BBC Shuts Down Internal BlackBerry Service

sebFlyte writes "Silicon.com is running a story on a little problem the BBC is having with their email. Apparently, the BBC has suspended service to all its executives BlackBerrys, because the server software was randomly sending chunks of messages to arbitrary users, thus showing execs each others emails. Not what you want from your remote-working solution, really."

Comments

Memo

[raind]

Did they not get the memo?

Service Pack 3 for BlackBerry Enterprise Server v4.0 for Microsoft Exchange is now available for download.

Please visit http://www.blackberry.com/support/downloads/index. shtml to access the service pack and a list of fixed issues, software updates, and additional information.

Thank you,

BlackBerry Software Releases
Research In Motion Limited
Telephone: 1-877-255-2377 | (+1) 519-888-6181
Email: help@blackberry.net
Web: http://www.blackberry.com/

Re:Ooops

[Duhavid]

Nope, not suprising at all.

I worked on a wireless email system once upon a time. Used CDO to talk to Exchange.
Found out that sometimes the CDO object that represented a logged on user would
lose it's mind and start thinking it was a different logged on user. Had to add
in code to keep who that CDO object thought it was representing, and check it each
time we brought it out to use it. Retire it, create a new one if it was different.

Course, we caught it in testing, not in the field, lucky us.

Re:RIM's stock halted...down $5 on TSX

[Gogo Dodo]

Coincidence. The real reason for the trading halt is that the Supreme Court has denied RIM's emergency appeal of the NTP patent verdict.

Nope.

[missing000]

From TFA:

The company said in a statement: "RIM has developed and tested a fix for an obscure bug identified in a specific service pack release for BlackBerry Enterprise Server. The bug was isolated to version 4.02 and does not exist in version 4.03 or other earlier versions. RIM is aware of a single reported incident of the bug and responded promptly with a fix."

Re:Nope.

[Blackforge]

4.0 Service Pack 2 had other issues besides this with the installer. It didn't remove all the services when I attempted the install. The install noticed this claimed to "revert" back and left me with an uninstalled server. Luckily you could just reinstall Service Pack 1 and everything was back to normal. (Easier than a restore.) Still makes you want to do an undie check.

Each service pack install in the 3.6 server was hilarious. After you had the server up and running for awhile, you would notice tons of warnings/errors in event viewer, but everything worked. Each service pack would reduce these a little each time.

Don't get me started on handheld weirdness. Having to pull the battery for it to start synching again. Cingular randomly shutting off data service to our users' handhelds... etc *sigh*

Re:RIM Is Done

[swb]

It's hard to see RIM shuttering completely -- that's a pyrrhic victory for NTP who wants money, not the business shut down.

I can see RIM filing for some kind of bankruptcy protection and the judge recognizing the installed base as a special class and ongoing operations being important, and fixing the situation financially such that NTP gets some of the money they're looking for and RIM continuing as an ongoing entity.

Worse for NTP could be a judge saying "OK, you win the company instead" and they're forced to sell it off to reclaim their holdings. Any potential buyer would know that NTP doesn't want to own or run RIM and that they should not only expect fire sale prices but also deep discounts on IP licensing in return for taking this off their hands.

*Somebody* would want to own RIM, it fits to nicely into someone's communications/wireless/email portfolio, it's just getting NTP satisfied that's the tricky part.

Only in the worst case scenerio for everyone (but Good and MS) does RIM flame out and become a non-entity.

Re:Serves them right

[pedigree]

They sold all of BBC Technology and 7 BBC News staff to Siemens Business Services. All the same people working in the same desk, just getting paid by a different company. Frankly, I really didnt like it when it was announced but now I do. You really know who your friends are as they used to be nice to you but now call you "bloodly Siemens" - go figure.

Re:What is the big appeal of blackberry?

[lucifer_666]

As far as I can tell, RIM do have their own network, and the telecommunications companies are starting up their own equivilant networks as well.

The major advantage of Blackberry and other "push" mail solutions is the email will appear on the Blackberry as soon as it is pushed to the unit, as opposed to the unit checking the mailbox every X minutes.

The Blackberry server software is designed to work with Exchange. There are simpler solutions if you only have POP3 mail.

When Exchange recieves a mail, it passes it to the Blackberry Server software. This software connects via the Internet to RIM's central office, or the telecommunications providers office.

Then, depending on what services are available to you, the message is "pushed" to the Blackberry over the mobile phone network. I believe it can go by SMS or MMS, and is just a structured message that either contains the email itself, or a link for the Blackberry to download the message over GPRS.

The biggest dissapointment for me (and the reason RIM is making money) is that you can't seem to connect your own GSM modem to the Blackberry Server software, allowing those messages to be pushed directly from your server. They have to be sent to a third party.

I, for one, would love to know the SMS or MMS message format that triggers the push capability of mobile phones and PDA's, and I would love to have a go at writing a module myself.

Re:The sooner RIM collapses, the better

[bill_mcgonigle]

GSM Treo 650. IMAPS & SMTP/SSL. Open and secure. You need trust noone with all your confidential business data (the RIM model).

The includded VersaMail is usable but SnapperMail is somewhat more robust ($60) if uglier.