In Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, mobile device management can be performed directly through the Exchange Management Console. This tip outlines how to configure the ActiveSync protocol, set up mailbox policies, and partner with mobile devices to determine their status and health via the Exchange Management Console interface in Exchange 2007.
Enabling Exchange ActiveSync
The Exchange Management Console is used to manage ActiveSync, which lets mobile users access information from a server while they're offline. Exchange ActiveSync must be enabled for a particular mailbox to view most settings related to mailbox-level mobile messaging. To enable the ActiveSync protocol in Exchange 2007:
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Figure A. Select the Exchange ActiveSync option to enable this feature.
Directly manage partnered mobile devices
New to Exchange Server 2007, you can directly manage your users' mobile devices via the Exchange Management Console. When users initially synchronize their mobile devices with their mailboxes using Exchange ActiveSync, Exchange 2007 creates a partnership with that device. Once this partnership has been established, additional options are added to the Exchange Management Console. To access these options:
Once you select a device from the list, the screen displays various device statistics. Some information provided includes:
Associate an ActiveSync mailbox policy with a mobile device
The Exchange Management Console can create an Exchange ActiveSync Mailbox Policy, and then associate that policy with various mailboxes. An Exchange ActiveSync Mailbox Policy regulates the types of mobile devices that can be used, types of passwords that can be used and resources that can be accessed using mobi
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le devices. To create an Exchange ActiveSync mailbox policy:
[IMAGE]Figure B. The New Exchange ActiveSync Mailbox Policy dialog box lets you create ActiveSync mailbox policies.
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Figure C. The ActiveSync mailbox policy's properties sheet contains additional options that weren't previously available.
One available configuration option is the ability to specify the maximum size of an email attachment that can be downloaded. You can also use the properties sheet to grant access to Windows file shares and SharePoint services.
Associate a policy with a mailbox
After creating an Exchange ActiveSync Mailbox Policy, you must link the policy to any applicable Exchange 2007 mailboxes. To do so:
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Figure D. Use Browse to locate the ActiveSync policy that you want to link to an Exchange 2007 mailbox.
About the author: Brien M. Posey, MCSE, is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with Exchange Server, and has previously received Microsoft's MVP award for Windows Server and Internet Information Server (IIS). Brien has served as CIO for a nationwide chain of hospitals and was once responsible for the Department of Information Management at Fort Knox. As a freelance technical writer, Brien has written for Microsoft, TechTarget, CNET, ZDNet, MSD2D, Relevant Technologies and other technology companies. You can visit Brien's personal Web site at www.brienposey.com.
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