Step-by-Step: Deploying applications using Blackberry Enterprise Server
So far I’ve struggled to find a beginners guide to installing applications on Blackberrys from the Enterprise Server, so here’s my attempt and a quick how-to.
In this example I will be showing how to deploy Google Maps Mobile to all of your blackberry users over the air, with permissions correctly set on the device to prevent popups asking for GPS connection etc.
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First of all you need to download the application from Google onto your BES server. The latest version can be downloaded from here.
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Extract this zip file on your BES server and you will find a directory called “gmm_200_bb_enter”. Within here is an ALX file (XML telling BES which directory to look at for which BlackBerry version), and 3 directorys (1 for each software version).
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Navigate to C:\Program Files\Common Files\Research In Motion and create a directory called “Shared”. Within this directory, create another one called “Applications”. Finally within here, create another directory called “Google Maps”.
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Copy the contents of “gmm_200_bb_enter” into your new “Google Maps” directory.
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Now you need to force the server to reindex it’s application list. Open a command prompt and run “cd \Program Files\Common Files\Research In Motion\AppLoader” and then run the command “loader.exe /index”
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You now need to create a new share on your server of the directory “C:\Program Files\Common Files\Research In Motion” with Read & Execute permissions for everyone. BES cannot read applications from the local disk, only a UNC path.
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Open your BES server manager, click “BlackBerry Domain” in the explorer, and then choose the “Software Configurations” tab.
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Right click the blank space and “Add New Configuration”.
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Click the change button and enter the UNC path to your new share (eg \\BES1\Research In Motion).
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You should now see “Application Software” with a + to expand it. Expand it, and you should see Google Maps. Nearly there now!
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Click the policies button, and create a new policy called Google Maps. Within this change the “Device GPS” and “External network Connections” permissions to “Allowed”. This stops the user from having to set this manually and possible messing things up.
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Click OK twice to get back to your Software Configuration, and then click the drop downs next to Google Maps to change the delivery method to Wireless and the software profile to Google Maps.
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Click OK and go to your All Users tab to choose the users you want to deploy to (if you want all, just press ctrl+a to select all).
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Right click your users, choose assign software configuration, choose your new configuration, and you’re done!
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If you want to force a quick deployment, and don’t have to many users, you can also right click and choose Deploy Applications
on July 3, 2008 on 2:45 pm
‘Open your BES server manager, click “BlackBerry Domain” in the explorer, and then choose the “Software Configurations” tab’
What the !$*& are you talking about? “Blackberry Domain”?? “in the explorer”????
I followed you 100%, all the way to that point… but that just confuses me to no end.
on July 3, 2008 on 3:10 pm
OK to elaborate on point 7:
Open BlackBerry Manager, and then in the Explorer View on the left (you may have to enable the view by clicking the Explorer View button on the bar above) click “BlackBerry Domain”, and then click the “Software Configurations” tab in the view on the right.
on July 3, 2008 on 3:53 pm
I assume that is the problem. I don’t have those options in Blackberry Manager on any of the tabs. Nothing in the application says, “Explorer View”. Thanks anyway.
on July 10, 2008 on 9:51 pm
You will probably have to open the “Blackberry Handheld Configuration Tool” and then select “Handheld Management” -> “Software Configurations”
on July 22, 2008 on 1:47 pm
Thanks, it’s working.
on July 29, 2008 on 10:17 am
Nice guide! You may want to put which version of BES, e.g. 4.2.2.5, this applies to though so you stop getting responses like those from Tom
on August 12, 2008 on 7:44 pm
[...] Good Guide – Today, 02:44 PM Step-by-Step: Deploying applications using Blackberry Enterprise Server Bluhalo IT BES 4.1.6.9 w/40 Users Network [...]
on October 24, 2008 on 2:55 pm
I’ve followed these exact steps on BES 4.1.4, and cannot push any apps to my handheld. The hourglass pops up for a few seconds after I select Deploy Applications, but that’s it. Anyone else run into this?
on October 28, 2008 on 6:45 pm
Excellent guide, got through it fine first try! THANKS!
on November 3, 2008 on 4:11 pm
On BES 4.1.4 there is a fix here: http://www.google.com/mobile/gmm/bes.html
Good luck
on December 12, 2008 on 6:22 pm
I follwed the instructions above, but when I try to “assign software configuration” or “deploy applications,” I get nothing on the device. When I do “deploy applications” I get the hour glass for a second and then nothing.
on March 19, 2009 on 4:24 pm
Any experience with trouble pushing a new version of an application to a device? I’m updating the version number in the .alx, it shows up in the software configuration with that new versioning, but pushing it only seems to work to devices that don’t have an older version.
on April 22, 2009 on 2:04 pm
This made some sence..
Tried searching for this all over..
The blackberry asked for a restart after the install.
Only thing is cant find the application no where on the BB.
Thanks for the guide.
on April 24, 2009 on 11:16 am
I noticed that this is not the first time at all that you mention this topic. Why have you chosen it again?
on July 3, 2009 on 11:02 pm
I know I’m a year late, but no one can seem to help me, so I’m hoping someone here knows what I’m going through and how to solve it.
I tried adapting your guide to other applications, but I could not get it to work, finally, out of desperation, I tried doing exactly what the guide says, step by step, using Google Maps. Still same result.
My problem is with step 10… “You should now see “Application Software” with a + to expand it. Expand it, and you should see Google Maps. Nearly there now!” I do see “Application Software” and the plus sign, however, when I click plus, there is nothing there.
What could I be doing wrong?
on July 7, 2009 on 1:26 pm
I am having the same problem as Kaden, but I believe the problem is in step 5… when I ….. /loader.exe /index the pkgdbcache.xml and specification.pkg files that are suposed to be created are not. Any thoughts?
thanks
on July 19, 2009 on 2:28 pm
Kaden,
Did you put the folder containing the Google Maps install files in %CommonProgramFiles\Research In Motion\Shared\Applications?
on December 7, 2009 on 7:44 pm
This procedure has changed significantly in BESv5
on January 9, 2010 on 12:30 pm
wow..amazing guide.
i followed it to the tee and worked straight up. thanks.
question:
Once the app is deployed to the handset, if I delete the application configuration from the bes server will it uninstall the app as well? I wanted to deploy this app of mine as a proof of concept and now that it works don’t need to have it lingering around.
thanks again