Blackberry VPN

**Cadefoster** · March 4th, 2011, 01:07 PM

Looking to setup a VPN on my Vigor 2820n router and my blackberry torch 9800. The torch supports it though I think requires microsoft exhange email.

anyone have any experience of this?, point me in the right direction?

my only other option is to setup my own exchange server with blackberry enterprise express, which gratefully is free, though this would obviously entail alot fo work.

thnx

**Nude_Lewd_Man** · March 4th, 2011, 08:51 PM

Hi,

What is it that you're trying to do? If you're just trying to get the BB to send/receive e-mail, then you are best of to just set it up with either BES or BIS.

BES is where you have a [separate] server to contol all of the connectivity between the BB and anything else for the data (not voice) traffic...and is done for businesses.
BIS is where you can just send and receive e-mails via the web, and can be configured to connect to multiple e-dresses and e-mail providers easily - but has no remote control over it.

**Cadefoster** · March 6th, 2011, 12:16 PM

Originally Posted by Nude_Lewd_Man

Hi,

What is it that you're trying to do? If you're just trying to get the BB to send/receive e-mail, then you are best of to just set it up with either BES or BIS.

BES is where you have a [separate] server to contol all of the connectivity between the BB and anything else for the data (not voice) traffic...and is done for businesses.
BIS is where you can just send and receive e-mails via the web, and can be configured to connect to multiple e-dresses and e-mail providers easily - but has no remote control over it.

BES - Blackberry Enterprise server?. I do have windows server 2003 and am willing to do a little work to set it up, however my question now becomes is this very hard to do and is it possible to run this from a home server if i decide to use my own registered domain name?

thnx fo rthe response btw.

**Nude_Lewd_Man** · March 6th, 2011, 02:29 PM

If you want to run your own domain and e-mail server at home, then you'd need to have a domain name (I use 123-reg - 12-reg.com - 12-reg Sale I think) and some form of DNS (or DDNS) setup that point back to your WAN IP...then all you need to is go to your mobile service provider's BlackBerry portal and set that up..

One extra thing I'd suggest would be to use a mail carrier, which means that your WAN IP isn't broadcast to anyone/everyone...and also means that they scan for SPAM and viruses.. I use "APM" ( The Very Good Email Company IIRC) which costs a quid: twelve as it stands (£10 plus vat) but is well worth it to protect your network...

There are a few more things you can do, but I'd prefer to be using a proper screen (rather than the BlackBerry, as I'm using now) as I'm losing track of what I've said and what I haven't....

**Cadefoster** · March 16th, 2011, 12:17 PM

Thnx for the advice. I've had the domain name from 123reg.co.uk for a while now and am setting up the DNS etc as you may remember from my other post. I phoned my provider O2(uk) and the guy said he'd have to check with the tech support guys about me running my own blackberry enterprise server, but that I would still likely have to be "provisioned" through them, costing me another wopping £28 per month on a business contract ontop of my £25 personal contract.

...yeah, like i'm going to pay that!. The annoyance is that I got the phone on contract and while i can still go ahead myself with the website, email setup, ftp etc - according to that tool from O2 i can't setup my own BES service even when I have SBS 2003, MS Exchange and the Blackberry Enterprise Express software, which i got free.

I am

Does anyone have experience running their own BES server? and is this actually true or was I just talking to another nonce.

thnx in advance.

**Nude_Lewd_Man** · March 16th, 2011, 02:45 PM

You shouldn't run BES on an SBS server, as it breaks a number of services and plays up, not sure whether it'd work on a DC, or if that's part of the SBS issue...but I do know that M$ advise against running BES on SBS....

Like I said, you can just use their BIS service, I can't remember the link/site, but I'm sure that searching Google for "O2 BlackBerry portal" should give you a clue... The main difference is that you can't control permissions remotely (on the BES server) and OL doesn't synchronise the folders, other than the inbox...

**Cadefoster** · March 17th, 2011, 09:36 AM

hm, what should i run it on then?. I assumed (probably foolishly) that if BES connected with exchange that it would be installed on the server.

I do need to run BES and have it connect to my local network in someway as in the near future i will likely be setting this up in a business environment. Currently this is my own home server at present and will run a photography website for myself along with ftp mail etc, hence my desire to iron out the bugs here first. I've already setup the client's pcs along with dual vpn for their last email provider and database invoicing - however they've moved on from those guys as they made a complete mess of things - dodgy hardware and worse support. Their engineers need to use the cameras in the phones to take photos, manage jobs via calendaring and print out invoices using onsite printers (i.e download/view .docs etc) so it isn't just a question of me sorting out my own stuff.

**Nude_Lewd_Man** · March 17th, 2011, 10:39 AM

I know you've just said that you think you need to use BES, but I thought I'd link the O2 BIS portal here first...

https://bis.eu.blackberry.com/html?brand=o2mailuk

**Nude_Lewd_Man** · March 17th, 2011, 10:46 AM

Just been reading up on the O2 site, and found this:
BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express - O2 (that's the BES Express link, which sounds like it'd be what you're after)

Not sure whether something has changed in the ~18 months since I last played with BES and SBS (other than my own SBS) but this seems to suggest it is ok to be done - which is very much contrary to what was the case before - which might have been to do with the BES server needing to have the 'BESAdmin' account a local (but not domain) admin, and that isn't possible on a DC, as the local groups are (IIRC) dropped...

What do I need to do?
If you have an existing Microsoft® Exchange Server* or Windows® Small Business Server you can easily get started and support up to 75 users on the same server or up to 2000 users on a dedicated server.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express works with a choice of BlackBerry® data and voice tariffs on O2 and has no additional software or user license fees. And if you need help setting up then O2 Techies can lend a hand, ask an O2 Business specialist for more information.

**Nude_Lewd_Man** · March 17th, 2011, 10:47 AM

Perhaps it might be an idea to run through things on a call - esp as you're also in UK...

If you want, PM me your number and I can call you later.

**Cadefoster** · March 18th, 2011, 02:24 PM

Originally Posted by Nude_Lewd_Man

Perhaps it might be an idea to run through things on a call - esp as you're also in UK...

If you want, PM me your number and I can call you later.

I posted a response in the other thread as im going to focus on the exchange first then hit the BES Express setup, like i said there i think a guide on this whole setup would be interesting as the ones i've trawled on Giigle so far seem to leave steps out for newbies like me.

dns server/router setup