Microsoft DirectPush
Microsoft DirectPush is a service for mobile devices ( PDAs and smartphones ) that are equipped with the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system. Direct Push enables newly arriving e-mails in the cellular network to be automatically delivered from a Microsoft Exchange Server mailbox to the mobile device. In addition, new or changed calendar entries, contacts, tasks and notes are synchronized directly with the exchange server and thus all connected devices.
If Direct Push is activated on the mobile device, a GPRS or UMTS connection is established via the Internet to an Exchange server. It is not possible to use Direct Push over a WLAN connection. However, the data traffic is very low when Direct Push is active. For example, to maintain the connection, only 14.4 kb are transferred per day if no e-mails are being delivered. Therefore, there are hardly any costs for billing via a volume tariff. From version 6.0 of Windows Mobile, it is possible to use Direct Push via an ActiveSync USB connection.
Configuration on the mobile device
The Direct Push function is included in Windows Mobile 5.0 and 6.0 and is switched on and off via the Comm Manager. Before Direct Push can be used, a connection to an Exchange mailbox must be set up in ActiveSync on the mobile device. The connection to the Exchange server can be secured via HTTPS. For this it is necessary to install a security certificate on the mobile device.
Exchange server configuration
The Direct Push functionality is available from Exchange Server 2003. This service is configured in 3 places on the server (s).
- The Exchange System Manager, for which general support for mobile devices must be activated.
- The user account in the Active Directory (ADS) in which the support of mobile devices is allowed to the mailbox owner.
- The Internet Information Server (IIS), in which a server certificate is set up and the connection is configured via HTTPS.