Blackberry Enterprise Server
Nick Bonadies
Senior Systems Administrator : Boston
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I recently set up a Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES).
<sarcasm> What a fun adventure that was! </sarcasm> Installing and setting up BES is riddled with potholes and stumbling blocks, so I figured I’d share my insights.I used these versions of os/software:
Windows Server 2008 R2
Blackberry Enterprise Server Express 5.0.2
Windows Server 2008 R2
Blackberry Enterprise Server Express 5.0.2
Surprisingly, Windows Server 2008 R2 needs to be completely unpatched! This took the most time to figure out. I started with a completely patched version of Win2k8 and dialed back the patch level until BES actually started working. The problem is with the BES admin service. Any updates to Win2k8 starting with and following SP1 will cause the service to crash over and over and over again. So Win2k8 R2 it is!
Next you need to set up Active Directory. I won’t go into detail here, since it should be trivial and there are plenty of other tutorials that will be better documented and detailed elsewhere. But you start by launching Windows PowerShell and typing “dcpromo.”
After AD is all set, you’ll need to set up Exchange (if you don’t already have an Exchange server), since we don’t use Exchange I set up MAPI to connect to our MX.
Now onto BES! First you’ll need to request a license, which is free if you’re using the express version (http://us.blackberry.com/apps-software/business/). You’ll get an email eventually with a link to download and a site to pick up your license. Installation after that is fairly straight forward. You’ll have to set up a configuration database. You can use an already set up MSSQL server or BES will install MSSQL 2005 Express for you.
The only other gotcha comes towards the end of the installation process. You have to select wether you want BES admin to use Windows authentication from AD or using BES admin service authentication. If you don’t want to continue to use AD after BES setup (you don’t have to), then use BES admin service authentication.
After that you’ll start the BES services, try logging into the admin console. If you’re lucky you should see a log in page. Start adding users and activating devices!
If you weren’t so lucky, well lets move on to some troubleshooting first.
Troubleshooting
- Windows firewall might be blocking the port you set the admin service up on, check that first and make sure it is open.
- Try to start the BES admin service manually from the services panel, does it start?
- Check the Windows event log, is BES admin crashing? If it is your patch level is too high.
- Is IIS running? Did you set up BES admin on a port IIS has reserved? If so, kill IIS and try starting BES admin, does it work now?
- Take your time, write down your process.
- Don’t be afraid to start over.
- The firewall really only needs TCP port 3101 to opened for outbound, initiated, bi-directional traffic. Otherwise you can lock it down pretty tight. Which you want to do because you’re tossing an unpatched Windows server into your mix.
Those are all my tips for setting up a Blackberry Enterprise Server, good luck!
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