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How To Exchange FAQ, Solutions, and summary

virtus

Well-Known Member
Nov 9, 2009
166
10
www.smallbizlog.com
Android (and the droid) will not penetrate most corporate environments due to its limited exchange functionality. There are many threads already posted about exchange problems and questions. Hopefully this will centralize some of the info!

Android 2.2 has gone a long way to fix many of the initial issues!

What works:
Direct Push Calendar, Email, and Contacts
Accept/Decline invitations (Android 2.2)
Auto-signatures in email (Android 2.2)
Advanced security requirements: Remote wipe, PIN requirements (Android 2.2)
SSL (fixed in 2.01)

What doesn’t work:
No access to Tasks, Notes, Global Address Book
Push updates are sometimes delayed (especially calendar updates)
Subfolders do not automatically update
New mail in subfolders does not trigger new message indicators

FAQ

Do I need the $45 data plan to make it work?
No! The $45 plan is not required. Use the $30 plan instead. Verizon's own explanation of the $45 wireless sync plan found here explains it as a software/service layer that either provides an exchange server for those who don't have one or it provides a software syncing layer for those who don't know how to set it up on their own sync.

HTML email does not show up properly.
This is a limitation of Exchange 2003, not the phone. You need Exchange 2007 or newer if you want to see HTML email.

I can’t connect to my exchange server (possibly with Authentication Errors) or I can't sync with (calendar, contacts, email).
Confirm with your IT dept that Security policies (PIN requirement, remote wipe) are not being enforced on your account.
In the “Domain\Username” setting try entering your username only without the domain (“\myusername”).
Try using variations on your Exchange Server address like “mail.myserver.com” or “myserver.com”. Never use the HTTP or https in the address.
Try connecting with and without the SSL options checked.
Confirm that your exchange server is set up properly at https://www.testexchangeconnectivity.com/Default.aspx
Delete the corporate account on your device and re-add it.

Can I just sync directly with Outlook?
Not at this time.

My Droid Force Closes when I click on an email in the Exchange App.
Go to Home > Settings > Applications > Manage Applications
Click the Menu button and select "Filter"
Select "Running"
Scroll down to the "Email" application.
Select "Clear Data (Thread here)

What you can do:
Install a ROM with enhanced email functions (like CyanogenMod)
Install a third party app (like touchdown).

Let google know that these issues are critical. Visit google's own issue list and promote these issues by following these links and clicking the star!

Support for Global Address List

2/9/2010 Added Force Close fix
9/2/2010 Updated with 2.2 info
 
HTML email does not show up properly.
This is a limitation of Exchange 2003, not the phone. You need Exchange 2007 or newer if you want to see HTML email.

While this is true for Windows Mobile devices and apparently Android devices, this seems to be more tied to the way the ActiveSync client has been implemented. For whatever reason, an iPhone will actually support HTML e-mail through Exchange 2003. Considering I manage the Exchange 2003 servers for my company and support all the mobile devices (Blackberry, Palm, Windows Mobile, iPhone), well... just take my word for it. :)
 
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What about OWA (outlook web access) syncing with contacts/appts and emails?

Is there a howto? I keep seeing posts on the net that people ask and then later the are like nvm I figured it out.
OWA = Outlook Web Access
OWA is a browser-based email client (like gmail or hotmail). It does not provide any sync capability itself.

OMA = Outlook Mobile Access
This provides the ability for users to sync with mobile devices.

People typically mention OWA because if they can access OWA, it usually means they are also set up with proper permissions for active sync or Outlook Mobile Exchange.
 
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I'm curious now... does OWA work in the android's browser?

Haven't tried it! I'm more interested in syncing 2000's calendar and contacts :) Ok, I'll try it....

Not promising on ssl connection. I get a Error:Access is Denied on the left "frame", but I can see and click on my emails. So at least there's access that way, but it's not idea at all!
 
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You can use your OWA address for your exchange server in the configuration and it should work. Assuming all of the other requirements are met.


Haven't seen documentation on that. So it will sync with your OWA out of your corp network?

I might try tomorow, but I got things working well so far. But if there's OWA sync, then I can sync anytime and not have to fire up the corp laptop!
 
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freeze lock after phone use
I noticed that after I was on the phone for about 20 min (longest call so far with droid) my screen which blacked out, as it should would not turn back on even after trying all the usual buttons. I had to pull out the battery. How normal is this? How many times should I be willing to put up with it..Once seems too many already. Has this happened to anyone else with this phone?
 
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Haven't seen documentation on that. So it will sync with your OWA out of your corp network?

I might try tomorow, but I got things working well so far. But if there's OWA sync, then I can sync anytime and not have to fire up the corp laptop!
You're basically using the https protocol to connect to your exchange server. In Outlook you can do the same; it's referred to as https over RPC.
 
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You're basically using the https protocol to connect to your exchange server. In Outlook you can do the same; it's referred to as https over RPC.

No, HTTPS to connect to OWA, then OWA interfaces with the exchange server.

But there's programs that allow you to sync through OWA to other devices. Does droid sync with OWA? If you don't know, then just say you don't know. But if you have tried, please share your experiences!

Here's one that supposedly can interface with OWA and then to other devices:

GCALDaemon - Features

I just tried companionlink and it works perfectly with Outlook 2000, yay!
 
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You're basically using the https protocol to connect to your exchange server. In Outlook you can do the same; it's referred to as https over RPC.

Not likely, RPC over HTTPS is actually using a lighter weight MAPI protocol, so its doubtful you'd be seeing this on anything outside of Microsoft. More than likely the alternate methods will be using either WebDAV on Exchange 2003 (Microsoft's earlier versions of Entourage 2004/2008 for Mac and Novell Evolution on Linux use this) or Exchange Web Services on Exchange 2007/2010 (EWS is required for the built-in Apple Mail client to work and of course Entourage 2008 EWS). If you see the requirement of the client requiring EWS, this is not backwards compatible with Exchange 2003.
 
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No, HTTPS to connect to OWA, then OWA interfaces with the exchange server.

But there's programs that allow you to sync through OWA to other devices. Does droid sync with OWA? If you don't know, then just say you don't know. But if you have tried, please share your experiences!

Here's one that supposedly can interface with OWA and then to other devices:

GCALDaemon - Features

I just tried companionlink and it works perfectly with Outlook 2000, yay!

All anyone needs to do to sync email with the corporate account is get the address for OWA (used so employee can check email when away from work) You walk through the email setup choosing exchange and enter the owa address in the server field. This works with no issue for email sync. I get emails within seconds of them being sent. My calander also syncs with no issues. Sure you can not accept meeting invite yet however when they are accepted on the computer they are then sent to the calendar on the droid.
 
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All anyone needs to do to sync email with the corporate account is get the address for OWA (used so employee can check email when away from work) You walk through the email setup choosing exchange and enter the owa address in the server field. This works with no issue for email sync. I get emails within seconds of them being sent. My calander also syncs with no issues. Sure you can not accept meeting invite yet however when they are accepted on the computer they are then sent to the calendar on the droid.
While this works in many cases - it does not always work because there are separate settings on the server for OWA and OMA. So a company can choose to allow OWA, but have different login requirements for mobile devices or block them altogether.
 
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While this works in many cases - it does not always work because there are separate settings on the server for OWA and OMA. So a company can choose to allow OWA, but have different login requirements for mobile devices or block them altogether.

I think you mean Activesync, not OMA. OMA is NOT activesync, it is a different mobile sync technology. OMA was removed from Exchange 2007 and is not coming back. To sync with Exchange 2007 (or the upcoming 2010), Activesync is the method. OMA is available in Exchange 2003, but because it was deprecated in newer versions, it is not recommended to base any new deployments on it.

ahm
 
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I love how that went from OWA to activesync :laugh:

So you can just put the address for OWA in as an account, and apparently this works? I will have to try this!

There's no harm in trying your OWA credentials on your droid. But keep in mind that success is not guaranteed. Our firm actually has different security policies for OWA and mobile devices so it is not that simple for us.
 
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Oops.. you are correct. I was off on an exchange 2003 tangent. Same principle applies - successful OWA access does not guarantee that you will have Activesync access on your mobile device.

Thanks...

100% correct. Activesync != OWA. Two totally separate features, and enabling one does not mean the other is available.

It is a common deployment practice for people to use the same URLs (primarily to simplify client access), but it is distinctly possible that both are enabled and accessed via different URLs. As someone stated, no harm in trying the OWA URL, but even if that doesn't work, its not necessarily because Activesync isn't published to the interwebs.

ahm
 
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Can anyone confirm that you don't need the 45 dollar data plan to get Corporate email through activesync and Exchange? When I was buying the phone Verizon has changed the data plan from BB data plan to smartphone and BB data plan. Also I have read about 6 different articles that contradict each other.
It is true - you don't need the $45 plan. The $30 plan will work just fine and you are not operating in any kind of shady area by using it.

Verizon's own explanation of the $45 wireless sync plan found here explains it as a software/service layer that either provides an exchange server for those who don't have one or provides a software syncing layer for those who don't know how to set it up on their own. I'll agree that it is a bit sketchy but you clearly do not need the $45 plan.
 
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