How to configure iPhone Exchange ActiveSync®

05 Sep 2008

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	How to configure iPhone Exchange ActiveSync®

Solution On July 11th, 2008 Apple Inc. released the iPhone 2.0 software, which added support for over-the-air synchronization of Contacts and Calendars via ActiveSync protocol. Version 6.5.2 of Kerio MailServer supports this new iPhone feature. The configuration is provided below.

Main features and capabilities:

+ Direct Push of all email folders, contacts and calendars
+ Meeting invitations
+ Remote wipe
+ Remote lookup of public and shared contacts
- Attachments are not accessible *
- Emails are viewable in plain text only *

* Missing features will be added in the next major release. Until the new version becomes available, an IMAP account may be used in addition to the Exchange ActiveSync account for access to attachments.

Server configuration:
ActiveSync protocol is part of HTTP/HTTPS, which uses TCP port 80/443. If you are able to access the webmail interface from the iPhone, then you will be able to configure the iPhone for over-the-air synchronization. You may view the status of a connected iPhone, or perform remote wipe of the device by right clicking on a user account from the administration console and choosing the 'status -> mobile devices' option.

Client configuration:
From the home screen, choose "Settings", then "Mail, Contacts, Calendars", then "Add Account..."
You will see an Exchange option at the top of the list.

Select this option and you will be asked to provide your email address, Username and Password, and a description of the account.
Note that the Username field uses an example of Domain\User, however the name provided in this dialog should be simply your login name, or primary email address if you do not belong to the primary email domain.

After completing all fields and clicking the 'next' option, the device will attempt to locate a server, however this process will not succeed. At this point you will be provided with a similar dialog that now asks for your server address. This should be the IP address or qualified hostname of your Kerio MailServer, for example 'kms.company.com'.

Once the iPhone has confirmed connectivity with your Kerio MailServer, you will be asked which type of folders to synchronize. By default Email, Contacts, and Calendars are selected.

Once you save this information, the device will begin to synchronize. You can go back into the account settings to configure additional options, such as the number of days for synchronization, or SSL. Note that SSL is the default option, so it is recommended to install either a self signed, or valid SSL certificate into KMS. This can be done from the 'SSL Certificates' dialog in the Kerio MailServer administration console.