ActiveSync with Exchange 2003

[another_person]

Hi all, We've been experimenting with activesync on Exchange 2003 sp2, and for some reason, it works for droids and palm's, but not winmo 6.5. We're using forum based authentication for our outlook web access and we're only running an exchange backend server.

any ideas?

[niteriderxp]

You need to provide a bit more information than that for people to help you out.

Are you receiving an error code of some sort from Activesync?
What events are logged in Event Log on the Exchange server when you attempt to connect?
Are you entering username, password, and domain correctly on the phone?
Have you opened port 443 to the server on your firewall?
Is a public (not self-signed) SSL certificate installed on the server?
Do you get any certificate warnings when accessing OWA from a random computer?
Does the subject of the certificate exactly match the server address you are entering on the phone.
Is the date on the phone correct and/or is the certificate not yet valid/expired?

If none of the above is the issue, the following KB may help.
See if the events in question are logged in Event Log and then try method 2 if they are.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/817379

Are you deploying a new server, if so why not deploy Exchange 2010?
Exchange 2003 is archaic compared to 2007 and 2010, the newer versions are much easier to maintain and far more stable.

[another_person]

I am getting an error code. It says the server can not be found/reached. The login info is correct, and the correct ports are open. We disabled ssl because we're using the forum based authentication...I've already tried method 2, and thats how we got the palm pre too sync, but my winmo 6.5 still can't. This is more of a retro/update to this server and not completely a new deployment. could we do a front end 2007/2010 with a backend 03? would our outlook 03 clients still work if we migrated exchange to 2007/2010?

thanks for the response

[niteriderxp]

Not using SSL for ActivSync means you are sending everything over the internet unencrypted.
In our company that would get us in hot water very quickly.

When we had Exchange 2003, we had forms authentication and SSL enabled.
Have you tried enabling SSL?

Exchange 2007/2010 Client Access Server will not proxy email for an Exchange 2003 server.
In a 2003/2007/2010 coexistence environment they can only route email between each other.

Here is the recommended upgrade path to Exchange 2007/2010:
1. Install a new Exchange 2007/2010 server into the existing Exchange organization.
2. Configure the new Exchange 2007/2010 server:
a. Enable legacy client support during install (Outlook 2003 support)
b. Configure the server for OWA, SMTP, and ActiveSync accessibility with proper certificate
c. Replicate public folders over to the new server
d. Setup Offline Address Book
3. Migrate legacy mailboxes over to the new server
4. Point clients to the new server if they don't update automatically
5. Uninstall Exchange 2003 from the old server

This is by no means a complete list and an Exchange upgrade is not a five second task.
You should read up on how to do this correctly and properly plan for it.
There is no way to do an in-place upgrade so you will need new hardware, a Windows 2008 R2 license, an Exchange 2010 license, and Client Access Licenses for both Windows 2008 R2 and Exchange 2010.

[another_person]

SSL was enabled, but the only reason we disabled it was because we're still experimenting. I'll try re-enabling it, and then go from there...

[another_person]

SSL is still enabled, and we're still trying to work with what we have. In the activesync setup, when I connect it to a computer via usb, if I say I want to set up the phone with active sync, it sends me to a screen where it ask for the server address for the exchange server. I type in where it is located on our domain, (company-exch) and it finds the server, but when it tries to sync, it can't find it. It seems like it's just not reachable. When I try and type in the server address as mail.company-name.net(which is how we access owa from outside of the office, it just doesn't even find the exchange server...

any other thoughts?

[another_person]

So just an update, Active "works" when I run an activesync connectivity test, and its there and working, but my touch pro 2 still can't connect to it. I'm able to use the outlook web access, but activesync still gives me an error saying it can't find the server...