University Computer Help Desk

Configuring Blackberry for Exchange

Request access and configure your Blackberry for Exchange. You can use your Blackberry to access your Exchange calendar, email, contacts, and tasks.

Blackberry and Exchange

To use your Blackberry with the campus Exchange server, you must activate it. Activating your Blackberry for Exchange automatically configures the device for you.

Activating your Blackberry for Exchange gives you access to:

  • Exchange calendar
  • Exchange email (if you use Exchange for email)
  • Exchange contacts
  • Exchange tasks

These instructions require the participation of your department's technical support staff. To find out who provides your department with technical support, use the Support Cluster Lookup form.

You can only activate one Blackberry for your Exchange account at a time. In other words, if you have an old Blackberry that is configured for Exchange and you get a new Blackberry, only one of the two phones can be configured for your Exchange account at a time.

1. Exchange Account

You must have an account on the campus Exchange server to use your Blackberry with Exchange.

Request an Exchange Account

If you do not already have an Exchange account, request one through the Technology Request website. Exchange accounts are available to faculty and staff.

Discuss these questions with your technical support staff:

Will you use Exchange calendar-only?

 Or will you use Exchange for both calendar and email?

If you plan to use Exchange calendar-only, you need to be aware of the Exchange calendar only server-side rule, which is discussed below, under "Exchange Calendar-Only Users."

Log in to Exchange

To use your Blackberry with Exchange, you need to log in to Outlook, Entourage, or Outlook Web Access (OWA) at least once. Logging in to Exchange creates your mailbox on the server, which is a prerequisite to using Exchange on your Blackberry.

Your department's technical support staff will help you set up Outlook or Entourage on your office computer. You can log in to OWA at http://owa.ilstu.edu/.

Exchange Calendar-Only Users

As an Exchange calendar-only user, you should have a server-side rule called "Calendar Only." This rule helps keep your Exchange Inbox clean by deleting non-meeting-related Exchange emails.

The final step in these instructions is "Blackberry Activation." When you activate your Blackberry, an email is sent to your Exchange account and must be delivered to your Exchange Inbox.

The Exchange calendar only server-side rule can interfere with the delivery of the Blackberry activation email. If you applied this rule to your Exchange account prior to November 2008, it may not contain the necessary exception to allow your Blackberry to properly activate.

The easiest way to make sure your Blackberry will properly activate is to remove the existing rule; then download and apply a new copy of the Exchange calendar only server-side rule.

To remove the existing Exchange calendar only server-side rule, do the following:

  1. Open Outlook 2003 or Outlook 2007.
  2. Click Mail on the left side of the window.
  3. Click Tools > Rules and Alerts....
  4. Select the rule named Calendar Only.
  5. Click the Delete button.
  6. When you are asked, Delete rule "Calendar Only"?, click Yes.

To download and apply a new copy of the Exchange calendar only server-side rule, do the following:

  1. Download the Calendar Only server-side email rule.
  2. Import it into Outlook.

For more information, refer to 1255: Setting up Exchange calendar only server-side rule.

2. Blackberry Mail Store

Your Exchange account needs access to the Blackberry mail store.

Your department's technical support staff should talk to the Exchange admins who run the Exchange server that holds your Exchange account. Technical support staff who are unsure of where an Exchange account resides can contact the University Computer Help Desk for assistance.

If your Exchange account resides on the CISS Exchange back-end server, your technical support staff should submit an Incident to CISS Systems. In the Incident, your technical support staff should request the following:

Please move the Exchange account for yourULID (yourName) to the Blackberry mail store.

Your technical support staff should use Magic Service Desk Express (SDE) to create this Incident and assign it to CISS SYSTEMS. For more information on Magic Service Desk Express, contact the University Computer Help Desk at 309-438-4357 or helpdesk@ilstu.edu.

This step must be performed by your department's technical support staff.

3. Modify AD User Account Permissions

Your AD user account permissions must now be modified by an AD OU Administrator. Your department's technical support staff will facilitate this change for you by contacting the AD OU Administrator for your department.

The AD OU Administrator will modify your account's permissions by doing the following:

  1. Open Active Directory Users and Computers.
  2. Click View > Advanced Features. This will put a check mark next to Advanced Features.
  3. Click Action > Find....
  4. Type the user's ULID in the Name: box and click Find Now.
  5. The user's AD account appears in the Search results: pane at the bottom of the window.
  6. Double-click the user's AD account to modify it.
    • You may also see a second AD object that is named ulid-fwd. Do not modify this object.
  7. Click the Security tab.
  8. Click the Add... button.
  9. Type sysbesadmin in the large, white box labeled Select Users, Computers, or Groups.
  10. Click the Check Name button.
    • The name you typed will be transformed into
      SYSBESAdmin (sysbesadmin@ad.ilstu.edu).
  11. Click OK.
  12. In the area labeled Permissions for SYSBESAdmin, do the following:
    • Put a check mark next to Receive As.
    • Put a check mark next to Send As.
    • Leave all other permissions as is.
  13. Click OK.
  14. You may now close the Find Users, Contacts, and Groups window and the Active Directory Users and Computers window.

This step must be completed by an AD OU Administrator.

4. Contact Systems Support

Systems Support needs to apply a Blackberry license to your Exchange account.

Your department's technical support staff should send an email to besadmins@exchange.ilstu.edu. The email should include the following request:

Please create a BES account and activation password for yourULID (yourName).

Blackberry Activation Password

Systems Support will supply you with your Blackberry activation password. You will use this password in the final step (see "Blackberry Activation" below). Your Blackberry activation password will be given to you or to your technical support staff.

This step must be performed by your department's technical support staff.

Blackberry Enterprise Server License

University employees are provided with a Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) license at no cost. BES licenses are provided by Systems Support. When Systems Support creates your BES account, your account will be assigned a BES license automatically.

You do not need to contact your cell phone provider, your technical support, or Systems Support regarding your BES license. In the past, some cell phone subscribers were required to purchase a BES license before they could use BES at Illinois State. That is no longer the case.

5. Blackberry Activation

The final step is to activate the Blackberry for Exchange.

You Will Get an Email for Enterprise Activation

When you initiate Enterprise Activation for your Blackberry, an email will be delivered to the Exchange Inbox on your Blackberry. You can also see this email in your Exchange Inbox in Outlook, Entourage, and OWA.

To ensure proper delivery of the activation email, make sure you perform activation in an area with a strong signal and if you are a calendar-only user, make sure you are using an updated version of the calendar-only server-side rule.

You are not required to do anything with the activation email you receive. It is used by the system for Enterprise Activation. After activation has completed successfully and you have verified that Exchange calendar and/or email is working as intended, you may delete the activation email.

Perform Enterprise Activation for Blackberry

Important: Make sure you perform these instructions in an area with good signal strength. We recommend extending the antenna for your Blackberry if it has one. To get the best signal strength, position yourself outside or near a window.

Important: If you are an Exchange Calendar-Only user, make sure you have the updated rule. Refer to the section named "Exchange Calendar-Only Users" at the top of this document for details.

To perform Enterprise Activation on your Blackberry, do the following:

  1. On the Blackberry, click Options > Advanced Options > Enterprise Activation.
  2. In the Email: field, type yourULID@exchange.ilstu.edu (where yourULID is your ULID).
    • You must use this email address to activate your Blackberry, rather than your regular email address, yourULID@ilstu.edu.
  3. Type the Blackberry activation password in the Password: field.
    • This is a one-time activation password provided by Systems Support, not your regular, ULID password.
  4. Do one of the following:
    • Click the wheel and choose Activate. (Blackberry Bold and earlier)
    • Press the Menu button and choose Activate. (Blackberry Storm)
  5. When activation begins, you will see a long list of items, such as Email, Calendar, Contacts, etc. As the activation progresses, each item will be completed. Items may not be completed in any particular order.
    • Activation can take between 5 and 30 minutes, depending on how much data needs to be synchronized between the Exchange server and your Blackberry. Activation progress is displayed at the top of the screen.
  6. When activation is complete, click OK.

You may now use your Blackberry with Exchange.

After activation is complete, it generally takes around 20 to 30 minutes before you will begin receiving email on your Blackberry. You can verify that activation completed successfully by viewing your calendar and by sending test email messages, though if you send a test email to yourself, it will take around 20 minutes before you receive it on your Blackberry. You can send test emails to a friend or colleague, or you can send a test email to yourself and then check your email on a computer (instead of your Blackberry) to verify that it sent properly.

Article Information

  • Article ID: 1376
  • Last Review: Sep 16, 2009
  • Type: Instructions

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