[bunmi]

I am a BES admin running BES 4.1.5. Our default policy has the "Allow 3rd party application download" IT policy set to FALSE to stop users from installing unauthorised 3rd party apps. How can selective 3rd party apps be installed OTA or wireline by BES admins to selective users with this policy in place?

[John Clark]

I'm not an admin but I believe you need to set software confgs and push the apps out from the BES.

[juwaack68]

Yep, that's true.

[John Clark]

Woot! I finally got one right over here in the Admin's forum!

[bunmi]

Thx for your replies. I'm aware that i'll have to use software config and app policies to push apps. I already tried this. This problem is that the app will only install if the "Allow 3rd party application download" IT policy is set to TRUE.

[gibson_hg]

The "disable 3rd party application download" policy can be overridden in a sense. This does stop users from downloading applications but does not stop them from installing them using Desktop Manager to install applications.

The best way to prevent installation of any app, except those you want is to create an Application Control policy that disables the install of all apps at the top level. Then when you find an app you liike you add it the allow list so to speak. Here is RIM's KB for it:

BlackBerry Search Results

Essentially you create a software configuration that disables EVERYTHING, then you add an app and set it's policy to allow, or whatever you want to call it. This will stop the installation of any third party app through OTA or Wireline except those you want.

Hope this helps you out.

[bunmi]

Thx a mill gibson_hg. I wish RIM could get hold of better technical authors for their documentation.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by gibson_hg

Essentially you create a software configuration that disables EVERYTHING, then you add an app and set it's policy to allow, or whatever you want to call it. This will stop the installation of any third party app through OTA or Wireline except those you want.

This would also remove any already installed application, right?
e.g. those installed by a carrier per default; or installed by a user before having "3rd party application download" disabled

[silver_2000]

Originally Posted by bunmi

Thx a mill gibson_hg. I wish RIM could get hold of better technical authors for their documentation.

I agree

They generate TONS of documentation but little has any value - they tend to rehash exactly the same content under dozens of diff titles with just a few pages changed - so you have a 79 page 4.1.6 feature and technical over view that really has only a few pages of information about the changes from previous versions - the rest is rehash of the mostly worthless docs from 4.1

[gibson_hg]

This would also remove any already installed application, right?
e.g. those installed by a carrier per default; or installed by a user before having "3rd party application download" disabled

This will not remove the currently installed apps, if my memory serves me correctly. But once removed they can't reinstall them. I don't think that the carrier apps are affected, never tested that.

They generate TONS of documentation but little has any value

This is far from accurate. Most of the people I dealt with that had this kind of attitude were the ones calling because they didn't bother reading the docs or didn't completely understand them. They do rehash some info, that's a given and can be found in many other companies technical documents other than RIM.

If RIM left out features in the guide because they were in the previous version and carried over, they would be getting flooded with more calls. After dealing with so many customers I noticed things like this. A lot of RIM customers are accustomed to seeing the docs and know what to expect. When there is a change they panic and call, thus increasing the wait times for the queues.

The docs have plenty of useful info, so many questions are answered but people just don't read, they expect to be given the answer rather then figure it out themselves.

When BES Express was released, every joe blow was downloading and installing it, or trying at least. The BES Express install guide told everyone how to do everything - Create BESAdmin, local permissions, Send As, etc...

But again, flooded with calls because BES won't install on my XP machine or I can't find MAPI, and on and on and on...

If people had taken the time to look at the install guide they would have been fine, given that they have any technical ability.

It gets annoying when people complain about the RIM docs but they obvious never read them. If they did RIM would receive less calls and people would be asking less questions here. I can't count how many times I've directed people to articles from RIM that I found in seconds that solve their issue or point them in the right direction.

It can't be said enough, search before asking.

Phew...just my .02

[silver_2000]

Originally Posted by gibson_hg

This is far from accurate. Most of the people I dealt with that had this kind of attitude were the ones calling because they didn't bother reading the docs or didn't completely understand them. They do rehash some info, that's a given and can be found in many other companies technical documents other than RIM.

If RIM left out features in the guide because they were in the previous version and carried over, they would be getting flooded with more calls. After dealing with so many customers I noticed things like this. A lot of RIM customers are accustomed to seeing the docs and know what to expect. When there is a change they panic and call, thus increasing the wait times for the queues.

The docs have plenty of useful info, so many questions are answered but people just don't read, they expect to be given the answer rather then figure it out themselves.
snip

If people had taken the time to look at the install guide they would have been fine, given that they have any technical ability.

It gets annoying when people complain about the RIM docs but they obvious never read them. If they did RIM would receive less calls and people would be asking less questions here. I can't count how many times I've directed people to articles from RIM that I found in seconds that solve their issue or point them in the right direction.

It can't be said enough, search before asking.

Phew...just my .02

You are entitled to your opinion

Im entitled to mine

The docs work well for you since you work with them everyday. THose of us who manage a BES along with 500 other servers expect the documentation to be easier to use and easier to find answers in - While I do read the documentation, I cant afford to read 6 or 8 documents, cover to cover, to find an answer that is buried and not indexed.

Here are some examples of the failures of the RIM documentation

• [LI]NO where in the Sametime install doc did it actually say how to get it working. NO real troubleshooting help. No example based information. [/LI]
  
  [LI]Your comment to search before asking is ironic.
  None of the docs are created in a way to be well indexed in google or other searches. [/LI]
  
  [LI] The rim search engine also doesnt do a good job of finding solutions in docs. Once again - not a problem for you since you apparently support the things full time - for me its a HUGE problem. I dont have time to read every doc. I need to be able to quickly find the right doc, and then in that doc quickly find the part that I need. I dont need my hand held from start to finish. I wont even go into how long it takes to dload a 6 mb pdf doc from the rim site [/LI]
  
  [li]When the new generation of devices came out a year or 2 back the password security was changed IN The device that prevented using a password like ppppppp1 - that password had been valid for years in the past. We were told by support for weeks that the issue was in our IT policy - I finally proved it was only New devices that were effected - later RIM admitted the change was in the device. Im not sure that change ever made it to the docs [/LI]
  
  [li]The 4.1.6 upgrade added the ability to read html email on devices that have 4.5 or higher. The docs DIDNT make clear that if you have 4.5 running on any of your devices it will take the server down when the server gets a hung thread and fails to terminate the hung thread.[/LI]

RIM charges a premium for support. You should expect, CUSTOMERS like me to ask questions that are in the documentation. That's what support people do. Perhaps you should only sell BES software to people who meet your criteria for technical ability and require them to sign a contract to read all the docs cover to cover before they call.

For the longest time they offered no training on maintaining the BES.

IN the end its about making the documentation easy to use, easy to search, and effective - that will be for more valuable than criticizing the people who pay your salary, for not reading the manual.

[gibson_hg]

Sorry to have peeved you off, I wasn't attacking you personally.

I do not read the docs or work with them everyday either.

RIM charges a premium for support. You should expect, CUSTOMERS like me to ask questions that are in the documentation. That's what support people do. Perhaps you should only sell BES software to people who meet your criteria for technical ability and require them to sign a contract to read all the docs cover to cover before they call.

I don't work with RIM any more and I no longer support BB. I don't sell BES, netiher do any of the support reps on the phone. Anyone can buy a BES but they should only do so after researching and understand how the product works.

I do agree that RIM's documentation could be clearer and I do expect people to ask questions about it. People internally complain about it as much as the customers do, at least those that truly care anyways.

My complaint is about people who do not read any docs and just look for answers. Again, I did not mean for that to be directed at you.

If you think RIM's knowledge base sucks now, you must not have used it a little over a year ago before it was overhauled. It searches 10x faster and is more accurate. But you will not always find the answer to everything, you will get that from more than RIM. I currently support Oracle and SCO Unix, boo-urns, and finding answers to errors in those ain't easy anymore, but I search my a$$ off trying to get the answer.

That's why BBF exists, the combined knowledge of everyone here should help make up for any lack on RIM's side.

The docs work well for you since you work with them everyday.

The rim search engine also doesnt do a good job of finding solutions in docs. Once again - not a problem for you since you apparently support the things full time

IN the end its about making the documentation easy to use, easy to search, and effective - that will be for more valuable than criticizing the people who pay your salary, for not reading the manual.

You seem to know an awful lot about me. Let me educate you for a second:

I no longer work for RIM, it's been a year since I left . I don't support the things fulltime, haven't supported BB officially since I left. The only time I support anything BB related is when I post on here. You don't pay my salary so don't worry about it

So, I wasn't criticizing you, just people in general who refuse to help themselves. When someone says they searched and could not find an answer I am more than glad to help. Most times I'm glad to help regardless but some issues can be resolved quickly with a search in RIM's BTSC.

If you read any RIM doc and can't make sense out of any of it or can't find the answer then I encourage you or anyone to ask any questions needed to fix your issue.

If I offended you or if my post seemed directed at you I apologize.

Just my $2.50

[silver_2000]

NO worries

Your original post said when you answered questions - there was no indication of past or present

Another great - actually classic example of Rim documentation issues is this

I just broke the clip off my bb case - over lunch I went to Best buy and bough another for $30 and was thinking they should last longer

ON the case package it says warranty info inside.

Inside it says "visit to BlackBerry and browse to accessory, documentation or legal sections"

In the legal section it says

Please consult the documentation provided with the Accessory for instructions on how to obtain customer support for YOUR Accessory. "

typical circular BS documentation that doesn't help anyone get the answer they need

It does do what it may have been designed for is get people to give up - which saves RIM $$

Sorry to go so far off topic

[siemp]

do I dare to post another remark

On my wish list there would be something like this:

"disable 3rd party application download" TRUE.
"exceptions" : Google
XYZ Consulting

Every update now has to be placed on de BES. In this matter people can do it themselves...

[bbnotes]

If I follow the instructions above and create a software config for "Google" and set to allow (required files on network drive), will this also allow the downloading of the application via internet? Can the user actually go to Google's site and download themselves instead of me having to push the app?

Thanks

[John Clark]

I don't think that will work. There is a note about it here.

[bbnotes]

I'm guessing that note applies to all apps right? I'm actually most interested in allowing my users to update their Bloomberg app.

[John Clark]

The Google Maps app is the only application I ever had problems with. I say had because I got myself removed from the Software config I was on. It has to do with the radio access that Google Maps needs.