How To Install and Configure Mobile Information Server 2001 Enterprise Edition

On This Page

Important Important
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Topology Topology
Step 1 - Preparing Active Directory Step 1 - Preparing Active Directory
Step 2 - Preparing the Mobile Information Server Computer Step 2 - Preparing the Mobile Information Server Computer
Step 3 - Installing the Mobile Information Server Components Step 3 - Installing the Mobile Information Server Components
Step 4 - Installing the Exchange Notifications Components Step 4 - Installing the Exchange Notifications Components
Step 5 – Configuring an Exchange 2000 SMTP Connector Step 5 – Configuring an Exchange 2000 SMTP Connector
Step 6 – Configuring an SMTP Carrier Step 6 – Configuring an SMTP Carrier
Step 7 – Create Test Mailbox to Receive Push Notifications Step 7 – Create Test Mailbox to Receive Push Notifications
Step 8 – Provision a Device for the Administrator Account Step 8 – Provision a Device for the Administrator Account
Step 9 – Browse the Administrator Mailbox Using WAP Device Step 9 – Browse the Administrator Mailbox Using WAP Device
Step 10 – User Preferences Step 10 – User Preferences
Step 11 – Creating Outlook Rules for Push Notifications Step 11 – Creating Outlook Rules for Push Notifications
Step 12 – Testing Push Notification Functionality Step 12 – Testing Push Notification Functionality
Conclusion Conclusion

Important

Prior to installing Microsoft Mobile Information Server 2001 Enterprise Edition into a production environment, it is necessary to complete a thorough planning process to determine the deployment topology that best suits the needs of each organization. This document assumes Mobile Information Server 2001 is being installed into a testing or lab environment.

Prerequisites

To prepare for an installation of Mobile Information Server, the following resources are necessary:

  • Windows 2000 Active Directory Domain

  • Exchange Server 2000 w/ Exchange Service Pack 1 (SP!)

  • Windows 2000 Server (where Mobile Information Server will be installed)

Note: The Exchange Server 2000 may reside on a Windows 2000 Domain Controller (DC) or Global Catalog server (GC). However, the Mobile Information Server components must be installed on a server that is not running Exchange Server 2000. This server may, however, be a DC or GC.

Topology

Microsoft Mobile Information Server can be deployed in a number of different logical topologies. For the purposes of this document, we are going to follow the design below, which utilizes the minimum number of servers required:

At this point, the Windows 2000 Domain Controller should be running in its own test forest and Exchange Server 2000 with SP1 has been installed on that server, or on another server in the same domain.

Note: For the purposes of this document, it is assumed the domain is named domain.com.

Step 1 - Preparing Active Directory

  1. After the basic domain has been constructed, it is necessary to prepare the Active Directory for Mobile Information Server by extending the schema of the directory. This can be accomplished by running the following command from any server in the domain while logged on as a user with Schema Admin privileges:

    \\<path to setup files>\setup.exe /vForestprep=1

  2. When a dialog box appears stating that the setup needs to update the directory schema, select OK.

  3. When a dialog box appears requesting the Domain that will contain the Microsoft Mobility Admins group, type domain.com and click Next.

    The Active Directory schema has now been updated. The directory now contains the objects and attributes necessary to run Mobile Information Server 2001. In addition the Microsoft Mobility Admins group has been created.

    Note: When extending the schema in a production environment, it is important to take into account the time required to replicate the schema changes to all domain controllers in the forest. In addition, a full replication of the Global Catalog (GC) will occur because the Mobile Information Server schema extension will add six attributes new to the GC.

  4. It is now necessary to add users who will install Mobile Information Server to the Microsoft Mobility Admins group. In this document, the Administrators account will run the installation. Add the Administrator account to the Microsoft Mobility Admins group.

  5. It is necessary to prepare the domain where Mobile Information Server will be installed. To do so run:

    \\<path to setup files>\setup.exe /vDomainprep=1

  6. When a dialog box appears, stating that setup will be adding groups and users to the Active Directory, Select OK.

  7. During domainprep, you will be prompted to create and verify passwords for three user accounts that are created in the domain. These accounts are:

    Account Name

    Purpose

    ENTEVENTSOURCE

    Run Exchange event source.

    Message Processor

    Run MobiInfo service.

    HTTPConnector

    Run ISAPI extensions.

    Fore each of these, create and type a password as prompted and then click Next.

Step 2 - Preparing the Mobile Information Server Computer

Before installing the Mobile Information Server components on the Windows 2000 Server, the following Windows 2000 components must be installed on the server.

  • Internet Information Services (IIS)

    Including:

    • SMTP Service

    • World Wide Web Service

  • Message Queuing Services

If they are not already installed, then can be added by following the steps below:

  1. Double-click My Computer, double-click Control Panel, and then double-click Add/Remove Programs.

  2. Click Add/Remove Windows Components.

  3. Clear all check boxes, select the Internet Information Services (IIS) checkbox, and then click Details.

  4. Select the SMTP Service checkbox, select World Wide Web Service checkbox, and then click OK.

  5. To complete the components installation, select the Message Queuing Services and then click Next.

When installing Message Queuing (MSMQ) you will be prompted to choose an MSMQ type. For Mobile Information Server:

  1. Select Message Queuing server.

  2. Clear the Enable routing checkbox, clear the Manually select access mode checkbox, and clear the Dependent Client checkbox.

  3. Click Next.

  4. To complete the installation of MSMQ, select Message Queuing will not access a directory service and then click Next.

Step 3 - Installing the Mobile Information Server Components

Now the Mobile Information Server components can be installed on the Windows 2000 Server. Follow the steps below to install Mobile Information Server on this server:

  1. Log off and log on (to receive a new access token reflecting the new group memberships) as a the Administrator who has both Domain Admin and Local Admin privileges and is a member of the Microsoft Mobility Admins group.

  2. From the Mobile Information Server setup directory, run setup.exe and click Next to proceed through the welcome, license agreement, and CD Key screens.

  3. When the Wireless Accounts dialog box is presented, select Use existing accounts and then click Next.

    Note: For this test scenario, where security is not a primary objective, the standard Active Directory user accounts will be used to set the Wireless Mobility properties for each user. In a more secure environment, new user accounts can be created for mobile access that restricts what a user can view when using these Mobile accounts. This provides protection for corporate data even if logon information for the Mobile account is revealed to an unauthorized user.

  4. In the Component Selection dialog box, clear Exchange Notifications (it will be installed on the Exchange Server itself), and then select Microsoft Mobile Information Server and all sub-components - except for Exchange 5.5 Support.

  5. Select Administrative Tools and then click Next.

  6. When you are prompted for the password to the Message Processor account, which you chose during domainprep, type the password and then click Next.

  7. When you are prompted for the password to the HTTPConnector account, which you chose during domainprep, type the password and then click Next.

  8. To complete the installation click Install.

Step 4 - Installing the Exchange Notifications Components

  1. As in the previous step, log off and log on to the Exchange 2000 Server (to receive a new access token reflecting the new group memberships) as a the Administrator who has Domain Admin, Local Admin, and Exchange Full Admin privileges, and is a member of the Microsoft Mobility Admins group.

  2. From the Mobile Information Server setup directory run setup.exe and then click Next to proceed through the welcome, license agreement, and CD Key screens.

  3. In the Component Selection dialog box, clear Microsoft Mobile Information Server, since this has been installed in the previous step.

  4. Select Exchange Notifications and all sub-components.

  5. Now enter a password for the ENTEVENTSOURCE account. This account is used to log on to Exchange mailboxes to send push notifications to wireless devices. Confirm the password and then click Next.

  6. To complete the installation, click Install.

The installation of Microsoft Mobile Information Server 2001 is complete. The remainder of this document will cover setting up a basic Mobile Information Server configuration and testing some of the functionality of Mobile Information Server.

Step 5 – Configuring an Exchange 2000 SMTP Connector

For Exchange 2000 to send notifications to the Mobile Information Server, it is necessary to configure an SMTP connector within the Exchange System Manager so all messages destined for the domain MobileInformationServer (the default domain used by Mobile Information Server) are routed properly.

To create the connector:

  1. Start the Exchange System Manager Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in.

  2. Right-click Connectors, select New, and then click SMTP Connector.

  3. Note: If your System Manager is configured to display routing and administrative groups, it may be necessary to expand the Exchange tree to see the Connectors object.

  4. Name the connector To Mobile Information Server.

  5. Select Forward all mail through this connector to the following smart hosts and type the fully qualified DNS name of the Mobile Information Server server, E.g. mmisserver.domain.com.

  6. To select a local bridgehead for this connector, click Add.

  7. Select your Exchange server from the list.

  8. On the Address Space tab, click Add, choose SMTP, and then click OK.

  9. In the E-mail domain field, enter *.MobileInformationServer and then click OK.

  10. To close the create connector dialog box click OK.

Step 6 – Configuring an SMTP Carrier

When using Mobile Information Server without connecting to a Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition server at a wireless carrier, it is necessary to configure an SMTP Carrier to allow Mobile Information Server to send push notifications to wireless devices using an SMTP address. This address is assigned to the phone when purchasing a wireless service that includes SMS (Short Message Service) services. For this testing scenario, a test mailbox will be created on the Exchange Server that will simulate this SMTP address. Thus, when a push message is sent, it will be sent to this test mailbox.

To setup a SMTP Carrier:

  1. From either server, click the Windows 2000 Start button, select Mobile Information Server, and then click System Manager.

  2. Expand Default-Site.

  3. Right-click Carriers and select New Carrier.

    In the New Carrier dialog box, type these properties:

    • Carrier Name: SMTP Carrier

    • Default Device Type: GSM

    • Carrier Protocol: SMTP

    • Carrier Address: <domain.com> (Enter the SMTP domain of this test environment.)

    Also, in the New Carrier dialog box, type these Extended properties (These are the default settings.):

    • M,DMITransfer,1.0

    • SmtpQoutboundRequest QueuePath ".\Private$\SmtpQueue"

    • SmtpOutboundRequestQueueLabel,SMTP Outbound MSMQ

  4. To create the carrier click OK.

Step 7 – Create Test Mailbox to Receive Push Notifications

This mailbox will receive push notifications sent by Mobile Information Server. As mentioned in the previous step, in a production environment, this step is not necessary. Push messages are sent directly to the SMTP address of the mobile device, or they are sent to a wireless carrier running Mobile Information Server Carrier Edition, which sends the message directly using the SMS Connector.

To create a test mailbox:

  1. Open the Active Directory Users & Computers MMC Snap-In.

  2. Right-click the Users container and choose New followed by User.

  3. Assign the user the following properties:

    First name: Push

    Last name: Mailbox

    User logon name: PushMailbox

  4. Click Next and give the account the password 1234.

  5. Confirm the password and click Next.

  6. Select the Create Exchange Mailbox check box and then click Next.

  7. Click Finish.

Step 8 – Provision a Device for the Administrator Account

At this point, the environment is ready to make user accounts enabled for Wireless Mobility. To enable the Administrator account with a wireless device:

  1. Open the Active Directory Users & Computers MMC Snap-In.

  2. From the Users container, double-click the Administrator account and navigate to the Wireless Mobility tab.

  3. Select the Enable wireless mobility check box.

  4. To add a wireless device click Add and then in the Add dialog box type these properties:

    Model: GSM

    Carrier: SMTP Carrier

    Description: Administrator Phone

    Address: PushMailbox

  5. Select the Set as default checkbox and then click OK.

  6. To exit the user properties dialog box click OK.

Step 9 – Browse the Administrator Mailbox Using WAP Device

At this stage, the Administrator can now browse the Exchange mailbox using any Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) 1.1 compliant phone. In order to test this without the need for a device with a WAP browser, phone simulators are available that run on desktop computers or servers. For the purposes of this document, the Openwave Simulator Phone will be used.

This simulator can be downloaded free on the Internet from https://developer.openwave.com/dvl/.

Once the simulator is installed, follow these steps to browse the Administrators mailbox.

  1. From the Start menu start the Openwave Simulator.

  2. In the Go field, enter: <MISServerName>/oma and press Enter on the keyboard.

    Note: Replace MISServerName with the name of the server on which the Mobile Information Server components reside. Again, this is not the Exchange Server, but the Mobile Information Server machine.

  3. When prompted, enter the authentication information as requested:

    Username: Administrator

    Password: <Administrator account password>

    Note: If your lab has a blank password for the administrator account, you will need to set an actual password before this will work.

  4. The Outlook Mobile Access (OMA) home page will now appear as below.

    mishow02

    Note: OMA will fail if the mailbox has not been initialized. To initialize an Exchange 2000 mailbox, log on to the mailbox with Outlook Web Access (OWA) or Outlook prior to logging on with OMA. In addition, preferencing the wireless user, as shown in Step 10, will initialize the mailbox.

Navigate through the OMA application as desired. OMA offers rich e-mail functionality with the ability to send and receive mail, calendar items, contacts, and tasks. Once finished exploring OMA, the next steps in configuring Mobile Information Server are preferencing and configuring push notifications.

Step 10 – User Preferences

Setting preference options for a device is intended to be completed by the user. This is done through an Internet Explorer 5.x web browser by pointing the browser to:

https://<Mobile Information Server servername>/airweb

Note: Replace Mobile Information Server servername with the computer name of the test Mobile Information Server Server.

If prompted for credentials, enter them as necessary for the Administrator account.

A redirect will occur to the Microsoft Mobile Information Server Personalization page on the Exchange Server. From here, it is possible to configure what information will be delivered to the users device when a push message is sent. To configure these settings click Administrator's Phone from the menu on the left of the page. In addition to bringing up the options for this device, the first time a user clicks the device in this web application, a folder is created in that users mailbox for the device. To view this, log on to the Administrator mailbox using the Outlook client or Outlook Web Access. Notice the Mobile Inbox folder is created as below.

mishow03

Step 11 – Creating Outlook Rules for Push Notifications

Using Microsoft Outlook, it is possible to configure rules using a number of different options so that messages meeting those options are copied into the Mobile Inbox folder triggering the Exchange Notifications event sink, which will, in turn, send the message to the wireless device (or in this case, the PushMailbox e-mail account).

For testing, setup a rule using the following steps so all mail sent to the Administrator is copied into the PushMailbox folder.

  1. Open Microsoft Outlook and log on to the Administrator's mailbox.

  2. From the Tools menu, choose Rules Wizard.

  3. To create a new rule click New.

  4. Select Check messages when they arrive and then click Next.

  5. Select the where my name is in the To box check box and then click Next.

  6. Select the move a copy to the specified folder check box and click Specified.

  7. In the mailbox, select the Mobile Inbox folder, click Ok, and then click Finish

  8. To exit the Rules Wizard click Ok.

Step 12 – Testing Push Notification Functionality

To test push notifications, send a mail message to the Administrator:

  1. Open Microsoft Outlook and log on to the Administrator's mailbox.

  2. Create a new Mail Message and type Administrator in the TO: field.

  3. Type Test Message for the subject and any text desired in the body of the message.

  4. Click Send.

Shortly after being sent, the message will arrive and a copy will be placed in the Mobile Inbox folder. This will cause the Exchange notifications event sink to push the message to the wireless device (simulated here by the PushMailbox Exchange mailbox. To verify that the push notification was sent successfully, log on to the PushMailbox mailbox using Microsoft Outlook Express.

  1. From the Start menu, select Programs and then click Outlook Express.

  2. From the Tools menu, select Accounts.

  3. Click Add and then click Mail.

  4. Type Push Mailbox as the Display name and then click Next.

  5. Select I already have an e-mail address, in the E-mail address field type PushMailbox@domain.com, and then click Next.

  6. Select POP3 as the mail server protocol, type the name of the Exchange server in both the Incoming mail and Outgoing mail boxes, and then click Next.

  7. In the Account name box type PushMailbox, in the password box type 1234, and then and click Next.

  8. Click Finish and then to close the Internet Accounts dialog box click Close.

Outlook Express is now configured to retrieve mail from the PushMailbox account. To check the mailbox for the push message sent at the beginning of this step, click Send/Recv on the toolbar. Notice that the message that was sent to the Administrator account was pushed to the account specified on the Wireless Mobility tab of the Administrators properties in Active Directory Users & Computers.

Conclusion

This concludes setting up and testing basic functionality of Microsoft Mobile Information Server 2001. Mobile Information Server offers not only the capabilities exercised in this document, but includes much more in the areas of security through VPN, IPSec, and Mobile Accounts domains, extendibility through the Mobile Information Server SDK, and personalization through Microsoft Outlook Mobile Manager (MOMM).