Why wont this PDA sync with exchange?

[woody]

I've just installed Exchange on a server and it is wokring fine (primary use is to share clanders)

 

So the next natural follow on is to link up the dep. head's PDA. Is was synching fine to his local Outlook via Activesync. But now I have changed the server source in Activesync to the exchange server, it just won't sync. I know Activesync sees the server, because if I get the server credentials wrong, it let's me know. But It has accepted the address to the server fine, but when it comes to sync, it just keeps trying, and trying and trying, and never stops trying.

 

Anyone had this problem and overcome it?

 

Ta

[Ric_]

Is this syncing over the network (wifi) or via the cradle?

[woody]

Cradle

[ZeroHour]

latest version of activesync?

We found direct exchange sync to be poor.

[Dos_Box]

Don't worry. I've had hit and miss over this depending on the type of manufacturer the PDA is from. My Dell Axim works fine but some HP ones give me grief. I just settled on having them sync with the staff laptops in the end. It works

[ChrisH]

Its even more of a pain when you try to get them to sync via wifi and you have SSL enabled for your OWA clients :x

[Dos_Box]

Thats we way we tried it. It just doesn't work as advertised (if at all), and should be ignored until better PDAs and Exchange 12 is released.

[woody]

Ok then, so it's not going to work as it should. So how do I do it? What I currently have, is a calendar on exchange, shared and edited by multiple users through MS Outlook. How do I get that calendar onto the PDA?

[E1uSiV3]

for exchange OWA and OMA to work together you need a front end/back end solution so unless you have lots of £££ to waste i wouldnt even go there.

 

For proof of concept tho, you have to disable forms authentication for OWA and change the exchange folder to not require SSL and voila, your PDA will work, but it will kill RPC over HTTP at the same time and the security implications of not enforcing SSL is a horror story all in itself... the short story is it just dont work right.

[woody]

I know we are talking about microsoft here, but how can three of their own products not work together particularly when they are designed to? We are talking about MS Exchange server, MS PocketPC and MS Activesync. It shouldn't matter whether it is a HP PDA or not if it has PocketPC on it. So surely MS have looked at this problem if it is so common?

[ChrisH]

It is exactly as 3lusiv3 has said. Been there and tried it. Theres a post around somewhere about it and I agree its ridiculous that it doesnt work and that you need 2 exchange servers just to have you PDAs sync via WIFI and have SSL enabled for OWA....

[PiqueABoo]

Eeek.. I'm doing some of this stuff next month and thought there was a solution to OWA and OMA. So what's wrong with Method #3 on this page?

 

http://www.petri.co.il/problems_with_forms_based_authentication_and_ssl_in_activesync.htm

[ChrisH]

I tried that with no luck. If you fare any better let me know.

[PiqueABoo]

Haven't finished everything with this yet, but so far method #3 does appear to work for me: The original /Exchange directory definitely requires SSL, the new IP-restricted 'ExchangeVDir' doesn't require SSL and syncs work.

[ChrisH]

Hmm you must have sacrificed a few pupils to get that one working then

[PiqueABoo]

Just a few brain cells burnt out..

 

Finshed with various loose ends now and it definitely, definitely works for me. Both OWA and OMA happily connect to the exchange server with SSL. Hardest bit was figuring out how to get the relevant CA certificate onto various PDAs (three cheers for the MS mobile emulator 'technology preview').

[ChrisH]

I cheated for my testing and turned the need for them off.