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sbpinbb · 03-02-2005, 09:58 AM

I own a small company, 12 employees, for which I want to implement BB use and BES 4.0 for our key employees... 5 or 6 currently.

We have 1 file server, running MS SBS 2000 & Exchange 2000. 10 users have the messages stored with Exchange on the Server. 2 key users have local psts. Email is currently fetched through the local machines and delivered to the appropriate store. I know I'll have to get the 2 psts on Exchange for the BB to work properly.

We have a 2nd server running 2000 that is pretty much exclusive for a vertical market app that we'll be rolling out in the next 90 days or so. There's not a significant overhead with the app, so I expect to run the BES on this machine.

I have an outside IT guy that has done our Server installs and helps to maintain stuff when necessary. I'm competent and our sysadmin, but not a sysadmin by any stretch. My IT guy has told me this is going to be a daunting process and is concerned about screwing up our primary server and exchange. I've got about 23 days to install and test before I make my final decision on keeping this stuff.

I'd love to hear some feedback from people that have performed BES 4.0 installs on general opinion, as well as the following issues:
* How long should I expect
* Can a not so technical guy (me) do this
* How many changes to our existing exchange setup will have to occur for this to work.
* what has to be done to the local machines for this to be implemented properly
* I know Outlook locally can be set for time length to fetch messges... what about exchange when it handles the fetching.

Any direction or opinion is greatly appreciated. Additionally, if anyone out there knows of IT resources that can handle the install on a consulting basis in Miami, I'd love get some contact details.

Many thanks in advance, Scott

bfrye · 03-02-2005, 10:37 AM

It shouldn't be very daunting as your guy said. As I've stated in the past, look at BES as just another alternate email client for your email system. It checks email (using the same API as your desktop as well), and forwards it to your blackberry. Technically I don't think it does anything more or less really than your typical desktop client. The real difference is that it checks multiple accounts from the same machine, and acts as a "go-between" from your device to the email server.

Oh, and as for running BES on the same machine as other apps, you chould first check out VMWare. That might provide a better solution for you if installing multiple apps on one machine. Not too expensive either.

IMO, if I were you, download BES and install. Especially if it's a VMWare box, then if you screw something up with the install, just reload the image and you can have a fresh box inside of about 5 mins. It isn't hard to install and get going though. The install process is pretty much fully automated with yes/no questions and a few fill in the blanks for ip addresses and server keys. Nothing super technical or complicated about it at all.

sbpinbb · 03-03-2005, 10:33 AM

Thanks bfrye... the vmware solutions certainly seems like a good way to go, however, I don't have vmware. From the instructions there are some things I'm going to have to setup on the box before installing the BES, and I think that is what was causing one of the concerns for my IT guy. I'll dive into it a little deeper. If nothing else, it seems that I can set the BES up and test it without making the connection to Exchange, so that part should be ok.

bfrye · 03-03-2005, 10:36 AM

You will need the connection to exchange to add users to your BES. It shouldn't start communicating with Exchange until you start adding users to it though. If you are that nervous about it, set it up, and only use yourself as a test subject. At least then if something does happen, it's only your account that is affected, and you can backup/restore it at will.

rgeorge · 03-03-2005, 09:27 PM

I might even consider installing the BES directly on your SBS box. Especially if you have SQL running there.

For the number of users you are looking at, the overhead should be very small. I would only make sure you have a decent amount of RAM. I would say, 1.5 GIG for a system running SBS (exchange/IIS/SQL) and BES 4.0 for under 10 users. If the system is at least a 1.8ghz server, you should be ok.

This will eliminate the need to load exchange management tools on your other server since the SBS server should already have them installed.

Follow the instuctions closely and you should be ok.

If you are still unsure, PM me and we can work something out.

sbpinbb · 03-14-2005, 12:15 PM

I don't have SQL running on the SBS box, and only have 1gig of RAM. I think I'd be safer installing on my other server, which is dual Xeon 2.8 with 2 gig of RAM and really only 1 responsibility.

Each of my servers have Win2000 SP 4 running, and my external IT guy provided me with a SBS 2000 SP1a disk, which he said I had to run.

I'm still trying to get an idea of the time needed and the amount of work necessary to my Exchange setup. I'll try PMing you for further details.

acmoseley · 03-14-2005, 03:47 PM

It's not that daunting to install. It took me about an hour to do all of the required stuff and get it all setup. I didn't have to make many changes to our Exchange Server at all, you should just have to setup a BESAdmin mail account to handle any type of admin messages. Just as Bfrye said, you just need a little information and be able to answer a few yes no questions.

When I installed it I just went through the install procedures that came with the BES and it made it all seem a lot easier.

If you need any help with it just let me know.

ACMoseley

sbpinbb · 03-14-2005, 04:17 PM

acmosley... does exchange currently handle all your email? We use an outside org to handle our email, and retrieve at the local machine. Any impact there? Can exchange be setup to pull email every 5 minutes or so...

greywolfe · 03-14-2005, 04:22 PM

To make installing BES a hell of a lot easier, please, *please* complete all the preinstall tasks first

I'm constantly amazed how many admins neglect to follow the rather explicit instructions before our techs rock up for the install...

ManInBlack · 03-14-2005, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by greywolfe

To make installing BES a hell of a lot easier, please, *please* complete all the preinstall tasks first

I'm constantly amazed how many admins neglect to follow the rather explicit instructions before our techs rock up for the install...

I'll second that...the prerequisites are what takes the bulk of the time on my BES installs (of course, sometimes on client networks I have a decent amount of patching/updating/cleanup to do first).

The actual install of BES itself takes almost no time, assuming the environment (including permissions) is prepped correctly.

acmoseley · 03-16-2005, 12:00 PM

I'll second that notion also. I took the time to do all of the pre-requisites in the manual before I even opened up the CD that came with it.

spinbb:
Yes, Exchange does handle all of our email needs. I'm not sure how your email is setup though. I'm assuming you have an outsourced email system and you just retrieve it on each local machine...or do you have an Exchange server that get's all of the mail redirected to it? Either way, I'm not too sure how the BES would work with that. I assume that if you have an Exchange server then the BES would work as normal and just send out the emails as they hit the Exchange server. However, I would check with RIM about it before installing it.

sbpinbb · 03-16-2005, 02:02 PM

acmoseley:
Our Exchange handles our internal network, and we have an outside source for collecting all external email. Currently each individual machine pulls the specific users email, which is working just fine. Outside of 2 users, all email is stored on the Exchange Server... my understanding is the BES should work fine once the POP3 connector is setup.

I read through everything again yesterday and I just don't see me getting this hooked up. I've called a few friends to see if they have contacts that can help me. At this point, I really just want to get opinions for people using BES 4.0 on functionality. All of the guys using the BBs get between 40-100 email daily, so deleting on the BB then again in Outlook blows and is time consuming. I understand this goes away with BES. Additionally, we frequently have to review email in folders... I understand this is a standard feature as well. With those 2 items I'm sold on the value of the BES.

My Brother/Partner upgraded to a BB about 6 months ago and has been using the redirector. It's been spotty, and there's been times where I had to manually Send/Receive to get the network email passing. It's been frustrating as hell.

I've now go two guys out of state, 1 that will be traveling quite a bit and a 4th that I want to communicate with when I'm on the road. Communication for the 6 of us is going to be paramount.

greywolfe · 03-17-2005, 09:49 PM

Redirector has had major issues of late. Personally I'd not use it at all...I'm advising customers to have an automatic CC setup on their mail server to forward out to their BWC address (after they set that up). Works 100% of the time and doesnt have the 15 minute wait period on new emails.

sbpinbb · 03-18-2005, 08:17 AM

greywolfe... that is exactly how I first set the phones up, and still have 1 guy using, but keeping track of sent mail becomes a small problem.

On a separate note... I'm making a little progress on my install. I was on with RIM support last night and they were helpful, but required me to have Exchange 2000 System Manager setup on my BES Server (as the instructions state) before they can help me further.

I got off the phone with the guy and tried installing. Since I have SBS2000 the install wanted to go through the entire process and I couldn't figure out how to just install the Exchange System Manager.

If there is anyone with SBS2000 experience, I'm reading! Thanks again...

edit: a nice gent over at msexchange.org advised and I now have the Exchange System Manager installed... Back to RIM!

greywolfe · 03-20-2005, 04:11 PM

Exchange sys manager is fairly easy to install...pop in the Exchange cd, select deployment tools, select the system manager 'setup.exe' down the bottom....if you need anything else installed beforehand it will pop up with an error explaining what you need.

sbpinbb · 03-21-2005, 06:46 PM

greywolfe... got it done on Friday, and installed BES 4.0. That's as far as I've got. I've downloaded the 2 Hot Fixes, which I thinking should be my next step, then the integration with Exchange.

I've been searching for a POP3 Connector with more features than the default with SBS2000 Exchange, which will only let me pull email every 15 minutes. I found a link to a few, but no decent reference material.

I'm at a loss with what to do next? I don't really see a; Step 1, xyz; Step 2, 123... Where's the BES 4.0 for Dumbies book??? I feel like I really need it.

I'll be on the phone with RIM Support again to find where I go next, any pointers will again be appreciated.

greywolfe · 03-21-2005, 07:15 PM

Well, if youve installes BES 4 and the hotfixes, have you opened up Management Console and created the server? If so, is the little icon next to it green?

If thats done, then the next step is to add users and then assign handsets to them.

sbpinbb · 03-22-2005, 05:09 PM

1 down, 4 or 5 to go! From what I can see, everything is working for my 1 user/7000t, outside of the Calendar which I can't seem to get to work.

I've got some policy mods going, pushed out and they are working, so it would seem like I'm on the right track.

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Novice to install BES 4.0... can I do this