Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

Hi

I'm about to be sending out about 80 new BB devices and would like to avoid having to set the activation passwords manually. Been sifting through the documentation this morning but this is where I'm at... The options I know - with questions - are:

1. Allow users to set their own password using the /webdesktop/login link.
- This is a good option for us, but the issue to overcome is adding Active Directory authentication in bulk to these (if not all) users in the first place. Can this be done?

2. Using an import file under Manage Multiple Users to set an activation password on the server.
- Don't know if this is actually possible. I formatted a csv file with what I thought would be the right options:

User ID, Email Address, Activation Password Operation, Activation Password, Activation Password Expiry

But still get Invalid File Format when trying to import it. Is this because something is missing, or because its not possible to do this in the first place?

Any help much appreciated!

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

Why are you not ticking the 80 users in BAS and choose "Specify an activation password"?

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

Because we'd have to sift through 2000+ users to tick their names. Not impossible, just looking for an easier way.

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

OK, I understand.

The import file you are creating can only be used to create users and set the activation password. You have to do that by doing "Create a user > Import new users"

If the users are already existing, you can use "Manage users > Manage multiple users from an import list", but you need to create the file in a different format. See:

KB21981-How to format the user import CSV file when managing users from the BlackBerry Administration Service

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

BAS can sort users that have no pin yet.

go to manage users
View more criteria
select no pin from from State
Select all results in the entire set on bottom
then in Device activation
Specify an activation password
or
Generate an activation email

Done.

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

freakin - thats the KB article I used to create the csv file (as OP), still get invalid file format...

knottyrope - they have a PIN already, its for replacement devices.

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

No, in your OP you write that you have a file with 5 columns. In the article it says that you need just one column, the User ID.

What you have produced is a file for creating users. As your users already exist, you can't use that.

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

[quote=ShoePolice;1781186]Hi

1. Allow users to set their own password using the /webdesktop/login link.
- This is a good option for us, but the issue to overcome is adding Active Directory authentication in bulk to these (if not all) users in the first place. Can this be done?

quote]

Yes you can enable all of them at once. there is a link on bottom to select all when managing users.

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

Thanks for your responses here. However...!

@Freakin:
With JUST User ID, how does it know to set a password or what to? Tried importing a file with just that to see if the option is given afterwards, but still get Invalid Format.


@Knotty:
Don't have that option, is that version-specific?

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

It will not set the password, it will just display your 80 users in the search result, then you can tick them all and set the password with one click.

Can you send me the file in a PM?

The first line must be: User Id
Second line must be: 1 (or the BAS User ID of your first user)
Third line must be: 2 (or the BAS User ID of your second user)
and so on

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

Aaahh I see... Now that works. It didn't at first because I had:

Line 1: User ID

but actually it needs to be

Line 1: User Id

Spot the difference!

Now, if I had the option to add AD authentication en masse I'd be a very happy man!

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

I thought the two options in your OP were "either or".

So I guess option 2 is now fullfilled: You import the file and tick the 80 users and add the activation password with one click.

Do you still need option 1 then? (Users can access the web console to set the password themselves).

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

You should.

In the BAS, select Manage Users
Click Search (without any criteria, it should bring up all of your users)
Select Manage Multiple Users
Click Select all results on all pages
Then click Specify an activation password

This will assign all of your users an activation password. None of your users will know this has been done. You can then contact the 80 users to inform them of the password/activation process.

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

Didn't think about that. Not a bad solution. For the 1920 users that don't get a new device, the activation password will just expire after 48 hours, they won't notice anything.

The only downside of this is that one of the 80 users could activate with his bosses e-mail address (as the activation password is the same for everybody) and then read his bosses emails. But this is probably rather unlikely.

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

Good point, but if the user thinks the password has only been set for them, they "shouldn't" think about trying to activate their boss's account on their device. Plus if they did, the boss would stop getting mail to his BB and the BAS would show the PIN associated to the boss's account. Not a wise move.

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

Yes, you are right. I would not be concerned, but you never know what management thinks...

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

The option I don't have - and we may be crossing wires here - is to add Active Directory authentication to a selection of users. But its by-the-by as setting the EA Password in bulk will do for now, we are looking at AD Auth with our supplier to provide a scripted, backend solution.

Thanks again, most helpful.

Re: Setting Activation Passwords in bulk - options...
 

I'm not sure why you just don't have the BAS set the password for you and it will send an email to the user with the random password for activation. I'm pretty sure you've spent more time coming up with a clever way of doing this than you would have if you just clicked a bunch of users :p