Option 2: Activating a BlackBerry device over the wireless network
To activate a BlackBerry® device over the wireless network, you assign an activation password to a user account. The user receives the activation password in an email message and associates the BlackBerry device with the email account by typing the password on the BlackBerry device.
Save bandwidth by synchronizing organizer data over the LAN
When users activate BlackBerry® devices over the wireless network, by default, the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server synchronizes the initial download of organizer data over the wireless network. To save bandwidth, you can configure an IT policy to synchronize the initial download of organizer data through the BlackBerry Router and over your organization's LAN when users connect their BlackBerry devices to a computer that hosts the BlackBerry® Device Manager.
- In the BlackBerry Administration Service, on the BlackBerry solution management menu, expand Policy.
- Click Manage IT policies.
- Click Default.
- Click Edit IT policy.
- On the PIM Synchronization tab, in the Disable Wireless Bulk Loads rule, in the drop-down list, click Yes.
- Click Save all.
Wireless activation
The wireless activation process activates BlackBerry® devices on the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server over the wireless network. Neither you nor the users are required to connect the BlackBerry devices to a computer to complete the activation process.
You can use wireless activation process to activate a large number of BlackBerry devices over the wireless network. When users want to activate BlackBerry devices on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server over the wireless network, they must notify you. You can use the BlackBerry Administration Service to configure activation passwords and distribute the passwords to the users.
The BlackBerry® Enterprise Solution can begin the wireless activation process automatically or when users open the activation application on the BlackBerry devices and type an activation password and email address. When the activation process completes, users can send email messages from and receive email messages on their BlackBerry devices.
When you initiate the wireless activation process, the BlackBerry Enterprise Server sends an email message with an etp.dat attachment from the blackberry.net domain to the user's email application. To make sure that the message is not blocked or modified, add the blackberry.net domain to the allowed list in the anti-virus and anti-spam software applications used by the messaging server or gateway.
Activation passwords
The BlackBerry® Enterprise Server activates a BlackBerry device over the wireless network using the wireless activation authentication protocol and an activation password that is specific to the user account associated with the BlackBerry device.
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
length of the activation password |
Typical activation passwords are four to eight characters long. Activation passwords are limited to the following character lengths:
|
character support |
Activation passwords can include any type of character |
security |
Wireless activation is designed so that short activation passwords do not compromise the security of the protocol. You must distribute the activation password to the authenticated user securely. If the user receives the activation password, but does not activate the BlackBerry device on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, a potentially malicious user who can access the activation password can connect another BlackBerry device to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server and assume the identity of the intended user. When a user activates a BlackBerry device on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, the activation password becomes inactive and a potentially malicious user cannot reuse it to activate another BlackBerry device. If a user receives an activation password, you cannot generate a new activation password for the user until the activation password expires. An activation password expires after 48 hours by default. You can configure an activation to password expire earlier than the default value of 48 hours. |
expiry time |
An activation
password is no longer valid if any of the following events occur:
|