Intermittent "Waiting for Network" error when using GPRS for sync

Our setup:
- Windows 2003 server with Exchange 2003 SP2
- Server behind firewall, SSL and HTTP ports forwarded to server.
Connections are not filtered or shortened by firewall.
- self generated security certificate form Windows Certificate Services used
- server name is server.domain.com, but to avoid publicly displaying the
server name on the internet DNS, we use othername.domain.com as the server
name for sync. Certificate is generated for othername.domain.com
- Device: iPaq hw6910 with push functionality
- DnsCacheEnabled=0 set in registry of PPC to enable syncing on internal
and external networks

Setup works for different test devices (Qtek, HTC, ...) we used and the
hw6910 we ended up buying. 12 devices in use, all sync normally using the
DnsCacheEnabled=0 setting. Switching between syncing via ActiveSync on the
XP machine and syncing directly over GPRS functions normally.

Problem:
Although our devices sync normally, activesync sometimes refuses to sync and
displays the error "Waiting for Network" when syncing over GPRS. This error
occurs also if the device has been syncing normally over GPRS for hours
before. It suddenly occurs. We do not know what triggers the error.
Forcing a manual sync does not solve the issue.

When the error is displayed, the iPaq can still surf normally to our OMA
application hosted on the same server, using the normal DNS FQDN ActiveSync
is also using. Thus, the error is not caused by a GPRS connection that is
not active, or a DNS entry that cannot be found/contacted.

All our devices display this behaviour. Recently our 12 devices were in a
meeting together at the same location. 2 deviced showed the error, while the
others continued to operate normally. I believe that this strongly indicates
that no network issues or server issues are the cause of this error: the
other devices could sync normally at the exact same time the faulted devices
could not.

When a device with this error connects to a WiFi network, ActiveSync will
work again. If we afterwards switch off WiFi and the PPC connects to GPRS
again, and we force a manual sync on the PPC, the sync fails again with the
error message "waiting for network",

Switching off the Phone application and restarting the Phone application on
the PPC does not help. Only a soft reset (reboot) of the PPC solves the
problem.

Given the fact that other devices can reach our server normally, and even
the faulted device can during the sync problem, this leads me into thinking
the ActiveSync application itself somehow cannot find a 'path' to the GPRS
connection that is open on the device. As a soft reset is needed to enable
syncing after the error occurs, and restarting the Phone application does not
help, the error seems to be located within ActiveSync.

I searched for solutions on the internet, and some other users also note the
same behaviour, also with other devices than the hw6910. They do not offer a
solution. Most users that encounter this error message and manage to solve
it cannot sync at all due to DNS, firewall or certificate issues. This is
clearly a different case as our users can sync, but the error occurs
unexpectedly. As this is also not visible to the users, it renders the
concept of Push Email rather useless...

Contacting HP support results in "you have to contact Microsoft"....

Questions:
- How can we have support for this?
- Any ideas on how to solve this?
- Is this a bug in ActiveSync on the PPC?


Thanks for your input and support,

Best Regards

Wim Borgers

Hello everyone,

The error occurred again a few minutes ago. I noticed that the device was
not notified of an incoming mail (10 minutes old) and did not synchronise.
When I clicked 'sync' on ActiveSync of Windows Mobile it did not perform the
synchronisation and displayed the well known error...

So, I wonder: maybe our devices are not always notified of incoming mail by
the server, and upon a subsequent synchronisation get confused...?

Answers are still very welcome..

Thanks,
Best Regards
Wim



"Wim Borgers" wrote:

> Our setup:
> - Windows 2003 server with Exchange 2003 SP2
> - Server behind firewall, SSL and HTTP ports forwarded to server.
> Connections are not filtered or shortened by firewall.
> - self generated security certificate form Windows Certificate Services used
> - server name is server.domain.com, but to avoid publicly displaying the
> server name on the internet DNS, we use othername.domain.com as the server
> name for sync. Certificate is generated for othername.domain.com
> - Device: iPaq hw6910 with push functionality
> - DnsCacheEnabled=0 set in registry of PPC to enable syncing on internal
> and external networks
>
> Setup works for different test devices (Qtek, HTC, ...) we used and the
> hw6910 we ended up buying. 12 devices in use, all sync normally using the
> DnsCacheEnabled=0 setting. Switching between syncing via ActiveSync on the
> XP machine and syncing directly over GPRS functions normally.
>
> Problem:
> Although our devices sync normally, activesync sometimes refuses to sync and
> displays the error "Waiting for Network" when syncing over GPRS. This error
> occurs also if the device has been syncing normally over GPRS for hours
> before. It suddenly occurs. We do not know what triggers the error.
> Forcing a manual sync does not solve the issue.
>
> When the error is displayed, the iPaq can still surf normally to our OMA
> application hosted on the same server, using the normal DNS FQDN ActiveSync
> is also using. Thus, the error is not caused by a GPRS connection that is
> not active, or a DNS entry that cannot be found/contacted.
>
> All our devices display this behaviour. Recently our 12 devices were in a
> meeting together at the same location. 2 deviced showed the error, while the
> others continued to operate normally. I believe that this strongly indicates
> that no network issues or server issues are the cause of this error: the
> other devices could sync normally at the exact same time the faulted devices
> could not.
>
> When a device with this error connects to a WiFi network, ActiveSync will
> work again. If we afterwards switch off WiFi and the PPC connects to GPRS
> again, and we force a manual sync on the PPC, the sync fails again with the
> error message "waiting for network",
>
> Switching off the Phone application and restarting the Phone application on
> the PPC does not help. Only a soft reset (reboot) of the PPC solves the
> problem.
>
> Given the fact that other devices can reach our server normally, and even
> the faulted device can during the sync problem, this leads me into thinking
> the ActiveSync application itself somehow cannot find a 'path' to the GPRS
> connection that is open on the device. As a soft reset is needed to enable
> syncing after the error occurs, and restarting the Phone application does not
> help, the error seems to be located within ActiveSync.
>
> I searched for solutions on the internet, and some other users also note the
> same behaviour, also with other devices than the hw6910. They do not offer a
> solution. Most users that encounter this error message and manage to solve
> it cannot sync at all due to DNS, firewall or certificate issues. This is
> clearly a different case as our users can sync, but the error occurs
> unexpectedly. As this is also not visible to the users, it renders the
> concept of Push Email rather useless...
>
> Contacting HP support results in "you have to contact Microsoft"....
>
> Questions:
> - How can we have support for this?
> - Any ideas on how to solve this?
> - Is this a bug in ActiveSync on the PPC?
>
>
> Thanks for your input and support,
>
> Best Regards
>
> Wim Borgers

We are also seeing this same issue and would be very interested in a
solution. In our setup, the devices can sync normally with SSL turned off,
but sync intermittently when SSL is enabled and we receive the same "Waiting
for network" message.

"John Roth" wrote:

> did you ever find a fix for this. I am experiencing what seems to be the
> same problem.
>
> "Wim Borgers" wrote:
>
> > Our setup:
> > - Windows 2003 server with Exchange 2003 SP2
> > - Server behind firewall, SSL and HTTP ports forwarded to server.
> > Connections are not filtered or shortened by firewall.
> > - self generated security certificate form Windows Certificate Services used
> > - server name is server.domain.com, but to avoid publicly displaying the
> > server name on the internet DNS, we use othername.domain.com as the server
> > name for sync. Certificate is generated for othername.domain.com
> > - Device: iPaq hw6910 with push functionality
> > - DnsCacheEnabled=0 set in registry of PPC to enable syncing on internal
> > and external networks
> >
> > Setup works for different test devices (Qtek, HTC, ...) we used and the
> > hw6910 we ended up buying. 12 devices in use, all sync normally using the
> > DnsCacheEnabled=0 setting. Switching between syncing via ActiveSync on the
> > XP machine and syncing directly over GPRS functions normally.
> >
> > Problem:
> > Although our devices sync normally, activesync sometimes refuses to sync and
> > displays the error "Waiting for Network" when syncing over GPRS. This error
> > occurs also if the device has been syncing normally over GPRS for hours
> > before. It suddenly occurs. We do not know what triggers the error.
> > Forcing a manual sync does not solve the issue.
> >
> > When the error is displayed, the iPaq can still surf normally to our OMA
> > application hosted on the same server, using the normal DNS FQDN ActiveSync
> > is also using. Thus, the error is not caused by a GPRS connection that is
> > not active, or a DNS entry that cannot be found/contacted.
> >
> > All our devices display this behaviour. Recently our 12 devices were in a
> > meeting together at the same location. 2 deviced showed the error, while the
> > others continued to operate normally. I believe that this strongly indicates
> > that no network issues or server issues are the cause of this error: the
> > other devices could sync normally at the exact same time the faulted devices
> > could not.
> >
> > When a device with this error connects to a WiFi network, ActiveSync will
> > work again. If we afterwards switch off WiFi and the PPC connects to GPRS
> > again, and we force a manual sync on the PPC, the sync fails again with the
> > error message "waiting for network",
> >
> > Switching off the Phone application and restarting the Phone application on
> > the PPC does not help. Only a soft reset (reboot) of the PPC solves the
> > problem.
> >
> > Given the fact that other devices can reach our server normally, and even
> > the faulted device can during the sync problem, this leads me into thinking
> > the ActiveSync application itself somehow cannot find a 'path' to the GPRS
> > connection that is open on the device. As a soft reset is needed to enable
> > syncing after the error occurs, and restarting the Phone application does not
> > help, the error seems to be located within ActiveSync.
> >
> > I searched for solutions on the internet, and some other users also note the
> > same behaviour, also with other devices than the hw6910. They do not offer a
> > solution. Most users that encounter this error message and manage to solve
> > it cannot sync at all due to DNS, firewall or certificate issues. This is
> > clearly a different case as our users can sync, but the error occurs
> > unexpectedly. As this is also not visible to the users, it renders the
> > concept of Push Email rather useless...
> >
> > Contacting HP support results in "you have to contact Microsoft"....
> >
> > Questions:
> > - How can we have support for this?
> > - Any ideas on how to solve this?
> > - Is this a bug in ActiveSync on the PPC?
> >
> >
> > Thanks for your input and support,
> >
> > Best Regards
> >
> > Wim Borgers