The Hosted BES/MDS Thread: aka "Access To HTML/telnet/AIM/ICQ/MSN without buying BES"

[Mark D. Rejhon]

The Hosted Blackberry Enterprise Server Thread
aka "How To Get Access To HTML/telnet/AIM/ICQ/MSN/chatting from a Blackberry (without buying BES)"

Target Audience:
...You are using a Blackberry on the GSM/GPRS or CDMA network?
...Need AIM / ICQ / MSN Instant Messaging on a Blackberry?
...Or need telnet/SSH access to your home Linux system?
...Want better web access on a Blackberry?
...Get 100+ MB email space, breaking the 10 MB barrier?
...Be able to download software Over-The-Air?

[Original: Feb 13th, 2004]
[Edited: August 19th, 2004]

...As an individual or self-employed person, you just bought a Blackberry all on your own. You LOVE it for its email! Now you want to install other applications for HTML/telnet/ssh/chat/AIM/ICQ/MSN/etc. You want to install the stuff you heard about including Idokorro, Reqwireless, Webmessenger, and all the great tools you see on the Internet. But they don't work! You are frustrated that it's not possible because of something called "MDS". You're a person who's willing to pay a few tens of dollars extra per month just to get access to the extra goodies. But you are shocked it costs almost a thousand dollars just to buy server software that enables all the nifty extra features you were hoping to use on a Blackberry. You're now tempted by other mobile devices such as TREO, Sidekick, Hiptop, smartphones, etc... but you then notice none seem to do email as good as Blackberry can!

Target audience

• Self employed indivudals.
• Individual users who just want to use a Blackberry to its fullest potential.
• Small corporations
• Deaf users who need the best wireless communicator
• People who want to bypass a slow BWC email server

Blackberry Attraction? What's The Big Deal?

First-time readers may be wondering what the hoopla is about. Blackberry phones have such good thumb keyboards and very good reliability. Email on Blackberry is generally vastly superior to everything else including other cellphones, other smartphones, PocketPC, PalmOS handhelds. Some invidual non-business users are starting to buy Blackberry because they really love its email; even if not as good for things like videogames. While not the Blackberry keyboard is much lauded to have an extremely good feel allowing some people to type as fast as 70 words per minute on a device that is smaller than a wallet. If Blackberry is so great for email, why shouldn't I also run other Internet applications on it like I can do on a PalmOS and PocketPC? An interesting piece of Blackberry history is that USA goverment prevented a USA company from shutting down the Blackberry network with a lawsuit [WashingtonPost.com link] -- despite that Blackberry is a Canadian technology. This is surprising, considering relations between USA and Canada since 9/11 -- it does underscore how good and addictive Blackberries are. According to news articles, Blackberries were deployed throughout the federal government shortly after 9/11 and the anthrax evacuations, to improve communiations during crisis.

Why Is MDS Required?

MDS means Mobile Data Services, which is explained on this web page at Research In Motion. The simplest english to the layman is that MDS essentially makes full Internet access possible on your Blackberry. Without access to MDS, it is almost as if you are behind "The Great Firewall" that blocks all ports except for email and WAP, limiting your ability to use your Blackberry. Most Blackberries do not have true GSM/GPRS Internet access at this time, and Internet access must be piped through MDS. The original market for Blackberries are corporations, and this is why a server solution is marketed. A medium and larger size corporation generally has no problem getting a Blackberry Enterprise Server solution set up, However, these days, the Blackberry market is diversifying and there are now more and more individual and self-employed users of Blackberries, and do not need all of BES features. A variant of MDS is called MDG, which stands for Multimedia Data Gateway. An MDG is essentially a public MDS server. As of the time of this writing, only Nextel provides a free MDG with their service.

How do I get MDS?

If you're a big enough corporation, it's not a problem. You just need to buy a Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES). However, they are generally too expensive for sole individuals because they start at $995 for a 5-user license. Some discounts can be found through a reseller, but this still burns a huge hole in an individual's pocket. Not to mention, you will need a dedicated Internet connection at your home to run BES at home. Sometimes, a small group of people are so desparate that they have pooled their money and actually purchased BES to share amongst themselves. Today, now an easier option has cropped up: a hosting service! Just like buying inexpensive web hosting instead of having an expensive T1/T3 to your home, you can finally now get BES hosting today. Surprise! Preliminary checks on pricing like a very manageable monthly fee that's actually is less than an average telephone or cable bill.

Oh No, Not Another Monthly Fee!

Unfortunately, it's a lot more appealing for individuals and self-employed consultants than paying several hundreds of dollars and running a dedicated server at home. Blackberries are like Crackberries - they are the most addictive wireless Internet devices around - and you'll pay a premium to get the best mobile Internet experience.

Do I need MDS for realtime email?

No. You don't need MDS for realtime email; you can already use your blackberry.net / blackberry.com email address and you'll receive emails on it nearly instantly (about 4 seconds after clicking send on desktop). This does not apply to POP mailboxes you add to your Blackberry, which are on a 15-minute poll.

I only need email and don't care about MDS.

True, most people only need the great email feature of Blackberry and is happy to stick with it. But some of us want to be able to chat on instant messaging networks such as AIM, ICQ, and MSN. Others of us want remote access to our home computer for retrieving files, or want SSH access to their own Linux box. Some of us are gladly willing to pay tens of dollars extra per month to gain access to such features, but the service provider won't provide the feature.

I can just use NexTel or Telus Instead, they give me full Blackberry Internet access.

Great, if you're one of the lucky ones! Nextel and Telus Blackberries are known to have full access to the Internet. Nextel is great if you are in one of their great coverage areas. However, not everybody of us are in their good coverage areas and some of us need a Blackberry that can roam. For example, there is now GSM/GPRS coverage in Canada driving along inter-city highways between major Canadian cities, with certain providers in Canada. Other people want to still be able to receive email while travelling aboard. However, if you are one of the lucky ones who can benefit fully from Nextel, please reward their support for TCP/IP by signing up for their service and seeing if their coverage is good. For the rest of us, we can't easily benefit from Nextel's forward thinking of including MDG with their product (MDG = public MDS = TCP/IP stack equivalent). Telus in Canada now provides MDG service on their 75XX series Blackberry, just like Nextel.

How do I do Over-The-Air Downloads?

You launch the Blackberry Browser (or WAP browser) and click on any link that connects to a .jad file. These are tiny Java applications called Midlets. In technical terms, these are J2ME applications (MIDP 1.0). By having access to MDS, you can easily do Over-The-Air downloads of software directly to your Blackberry, just like downloading software to a modern Java powered cellphone. (Blackberry actually uses the same Java language). That means software designed for a Nokia or Motorola cellphone can work on your BlackBerry! Two of the most popular Over-The-Air download websites are Midlet.org and J2ME-Software.com. On some midlet download sites, sometimes you may have to masquerade as another cellphone or select "All Devices" in order to get access to a clickable .jad link on your Blackberry.

(continued below -- 10,000 character limit reached)

[Mark D. Rejhon]

(...PART 2, continued...)


I heard my carrier is going to provide a public MDS/MDG service for free.

This is now being called "Blackberry Internet Connection Service" internally at some carriers. Several carriers are already beta-testing this. Various rumors have occasionally surfaced throughout the Internet about carrier plans to deploy public MDG services. Another carrier following the NexTel approach of a public Multimedia Data Gateway (MDG). There are supposedly plans by some carriers to introduce MDG service, which would make a BES/MDS hosting service unnecessary for using Blackberry Internet applications. One example is that current rumors as of Spring 2004 indicates Rogers Canada is going to deploy MDG service at the same time as the Rogers Blackberry Handheld OS 4.0 release sometime in 4Q 2004. This is only a rumor. Several internal Rogers sources actually point to internal plans to eventually MDG, including one of Mark Rejhon's friends who works at Rogers. The question is when, if these plans become a reality. Even with a public MDG, there are still the advantages of bigger email space and potential better performance using a separate BES/MDS hosting service. In the meantime, most hosting services are month-by-month, so you can cancel once your carrier provides MDG service. To help accelerate your carrier's deployment of MDG, call your carrier's Blackberry department and request support for MDG similiar to Nextel. As an example, tell your carrier about WebMessenger instant messaging, and how it will improve Blackberry sales if users could easily install Internet applications on Blackberry. Point your carrier's support department to this thread, to help educate even more people at the carrier understand the need for MDG.

Is MDS/MDG Specific To Blackberries?

Not quite. All modern cellphones with access to the Internet, require a gateway of some kind. You may have heard of these in different naming conventions such as GGSN, APN, MDG, etc. In simple terms, they essentially make connections possible between a carrier network and an external network, such as the Internet on your mobile device (or even just a simple connection to a BES server). If you have heard of GGSN (APN) on a cellphone, then that's a network component similiar to MDG. More information about various gateway services is provided on this SourceO2 page and on this Motorola iDEN page. Only MDS is Blackberry specific, while MDG and GGSN (APN) is not Blackberry specific. In fact, MDS still uses MDG in order to connect between a Blackberry and a BES server, and then from there, mobile Internet connections are made through your company's Internet connection. Credit given to a forum member (Deefer) who recently gave an excellent explanation that made this paragraph possible.

Finding Cheap Access To MDS

A cheaper way of getting access to MDS for individuals. Individual self-employed people like me can't always justify paying $595 or $995 for a Blackberry Enterprise Server just to get access to web, chat, IM, telnet/ssh and other utilities that require MDS There is huge demand out there by self-employed individuals (like me) who want their Blackberry to be able to do full HTML, telnet/ssh, AIM/ICQ/MSN messaging, and other sysadmin utilities, perhaps to connect to their home computer, etc. People like me are willing to pay an additional monthly fee to gain access to additional applications such as instant messaging and being able to do HTML web browsing with color graphics. As long as it is not a large one-time fee such as $595 or $995, considering that a few Blackberry carriers and most non-Blackberry carriers already include full Internet service at no extra charge.

Blackberry Internet Applications For Consumers/Prosumers:

There are now several dozens of Internet applications including at least two working IRC clients, at least three working web browsing clients, and at least two instant messaging clients. For other software, please see the Blackberry Killer Applications Thread. A small sampling of applications include the following:

• WebMessenger
  (Cost: Subscription $48 per year) (Must install via PC)
  AIM/ICQ/MSN/Yahoo Instant Messenger. Trillian-style all-in-one client! The most popular software program listed here. Other popular chat programs are available via Over-The-Air download at Midlet.org.
  
• Reqwireless Web Viewer
  (Cost: $29.95 one-time; free trial) (Must install via PC)
  Professional version of full color HTML browser. Beginning with Blackberry OS 3.7.1.x and later, images downloads and renders very noticeably faster in Reqwireless (>50% faster) than images in the RIM Blackberry Web Browser, with the same image quality level. Reqwireless also has a Hotmail client available (HotViewer) and an Email attachment viewer. Over-The-Air download will only download the generic non-Blackberry Midlet version, but might work from Reqwireless WAP site.
  
• Idokorro Mobile SSH
  (Cost: one-time $199; free trial) (Over-The-Air Download Link)
  Telnet/SSH utility, can be used for remotely logging onto Linux. Works with VT100 including PINE, EMACS, IRC, etc. Can also be used to access telnet BBS systems, routers, servers, old-style chat systems, MUD's, any UNIX systems, remote MacOS Darwin shell, MCI Wireless IP-Relay for the deaf, etc. Unlimited number of hosts, which is good for casual use. Expensive for the non-corporate user. Three free telnet programs are now available, but are not usable or as good as Idokorro,
  MuTelnet (Installs, but outgoing keypresses does not work),
  TelnetFloyd (GPL; Over-the-air download didn't work, at least with BlackberryOS 3.7.1.41), and
  SUN Microsystems Telnet Midlet (Source code only; you need to build yourself).
  
• BlackChat ICQ for Blackberry
  (Cost: free; GPL) (Must install via PC)
  This is a free ICQ client for Blackberry. It is an open source program, listed on this SourceForge page and the source code CVS is available. This source code can even be improved to include other chat networks if you are a knowledgeable developer, or even recycled by computer programmer to create new Blackberry Internet applications such as IRC. Everyone here needs more Blackberry Internet app developers! If you just want the software only, you can download the installable client.
  
• IRC Chat Client: VIRCA
  (Cost: free; GPL) (Over-The-Air Download Link)
  This is an IRC chat client, appears to be better than other IRC chat clients currently available for BlackBerry. The other one, WLIRC is more primitive.
  
• VNC Client
  (Cost: free; GPL) (Over-The-Air Download Link)
  This is a VNC client for the BlackBerry. Still under development, cannot click mouse buttons yet, but they are fixing that. Requires a VNC Server to be running on your computer (Such as RealVNC. Test using a PC based VNC client before testing from your Blackberry.)
  
• Lormar Logic Wireless TTY
  (Cost: Varies)
  A realtime wireless TTY (text telephone) service for the deaf that requires MDS. Lormar Logic also provides other semi-realtime TTY services using WAP and AIM that does not require MDS. They also sell BES/MDS hosting to the deaf as well.
  
• Over-The-Air Downloads From Midlet.org
  Over-The-Air Downloads from J2ME-Software.com
  Several software programs from these websites will also work on BlackBerry. Fax software, instant messengers, IRC chatting software, etc. They don't even need to be designed for BlackBerry; but designed as a Midlet (J2ME MIDP 1.0) for Java phones in general.

(...10,000 character limit hit again, continued below in PART 3...)

[iDENCustom]

Very good thread.

[CaptnBlackberry]

I just printed this. You rock. Thanks, Mark. For all my friends who ask me all the time... you really do rock.

[Mark D. Rejhon]

(...PART 3, continued...)

Sources of hosted BES:

• Mailstreet.com
  This seems to be the most popular choice. I use this, and it works with all Blackberry apps I've tried. They are a hosted Exchange server provider with a Blackberry Enterprise Server option. $23 per month total costs, it is reportedly possible to get access to BES/MDS.
  
• eOutlook
  This service is cheaper, and some people have mixed reports about this. About $12 per month. Some say they work with MDS, but does not support wireless synchronization. Reportedly slow technical support and may not be as reliable as Mailstreet.
  
• MyBlackberry.us
  Cheapest MDS service available with no signup restriction (unlike DeafBES). More barebones than the above, emphasis on MDS rather than providing Exchange email. Just recently started, unproven history, but had an initial good review by an early customer. Appears to be a good choice if you just want to keep using your existing BWC email. $10 per month.
  
• Lanlogic
  They now provide BES Hosting. About $25 per month. This is an old favourite among some corporations, as they have been around since 1995.
  
• MI8 Corporation
  They cater to bigger groups, supposed to support MDS. Need to contact them for a price quote, normally cater to at least 10 people but reportedly catered to a single individual.
  
• Lormar Logic Corporation
  Their new DeafBES service is the cheapest at only $39.95 per year (only $3.32 per month) but caters only to deaf individuals. Lormar Logic (lormarlogic.com) is a deaf services company familiar to many gadget-saavy deaf individuals. They provide many different wireless TTY services for the deaf, including their new Blackberry TTY Service. You must send in your Blackberry to be activated on their BES. (Note for everyone else: TTY is a text telephone device frequently used by the deaf)

Other relevant threads for reference:

• When will Telnet / AIM / ICQ / MSN be possible on Blackberry without MDS!?!!?!
• Does BES Hosting or Shared BES exist - for single users?

[mbn]

Here's my situation:

I am a user that has a 7280 on ATT using BWC. I use the BWC to check 2 hotmail accounts, my verizon online email, and my own personal domain that I have hosted through IX Webhosting. I have tweaked my browser to be unconstrained (RBRO) on my 7280 so that I can surf HTML pages, and it works well. The only thing I really need is an instant messaging client that is better than the WAP version of AIM I am using right now through my browser, which we all know I need BES/MDS for because Webmessenger doesnt think the prosumer market is going to take off for RIMs anytime soon (a huge mistake, I think).

If I go the hosted BES/MDS route, could I continue to to use the BWC and just have the BES/MDS work for me when I open up Webmessenger, for instance? Since I have a 7280, I was told that I can use BWC and BES/MDS at the same time on the same device. I was also told that a hosted BES/MDS would not check my pop3 or hotmail accounts so I would need to use BWC also.

So what 'account' would I get hosted? The user@attwireless.blackberry.com? Do I even need a mail account to be hosted to use the BES/MDS at a hosted provder? How much will all this cost/month?

I'm confused as to how this hosted BES/MDS would actually work. Someone please explain it in very simple terms for new users- I'm not a complete technophobe, but as many other individual users, my eyes will glaze over if the discussion gets too technical.

Hosted BES/MDS is a big issue and this thread will prove to be invaluable in the future to new BB users....

[rdrakea]

Yes, you can use both BWC and BES on your handheld.

You can't just 'pick' an account to be hosted on the BES though. And you will have to have a hosted email account to use MDS.

Here's what I did. Regsitered a domain name for myself ($20). Got a MailStreet Exchange 2003 account ($12.95/mo for single user) and added BlackBerry service ($9.95/mo plus $39.95 activiation). MailStreet took care of directing email to my domain to their Exchange server. So I pay about $23 bucks a month for my hosted Exchange/BES service.

[mbn]

Rdrakea-

What has your experience been with Mailstreet? How quickly did it take to set all of it up? Have you had any performance issues? Any issues with customer service? Does mailstreet seem like a company that would be a good place for a layperson using a BB? Did you shop around? If so, who else offers a similar service that would be a good alternative?

[rdrakea]

I've had no problems at all. I did things one step at a time to make sure everything went smoothly (registered doman, then setup Exchange account, then activated BlackBerry service).

No performance issues at all. I love having an Exchange account. It's great to have ONE INBOX - at home on Outlook, on the road on the BlackBerry, or from anywhere else on the Outlook Web Access.

I didn't do much shopping around. MailStreet offered everything I was lookign for (Exchange 2003 and BES w/MDS) at a resonable price.

[mbn]

rdrakea- thanks. Not sure whether it's worth the $23/month extra on top of the ATT data service. Need to think about it some.

[Mark D. Rejhon]

Don't forget you get other features such as wireless addressbook and calendar synchronization. You never have to connect your Blackberry to your PC anymore!

[NJBlackBerry]

Originally posted by Mark D. Rejhon
wireless addressbook

Really? I was unaware that the Address Book was wireless also? From their web site they show the features as :

Features:

Wireless access to email (send/receive) and calendar, virtually anywhere!
Receive email attachments (formats supported: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Corel WordPerfect, Adobe PDF, ASCII files)
Integrates transparently with your existing MailStreet email account
Message filtering
Triple DES encryption to thwart unauthorized access

If they offer wireless address book that would be very, very cool. I know that's coming is BES 4.0, but didn't know anyone was offering it yet!

[rdrakea]

There currenly is no wireless address book syncronization.

[Mark D. Rejhon]

You might be right -- I think I was thinking of the Calendar.

Wireless addressbook would be nice though!

[Mark D. Rejhon]

Made minor change to Nextel's paragraph. What Nextel is doing is providing a public MDS-like server called a "MDG" (Mobile Data Gateway).

All Blackberries actually has a TCP/IP stack equivalent, but requires an MDS or MDG server. Most Blackberries do not provide a free MDS/MDG server service, while Nextel is the only one that provides a public MDG server.

There is a lot of confusion (myself included) that Nextel provided a TCP/IP stack where others does not. In reality, all Blackberries have a dormant TCP/IP stack at least that needs to be routed through a MDS or MDG server. (Yessire, surprise, Nextel requires MDG too -- they just include it for free!)

Congrats to Nextel for that though -- but just wanted to clarify the confusion.