How is Droid life with Exchange Server?

[xanthias]

Looking at due diligence on MinMo or Droid in an Exchange Server environment. I've seen a thread on security certificates -

http://forum.ppcgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=98203

That aside, is anyone operating the Droid in an Exchange Server environment? Any functionality problems/solutions? Critical for work that I do so smoothly - contacts, calendar and email all populated there. Currently, I sync OTA with my Titan (WinMO 6.1). I need to do the same if I go to Droid, including the ability to accept calendar invites, etc. sent through Exchange/Outook.

Comments on your experiences to help me decide?

[EDGE23]

i have my droid setup with an exchange account on mail2web ota.

the problem i have but not a deal breaker. it only syncs inbox automatically, if you want to read sent messages you will have to open your sent folder and refresh. i also read somewhere else about no syncing other folders if you have rules for your inbox.
edit: contacts will sync fine both ways ota. i dont know about calendar as i don't use it.

[Maverick0984]

Syncing OTA is perfectly fine. You don't need any particular app to do it. Android does it out of the box. Calendars, Contacts, and Email all sync fine. I don't actually sync contacts myself, but I do everything else. Calendar syncs sync on the frequency you pick. Incoming emails get pushed to the phone immediately, etc. EDGE23 is correct though about folders. Only the inbox seems to sync at the moment. I have to physically go to a folder for it to sync. When I had a WinMo phone, my folders would sync, but there wouldn't be any notifications, so you'd have to open up the folder view to see if any folders got any emails.

In Android, it appears to not even make it that far. You have to physically navigate to the exact folder for it to even go out and attempt to sync it. That is really my only gripe. I still don't understand why notifications of email in ANY folder, inbox or not, are not standard practice in WinMo and Android, neither does it right.

I do receive appointments and such when a calendar event is triggered and do have the option to Accept, Decline, but have never really confirmed that it goes into the calendar, however, everything would suggest that it does.

[banden]

One common issue I've found (work as an admin in a large Exchange environment) is that to download attachments our users must disable the 'accept all SSL certificates' option.

I have a couple users who use TouchDown ($19.99) have full functionality with all folders syncing... if you can afford it, it's a very nice application.

You can wipe the device remotely through OWA

On our system, users had to use the domain\NT4 login instead of the UPN.

Those are the only issues I've seen so far.

[xanthias]

Great comments so far - exactly on point. One clarification: Maverick, are you saying you don't get any 'new mail' indicator on your bar or home screen widget, even off the inbox? I thought that was one of A2.0's big features, was unified notification across accounts . . .

[Maverick0984]

Originally Posted by xanthias

Great comments so far - exactly on point. One clarification: Maverick, are you saying you don't get any 'new mail' indicator on your bar or home screen widget, even off the inbox? I thought that was one of A2.0's big features, was unified notification across accounts . . .

No, you get all notificiations you'd except for emails sent to the inbox. You don't get them for emails that land in folders other than your inbox. Also, again, if you're keeping track, WinMo didn't do this either. So it shouldn't be any loss of a feature in that regard.

The thing that WinMo does do, is it syncs all folders, it just doesn't notify you of subfolders. Android, only syncs the inbox as of yet, *does* notify you of inbox email, but since it doesn't sync the subfolders, unless you explicitly open one up, it can't possibly notifiy you of emails to subfolders.

I did try TouchDown for a brief bit but couldn't justify the $20.

(I'm also my company's IT Administrator, set up our Exchange Server and the whole bit if that matters).

[bigperm]

Originally Posted by banden

On our system, users had to use the domain\NT4 login instead of the UPN.

looking at doing this myself w/exchange (switching from WinMo 6.1 (actually from BW 6.5 (Thanks BW))) and wondering what this was.


also, how do you hard reset the phone? thinking of trying it inside the store, to see if it works, and i want to be able to erase it....

[banden]

Originally Posted by bigperm

looking at doing this myself w/exchange (switching from WinMo 6.1 (actually from BW 6.5 (Thanks BW))) and wondering what this was.


also, how do you hard reset the phone? thinking of trying it inside the store, to see if it works, and i want to be able to erase it....

On the Active Directory your account will have 2 separate identifiers used to login to your account.

UPN is User Principle Name is an Active Directory naming scheme that is compatible with DNS among other things. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_Principal_Name
Usually formatted: namingconvention@company

NT4 Logon is an alternative user name used in active directory that allows compatibility with older operating systems like Windows 95 or Windows NT to have access to the features of Active Directory services in a Windows Server 2003 or later environment.
Usually formatted: domain\NT4logon

What matters is that you get your Domain and NT4logon to try if the UPN doesn't work.

[Maverick0984]

Originally Posted by banden

On the Active Directory your account will have 2 separate identifiers used to login to your account.

UPN is User Principle Name is an Active Directory naming scheme that is compatible with DNS among other things. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_Principal_Name
Usually formatted: namingconvention@company

NT4 Logon is an alternative user name used in active directory that allows compatibility with older operating systems like Windows 95 or Windows NT to have access to the features of Active Directory services in a Windows Server 2003 or later environment.
Usually formatted: domain\NT4logon

What matters is that you get your Domain and NT4logon to try if the UPN doesn't work.

I was able to use my UPN fine btw.

[xanthias]

Paying back, hopefully - here is a good faq on Exchange solutions:

http://androidforums.com/how-tips/16...s-summary.html