BES Express installation thoughts

RIM released a new version of their free server side enterprise software in early 2010. There are some big benefits of the new version (Blackberry Enterprise Server Express 5.0 over Blackberry Professional Server Express). Three huge advantages to the new version - 1) you can install it on 64 bit systems, 2) you no longer need the BB Enterprise plan on your devices to use Blackberry Enterprise (though you need BB Enterprise plan to do wireless activation - without it, you need to do wired activation through the desktop software), and 3) the server license is free and so are all device licenses.

You can get the software here:
http://na.blackberry.com/eng/services/business/server/express/?iid=BESX_Software_landing

The install wasn't too different from the previous version of the server software, but what's great is that RIM made a great installation guide and one that included a great screen shot walk-through.

Here's the text guide:
http://docs.blackberry.com/en/admin/deliverables/14335/BlackBerry_Enterprise_Server_Express_for_Microsoft_Exchange-Installation_and_Configuration_Guide--984521-0120054149-001-5.0.1-US.pdf

Here's the screen shot walk-throug:
https://www.blackberry.com/blackberrytraining/web/_content/indexExternal.html?cc=3731382d30323036335f42455358496e7374616c6c&cx=3230393930313031&cl=656e&cg=636f6e6669675f6c6f76655f707572706c652e786d6c

I was setting up BES Express on a Windows 2008 R2 machine with Exchange 2010 on it. The truth is that I had some trouble with the instructions. There were several things that the guide told me to do that I couldn't. I had trouble setting send as permissions to besadmin. I had trouble granting log on locally as a permission to besadmin (option was greyed out). I also couldn't get this command to work (I edited it as appopriate for my domain):
Add-ADPermission -InheritedObjectType User -InheritanceType Descendents -ExtendedRights Send-As -User "BESAdmin" -Identity "DC=,DC=,DC="

So in my case, luckily, I had already created another bedadmin account when my domain was a 2003 domain - but overall, minus the issues on this Exchange 2010 install, which I was luckily able to work around, the new version is a welcome change.

setting up Quickbooks Database Manager on Windows 2008 R2

Windows 2008 R2 is 64 bit only. Quickbooks Database Manager (hereto referred to as QDM) is only certified on 32 bit systems from what I've read. Setting aside how ridiculous it is in 2010 that Quickbooks doesn't officially support 64 bit systems, I had to make a small adjustment when configuring QDM on Windows 2008 R2.

When I ran the Quickbooks connection diagnostic tool, it said I had to open ports 8019 and 55338. Weirdly, I never had to do this for previous OSes, but c'est la vie.

installing Filemaker on Windows 2008 SBS (or Standard)

I had quite an ordeal installing Filemaker Server on Windows 2008 SBS. I won't bore the people who don't care about my troubleshooting and just provide the relevant details:

• Filemaker 10 is necessary on Windows 2008. Filemaker 9 is not supported (I tried and failed).
• If installing on 64 bit Windows (SBS or otherwise), install the 64 bit version of Apple Bonjour first (Bonjour is required and the FMS install tries to install the 32 bit version). Credit for that advice belongs here.
• You need to open ports 5003, 16000, and 16001 on the server for the clients to interact properly with the server
• Filemaker Server 10 can use any level of Filemaker Pro on the desktop end - 8, 9, or 10 (and presumably 7)
• Web publishing should not be used on your SBS box. SBS isn't supported by Filemaker - though it works - but even if you use it - the web publishing stuff will conflict with some of the IIS stuff that SBS uses

creating shared printers on SBS 2008

SBS 2008 is 64 bit, of course. So it needs to 64 bit printer drivers. But obviously, you need 32 bit printer drivers associated with the shared printer when installing them for 32 bit clients.

Apparently, that can't be done from the SBS box itself.

Instead, log on to any 32 bit machine as a domain administrator, go to \\servername and the go to printers and faxes (don't go to the printer shares you see there - go to the folder where printers are stored). Highlight the printer you want to add the 32 bit driver for and choose file -> Server Properties. Click Drivers and then Add. It's pretty self explanatory from there.

More info here:

http://www.ditii.com/2009/02/14/sbs-2008-how-to-add-32-bit-printer-drivers/

UPDATE
Another option - which I have found easier and more effective . . .
Log on to a workstation as an admin with the opposite type of OS (with a 64 bit OS, log on to a 32 bit workstation or with a 32 bit OS, log on to a 64 bit workstation).
Download the driver and install it on the network printer.
Go to the printer properties.
Go to the sharing tab and click on additional drivers.
Check the box for the appropriate type of OS and it will upload your newly installed drivers to the server.