cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
cancel
6309
Views
0
Helpful
6
Replies

BES required for CUMA and CUMC Blackberry integration?

r.sims
Level 1
Level 1

Hello,

I wanted to understand if BES is a requirement for deploying the CUMC Blackberry client with CUMA. In this case it's a small installation (30 users or less) with no current BES server, but an ASA proxy would be configured. Is BES still necessary in this design? Also, if BES is necessary, will the BlackBerry Professional Software version suffice in instead of BES.

Thanks

6 Replies 6

captainchaos
Level 1
Level 1

Hi,

As far as I'm aware a BES server is not a core requirement for integration with CUMA as the .cod and .alx files can be deployed manually to the Blackberry.

Hope this helps,

Mark

jballari
Level 1
Level 1

Hello,

BES is a requirement for the BlackBerry device to:

  • Receive the provisioning email
  • Receive the IT policies that are changed on the BES
  • Set the APN settings, that allows Internet access


With that being said, CUMC  for BlackBerry "can" be manually provisioned (without the provisioning email).  However, the IT policies, APN settings, and other settings that are normally set on the BES and pushed to the handset, may not be so easily changed without a BES.

We don't recommend manual provisioning

Cheers,

Jose

Thanks Jose, I appreciate you response.  All my deployments have been integrated with a BES server.

However, the question asked was whether the BES server is a CORE requirement of the integration with CUMA, which we have established that it is not as BlackBerry clients can be manually provisioned (although not a Cisco preferred/advised deployment model).

After provisioning, CUMC communication to CUMA is via the ASA TLS-Proxy and vice versa, with no involvement of the BES server.

BES would allow easier control of mobile devices and software, but is cost prohibitive in small(er) deployments.

Kind regards,

Mark

Just rephrasing slightly differently what's been already stated, if the BES is available, it does offer a number of benefits as stadte before -- notably wrt provisioning. For our version 3 CUMC for Blackberry and the version 7 CUMA server, our "default" is to connect through the Cisco ASA instead of the BES/MDS. However we've heard customers prefer to use the BES/MDS for connectivity for Blackberry device, so we added a specific version of the CUMC client that simplifies that option--meaning we provide a popup window on the client for manual provisioning if the "automated" provisioning email is not found. In all scenarios, manual provisioning is possible. This means that users are able to manually use the settings menus to configure the CUMC client for connectivity to the ASA (or to the BES/MDS and CUMA) so long as they enter (provided by their IT admin) the appropriate setting/address. Hope that helps.

-Ken

Thanks all for the response, they have been helpful.

One more question regarding certificates on the ASA for deploying CUMA/CUMC. Have any of your deployments used wildcard or UCC certificates? I'm wondering if there any issues deploying these on Blackberry or other phone that CUMC supports.

Thanks!

Hello Ken,

can you be pleaseso kind to give me a helping hand regarding the following issue. I am looking for infos whether or not the ASA can be completely replaced by using the encrypted data channe of the BES?

Any hints/tips are highly appreciated.

Rg

Peter

Getting Started

Find answers to your questions by entering keywords or phrases in the Search bar above. New here? Use these resources to familiarize yourself with the community: