Frequently Asked Questions About
Impatica for BlackBerry Enterprise Server
 

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1. Is there a way in which we can improve the playback times of Impatica for BES conversion requests? We tested with an 11MB file and it took just over 4 minutes before the presentation was successfully downloaded and viewable on the handheld.

2. How do I view the Event Log from my BlackBerry?

3. How do I adjust the cache size for my Impatica Presentation Viewer?

4. I'm getting a 'No Response from Host' error on my BlackBerry handheld when I select 'View Attachment' to view a PowerPoint e-mail attachment. What is the cause?

5. How do I enable the "Debug" level logging in Impatica for BES?

6. When I select "View Attachment" in my BlackBerry e-mail client, how do I know when the entire Impatica conversion request has been downloaded and saved to the Impatica Presentation Viewer?

7. Is it possible to sort the presentations list alphabetically?

8. What is the difference between Temporary and Saved Presentations?

9. Can I avoid viewing the file on my handheld after converting if I just want to project it using the ShowMate?

10. When I view an e-mail attachment where does the converted file show up?

11. I had an evaluation license for my Impatica for BES server but now we have a registered license. Do we have to reinstall the Impatica Presentation Viewer on the BlackBerry?

12. When I request a PowerPoint conversion, I don’t get the presentation on my handheld and the Impatica for BES Administration Utility crashes. What's going wrong?

13. I installed the Impatica Presentation Viewer but I don’t get the View Attachment menu option. How can I fix this?

14. Can I project a presentation on my ShowMate that was converted through the Impatica for BES server?

15. How many converted presentations can I store on my BlackBerry?

16. How does the Impatica for BES server determine if a file is cached?

17. When I convert a presentation that is sent to multiple users is it converted each time?

18. When I go to "View Attachment" for the first time it takes several seconds before the first slide is displayed. When I view the second time it comes up almost instantly. Why is it slow the first time?

19. I changed some settings in the Configuration tab but it doesn’t seem to recognize the change. Why is this?

20. When I select View Attachment on my BlackBerry, I get a pinwheel for a long time. What is the cause?



1. Is there a way in which we can improve the playback times of Impatica for BES conversion requests? We tested with an 11MB file and it took just over 4 minutes before the presentation was successfully downloaded and viewable on the handheld.
The playback performance of a presentation is very dependent on different factors such as the size of the file, the content (i.e., graphic and animation rich), and the time of day. We have done many tests to try to find a dependency on the conversion time with the above factors. What we discovered is that the bottleneck is usually in the mobile network. If you request a presentation during peak usage hours we find a noticeable delay in the delivery of the presentation compared to usage during non-peak hours. The conversion server actually sends out data packets as the conversion progresses so you don't actually have to wait until the entire presentation is converted before sending out data to the handheld. In this way we are trying to minimize the wait.

A few other things worth mentioning regarding performance optimization:

  • There is a cache mechanism on the handheld so that subsequent requests to convert the same presentation will be retrieved from the handler cache instead of trying to request a conversion again from the server. Cache parameters are configurable on the handheld and through the Administration Utility on the server. You have to reload the handler software after making changes to these parameters for them to take effect.
  • You also have the ability to save the presentation to your handheld while viewing a converted presentation in case you would like to use it later. That way you can access it locally versus trying to convert it again. The previously viewed presentations can be accessed and managed from the Impatica Presentation Viewer application. Temporary Presentations reflect presentations in the cache and Saved Presentations are the ones you have chosen to save. You also have the ability to move presentations from Temporary to Saved and to delete items from the cache.
  • There is a server side cache mechanism which will detect if a presentation has been converted before, mostly for the case of broadcast e-mails, and if found the software will circumvent the conversion process and send the cached data immediately to the handheld. You have the ability to clear the cache on the server via the Impatica for BES Administration Utility in the "Cache" tab.
  • The conversion process can be quite CPU and memory intensive especially for presentations that are rich in both graphics and animations. Given that, any other application which is vying for the CPU and RAM can decrease the performance of the conversion server. Adding more RAM to the server may improve the conversion performance.

2. How do I view the Event Log from my BlackBerry?
In order to view the BlackBerry Event Log, and provide the contents to Impatica Support, please do the following:

  1. From the BlackBerry Home Screen, hold down the alt key and press LGLG. This will launch the BlackBerry Event Log;
  2. Press the track wheel/ball to view the Event Log menu and select "Clear Log";
  3. Press the escape button until you return to the Home Screen;
  4. Repeat the steps that created the error that you wish to report to Impatica Customer Support;
  5. Once the error has been recreated, repeat steps 1 and 2;
  6. Press the track wheel/ball to view the Event Log menu and select "Copy Day's Contents";
  7. Create a new e-mail, paste the contents of the Event Log into the body of the e-mail and send it to support@impatica.com along with an explanation of the steps that you used to produce the error.

    8. 3. How do I adjust the cache size for my Impatica Presentation Viewer?
    If the Impatica for BES administrator has allowed users to change the cache size in the Impatica for BES Administration Utility, you can edit the cache size in the Options screen of the Impatica Presentation Viewer.

    Steps:

    1. Launch the Impatica Presentation Viewer on your BlackBerry;
    2. Click the track wheel/ball and select Options from the menu;
    3. Adjust the Cache size setting (only if your BES administrator has allowed for adjustment of this setting);
    4. Click the track wheel/ball and select Close;
    5. A "Changes made!" dialog will be presented. Select "Save" to save the changes.
    Should this option not be available to you, contact your Impatica for BES Administrator.

    4. I'm getting a 'No Response from Host' error on my BlackBerry handheld when I select 'View Attachment' to view a PowerPoint e-mail attachment. What is the cause?
    In some cases a "No Response from Host" message after a "View Attachment" request is a result of your Exchange mailbox being full and thus restricted from sending outgoing mail. If you attempted to send an e-mail via Outlook or "Compose Email" on the BlackBerry you would have seen some indication that the message was not sent. In Outlook you are given a message advising of a restricted mailbox due to size; on the BlackBerry you are informed that the message has not been successfully sent by a ‘X’ beside the message name rather than a check mark. In our software you get a "No Response from Host" error if the handheld is unable to send an email request for the conversion you've requested.

    A full mailbox can be remedied by clearing up some space in your mailbox or contacting your Server administrator.

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    5. How do I enable the "Debug" level logging in Impatica for BES?
    There are five different log levels with the default level being "Info". The most useful level for troubleshooting is "Debug". Open the C:\Program Files\ImpaticaForBES\SystemConfig\log4j.xml file and at the bottom of the file, underneath "logger name=com.impatica", replace the word "Info" with "Debug". Save the file and restart the services for Impatica for BES.

    6. When I select "View Attachment" in my BlackBerry e-mail client, how do I know when the entire Impatica conversion request has been downloaded and saved to the Impatica Presentation Viewer?
    A reasonable guideline for gauging if the download is complete, is when you no longer see the arrows in the upper right corner for a period of 4 to 5 seconds. The presentation, at that point, will have been saved into the Temporary Presentations section of the Impatica Presentation Viewer. The only way to be absolutely certain that the entire file has been received is to view it on the BlackBerry to the very end. An enhancement request has been logged for a progress indicator to be included in a future release of the software.

    7. Is it possible to sort the presentations list alphabetically?
    The BlackBerry handheld does not have a file structure similar to a Windows File System, so the order of presentations listed in the Impatica Presentation Viewer is random and cannot be sorted.

    8. What is the difference between Temporary and Saved Presentations?
    Temporary presentations will be deleted when the cache size specified in the Impatica Presentation Viewer's "Options" is exceeded. If you wish to keep a presentation it should be moved to the Saved Presentations area of the Impatica Presentation Viewer.

    9. Can I avoid viewing the file on my handheld after converting if I just want to project it using the ShowMate?
    No, unfortunately you must view the attachment on the handheld until the entire file is downloaded to the BlackBerry. Only complete downloads will be saved in the Impatica Presentation Viewer.

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    10. When I view an e-mail attachment where does the converted file show up?
    After viewing an attachment from an e-mail it will be saved in the Temporary Presentations section of the Impatica Presentation Viewer. Only complete files will be saved so if you exited from viewing the attachment before the complete file was downloaded it will not be saved.

    11. I had an evaluation license for my Impatica for BES server but now we have a registered license. Do we have to reinstall the Impatica Presentation Viewer on the BlackBerry?
    You do not need to re-install the Impatica Presentation Viewer as the evaluation banner will only show up when viewing files that have been converted by evaluation software. You may want to clear the cache on the Impatica for BES server so that any files converted by the evaluation server will be reconverted by the registered server.

    12. When I request a PowerPoint conversion, I don’t get the presentation on my handheld and the Impatica for BES Administration Utility crashes. What's going wrong?
    This behavior may be attributed to unsupported elements in the PowerPoint file itself. To determine if this is the case, please open your current converter_wrapper.log, which is located C:\Program Files\ImpaticaForBES\log . If in the converter_wrapper.log you are getting errors that include the following terms—com.impatica.poja.PPTRecord, com.impatica.poja.MSofbtSpContainer—it means that there is a problem with the PowerPoint presentation that would be also visible if the presentation would be converted with Impatica for Powerpoint desktop software. As there are a number of unsupported elements that could be the cause of this, please consult the Impatica for BES Manual for a list of unsupported elements or contact support@impatica.com.

    13. I installed the Impatica Presentation Viewer but I don’t get the View Attachment menu option. How can I fix this?
    If you do not get the View Attachment option perform these steps:

    1. From the BlackBerry home screen, navigate to Options, Advanced Options, Applications, Impatica Presentation Viewer and then select Modules from the menu;
    2. Look for the Imp4BESResource module. If it does not exist, your Impatica Presentation Viewer is NOT Impatica for BES enabled. Ask the Impatica for BES administrator how to get the Impatica for BES enabled handheld software. If the module does exist, scroll to it and select View Properties from the menu. In the Description section look for an e-mail address on the second line. If the address is default@default.com, the Impatica for BES handheld software has not been configured properly. Ask the Impatica for BES administrator to configure the handheld software;
    3. Ensure that the e-mail with the PowerPoint attachment was sent AFTER the correct Impatica Presentation Viewer was installed. Any e-mails sent before cannot be viewed using Impatica for BES;
    4. Ensure that you are scrolling down to the attachment at the end of the e-mail before opening the menu. The RIM attachment service allows the user to click anywhere in the e-mail to Open Attachment but our software requires an attachment to be selected first in or to use the View Attachment menu item.

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      14. Can I project a presentation on my ShowMate that was converted through the Impatica for BES server?
      Yes, any file in the Impatica Presentation Viewer can be projected to the ShowMate. However if the file was converted through the Impatica for BES server it may not have the optimal conversion settings for projecting on a ShowMate. You may wish to adjust the settings available under the Options menu in the Impatica Presentation Viewer before sending the PowerPoint for conversion by selecting the View Attachment menu item in your BlackBerry mail client. These options include: JPEG Quality, Output image resolution and include notes and text options.

      By default the settings for attachment viewing are: JPEG Quality = Med (70%), Output image resolution Best(SVGA), Include notes and text.

      Options settings include:
      JPEG Quality = Max (100%), High (85%), Med (70%), Low (50%)
      Output Image Resolution = Best (SVGA), Better (VGA), Good (QVGA)

      15. How many converted presentations can I store on my BlackBerry?
      In the Impatica Presentation Viewer there is an Options menu item, under which there is a "Cache size" option that determines the number of presentations that can be saved on the BlackBerry. This field may be editable if the Impatica for BES administrator has enabled this ability. By default the cache size is set to 1024000 bytes.

      16. How many converted presentations can I store on my BlackBerry?
      The Impatica for BES server will take into account the following parameters when checking for a file in the cache:

      • PowerPoint file name;
      • PowerPoint file size;
      • JPEG quality setting;
      • Output image resolution setting;
      • Included notes;
      • Included text;
      • File digest (MD5 hash of attachment).

      17. When I convert a presentation that is sent to multiple users is it converted each time?
      The Impatica for BES server has a caching mechanism which will check to see if a file has been previously converted with the same conversion settings. If it is found in the cache no conversion will occur. The cached copy will be sent back to the user. If a file is not found in the cache, the file will be converted.

      18. When I go to "View Attachment" for the first time it takes several seconds before the first slide is displayed. When I view the second time it comes up almost instantly. Why is it slow the first time?
      The Impatica Presentation Viewer will look in the list of Saved and Temporary Presentation files before sending a conversion request to the server. If it finds the file in its list, it will just present the local file without requesting a conversion.

      19. I changed some settings in the Configuration tab but it doesn’t seem to recognize the change. Why is this?
      In this case, please do the following:

      1. After you change the value, click outside the field being edited and click the Apply button after making any changes;
      2. Ensure you restart all services for the changes to take effect;
      3. If any of the following fields are changed in the Configuration tool then the handler must be updated:
        • Full e-mail address;
        • Enable editing of maximum cache size on handler;
        • Maximum handler cache size (bytes).

      20. When I select View Attachment on my BlackBerry, I get a pinwheel for a long time. What is the cause?

      1. Ensure that the handler is configured to send converted e-mails to the correct e-mail account:
        • If the services are running, stop the Conversion Manager and Converter Services via the Administration Utility's Status tab by clicking the Stop buttons;
        • Use a mail client to view the contents of the mailbox associated with the e-mail address specified in the Configuration tab of the Administration Utility;
        • Try to View Attachment again from the device. An e-mail request should be delivered to the inbox;
        • If you do not see any e-mails in the inbox then the Handler is incorrectly configured;
        • Launch Windows Explorer and navigate to the ImpHandler folder under the software installation folder. The default is C:\Program Files\ImpaticaForBES;
        • Verify that the "ImpHandlerResource.cod" file has been updated. Although this is a binary file, you can view it with a text editor like Notepad and you should see embedded somewhere in the file the e-mail address that will be used by the handler to send conversion requests;
        • If the e-mail address in the file does not match the full e-mail address specified in the Configuration tab of the Administration Utility then you need to update the field again as follows:
          • From the Administration Utility go to the Configuration tab < E-mail Settings section < set the Full e-mail address field to the desired e-mail address;
          • Click outside of the e-mail address field being edited so that the field is no longer editable;
          • Click the Apply button.
        • If the e-mail address in the file matches the e-mail address specified in the Configuration screen then you can try to update the handler software on the device with the files in the ImpHandler folder;
        • The handler software needs to be reloaded from the ImpHandler folder anytime the full e-mail address property is changed;
        • Once you confirm that you receive e-mails in the inbox then you can restart the Conversion Manager and Converter Services;
        • If e-mails are still not received in the inbox, ensure that you can send an e-mail manually from the device to the e-mail address;
        • Also, ensure that the e-mail with the attached PowerPoint presentation was received after the correct version of the Impatica Presentation Viewer and Handler was installed on the BlackBerry device.
      2. Ensure that the conversion e-mail requests are being processed correctly:
        • From the Administration Utility, click the "Logs" tab and check the "ImpaticaConversionManager.log" file to see if the e-mail conversion request was processed by the Conversion Manager. There should be a message "Received request from:" when an e-mail request is being processed. NOTE: log files are rolled-over daily so in order to see any archived logs, you’ll need to click the Browse Logs Folder button;
        • Shortly after this message appears in the log, check for a message "[Converter Name] is confirming [ImpaticaJob, ID: JobId]: Yes";
        • Open the ImpaticaConverter_<port>.log file associated with the Converter Name and look for the message "Processing: [ImpaticaJob, ID: JobID]" where JobID matches the JobID in the Conversion Manager log;
        • Look for the messages "PowerPoint ? imp conversion complete", "imp ? imv conversion complete", "File conversion finished" in the Converter log. This indicates a successful conversion.
      3. Ensure that the converted presentations are being pushed back to the requesting device:
        • Check the ImpaticaConversionManager.log for messages queued outgoing packet and MESSAGE SENT for the requested file;
        • If these messages appear, ensure that the "BlackBerry Mobile Data Service" is started in the window services applet on the BES. If this is not started, everything will appear to work correctly, (including the admin utility tests), however the messages will never get pushed to the handheld;
        • Ensure that the MDS Server has been set as a Push Server on the BES.

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Please submit your questions to support@impatica.com