[Khue]

Currently MDS appears to be disabled. Under the Mobile Data Service column it currently says "Running (852)/Disabled". I have some user's using the IM+ application and it doesn't seem to be working. I think the two are related. What are the implications of enabling MDS? Should this be on anyways? And what does the number in parenthesis mean?

[jibi]

Running is the status of the Mobile Data System service. 852 is most likely the process ID (PID). The two would be related. In enabling MDS, it can be argued that the services made available are no less secure than the mail services currently in use - its all encrypted and all takes the same sort of traffic routing. We have it disabled here due to the concern that, if stolen, someone would be able to access corporate intranet sites (although only for a period of time until the handheld locks itself).

MDS will allow you to have logs of web traffic and any other MDS connection, so that's a plus if you're into auditing and logging. A con for it would be that its one more piece that you have to support.

[Khue]

Would this have anything to do with certain users not being able to use certain applications for blackberries (like IM+ or BBSpell)?

[jibi]

in some cases, yes. IM+ offers a non-MDS version of the application.

[Khue]

My situation is that I am a newer-ish bb admin in a new job. I inherited a BES server that was kinda a s---box and i cleaned it up as best as i could (turned on logs, setup a reasonable database maintenence schedule, and developed a bunch of policies relating to what users can and can't have on their bb's. I dont want to turn the service on and find out that it's going to cost the organization a couple thousand dollars. If everyone has the appropriate bb plan this shouldn't be an issue correct? Also if i've done my job correctly enabling the servic shouldnt crash the server at all should it?

[greenhut]

With default settings, bbSpell would have issues if MDS is disabled, although it can be configured to work without MDS by configuring the TCP control panel with appropriate settings for your mobile provider. Still, I have found that MDS is faster and more reliable than most of the mobile providers gateway if your server has a reasonable internet connection.

In order to enable MDS, you need to turn it on at the server level AND for each user you wish to be able to use it. IMO, unless you are at an organization with exceptional security requirements, MDS is not a significant risk.

From I cost perspective, I actually think you may be at more risk by having users utilize the providers gateway. There have been some horror stories on data overage fees. I am not sure, but think that there are not limits on BES/MDS data.

I have never found MDS to be risk from a reliability perspective either.

[Khue]

greenhut rocks and so does his proggy ^_^