85010014 error - resolved - ActiveSync Exchange Server
Ryan Hardin
My desire to synch successfully 100% of the time became very frustrating.
ASync would work for about 2 hours, then quit for 2 hours, the start again
for 2 hours...sometimes longer. Off and on. And when it didn't work, the
Application Log on our server would be filled with those ActiveSync 3005:
HTTP 400 errors...then they would disappear. On my phone (WM5.0), the error
was 85010014 (problem on Server), and after seeing that number many times,
memorization of that number so I could google the Internet for new insight of
the problem was a breeze. But still, no one seemed to have a solution other
than what was already in the MSKB, which is still lacking any results of the
search. It basically all comes down to the basics of Windows DNS, how SSL
technology works, and how having multiple IPs on your Exchange server (and
subsequently DNS Host records) can jack things up for accurate synching. I'm
still ecstatic as to my solution. EVERY SINGLE SYNC has been successful
since my change. I have not received any 85010014 errors or 3005 errors in
the Application Log since.
The solution that worked for me (granted that you still read and apply both
KB# 817379 and KB 886346):
On Exchange Server, go to C:/windows/system32/drivers/etc/hosts.
Add Public IP and FQDN of your Exchange server (the Windows server name +
domain name, NOT the Internet domain)
e.g. 1.1.1.1 server.contoso.local
Why Hosts file and not DNS?
Editing DNS to remove A records for server.consoso.local that didn't match
the Default Website IP address didn't work because Windows would change the
DNS information automatically, even when unchecking "Register this
connection's address in DNS" on the DNS tab in Advanced TCP/IP Settings. The
Hosts file gets priority over DNS, and since the server responds to any IP
address that it possesses to perform Windows/Domain/ActiveDirectory/Kerberos
functions, I don't think adding this to your Hosts file will cause any harm,
since it will still be able to resolve the name to an IP address that
responds to necessary services.
More insight and my scenario (read to see if it fits yours):
A mockup of my setup (I'm hiding my info here):
Network Environment:
- First off: Multiple IP addresses on the Server
- Windows Server Name (FQDN): server.contoso.local
- Public Internet Domain Name (for OMA, OWA-HTTPS, RPC-HTTP, ExchAS, etc):
secure.contoso.com
System Environment:
- Exchange 2003 SP2
- Enabled FBA OWA (we use Public SSL cert from Thawte for secure.contoso.com)
- Created additional Exchange Virtual Directory: /ExchDAV (see KB 817379)
- Modified registry to have SMTPProxy value for SMTP domain of our default
Recipient Policy listed in ESM: contoso.local (see KB 886346)
- In Active Directory, we have multiple SMTP addresses for users, with the
Primary SMTP address being firstname...@contoso.com.
Our specific error in the Exchange Server's Event Log is as follows:
Event ID: 3005
Source: Server ActiveSync
Unexpected Exchange mailbox Server error: Server: [server.contoso.local]
User: [firstname...@contoso.com] HTTP status code: [400]. Verify that
the Exchange mailbox Server is working correctly.
The regular intervals of the Application Log entry described above that
would occur in a somewhat group of time led me to think that some type of
caching was involved, so I then checked out our DNS server. Apparently each
IP address listed on the server was entered into our internal DNS server.
And from what I understand, Exchange ActiveSyncing requires the server to
"find itself" internally (from the HTTP 400 errors that were generated) so it
can grab the data from the Exchange system and then send it back out via
HTTP(s) to the phone. In doing a query on itself, it was using the FQDN of
its own machine name + windows domain name -- server.contoso.local. Since
DNS had multiple host record (A) entries for [server] in the contoso.local
DNS zone, and our Default Website could only properly respond to ONE IP
address (because of how SSL technology works), problems would occur when the
DNS cache would resolve server.contoso.local to an IP address that was not
the correct IP address for SSL website (or Default Website).
In IIS, I have the following host headers on the Default Website, which
contains the /exchange et al. virtual directories.
- A blank host header with port 80. (you MUST leave this one - do not delete)
- A host header for secure.contoso.com for port 80.
- SSL host header using port 443 with our SSL cert.
Note: This probably doesn't apply to anyone many out there, but we have two
SSL certs on this machine. So we specify the IP for our Cert here on the
Host Headers instead of (All Unassigned). This is a great trick to allow
multiple SSL certs and secure websites on your server. Each website in IIS
must explicitly have the IP address on the host header values instead of (All
Unassigned). Read the bottom of this post for how this all works. It is a
fantastic tip and explanation.
We also have multiple IPs on our server, so it is multihomed. (Can be same
NIC or different NICs, doesn't matter):
1.1.1.1 - this is specific to our Default Website in IIS (secure.contoso.com
- resolution from Internet DNS Servers)
1.1.1.2 - this is specific to our 2nd SSL Website in IIS
(somethingelse.msft.com goes here)
192.168.1.1 - private IP of machine for LAN/VPN sitting inside firewall (we
use PAT for ports 80 and 443 to point to this machine)
On our Internal DNS Server on our network, there are multiple entries for
the SERVER hostname in the [contoso.local] zone file, one for each IP address
on the server as listed above.
server.contoso.local - 1.1.1.1
server.contoso.local - 1.1.1.2
server.contoso.local - 192.168.1.1
This is where the problem lies. Multiple entries for the Exchange Server
Windows FQDN in DNS.
We need to consistently and accurately resolve SERVER.CONTOSO.LOCAL to
1.1.1.1, as seen in event log entry. The HTTP 400 error is because the
server cannot find the website. Remember, we have multiple SSL certificates
and we specify the Default Website to answer to the IP address 1.1.1.1, so it
will not answer to (All Unassigned) (that is, if SERVER.CONTOSO.LOCAL
resolves to 1.1.1.2 or 192.168.1.1, it will fail). We tried removing the DNS
host record, but it would always be regenerated by the server (even after
changing the TCP/IP DNS properties to not register its address in DNS.)
So if you have a multihomed server, using private and public IPs on the
machine, or even using two IPs on the same NIC, (or oddly have multiple SSL
certs on your machine) you may want to try my workaround.
Again, the workaround: The good 'ole /system32/drivers/etc/hosts file on the
Exchange Server.
I created an entry for SERVER.CONTOSO.LOCAL to be the IP 1.1.1.1. The
server resolved the name correctly, Exchange workings "found themselves," and
my Windows Mobile 5.0 Smartphone has been synching 100% ever since.
All the best,
- Ryan Hardin, CCNA, MCSE (MCP ID No: 2529921 -> that's for you, Microsoft.
Look me up and hook a brother up now. I just increased the success of your
Exchange ActiveSync users. I know you can definitely afford a little
compensation. =) I'll buy more of your stock. Or if you are interested in
acquisition of my software company, that will work too. Seriously, look and
hook me up. Shoot an email.)
For multiple SSL websites on a single box:
============================
Basically you need the following for it to work:
1) Two SSL certs entered into IIS, one for each website
2) Two IP addresses on the box (either on multiple NICs or a single NIC,
doesn't matter)
3) In IIS, you must specify different IP addresses for the host headers used
for each website.
The reason for this is because SSL traffic actually encrypts the host
headers, so the only way for IIS to know which website to route website
requests to is via the IP address information in each packet that surrounds
the SSL encryption.
To explain logically...
Basically on the network level, all traffic is destined for an IP address
and a port. We all know that. And we all know that for web traffic, the
port number is 80. And we all know that you can only have a single
application respond to the same IP address and port. So how does IIS allow
multiple websites? Simple: Host Headers.
If there are multiple websites in IIS, each responding to (All Unassigned)
IP address and port 80, IIS reads and uses host header information at the
application layer to know where to route website traffic to the correct
website. This is how host headers work, and the host header information is
carried in the application layer, which is inside the network routing and
port data (that is, inside the destination IP address and inside the
destination port in the data packet).
If you were to map out the TCP traffic data, it would look something like
this:
--> {start packet 1} [ destination IP address ] + [ destination port ] + [
application data (host header + http get + blahblahblah) ] {end packet 1}
--> {start packet 2} [ destination IP address ] + [ destination port ] + [
application data (host header + http get + blahblahblah) ] {end packet 2} -->
However, when using SSL and port 443, the application layer is encrypted.
If it is not, then it defeats the purpose of the Secure in SecureSocketsLayer
(SSL). This encryption of the application layer also includes the encryption
of the host header information. More importantly, this data destined for a
secure website can only be decrypted by the website in IIS that holds the SSL
certificate assigned TO the secure website. This is how SSL certs work.
So, let's state our scenario again, this time using SSL and port 443 instead
of port 80:
If there are multiple websites in IIS, each responding to (All Unassigned)
and port 80, IIS then reads the host header information and then reroutes the
traffic to the correct website. But wait, how can IIS read the host header
information if it is encrypted? It can't. This is a limitation on all web
servers that I am aware of, and it really isn't a limitation. It is how the
protocol is designed for the appliation and security of the protocol. Also,
IIS (or other web servers) are not smart enough to know which SSL cert to use
in order to decrypt the host header information, and therefore, it cannot
route the traffic using the host headers to the correct website.
So the solution?
In IIS on each website that uses in SSL certificate, you must specify the IP
address to which the website in IIS is to respond. That is, instead of using
(All Unassigned) on your SSL websites, specify the IP address to which the
domain name on the SSL certificate resolves. Using this method, IIS will see
the traffic and say "OK. You have this IP. Go here. This website over here is
supposed to respond to you." This basically circumvents the need to read the
encrypted host header in order to send it to the right website. The IP
address specified allows it to be sent to the correct website, without using
host headers. So if IIS simply sends the traffic to the website that
specifically responds to an IP address, it can then use the Cert to decrypt
the data, and now you're rockin'.
Basically, if IIS has multiple websites responding to the same IP and port,
it uses Host Headers. Since Host Headers are encrypted by SSL, having
multiple SSL websites requires the use of different IP addresses.
This is something that Microsoft should consider in their next version of
IIS:
If there are multiple SSL certs on multiple websites in IIS, when a website
request arrives on the machine, IIS should query all SSL certificates stored
on the websites. IIS should continue down this list trying to decrypt the
application data until it can find a match of an unencrypted host header with
a host header that is listed on a website stored in IIS. If this were the
case, multiple SSL certs in IIS would not require you to have an IP address
for each cert. I'm not sure what security risks are imposed, but this seems
like a logical thing to me.
- Good luck!
- Ryan Hardin
Chris De Herrera
Thank you for sharing your resolution to the 85010014 error.
I would like to share it with others in the ActiveSync Troublehsooting
Guide.
Sincerely,
--
Chris De Herrera
http://www.pocketpcfaq.com
http://www.tabletpctalk.com
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ActiveSync 4.x Troubleshooting Guide -
http://www.pocketpcfaq.com/faqs/activesync/tshoot-as4x.htm
"Ryan Hardin" <RyanH...@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
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