We have two Surface RT machines. Neither will connect to our 2003 Exchange Server with the Exchange ActiveSync setup (EAS) option in Mail. We have lots of other Smartphones and tablets connected. After many hours, Microsoft Surface Technical Support has not been able to resolve. Errors received: "Unable to connect. Ensure the information entered is correct" A brief error message in the upper right corner of the screen that says ******@myOUTSIDEdomain.com is unavailable Data Entered: Using: Mail Tile/add your mail accounts/view all in set.../Other Account/ Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) /show more details setup screen: Email address: ******@myOUTSIDEdomain.com Server address: webmail.myOUTSIDEdomain.com Domain: myINSIDEdomain Username: johnsmith Password: mypassword Please let me know if you see something wrong with the above data - it works for about 40 other mobile device.

I think I have found the issue. Not sure how to fix it though but I am hoping this will assist MS in fixing this issue so I can roll this out to my company. Windows mail appears to only work with one certificate. If you have a self signed certificate for authentication and another certificate to validate the website EAS will not work. Eliminate one or the other and it works fine.

agreed. it all comes down to why do all the other devices work but not this. and if exchange is NOT supported, just come out and say it. don't provide the prompts and then throw out a vague error. also, MS support should know whether it's an exchange issue , or a domain issue. can anyone from MS say definitively that exchange is or is not supported?

I guess the answer to why we have to deal with issues like this is that technology today is just too complex to test every aspect to the max... a bit like the old Intel chip that made maths mistakes and the iPhone that lost signal when you held it wrong. Pure guesswork here but when you connect your other equipment, does it moan about security certificates and give you the option to continue? I wonder if RT is missing the ability to allow invalid certificates. A lot of companies like to use internal certification servers for publishing SSL services like ActiveSync to the internet and if you don't have the enterprise certificate installed it will be considered invalid. The push issues I am seeing could be related to the network card going to sleep when it shouldn't ... but for a brand new attempt at tablet devices I don't feel that Microsoft are far off. I am the server admin for 6 Exchange servers at the UK college I work for and I am using a 3rd party trusted certificate. My servers are also on the latest rollup fix packages. It could be a number of issues, but certificates and versions is where I would start. Steve

I assume this thread is still referring to just Exchange 2003 connections? I have 64G Surface RT and it connects fine to Exchange 2010 SP2 with just a few "push" reliability issues to resolve. From what I've read elsewhere, certificates need to be spot on to get it working. Steve Steve, an you explain? Since I never had any trouble connecting to my company's server before (iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Droid), and never had to deal with this. Of course, the primary question is why do we need to deal with "just a few push issues" and "spot-on certificates" at all?!

NEED HELP - EXCHANGE ACTIVESYNC (EAS) will not connect to Exchange Server

Anonymous

We have two Surface RT machines. Neither will connect to our 2003 Exchange Server with the Exchange ActiveSync setup (EAS) option in Mail. We have lots of other Smartphones and tablets connected. After many hours, Microsoft Surface Technical Support has not been able to resolve.

Errors received:

"Unable to connect. Ensure the information entered is correct"
A brief error message in the upper right corner of the screen that says ******@myOUTSIDEdomain.com is unavailable

Data Entered:

Using: Mail Tile/add your mail accounts/view all in set.../Other Account/Exchange ActiveSync (EAS)/show more details setup screen:

Email address: ******@myOUTSIDEdomain.com
Server address: webmail.myOUTSIDEdomain.com
Domain: myINSIDEdomain
Username: johnsmith
Password: mypassword

Please let me know if you see something wrong with the above data - it works for about 40 other mobile device.

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Answer accepted by question author

Anonymous

Wow, there is a lot of misinformation on this board..... Surface does connect to Exchange and has since day 1. The problem is that you are using self signed certificates, and surface does not accept self signed certificates unless you install them yourself. This is done for security, it had nothing to do with joining domains or anything like that, there is no bug. Exchange mail has worked on my surface since October 26th. Make sure you install the cert under

"Trusted Root Certification Authorities"

http://www.lonecpluspluscoder.com/2012/10/how-to-make-a-self-signed-ssl-certificate-work-with-windows-rts-mail-app-on-a-microsoft-surface-rt/

http://blog.brightpointuk.co.uk/adding-exchange-email-account-windows-rt

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68 additional answers

Anonymous

2012-11-03T02:40:49+00:00

I think I have found the issue. Not sure how to fix it though but I am hoping this will assist MS in fixing this issue so I can roll this out to my company. Windows mail appears to only work with one certificate. If you have a self signed certificate for authentication and another certificate to validate the website EAS will not work. Eliminate one or the other and it works fine.
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Anonymous

2012-11-03T01:23:03+00:00

agreed. it all comes down to why do all the other devices work but not this. and if exchange is NOT supported, just come out and say it. don't provide the prompts and then throw out a vague error. also, MS support should know whether it's an exchange issue , or a domain issue.

can anyone from MS say definitively that exchange is or is not supported?
Was this answer helpful?

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Anonymous

2012-11-03T00:52:26+00:00

I guess the answer to why we have to deal with issues like this is that technology today is just too complex to test every aspect to the max... a bit like the old Intel chip that made maths mistakes and the iPhone that lost signal when you held it wrong.

Pure guesswork here but when you connect your other equipment, does it moan about security certificates and give you the option to continue? I wonder if RT is missing the ability to allow invalid certificates.

A lot of companies like to use internal certification servers for publishing SSL services like ActiveSync to the internet and if you don't have the enterprise certificate installed it will be considered invalid.

The push issues I am seeing could be related to the network card going to sleep when it shouldn't ... but for a brand new attempt at tablet devices I don't feel that Microsoft are far off.

I am the server admin for 6 Exchange servers at the UK college I work for and I am using a 3rd party trusted certificate. My servers are also on the latest rollup fix packages.

It could be a number of issues, but certificates and versions is where I would start.

Steve
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Anonymous

2012-11-03T00:34:23+00:00

I assume this thread is still referring to just Exchange 2003 connections?

I have 64G Surface RT and it connects fine to Exchange 2010 SP2 with just a few "push" reliability issues to resolve.

From what I've read elsewhere, certificates need to be spot on to get it working.

Steve

Steve, an you explain? Since I never had any trouble connecting to my company's server before (iPad, iPhone, Blackberry, Droid), and never had to deal with this.

Of course, the primary question is why do we need to deal with "just a few push issues" and "spot-on certificates" at all?!
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments