1. What are the hardware requirements for running BES? Is BES more processor hungry or more RAM hungry? What are the minimal requirements and the recommended ones? How does it behave in an environment with 500 mailboxes? And what if another 500 are added?
BES requires 2.4Ghz CPU and 1.5GB of RAM for 500 or less users.The BES is uses more RAM than CPU I find but it usually isn't that basd as long as your hardware can support your users. Personallt I would use a 3.0Ghz Dual Core or Cure 2 Duo with 3GB of RAM. It works fine with 500 mailboxes and will work fine if you add 500 more if you increase the RAM.
2. Does the number of mailboxes in an Exchange server have any major effect on the BES server load when compared to the actual number of devices used? For example if I have an environment with 1000 mailboxes but only 100 of those have Blackberry devices?
The BES is only concerned with the users on the BES itself, the other 900 don't matter.
3. BES integrates with Exchange which in turn integrates with Active Directory. Is there anything more to AD integration? Any additional features? Or anything to watch out for?
Nope, nothing extra for the BES.
4. Is it possible to run more than one BES (with different SRP id's) in one AD domain (one exchange server)?
This easily done and can help load balance your users if you have say 2000 users for one exchange server.
5. It is possible to install the Attachment service on a remote machine. Are there any other services that could be installed on a remote machine?
The attachment service, MDS(web browising), MDSS and the Router service can be on seperate machines. Not sure about the others.
6. BES needs Exchange System Manager installed on the same machine. But what I don't understand is how does BES check mailboxes. Which protocol and which port does it use?
The protocal is MAPI and the port is random unless you lock down the MAPI ports on the Exchange server and most companies don'r do that.
7. If I understand correctly, the connection between BES, Balckberry NOC and the handheld is encrypted. But what about the connection between BES and the Exchange server? Also is the e-mail downloaded from the mail server and then encrypted; or BES encrypts the data while streaming it to the handheld?
The email is retreived from Exchange then ecrypted and compressed then sent to the BB. The BES uses 3DES ans AES encryption methods.
8. Are there any limits to the number of users added to a BES besides the hardware and licensing limits?
2000 per BES.
9. Are there send and delivery timestamps (on the BES server) for e-mails send to handhelds?
Those are in the logs and the email on the BB itself.
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