When it comes to mobile devices, there always seems to be some sort of issue when working with an exchange server. Most mobile device manufacturers will have an issue with Exchange Server from time to time. But in this article I’ll focus on Windows phones. Specifically Windows phones 7 and 8. Most of the time issues will be sync related. For example, if you’ve been getting sync error when you try to sync your phone with the server then it will most likely be related to security policies that are enforced on the Exchange Server.
Security policies are a good thing to have especially for password requirements. For example, you may want users to only use numerical values in their passwords, but in other circumstances you may want them to have passwords that contain a combination of alphanumeric values some capitalized and some not. The most important feature of these policies is the ability to set up fail-safes. A fail-safe policy could be set to wipe the device after a specific number of failed login attempts have occurred. Another policy could set up an inactive period before the user is required to re-enter their information. These security features are present on your Exchange Server system.
An example of this is if you’re inputting all the correct data but you receive an HTTP status of 449. This would be in indication that your device is not conforming to all the parameters set in place by the Exchange ActiveSync policies. The error message will look something like this:
- Error code: (0×85010013 | 0x8600C2B | 86000C29)
What are shown above are three different error codes you might receive. Each error code is related to the same general issue that is causing your device to fail at Synchronization. In addition to displaying the error code your device will also let you know how long it tried to Sync up with the Exchange Server.
The main cause behind this particular problem is that ActiveSync policies were implemented which the windows phone cannot comply with. Every time you try to Sync, you will receive an error. So the only way to fix this issue is to correct the policies that trigger these errors.
To fix this issue we can take two routes: one option is to change the current ActiveSync policy in order to make it comply with the windows phone. The second option is to create a brand new ActiveSync policy that will support the correct policy parameters that the phone can implement.
To completely override this issue we can go onto our phone and change a parameter. This specific parameter to change is the “Allow Non-provisional Devices” – you will need to enable this. Once enabled your device will now Sync up even when certain parameters are not met within the system. For example if your device’s policies don’t match with the systems, you will still be able to Sync.
In order to create a brand new Exchange ActiveSync mailbox policy you can follow these steps:
- Go to the Organization Configuration.
- Click on Client Access.
- Next click on the Exchange ActiveSync Mailbox Policies and select New.
At this point you can specify what kind of parameters you want to set with this mailbox. You can choose anything from “password requirements” to “allowing the ability for attachments” on the particular mailbox.
Once you’ve completed the operation you’ll receive a notification if it was created successfully or not.
You can also use a cmdlet to perform the same operation but make sure you search for the particular parameters to use. There are over thirty different commands just for setting up mailbox settings.
Also note that these settings will differ between different Windows mobile OS’s. For example, OS 7 has twelve different password settings while OS 8 has nine completely different ones. While some have the same functionality, all of them have different names.
Once you have configured your Exchange ActiveSync mailbox policies it is recommended you perform a remote wipe on the mobile device. There are a couple different options to perform this wipe, one being that you can use the Exchange Management Console to engage it, or use the shell to engage the wipe. In order to perform the wipe you’ll need to know the identity of the device; this is another shell command. Ensure there are no typing errors as this could result in an accidental wipe on the wrong device. Note that these wipes are for all memory on the mobile phone. So make sure you’ve removed all sensitive data that you don’t want to lose.
ActiveSync Issue with Window’s Phones Fix
Free ebook download: Top 10 Most Popular Troubleshooting Posts for Email Administrators
