Exchange Active Sync Frustrations

Question

Exchange Active Sync Frustrations

I have read through all of the posts and it feels like I have tried everything I can think of. I have fixed OMA on my exchange server. (By the way, Sharepoint, multiple domains, and ASP.Net 2.0 all can break OMA (Activesync) Microsoft has docs on fixing all of these scenarios.

I am now at the point where I can browse to my server from my iPhone going to https:\\<servername>\OMA and login to my mailbox. I can pull up text versions of my inbox, contacts etc. from Safari in the iPhone. I have also installed our self issued cert on my iPhone. (And it no longer prompts me to accept the cert in safari or mail.) (I also confirmed that Exchange has Activesync enabled.)

On the iPhone Exchange account creation, the account verifies only after I type in the server name. After I choose what items I want to sync it says "Configuring sync for Exchange", then changes to "Configuring sync for (null)" briefly. After that when I get into mail it tells me it is updated with the current date and time. When I try to send a message it says "Cannot send Mail: An error occurred while delivering this message." This is the same message I was getting before I fixed OMA.

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. I have 11 iPhones I need to configure for Exchange next week at two different offices, so I really need to get mine working. Thanks for reading!

Scott Lavergne

Message was edited by: Scott Lavergne

iPhone 3G 16GB

Posted on Jul 13, 2008 3:12 PM

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Answer 1

Jul 13, 2008 3:26 PM in response to Scott Lavergne

Have you tried this?

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Answer 2

lo_storm

Level 1

0 points

Jul 13, 2008 3:34 PM in response to Scott Lavergne

I never had any problem with SharePoint or multiple domains as long as the appropriate exchange virtual directories had the appropriate version of asp installed (i.e. 1).

OMA is fixed--but have you created the exchange-oma virtual directory? I'm a little foggy on why you need both, but I think it has to do with front-end/back-end issues. If you're server is a single machine, you--I believe--need to configure the exchange-oma virtual dir. Don't quote me on that, but there's something with that.

Ultimately my problem was that exchange-oma was blocking all outside IPs and it took me 4 hours to notice.

Post your logs--that might help too.

Also, do you have basic and intergrated windows login on everything? Are the settings on Microsoft-Server-Activesync checked too?

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Answer 3

lo_storm

Level 1

0 points

Jul 13, 2008 3:36 PM in response to C l i f f

Honestly, I have not seen a situation where that has made a difference. Apple's support should point to MS or include the proper settings for all the Exchange server and IIS either in an xml file or point-by-point if they really want to be helpful.

What strikes me is that the SSL certs issue is also a non-issue here. Yay.

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Answer 4

Jul 13, 2008 3:50 PM in response to lo_storm

There are no "proper settings" which will work for every Exchange server out there. But Apple does provide some help in the Enterprise Deployment Guide (linked from ) and in this KBase article: .

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Answer 5

Jul 13, 2008 3:51 PM in response to C l i f f

I have tried it both ways in the iPhone. And configured it both ways on the Exchange server. Currently the Exchange server should be requiring the domain name, and I have it set that way on the iPhone.

I am beginning to wonder if Activesync isn't working on the Exchange server even though OMA is. Anyone know how to test Activesync and get some usable error messages?

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Answer 6

Jason L

Community Specialist

Jul 13, 2008 3:56 PM in response to Scott Lavergne

Hey Scott,

Make sure the Exchange server is running Exchange protocol 2.5 or later.

+"Exchange servers, versions 2003 and 2007, must support protocol 2.5 or later for iPhone and iPod touch devices to access Exchange services via Exchange ActiveSync."+
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2099

Jason

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Answer 7

Jul 13, 2008 3:57 PM in response to lo_storm

Although I had an exchange-oma directory when I got started, (I'm on a Small Biz 2003 server) I followed KB 817379 and recreated it. This fixed OMA (after I added the netbios name for the server in the host header file in IIS). All permissions are set according to this doc.

I am not seeing anything in the application log when I try to get in from my iPhone. I was about to research what logs I need to enable.

(By the way my exchange-oma isn't restricted from any computer.)

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Answer 8

Jul 13, 2008 4:04 PM in response to Jason L

Anyone know how to confirm Protocol 2.5? I am running Exchange 2003 SP2 (Ver 6.5 Build 7638.2)

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Answer 9

Jul 13, 2008 4:18 PM in response to lo_storm

I set Activesync logs from Exchange to Maximum. I get two messages. "OMA Categorizer succesfully initialized." Event id 10302 and "Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync has been loaded: Process ID: [4848]." Event id 3003.

These happened around the time I recreated the exchange account in my iPhone and tried sending another message.

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Answer 10

Jul 13, 2008 8:14 PM in response to C l i f f

Where do you get that info? Don't put info out there if you don't manage and implement Exchange in an Enterprise like some of us.

Those documents are worthless and the problem is not with Exchange or ActiveSync on the server side.

Particularly when we personally have dozens of WINDOWS MOBILE devices working perfectly for a long long time with Exchange 2003 and now Exchange 2007 enterprise.

Has anyone come up with the idea that the phone software is..what, could it be, BUGGY!!

My coworker has his workig fine getting push..mine doesn't work with crap, no Push is received for email. Calendar is fine as well as contacts, they push fine.

It is only Email that doesn't work in this case as the first poster mentions.

There is no difference in my phone or my coworkers..and since I am the Exchange admin...I think I know if it is setup properly.

It's the crappy iPhone software and the couple of hack developers who wrote this buggy stuff...

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Answer 11

Jul 13, 2008 8:16 PM in response to Scott Lavergne

Yeah, what a worthless post by Apple referring to this "protocol".

How about referencing a MS article huh?

If Windows Mobile phones work fine with the configuration and server setup, then the iPhone should..if they knew how to write applications and setup Exchange, which their test system was probably pure crap and they have no idea what they are doing, hence, hit/miss syncing and push...

I will give anyone $100 if they can find anyting published publicly about protocol 2.5 version that mysteriously exist..

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Answer 12

snbjr

Level 1

0 points

Jul 13, 2008 8:58 PM in response to Scott Lavergne

guys - once you get a good analysis of the issues, could one of you post a step by step checklist of what we need to look at to get it up and running?

greatly appreciate it!

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Answer 13

rlibbey

Level 1

10 points

Jul 14, 2008 2:25 PM in response to Scott Lavergne

I am seeing the same thing as Scott. As soon as I setup Exchange on the iPhone and apply the settings, our Exchange server creates the following ActiveSync event in Event Viewer:

"Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync has been loaded: Process ID: [2072]."

This looks like a success message to me, but the iPhone still does not fetch any data from Exchange.

Is there any way to get more detailed logs of what is going on? Obviously something is not functioning properly, whether it's clientside or serverside, no one knows.

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Answer 14

3GUnit

Level 1

0 points

Jul 16, 2008 12:56 PM in response to snbjr

Hey guys this is what worked for me. If you are using the Exchange over RPC feature to allow remote email from Outlook without VPN this link provides the fix. *Note this has to be done by the exchange system admin since the problem is at the server level. Follow the ActiveSync SSL errors instructions.

http://searchexchange.techtarget.com/generic/0,295582,sid43_gci1289460,00.html

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Answer 15

Jul 16, 2008 5:55 PM in response to Scott Lavergne

The problem is with the iPhone software not Exchange or Active Sync. I have been a customer of Apple for a very, very long time and have defended them for years. But this time I have to wonder what Apple was thinking. My iPhone, I have the original phone,s has been slow and buggy since 2.0. While the process of connecting with Exchange was very easy for us. I am thankful I have kept my Blackberry working because I would be up the creek without a paddle. I have to believe that Apple is working on updates and should have them out soon. While many people, like me the people that think this is a Microsoft issue are incorrect.

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