Confused in Linux Land

[brwatters]

Hello all,

We are just a bit confused still with the native Blackberry support solution for Zimbra, It seems that after spending years removing all that is Microsoft from our networks including MS Exchange which was replaced by Zimbra we find now that Zimbra's solution is to bring Microsoft back into our networks in order to make our Blackberries work.

1) MS 2003 server with LIC
2) MS Exchange with LIC
3) BES Server with LIC
4) Linux Zimbra NE with LIC

We have continued to support Zimbra with annual lic renewals and we have paid for support as well, However for some reason that may in fact be escaping us this seems to be a few steps back wards?

IF I have items 1 through 3 shown above back in my network what do I then need Zimbra for?

Maybe as stated we have totally missed something and need more direction as to how we finally get our Blackberries to work with Zimbra short of using the buggy Java Client to connect to Zimbra.

Anyone out there want to please clue us if we are right or wrong

BRW

[alee]

Originally Posted by brwatters

Hello all,

We are just a bit confused still with the native Blackberry support solution for Zimbra, It seems that after spending years removing all that is Microsoft from our networks including MS Exchange which was replaced by Zimbra we find now that Zimbra's solution is to bring Microsoft back into our networks in order to make our Blackberries work.

1) MS 2003 server with LIC
2) MS Exchange with LIC
3) BES Server with LIC
4) Linux Zimbra NE with LIC

We have continued to support Zimbra with annual lic renewals and we have paid for support as well, However for some reason that may in fact be escaping us this seems to be a few steps back wards?

IF I have items 1 through 3 shown above back in my network what do I then need Zimbra for?

Maybe as stated we have totally missed something and need more direction as to how we finally get our Blackberries to work with Zimbra short of using the buggy Java Client to connect to Zimbra.

Anyone out there want to please clue us if we are right or wrong

BRW

you don't need Exchange...you need the Exchange version of CDO and MAPI which is a free download from Microsoft and is not a mail server but just the libraries that help implement the mail interfaces that BES needs for installation.

the reason why our "native" support for BES includes windows specific components is for a couple of reasons

1) RIMM owns the cloud between the device and BES and we don't need to be in there...we just provide access to ZCS instead of Exchange
2) we wanted this solution to leverage tools that are already there to monitor, and administer a BES server.

[brwatters]

Anthony,

Thanks for the fast reply .. The reason I remain confused is that others are doing it a bit differently and since Zimbra is all about removing Microsoft from the equation as are most that have purchased and or supported Zimbra NE why did Zimbra not head down the direction like Open X Change and others and use the following solution with SyncML as part of the Zimbra server?? From an endusers stand point this appears to be a cleaner solution not to mention allows us to continue to keep MS from our data racks ..

http://www.nexthaus.com/products_b_blackBerry.html

BRW

[alee]

Originally Posted by brwatters

Anthony,

Thanks for the fast reply .. The reason I remain confused is that others are doing it a bit differently and since Zimbra is all about removing Microsoft from the equation as are most that have purchased and or supported Zimbra NE why did Zimbra not head down the direction like Open X Change and others and use the following solution with SyncML as part of the Zimbra server?? From an endusers stand point this appears to be a cleaner solution not to mention allows us to continue to keep MS from our data racks ..

Nexthaus > Synchronization Products > SyncJe for BlackBerry

BRW

I understand your desire to remove all Microsoft components from the picture but I would argue that our solution is cleaner. We leverage tools that people already know and use such as the BlackBerry Manager, BES resource kit, etc... We also do not mess around with RIM proprietory protocols which you would effectively be forced to do if you tried to remove BES from the picture (which you would if you wanted to remove all traces of Windows).

[brwatters]

Anthony .. totally understand .. However what about this solutuion ..

SyncML (have this built into Zimbra), This looks to be a Java app?

Nexthaus > Synchronization Products > SyncJe for BlackBerry

The above then would allow a very clean from both the Zimbra staff as well as the end user prospective a timed event Sync to take place .. No other hardware or software loaded on same to manage or pay for.

There has just got to be a better way ??

BRW

[sam]

Woops, you missed this post from late 2005 where mentioned that we are enabling BES which requires a windows box:
Wireless

The top 3 reasons I like the BES solution better than the rest

1. The end user experience of BlackBerry with BES is phenomenal
2. Security - banks & traders rely on this stuff
3. Complete Administration

First Runner Up: No device footprint (no per-device install)
Second Runner Up: OTA provisioning

[Rich Graves]

2. Security - banks & traders rely on this stuff

Things like remote wipe that actually works (unlike WM6), restricted device IDs, etc. You can't do that with simple SyncML. And the RIMM cloud is so proprietary that you really don't want to go there.

If you don't need remote wipe, etc., then you might be happier with a Symbian, Palm, or even Windows Mobile phone -- none of these require proprietary BES stuff.

[brwatters]

Rich & Sam,

Thanks both for your view points .. still seems that introducing Windows (Microsoft) back into the data center is a step backward .. Lets face it if all that you point to is in fact mission critical then Zimbra would not have been the choice to begin with, MS Exchange and BES would have ..

Just my 2 cents ..


BRW

[jrobb]

We should all communicate to RIM that Zimbra customers want a native Zimbra and BES connector and that we want the BES server to run on Linux. The Zimbra team clearly hopes that this is a first step in moving toward a Linux BES solution. The Zimbra team has been pushing RIM and they want us to show that there is demand in the marketplace.

[gmsmith]

Originally Posted by brwatters

Rich & Sam,

Thanks both for your view points .. still seems that introducing Windows (Microsoft) back into the data center is a step backward .. Lets face it if all that you point to is in fact mission critical then Zimbra would not have been the choice to begin with, MS Exchange and BES would have ..

Just my 2 cents ..


BRW

This kind of mentality has always bothered me. This is similar to having an objection to a hammer and using a wrench to put a nail in a wall. You wouldn't do that right? You would choose the right tool for the job regardless of your preferences (at least I hope you would).

I would like to avoid using any Microsoft product as much as the next person, but I also don't sacrifice end user functionality because of my personal preference.

I think John brings up an excellent point about using the community to put pressure on RIM to provide BES support on Linux. I will volunteer to be the collection point for requests for people and then I will coordinate through Zimbra with RIM to express our requests. E-Mail your interest to: besforlinux@perceiva.com.

All information collected will only be used for direct purposes of getting RIMs attention that BES on Linux would be a good thing for the community. This community has helped build an incredible product in ZCS...so let's see what we can do with RIM