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

My point is that saying that a Surface is between a PC and Mobile Device is not an excuse for this not to work. If Windows Phone or an iPad can access my exchange servers, I'm expecting my Surface to do the same. I don't think it's a big ask.

If these are bugs, I'm fine with that. However, I fear that there are indeed policies missing from this OS that will not allow me to use it. And so it's sad that a phone or iPad is secure enough for business but the surface is not.

Cheers

Think of it this way...

If you have a home computer (prior to windows 8), how do you get work e-mails? Only two ways:

1. You visit your company's webmail page and login. In this case you can only access content through the browser, and there is a restriction as to whether you can download attachments and how long you session lasts before you have to login again.
2. You create a VPN tunnel, which in and of itself requires the installation of corporate SW on your home PC (usually this is banned even though employees typically ignore this policy), then you have to login, which also usually enforces specific policies (anti-virus SW, split-tunneling, etc). Then you need an e-mail client like Outlook to connect to your server, which also requires strong authentication (username, domain, and AD password).

If you tried to use Outlook on your home PC to connect to your mail server the same way you have your mobile device configured, it won't work. Hand-in-hand with that when using Outlook to get your corporate mail you aren't forced to set passwords for your PC and make your computer open to remote wipes because you have to already be on the corporate network (via VPN) to see the Exchange server.

On Windows 8 Pro, you get a message when connecting to Exchange for the first time when using the Metro Mail app that you have to accept policies on your home computer that relate to password requirements, screen timeout, and type of login. The surface does the same thing.

I would be curious whether a Windows 8 Pro computer (forget about whether it's a Surface Pro or a regular PC simply upgraded to Windows 8) has the same problem with your company. I suspect it does, and I suspect it is because your company either is using an older Exchange server platform that doesn't know how to handle Windows Mail clients or the Exchange policy your company has setup is not "Windows 8 friendly". A good test would be to take a Windows 8 computer outside your company's network and NOT a part of you're company's AD domain, and configure the Mail app. If you get the same error, the issue is not Surface or Windows RT but in fact your company's policy. If this is the case and your company does not want to change their policy, the two options above (web client or VPN + Outlook) are the only ways a PC can access e-mail. The Surface, as a PC and NOT a mobile device, would have the same limitation.

I know this is long winded but I hope it makes sense.

MK1151:

To answer your question above. 

1. On our 2 Surface Tablets, the Mail APP will not connect with Exchange Server 2003.
2. I installed Windows 8 Pro on my Lenovo X220T convertible two days ago and the Mail APP does connect.
3. The GUI interface for the Mail APP is identical in Window 8 RT and Windows 8 PRO.  The same data was entered in the same "fields" (that fails on the Surface) and worked the first time on my Pro installation.

That's the nuance - I'm still looking for a spec difference... although the Windows 8 Mail client uses ActiveSync protocol, I don't believe it works like a mobile device. It's hybridized - and it also seems to depend a little whether your Surface account is local only or linked to live.com

I'm curious about this now, so I'm going to do some more digging. If I can find something conclusive I'll post here. In the interim if you are able to talk to IT re: Windows 8 in general or having them look at the ActiveSync logs to see what happens when you Surface attempts to connect, I would love to know what they see.

Sounds like a plan!

MK1151:

To answer your question above. 

1. On our 2 Surface Tablets, the Mail APP will not connect with Exchange Server 2003.
2. I installed Windows 8 Pro on my Lenovo X220T convertible two days ago and the Mail APP does connect.
3. The GUI interface for the Mail APP is identical in Window 8 RT and Windows 8 PRO.  The same data was entered in the same "fields" (that fails on the Surface) and worked the first time on my Pro installation.

Hi Alan,

As I had indicated in a previous post, there are some specific compatibility issues I've already encountered many times with Exchange 2003. I was just trying to deal with HalfEmpty's issues as they are different from yours and he is using Exchange 2010.

Just for my own knowledge:

On your Lenovo X220T, is that a work laptop that is part of a domain/corporate controlled?

MK1151:

To answer your question above. 

1. On our 2 Surface Tablets, the Mail APP will not connect with Exchange Server 2003.
2. I installed Windows 8 Pro on my Lenovo X220T convertible two days ago and the Mail APP does connect.
3. The GUI interface for the Mail APP is identical in Window 8 RT and Windows 8 PRO.  The same data was entered in the same "fields" (that fails on the Surface) and worked the first time on my Pro installation.

Hi Alan,

As I had indicated in a previous post, there are some specific compatibility issues I've already encountered many times with Exchange 2003. I was just trying to deal with HalfEmpty's issues as they are different from yours and he is using Exchange 2010.

Just for my own knowledge:

On your Lenovo X220T, is that a work laptop that is part of a domain/corporate controlled?

Yes, the Lenovo was already set-up for the company domain (for VPN access) prior to the Win7 to Win8 Pro software upgrade.  After the upgrade at my home, I connected to my WiFi AT&T U-Verse network, opened the Win 8 Mail APP, and connected (without a VPN) to Exchange Server 2003 on the first try.