SNTT - When BES OTA is DOA

One of our partners asked if we could test their Blackberry application for them.

Sure, send the files we will put it out there.

I do not have a Blackberry as readers will know, so I tend to fly blind a little bit and ask some nice people to let me know when they get the apps. Problem was no one got them. Historically I had to troll logs and other files, but that was in the past.

You see around the time of BES 4.1.5 a new column appeared in the BES Manager which was next to Software Configurations and is called Software Config Status which makes life much easier when trying to troubleshoot what went wrong with the OTA.

In this case 2 errors appeared, one asked for a new device.xml which I posted to Twitter looking for a file link which I couldn't find initially, and a second one which I thought could be useful since had recently changed physical servers.

See these 2 technotes about clearing the apploader cache and replacing the xml files:

Cannot push applications to a BlackBerry smartphone over the wireless network

How to update the device.xml and vendor.xml files

The last one was updated a month ago as of this writing.

And there is a configuration change, but you should have been using it anyway, policies for the software configuration are pretty much required now otherwise the apps do not get sent.

Sales pitch coming(he's gnawing at my feet I never ask for business, so here you go):
We monitor and maintain BES for a number of companies throughout the world, and keep them up to date, so if this is of interest, inquire within. For a small fee we maintain, monitor and upgrade your BES(including the Domino part) when available in addition to helping secure and distribute applications for your staff and clients.

When I'm Mobile....Beep,Beep

Continuing on recent discussions from WES, RIM has a bunch of clients for you and your Blackberry friends. Not all available yet, but Sametime has been for a while(I am updating my install doc for it, look for the post this week).

Go to this page for all the details and then get in on the notification or beta for each of the mobile clients.

1) Sametime - You always remember your first..and still advancing.

See this IBM PRESS Room Announcement:

The new BlackBerry Client for Lotus Sametime extends real-time collaboration from the desktop computer to the BlackBerry smartphone, including instant messaging (IM), presence awareness, contacts, broadcasts, file transfer, click-to-call and other features. Traditional landline phones become obsolete through the combination of voice-over-IP with presence awareness via IBM Lotus Sametime and corporate network and wireless routing with the BlackBerry® Bold® smartphone. In addition to IM, presence is seen throughout the smartphone applications. For example, a customer can use instant messaging within their calendar or an email to get an urgent answer in the moment without breaking the work flow. If instant messages aren't fast enough, the click-to-call feature is one button away.

2) Connections - The next generation BlackBerry Client for Lotus Connections, developed by RIM and available May 8!

3) Quickr - Coming soon? But not fast enough for me and my clients

4) Symphony - Coming soon?

Of course you need to move to BES 5.0 for some of these to work with all the benefits. We can help you if you need it.

By the way if you were looking to mobilize your applications and work force to leverage your investment in Lotus and RIM technology, let me know as I will be doing a LCTY event on this topic soon, look for slides.

BES, Sametime, Java and Your Windows Upgrades

Warning, danger ahead, read only if you like Java, BES, Domino and Mobile Sametime clients.

I got tagged to resolve a Sametime clients using BES error which popped up after a recent NOS update to Windows 2008. BES works fine, but Sametime clients on blackberries couldn't login.

Naturally open up the BES manager and it shows MDS is not started, BB_IM is not started either. Go check the Windows Services, shows 3 services not starting, shows 1067 error when you try to start them.

Not much out there on this while searching.

I figured DNS issues or router issues.
Wrong. IP checks out fine and both ways.

Stconfig.nsf missing the BES IP address?
Wrong. It's still there.

BES had an update last week and I figured, well it doesn't work now....
Wrong. Oh, the update went fine, but ST on a BB still not working.

RIM released updated ST clients 2.1.18(and 2.1.21 for BB Curve). Maybe...
Wrong. They work fine and install properly if you follow my document I wrote previously. If you don't have it ask me for it.(will post it after I update it with new info)

Login bad? LDAP information missing?
Wrong.

Disk Space? temp file corruption?
Wrong, all fine and cleared.

Domino maybe? Updated Domino to 8.5 HF3 which shows 8.5 211 afterwards(don't ask see the chart on this technote).
Wrong. Oh and you can install the HF3 OVER HF1 or HF2, contrary to the wording in Fix Central.

Java Update? Check Java, type java -version at a command prompt.
DING! DING! DING! We have a winner! No java version is shown, as an error is shown.
HMMMMMM

Went to java.com, checked had latest one and it did.
Checked Path statement....no Java path.HMMMMMM
Added c:\program files\java\jre6\bin to path. Nope no change.

Now I am wondering what else is wrong. Almost ready to give up then remembered previous problem from another BES upgrade. So I reinstalled BES upgrade to 4.1.6.5 just in case. Rebooted, still no luck.

Figured if Java didn't install correctly, maybe a fresh install will do. Found the download page and reinstalled it.

Miracle of miracles. Did Windows 2008 make a mess of this? Did the Java Updater get stuck or crash? Who knows.

The owner almost immediately Sametime's me from his cell phone! No better feeling than that one. Another happy customer. Wait till he gets the Connection client I sent him. Trying to seed his usage for a Connections project. :-)

So the moral of this story is think like a flawed machine to fix one.

Fud Buster Friday #34 - My Blackberry is FASTER than my Mail Client

Notice I didn't say Lotus Notes or Exchange. Yet how many complain about this and trash their mail server to go elsewhere?

I got asked this question in an interview once by a company which I really would love to work for some day.

A company was debating their future infrastructure, typical Exchange vs. Domino and asked what affects Blackberry notifications? Why do some execs (it's always execs isn't it? even my CEO has one) get email seconds or minutes before their mail client? Why would 2 people in the same meeting get notifications seconds or minutes apart?

Admittedly a loaded question, but it gets to the core of understanding messaging, telecom, wireless, devices, infrastructure and customers.

Here is my answer: As much as RIM would like to be able to say it's faster, it just isn't. Well not exactly. Where do you think your email is going first? Usually to your corporate email.

No matter what your email server, your admins, if they are smart enough, limit how often you can hit the server to replicate or for those MS impaired, synchronize. This helps server performance, network bandwidth and other aspects of performance in general. What it doesn't help is the user who absolutely, positively MUST have his email in seconds of it coming in to their inbox.

So let's say you can replicate every 5 minutes. Your Blackberry polls every (EDITED per comment)20 seconds. Now if you use Notes or Exchange on a server, and not locally, you will get notified, although not necessarily that it shows up in your inbox until refreshed. Blackberry wins.

If you run your email locally you must wait for the server to send you the email and that can be at anytime as specified by the admin or your client. Again Blackberry wins.

What about 2 people in the same meeting? Let's put aside they might have 2 different networks(Verizon, AT&T, etc.) and use the same devices. Which by the way is almost impossible as each carrier has tweaked the devices and use different networks. The next point of delay is the BES itself and it's proximity to one's mail file. Perhaps the 2 execs are on different machines for BES and even their mail and one is a slower machine or busier. There is also the possibility that each user has a different size inbox which can also affect the time to arrival on a device. You get the idea.

What astounds me is the executives who say this never happens in Outlook. Forgetting they mean Exchange, of course. I remind them that Exchange would not like their 20GB+ mail file they love in Lotus Notes. Imagine trying to search it on Exchange, if it could handle it at all efficiently.

What does one have to do with another anyway?

BES is slow, must be Lotus fault? And that logic would lead you to believe sales are down we should fire all the sales people and get new ones. There may be some truth in both opinions, but not much sense.

So is Blackberry faster than your email client? Do you really care? Is that really where you want to be spending your time and resources right now?

In the future you may only be using wireless as your medium of choice, if you are not already, and you will never know if it is fast or slow.

But you probably still hate it when someone gets an email before you....don't you?

It happens again, BES Knocks off Traveler

When last we left it in my post a few months back, we had found the 4.1.6 version of BES added a cute little line that disables Traveler. Of course this presumes both run on the same server.

So it is also with MR3, the latest update which I installed in an attempt to resolve a dropping of BES from our Lotus 8.5 Domino server.

Now can anyone tell me how to update the dll for the security patch? I presume I need to copy them over, but the readme was not readable for me.

And why can't I access my server NAB in Traveler when emailing staff? My phone is on its last legs, just has to get through Lotusphere 2009, so am not worrying too much.

So onward to Lotusphere now that everyone has Blackberries buzzing and Traveler's traveling.

And yet another day delay in the website for this:

Sametime and BES, not So Happy Together

Sure, RIM and IBM do not like the idea of these 2 sharing space. But honestly, if you are going to offer SMBs the opportunity of using Sametime and Domino and a BES "Professional Edition"...how many servers do you think they will set it all up on? 3? ROTFLMAO!

Another SMB client of ours ran into problems, not unlike the other days post, after they installed this BES version on their 1 Domino server which happens to also have Sametime running on it because when you have 20-30 people you only need 1 server.

After rebooting Sametime stops working mysteriously. Not like this post, with the ini setting change, but something deeper in the JVM, or so I believe. Any thoughts are welcome.

The only way I and IBM support work around it is to reinstall the Sametime code and then HARD REBOOT the physical server and all is well. Really it is.

I hate when someone says reinstall it and it will clear it up because it doesn't usually, but int his case it is the only way and really takes about 15 minutes including reboots.

So before you install Sametime on a BES server or vice versa, remember these posts and save yourself a 1/2 day of Troubleshooting.

Sametime on a Blackberry Installation Docs

I recently edited a manual, well more a guide, for those who were lost or troubled by the Sametime on a Blackberry client.
Most of the doucment is culled from RIM and IBM support with my edits and additions were applicable along qith key information about versions of clients for which BES versions.

Note this is for the Sametime client from RIM itself. NOT the Lotus Mobile Sametime client.

For those interested in the document or wanting to download it, we will ask for your name, so you are forewarned! I'd like to see the interest for future ideas or topics for papers.
Make sure you say you heard about it from my blog or Twitter or PlanetLotus or whatever makes sense. Maybe this will become a Lotusphere case study if I have enough replies.

Go here to get it.
http://www.rprwyatt.com/st4bb

OK, some of you might be lazy or need incentives, so this is what is inside:

BlackBerry® Client for IBM® Lotus® Sametime® v2.0/2.1 - New Features
Requirements for using the BlackBerry Enterprise Instant Messaging for IBM Lotus Sametime
How to deploy BlackBerry Instant Messaging for IBM Lotus Sametime Clients
Procedure
For BES software version 4.1 Service Pack 3 and earlier
Task 1 - Create a Network Path
Task 2 - Make Applications Available
Task 3 - Create a Software Configuration for IBM Lotus Sametime
Task 4 - Assign the Software Configuration through a USB Cable
Task 5 - Assign the Software Configuration Wirelessly
Pushing Applications to one User at a Time (4.1.5 and newer)
Miscellaneous Information about Setup/Install
Error 302 appears when logging into BlackBerry Instant Messaging for IBM Lotus Sametime
BlackBerry Enterprise Server IP address not trusted by Sametime Server
BlackBerry Instant Messaging Icon is Missing
BlackBerry Instant Messaging for IBM Lotus Sametime cannot be Pushed Wirelessly to Newer BlackBerry Smartphone Models
BlackBerry Enterprise Instant Messaging Client and Server Compatibility by Version of Client and BES Server

Enjoy!

BES 4.1.6 further update on Domino Conflicts

Happy Yellow Day to all!
In a previous post from July 29th I discussed the work around to resolving the broken Traveler and Sametime.
What you don't know is the details about it.

Yes the INI setting is the problem.

It basically stops all servlets. RIM informed me they would document the change in noets.ini and warn people about it. RIM suggests people NOT load anything else on their BES box. Those of you in big companies have no problem with this.
SMB have a problem. Running their Domino server as their mail and SMTP server with Sametime on it, Traveler and BES is how they do it.
According to RIM support this is not a sanctioned installation. However, as I discussed With them, if they don't say you CAN'T do it, people will do it. Even if you say so, they will still try :-)

Without the notes.ini line added, RIM claims you will see performance hits and degradation due to how the new server handles HTML emails. With under 10 people on a box I will take my chances, usually once a client gets over 25 on a BES I suggest they build a new box for it by itself.

RIM support, in case you never called them, is really great and never lets me down no matter how odd the problem is (waiting on call back about pushing the new clients out if you are reading from RIM support), IBM support is better, only because in this case they had the test infrastructure to figure out the issue, which was undocumented by RIM at the time.
Always helpful, full of information and willing to listen to your thoughts, many other companies should contact RIM and find out how to fix their service side.

Lotus Notes Traveler and BES 4.1.6 Resolution

After some discussions with RIM and IBM, the good people at IBM support, thanks to Steven Kyle who handled my PMR, were able to recreate the problem on a test server.

It seems the installation of BES 4.1.6 alters the notes.ini file

Lotus Notes Traveler has two components, a Server and an HTTP Servlet. The Server communicates with the users mail servers, stores history information etc and the HTTP Servlet communicates with the devices. When I installed the BES 4.1.6 Server it added this parameter to the notes.ini file which basically disables any Java based HTTP Servlet:
HTTPDisableJVM=1

They removed this field from the notes.ini file and restarted the Domino Server and the Lotus Notes Traveler servlet started without problem and the device began syncing again. If the Lotus Notes Traveler Servlet starts successfully you will see a message similar to this on the Domino Console when the HTTP Server is starting:

HTTP JVM: com.lotus.sync.servlet.TravelerServlet: init
HTTP JVM: Traveler 8.0.1.2.200807181242: debug = false

So the questions for Blackberry and us in production are:

1) Why do they add HTTPDisableJVM=1 to the notes.ini file?
2) Will BES break if this parameter is removed?

Haven't tested it yet, harwdare failure this morning, but if it resolves it for you. Great.

PS - Don't forget IBM released a hotfix on the 24th for Lotus Traveler. Go get it, read the instructions first and then upgrade it.

BES 4.1.6 upgrade may break Lotus Notes Traveler

A technical posting, ask for help and others who have this setup and it works or doesn't work.
If like many small companies you run a Domino server and it also hosts BES and traveler, you may have a problem.

We upgraded a BES to 416 from 415 this morning and since then Traveler has stopped. It is running on the server fine, but the clients can't connect, error 36 usually.

Something has affected the servlet engine and Traveler clients can not connect to the server.

You can test it by going to your server from a browser and typing servername.com/servlet/traveler

You should then see something that looks like this picture.
If you get a 404 error, you have problems.

Perhaps this is the issue: Default port number is 50125 for IPC (Inter process socket connection between Lotus Notes Traveler Server and its HTTP server servlet).

All feedback is appreciated. My phone thanks you.

Nothing but the net or is it the RIM of the net

Let's suppose RIM bid on the unused wireless spectrum. What would it gain?
TV capacity to your phone in an efficient way? Perhaps.
A stronger presence for remote areas and consumer usage, possibly.
A private network to kill off At&T, verizon, et al? Definitely.

Does the Cloud need RIM? Not really.
Do you need a Blackberry? Why?

What does it do that you can not do from almost any other device?
Not talking about iPhone right now.

What does BES do that the Good server can not?

What do you really need from your phone?
Voice dictation for sending emails would be nice.
A 3d holographic view of web pages or text would be helpful as the tiny screens we read are slowly going to kill our eyes.
Intelligent controls on the device. If I am pulling mail from a site without a spam control at the server side like my ISP, thanks Comcast, why can't I run one on my phone? Maybe this exists, haven't checked, sorry.

What about elderly people that need bigger keys or larger screens/fonts?

Also why can't my blackberry, or any other phone handle multiple streams of BES/Traveler or Good? That would be helpful in this day and age when the average person has a 1/2 dozen accounts, even if they only read 2-3.

I have the following (leaving out all my business clients that I have email with and forward to my main corporate email):
Comcast NEVER checked
Yahoo in use
Gmail rarely used
MSN very rarely
Netscape forgot password
corporate daily
personal daily
kids they are just learning to type
wife's
This blog's email
previous personal domain
previous business domain

But can I get more than one of these on my phone via BES, Traveler or Good's usage of PUSH email? NO. Even if I had a BES or whatever server to handle them all, the answer is still no.

So we are almost there...but not quite. And as more devices are internet connected does it look better to have a phone or a web device with a built in speaker and mike for VOIP?

Some questions I have been thinking about as I am in search of a new phone and look for a realistic answer to my dilemma.

Anyone from RIM, Google, Nokia, At&T or anywhere have some inputs I 'd like to hear them. otherwise if you know a VC I have a pitch to make.

Going Mobile with Sametime, Why aren't you?

Nope, no Traveller yet :-(

This is about Sametime Mobile. I love it, especially the R8 version. So much faster and more intuitive, and the lookup on users is fantastically fast.

The problem was my Blackberry users could not get to it. My fault, wrong IP address entered. Hey, we all mistype now and then.

But they rally missed having it. I didn't even think they used it.
Taught me a great lesson. Users really like when we are proactive in helping them extend their reach, even if we don't always know how many people it helps or in that one circumstance.

Sure I know that, but many people still deny their user's rights as simple as this.
If you can not do everything from your mobile phone by the end of this year, what on Earth are you waiting for?

Try Lotus Expeditor, enable your apps(within reason) for mobile fidelity. HR apps, vacation schedule workflows, even sales information mashups should be there, if they aren't already.

The cost?
Negligible next to the productivity gained. Talk about ROI, it's a huge winner.

If any of you have not en bled Sametime Mobile, tell me why?

It's just a configuration(yes I know ports on firewalls, etc. but you already have it opened via 1533 anyway if you run Sametime or 80 for http tunneling, so no excuses). Security? If you go via a BES it makes its own VPN so to speak and tunneling. Proxy, not an issue we work with it, reverse proxy, we work with it too.

Next time you are in the airport use it, amaze yourself what you can do. Yes you can call people but this way you do not get a busy signal or vmail.

BES and R8

Still waiting for the updated code from RIM? Never mind that, just go get their updated version, last was posted as 4.1.4MR3. MR is their way of saying FixPack.
I have now installed/upgraded a few servers to Domino R8 and the latest BES versions and aside from the known anomalies posted at RIM and IBM, so far no one is complaining.

I admit, I was put off by it, but when I looked into it further found the issues were something we could live with and we now run, internally, all R8 servers in production areas. We still have a mix for testing, development and clients but we are good to go for R8.

Now I await the Quickr 8.0.1 version, along with Domino 8.0.1 so I can get that fully updated properly.

No more excuses, just do it and start the year off with a bang!

Yep, them guys are at it again

Always comes down to Microsoft and Lotus. In a discussion today about Blackberry's BES, again comes the "it's just email right" lines. Yeah, it's just email and really that hyundai tiburon is just like a Hummer.(apologies to both owners)
What makes Exchange unique? Well, it just does email, period. And well, some would say.

But it doesn't play nice with others OF ITS OWN KIND. Mix and match version? Fogedaboudit!
AD will make life better (well, sort of, BUT we did have to update all our servers at one time to the new version of 2003).
Go to Exchange 2003, it will fix your problems, ahem, well we meant 2007.
What and change my harwdare and my software and right I now need to also update my AD and then the backups and you still can't cluster multiple types of hardware?
ARRGGHHH!

Domino, aside from some peculiarities in lotyuscripts and code pieces talks nicely across the board, the same app you wrote for R3 runs in R8, but it looks like crap probably too, if it doesn't call Lotus now and ask for Mary Beth Raven!

Sure there are issues with Lotus versions, some were not as cooked as we would like, but nothing ever made us change our hardware, directory structure, cluster or backup solutions.

I know, you heard this a million times, but I just can't figure out how I keep running into these discussions so often.