Fixing BlackBerry Enterprise Server 5.04 Installation Error

Blackberry Enterprise Server SQLExpress Fix

So, I have installed Blackberry Enterprise Server (BES) 5.03 from scratch several times. This week, I installed BES 5.04 for the first time. I am not sure if my installation error was the result of something specific to the Windows 2008R2 server, or if it’s a difference between BES 5.03 and 5.04. But, in any case, I was unable to get beyond the installation screen that asked for SQL database information. Specifically, as seen in the screen shot above, the “database location = local” checkbox was always greyed.

The first time BES failed to install, I figured it was my error. So, I removed BES and also removed all SQL* applications that were available in Control Panel | Programs and Features. Here are the things I then validated before I proceeded to retry the installation:

  1. Validated that I was logged in as the BES domain user, and that I was a member of the local admin group.
  2. Validated that the Windows firewall was turned off.
  3. Validated that UAC (user account control) was turned off.
  4. Validated that the BES domain user was not a domain administrator.
  5. Validated that I had all the prerequisites documented by the Blackberry Installation manual.

Then, I tried for the second time, making sure to run the installer as an administrator (e.g. Right click | Run As Administrator). But, the exact same behavior resulted. I could not get past the SQL database information screen. Finally, I was able to resolve my error, and I thought it was worth documenting, because it the solution was unusual.

  1. Close the installer:
    • Once you get to the Database Information screen, close the installer.
  2. Manually run the SQL Express installation:
    • Open Windows Explorer.
    • Goto \Research in Motion\Blackberry Enterprise Server 5.04\bundle0038\tools directory.
    • Run SQLEXPR_x64_ENU.exe
  3. Work through the SQL Express wizard:
    • Accept all the defaults.
    • On the last screen, validate it says “Your SQL Server 2008 R2 installation completed successfully”.
    • Click the close button to complete the wizard.
    • Reboot the server.
    • Login to the server as the BES user.
  4. Validate your installation of SQL Express:
    • Open a DOS prompt (e.g. Run | CMD).
    • CD \Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Tools\Binn
    • Replace BES with the name of your server in the following command: sqlcmd -S BES\SQLExpress
    • If a prompt of 1> appears this means the installation worked.
    • Enter the following command to exit the sqlcmd program: exit
  5. Continue with your BES installation:
    • Run the BES installation program again, which will continue from the Database Information screen.
      (Notice: now you will be able to select “local” radio button.)

Once I figured out how to manually install SQL Express, I used “Windows authentication,” which is the default database authentication, and the BES installer completed without errors. I still don’t know if there was something odd about my 2008R2 server or if there is a bug in the newest version of the BES installer. I was not the person who created the 2008R2 instance. And, I have not had the time to rebuild from scratch. After all, if it’s working, best to not mess with it further!