Configuring Apple Push Notification Service

Use Apple Push Notification Service (APNS) to push notifications from Unwired Server to the iOS application. Notifications can include badges, sounds, or custom text alerts. Device users can customize which notifications to receive through Settings, or turn them off.

Prerequisites

The following prerequisites must be performed by the developer before the administrator can configure the Apple Push Notification Service (APNS):

Register for the iPhone Developer Program as an enterprise developer to access the Developer Connection portal and get the certificate required to sign applications.
Create an App ID and ensure that it's configured to use Apple Push Notification Service (APNS).
Create and download an enterprise APNS certificate that uses Keychain Access in the Mac OS. The information in the certificate request must use a different common name than the development certificate they might already have. This is because the enterprise certificate also creates a private key, which must be distinct from the development key. This certificate must also be imported as a login keychain and not a system key chain and the developer should validate that the certificate is associated with the key in the Keychain Access application. Get a copy of this certificate.
Note: A new 2048-bit Entrust certificate needed for Apple Push Notification Service (APNS) push to work, because APNS push functionality stops working on 22 December 2010.
Apple now uses a 2048-bit root certificate from Entrust, which provides a more secure connection between Unwired Server and APNS. This certificate comes with the Windows OS, and is upgraded automatically with Windows Update, if it is enabled. This information is not part of the procedure that documents APNS support.

If Windows Update is disabled, you must manually download and install the certificate (entrust_2048_ca.cer). Go to: https://www.entrust.net/downloads/root_index.cfm. For help on installing the certificate, see http://www.entrust.net/knowledge-base/technote.cfm?tn=8282.
Create an enterprise provisioning profile and include the required device IDs with the enterprise certificate. The provisioning profile authorizes devices to use applications you have signed.
Create the Xcode project ensuring the bundle identifier corresponds to the bundle identifier in the specified App ID. Ensure you are informed of the "Product Name" used in this project.
Used APNS initialization code in the codeline.

Developers can review complete details in the iPhone OS Enterprise Deployment Guide at http://manuals.info.apple.com/en_US/Enterprise_Deployment_Guide.pdf.

Task

Each application that supports Apple Push Notifications must be listed in Sybase Control Center with its certificate and application name. You must perform this task for each application.

Confirm that the IT department has opened ports 2195 and 2196, by executing:
telnet gateway.push.apple.com 2195
telnet feedback.push.apple.com 2196
If the ports are open, you can connect to the Apple push gateway and receive feedback from it.
Copy the enterprise certificate (*.p12) to the computer on which Sybase Control Center has been installed. Save the certificate in UnwiredPlatform_InstallDir\UnwiredPlatform\Servers\MessagingServer\bin\.
In Sybase Control Center, expand the Servers folder and click Server Configuration for the primary server in the cluster.
In the Messaging tab, select Apple Push Configuration, and:
1. Configure Application name with the same name used to configure the product name in Xcode. If the certificate does not automatically appear, browse to the directory.
2. Change the push gateway information to match that used in the production environment.
3. Restart Unwired Server.
Verify that the server environment is set up correctly:
1. Open UnwiredPlatform_InstallDir\UnwiredPlatform\Servers\UnwiredServer\logs\APNSProvider.
2. Open the log file that should now appear in this directory. The log file indicates whether the connection to the push gateway is successful or not.
Deploy the application and the enterprise distribution provisioning profile to your users’ computers.
Verify that the APNS-enabled iOS device is set up correctly:
1. Click Device Users.
2. Review the Device ID column. The application name should appear correctly at the end of the hexadecimal string.
3. Select the Device ID and click Properties.
4. Check that the APNS device token has been passed correctly from the application by verifying that a value is in the row. A device token appears only after the user is registered with the application in Sybase Control Center.
Test the environment by initiating an action that results in a new message being sent to the client.
If you have verified that both device and server can establish a connection to the APNS gateway, the device receives notifications and messages from the Unwired Server. Allow a few minutes for the delivery or notification mechanism to take effect and monitor the pending items in the Device Users data to make sure the value increases appropriately for the applications.
To troubleshoot APNS, use the UnwiredPlatform_InstallDir\\Servers\UnwiredServer\logs\APNSProvider log file.