[mark.hogan]

[rcg]

[mark.hogan]

[rcg]

[blackberry7750]

Hi,

Is it possible to push out the OS 4 hanheld upgrade via the BES server (we have BES 4)?
If it is, can someone please point me to where I can find the info on how to do this? Or list the steps here if it's not too many.
Also, is it true that the devices must be in the cradle during the upgrade?

(we use Verizon Wireless & only have 6650s and 7750s but for now only looking to upgrade the 7750s with the Telus 4 OS we downloaded....I was able to install OS 4 on my 7750 and it's working great so far)

Thanks in advance.

[Mark Rejhon]

Not possible to push 4.0 wirelessly. Too much data to push over the cell airwaves.

If you need to upgrade many devices, I think there's some software (Something included with BES? Or a BlackBerry Desktop feature?) that allows you to hook a big batch of BlackBerries simultaneously to the same computer, such as 8 USB BlackBerries to a USB hub, and install BlackBerryOS 4 on all of them at the same time.

[easy-v]

Originally Posted by Mark Rejhon

Not possible to push 4.0 wirelessly. Too much data to push over the cell airwaves.

If you need to upgrade many devices, I think there's some software (Something included with BES? Or a BlackBerry Desktop feature?) that allows you to hook a big batch of BlackBerries simultaneously to the same computer, such as 8 USB BlackBerries to a USB hub, and install BlackBerryOS 4 on all of them at the same time.

Do you have any more info on this tool. I could use something like that...

Thanks in advance...

[cayzac]

The Handheld Configuration Tool is installed automatically when you install BES Server 4.0. I haven't tried using it yet to upgrade handhelds but there is alot of useful information in there. Once a handheld is on 4.0, you can view a list of installed software, battery strength, phone number, and lots of other bits of information.

[bfrye]

I would like to see this tool as well. I haven\'t heard of such a thing yet.

With desktop manager you can hook up multiple devices but unfortunately can on upgrade one at a time. Usb limitations maybe? Same with bes mgr. I have an 8port usb hub connecting devices to my bb terminal, but can only provision one at a time. Good thing with provisioning though it will queue them so when the first one is done the others will automatically start up.

Posted wirelessly from a BlackBerry using wap.BlackBerryClub.com

[NJBlackBerry]

This tool was announced as part of the 4.0 tools at the last WES in May, 2004, but I hadn't heard or seen anything about it since. It will be great for mass deployments or upgrades.

[bfrye]

Well it's not included in any of the beta packages for 4.0 GroupWise

[blackberry7750]

Originally Posted by cayzac

The Handheld Configuration Tool is installed automatically when you install BES Server 4.0. I haven't tried using it yet to upgrade handhelds but there is alot of useful information in there. Once a handheld is on 4.0, you can view a list of installed software, battery strength, phone number, and lots of other bits of information.

I guess I should have phrased my question better. I was wondering if it was possible to upgrade the handheld software wirelessly using the Handheld Configuration Tool that came with BES 4. But I guess it's not - thanks Mark.
From what I've read - as people have stated above - it is only possible to upgrade multiple devices using this tool as long as the devices are connected to the computer that this tool is installed on.

[mikej5780]

You can send third party apps wirelessly using the Handheld Configuration Tool's application control policies, but you cannot push the OS upgrade. Also, you can upgrade multiple handhelds at one time with this tool via USB. It actually works very well...it even can activate them without needing to set an activation password and manually typing in the email address. I have been using it for some time with the beta Exchange BES, not sure why it's not included with Groupwise. RIM has a white paper about it somewhere...i think it is called the handheld management guide.

[bfrye]

Was it included in the BES server package on the beta site? Or did you get it separately from somewhere? I don't see anything of the sort on my beta site.

[mikej5780]

It is included in the BES installation package.

[bfrye]

I don't have any such thing in mine :(

[cayzac]

One other thing to mention. RIM told me at a 4.0 launch that their intention was to be able to actually update the OS over the air but that would only happen if the handheld already had 4.0 on it. So in other words, they hope to have the ability to push 4.1 (example) over the air to handhelds already running 4.0. I haven't seen that anywhere, that's just what the RIM rep told me.

[NJBlackBerry]

If they are able to update the OS over the air, that marks a 180 degree shift from the position they took last summer. It would be great if they could do that (post 4.0, of course).

[mikej5780]

As cool as it would be to be able to upgrade over the air, i still see some major techincal hurdles they would have to overcome to make this possilbe. Imagine for instance, if you were performing a wireless upgrade, and lost signal mid-stream and the upgrade was totally hosed. It would be like uplugging the usb cable before the code got finished loading today. You would be left with an unusable device until you could do a wired upgrade.

[stonent]

Originally Posted by mikej5780

Imagine for instance, if you were performing a wireless upgrade, and lost signal mid-stream and the upgrade was totally hosed.

507'd!