / Outlook Mobile Access (OMA). However, yesterday my work IT department disabled OMA on my Exchange server as they do not support anything other than the blackberry. Despite my protestation they are refusing to re-enable OMA. This leaves me with a big issue!
Does anyone on here know of a third party application that can sync outlook emails and calander using Outlook Web Access (OWA)?
I have found an application called Chronobis which is able to sync from OWA but only one way i.e. deleted items on Chronobis will not delete from my Outlook inbox and calendar appointments added won't sync to my outlook calander (or so I believe). Whilst this is a good start it really doesn't get me to where I need to be.
I am desperate to sync my work outlook emails to my new HTC HD2 (its the main reason I got it)!
Anyone got any other ideas / know of any other applications?
Would really appreciate any suggestions.
Thanks in advance.
Yes, you can use a service called Seven.
Thanks for your response.
I've had a look and it seems this could do the job! Seems that the only way to get it was to join the beta programme which I've done but when I put my the vendor in it doesnt give me the HD2 as an option.
Any ideas what handset I should choose that will work with the HD2?!
I've also read compatibility issues with Manilla 2.5 in their forums. Has anyone managed to get this working successfully on an HD2? Also, are you able to move emails to your different folders using this app and have them sync with the exchange?
Is this the best / only app out there for my requirement?
Sorry for all the qus!
Thanks again.
ActiveSync uses OWA. Put in webmail server, username, password and works.
OWA still works, like afterburn said, i got my calendar, email and tsks to synch. lol now all my contacts are on my university email accounts, pretty cool tho.
no need for thirdparty, active sync does it.
dont know what OMA is. but what you want is exactly what OWA gives you.
dont set your owa using HCT SENSE/MANILA SETTINGS. do it through normal out look ad account way. HTC tick boxes for tasks, calendar and other stuff are greyed out and only email is available.
but on the standard outlook mobile all the settings are there.
need a run through of how to set it up?
Thanks for your responses guys.
OMA is office mobile outlook. It is a setting within the exchange server which either allows or disallows a mobile device to access emails through the mail app. Having OWA does not mean that you will be able to access your emails from a mobile device (except through the mobile browser).
Activesync uses OMA rather than OWA so at the moment I'm stuck!
As a result I need an app that syncs via OWA.
Seven seems to be able to do it but I could do with any answers to my qus above.
Happy to be proved wrong on this but one day it was all working fine and the next my exchage server settings had been changed and it stopped working.
Any exchange server admins on here who can confirm my thinking is correct?
Gooner4_1998 said:
I've also read compatibility issues with Manilla 2.5 in their forums. Has anyone managed to get this working successfully on an HD2?
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I'm using Seven on HD2. There were compatibility problems with custom ROMs on other devices based on leaked Leo Manila.
Why don't you use Blackberry Connect on your Wm device? That way, you can sync the same way as Blackberry devices. Of course that requires you to have BB access rights, but since they are so BB happy, you may be able to get that.
You can get it here: http://www.htc.com/us/mobile/connect/8925/install/default.html
Of course it is not specific for the HD2, and I have no idea if it'll work, but it is worth a try.
BB connect sounds like a good idea, wasn't aware it was a possibility, thanks.
I actually have a BB from work so I know that I am set up for it. However, I work for a company that are very keen on security so there is no way they will give out the settings I would need (its set up by the IT department and then just given to you).
Is there any way to get the info / settings I need from my current blackberry? Ive had a look on it and can't see anything obvious.
Just checked through some documentation on BB connect and unfortunatley it requires that I install ActiveSync and BB Connect on a computer connected to my works network.
As I dont have admin rights on my work laptop I won't be able to do this (unless anyone knows how to install programs without being an administrator!).
Looks like Seven might be the bset solution!
Vangrieg, which handset did you choose to set up for the HD2?
Thanks
I admin an exchange server, the most common reason for OMA not working is if there isnt a valid ssl cert for the domain, but i can confirm that as you mentioned, it will deffo not work if mobile access is turned off on the user account (there are 2 seperate options for web and mobile access)
i dont see any decent reason why a server admin would disable it, he must be on a power trip or sommert!
Thanks lancemate.
Could the valid ssl cert be the reason even if others in my company are still able to access as before? Its only affecting me. I've set up one of my collegues mail accounts on my phone to see if it still worked and it did without any issues.
When I called IT they said they hadn't changed any of my settings so I had assumed that OMA was the issue. I asked them to check and to re-enable and they told me they were unwilling to even look at my settings!!! Our IT department has been moved to India which makes it even harder to get any help!
Could an ssl cert suddenly just expire?!
Is there anyway of me to get a valid ssl cert for the domain witout going through IT to see if this is the issue?!
Been doing some more research and want to see if getting an ssl certificate onto my phone will make it work. Absoloutely no idea if it will work but its the last thing I can think off!
Is it possible to download the SSL certificate from my OWA site?
If I double click on the padlock in the bottom left corner I can get the certificate details up on the "details" tab (although there are loads of files and I don't know what I'm looking at!). When I click "copy to file" the export wizard come up but I have no idea where to go from there!
Anyone able to offer any assistance please?
Also, I'm sure this is a stupid question but would I need to put this certificate on my phone or could I use a different one?!
Thanks
It cant be an SSL Cerificate issue if your Colleague's account works on your device.
It MUST be that OMA is disabled on your account or something else is horribly wrong. As mentioned above i cant see any reason why an Exchange administrator would disable OMA.
Can you connect to your account using activesync on a different device to check whether its the phone or settings on server side?
To help you with using Blackberry Connect as a possible solution here are some resources on how to run programs that require admin level on machines you havent been given admin rights to. Some methods cover your tracks completely and others simply let you create/amend and delete windows accounts and associated rights in whatever way you need.
i would suggest using the first link to create a bootable usb stick that loads a modified linux command prompt. You can then use this to give yourself local admin rights.
http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/
http://www.jms1.net/nt-unlock.shtml
http://internetbusinessdaily.net/how-to-hack-a-window-xp-admins-password/
I've tried to set up on 2 other phones, bith with no joy so I'm guessing its the server side rather than the phone.
Is there no way that its anything to do with the ssl certificate? Are they set up company rather than by user? Will my suggestion of putting a certificate on my phone definately not work (if I could even find out how to export it from OWA)?!
I also cant see why the OMA would have been diabled so thinking it must be something else!
Thanks
I share Gooner's concerns and look forward to finding a solution. 1) My company has not yet enabled mobile devices to sync via Outlook Web Access. 2) Blackberry Connect does not yet work on HD2. There is a thread for BBC on this very same forum.
I am confident that a solution will soon emerge for 1) and/or 2).
Audio Oblivion said:
It cant be an SSL Cerificate issue if your Colleague's account works on your device.
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Well, sometimes you need to install the certificate manually on your device to make it work. That's the case where I work - we use a self-signed certificate.
I use zarafa as a direct replacement for exchange, it syncs my emails,calendars, contacts etc.
It allows push email as well.
Hi JMes
After looking around I have found it appears that there are 2 services that will allow you to sync a mobile device using OWA, even if it is not set up for OMA.
Seven - Currently in beta but others have had success with this service on an HD2. I believe that it will sync Calendar, Tasks and Email.
Emoze - Also allows you to check outlook via OWA and offers a free service or a paid for service. Paid for service allows you to remove the "sent from emoze" tag allows attachemnts to be sent up to 2mb (rather than 100kb). Think it costs 10 euros a year.
These apps allow you to remotely access your phone from a web browser. However, they all run a web server on the phone, and I cannot connect to any of the over 3g (Verizon).
LazyDroid Web Desktop
Remote Desktop
Remote Web Desktop
I want to move the web server off phone, and (hopefully) onto private sites.google.com site. App Engine might be necessary, but I'm hoping this could be done solely in JS.
The hosting site would provide the UI, and interact with the phone using C2DM (the magic that powers Chrome2Phone, GMail, and installing apps from the web Market).
The UI is pretty obvious. It just needs a whiz to create HTML, Javascript, etc.
The C2DM backend is a still a bit mystifying to me... and searching for c2dm and javascript does not yield any obvious working implementations. But it seems plausible. Push a command to the phone, phone returns/uploads data to website, and UI updates.
Then there is the Android end. Well, there are the 3 projects above, Tasker for a quasi-hackish approach, and RPC (promising, but it seems like a WIP).
Thoughts? Volunteers? Geniuses?
Ooo... 2 birds with one stone!
This would also kill 2 birds with one stone.
No more typing in dynamic IP addresses! You get to use DNS to handle the connections. Bookmark your site in your desktop browser (it is always the same!). And set a preference in the Android app.
On lazydroid i've in planning some kind of trick that will let you connect behind firewall ... similar to a vpn...
CloudsITA said:
On lazydroid i've in planning some kind of trick that will let you connect behind firewall ... similar to a vpn...
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I tried it again last week, and it is still unsuccessful. Webkey is currently the only application that I can successfully use to reach my phone.
Now, I could be wrong, but I believe all of these apps run a web server on the phone. I get a lovely, private 10.x.x.x IP address, which I can't reverse the route to. I have tried and failed to get DynDNS to work.
I have been looking into a solution since my original post. I have not had any time to do code squat, but I have loosely figured out all of the parts.
The big architectural difference I have been seeking is removing the server from the phone. I am not an Android expert, but I don't believe it even requires a running service. (Thank you, C2DM.)
With the app-webservice separation, you can work a "protocol" that reduces the overall bandwidth used... and thus improve battery life. Put all the "hard work" on a webserver, and (things get fuzzy here) possibly push it off onto the client browser (JS).
C2DM Browser Links
I could probably make something like WebKey but with C2DM and some more features. If you want you can give suggestions and I'll start making on saturday (after my exams). It would probably be possible in javascript for the actual sending from server and php just for logging in to your google account. The phone would just be registered on the server and no services (just as you wanted )
nebkat said:
I could probably make something like WebKey but with C2DM and some more features. If you want you can give suggestions and I'll start making on saturday (after my exams). It would probably be possible in javascript for the actual sending from server and php just for logging in to your google account. The phone would just be registered on the server and no services (just as you wanted )
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I am not sure "more features" is necessarily the direction I'm headed. I am focused on making a "seamless" experience (i.e. less separation of phone and computer).
I was headed to App Engine (Python bias + easy Google integration). I have a project created. I haven't pulled together the various examples to make the core, but it seems <naive>simple</naive>. Stir in some templates, CSS, a sprinkling of JS, and voila!
The big "tricky" part that I can't convert from f***ing magic to a clear approach is the data link in the server. I want to avoid any storage to a Google disk, or otherwise, even temporarily. No stored data = easy privacy policy.
nebkat, if you're really chomping at the bit to code, here's my Android client concept.
- C2DM is a wake-up call. (cheat an borrow ChromeToPhone's ID to begin with)
- Connect to web server, send "I'm here," and wait for further instructions (Channels API/Comet/AJAX/.........)
- make the command set extensible
- each command is blockable in the client. (Permission control is set on the phone, not remotely.)
- After N minutes of no activity, send a "good bye," disconnect from the server, and fade into the background.
Don't worry, I'm very experienced with the server side stuff and I know exactly what you want. The only information stored on the sever side would be google account, the device c2dm registration id and some logging features just for statistics. A password could be set on the phone that would be sha512 hashed on the ajax request and would be sent to the phone. Even if a hacker found the hash, it would be useless without being logged in to the persons google account or knowing the server side auth token.
For now i'll just make the reciever, processor and command output and later on the extra security and ui stuff. It will work exactly the same way as Chrome2Phone except it will have server side php and the different commands. The connection from pc to phone will be something like this.
user command -> ajax request -> php c2dm request -> phone
phone -> php server http request -> controller page status
BTW I'm saving up for a Nexus S, how much would people pay for this type of app? There would definitely be a free version, but I just need to get the Nexus S because I have a Galaxy Spica now and it isn't the best for app development. I'm new to how stuff at xda works, would a donate version get me enoguh for the Nexus?
nebkat said:
Don't worry, ... <snip> ... auth token.
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Alrighty then. I'm feeling like I can stop contemplating implementing this.
BTW I'm saving up for a Nexus S, how much would people pay for this type of app? There would definitely be a free version, but I just need to get the Nexus S because I have a Galaxy Spica now and it isn't the best for app development. I'm new to how stuff at xda works, would a donate version get me enoguh for the Nexus?
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Click to collapse
Since I was learning the ins and outs of App Engine, I read their quota rules and realized if this were popular it would require funding. I don't know where you are going to your web server, but I assume you'll have to pay someone to keep it running. But I had thought about $$$ already.
"Give away the razor, and sell them the blades."
Make the app free, no feature restrictions.
You get your money through various "membership" levels on the server. (See the account levels at fastmail.fm for an example.) So, you can use the app for free, but you only get, say, 2-3 MB of traffic per day, and only X sessions per day. Need more? See the pricing chart.
user command -> ajax request -> php c2dm request -> phone
phone -> php server http request -> controller page status
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Click to collapse
user command -> php server http request -> phone
phone -> php server http request -> controller page status
user command -> php server http request -> phone
lather, rinse, repeat.
C2DM is not deterministic, and acts up in low signal conditions. So, I made a decision to only use C2DM to initiate a session. Once both ends are connected to the server, everything goes over HTTP.
Oh.... and not that we need another Lookout/Phone Finder, but a shared-secret SMS code for the case where "they" have shut down the data connection.
I have my own server nebkat.com and there is nothing on it anyway.
The only other way to make "push" requests to the phone is with WebSockets. It would probably be better than c2dm because we have full control over what gets sent (google limits some requests). The advantage of WebSockets is that they send no header information which means that we could send our messages in 20 to 30 bytes.
I'll look into more detail on friday.
With web sockets won't you need to ensure the phone has a routable, external IP address? I know, for one, t-mobile does not expose an external IP address for their phones. Unless, of course, if the phone is connected over WiFi. C2DM works great for me (I have used a couple of apps with it and it is really useful).
MrGibbage said:
With web sockets won't you need to ensure the phone has a routable, external IP address? I know, for one, t-mobile does not expose an external IP address for their phones. Unless, of course, if the phone is connected over WiFi. C2DM works great for me (I have used a couple of apps with it and it is really useful).
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No, WS is server initiated and the ip address' shouldn't make a difference.
MrGibbage said:
With web sockets won't you need to ensure the phone has a routable, external IP address? I know, for one, t-mobile does not expose an external IP address for their phones. Unless, of course, if the phone is connected over WiFi. C2DM works great for me (I have used a couple of apps with it and it is really useful).
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Click to collapse
You need an valid external IP address if you are attempting to initiate contact with your phone, which is why the 4-5 apps I've mentioned do not work on carriers like t-mo and verizon.
But the phone can establish a connection, and the carrier NATs (or whatever) will handle the routing for outgoing and incoming data.
I think the right questions are: Will Verizon/T-Mo allow the ports and protocol for WebSockets? Do Android and desktop browsers implement the draft API correctly and consistently?
I like C2DM. I works well when you have a good connection. But there are 3 issues with it.
1) The message size limit is 1024 bytes. Not ideal for file transfers.
2) In a poor signal areas, since the service retries sending messages, you will get delayed and/or duplicate messages. I work in a large "concrete" building, so I get this behavior often enough that I don't want to rely on it.
3) I believe there is a limit on the number of messages you can send. So, hunting around the filesystem could hit this limit (but unlikely in reality... I hope.)
It would be interesting to see exactly how those apps handle all of the data. Do they only use C2DM, or do they hand over to another protocol?
Ok my exams are over and I am starting with it. I'll give updates on this thread