iPad Email – “Cannot get mail. The connection to server has failed.”

The following is a contribution to the knowledge base of my current employer.

 

Issue: 

A user states that when checking email on the iPad, she receives the message: “Cannot get mail.  The connection to server has failed.”

Cause and Prevention: 

This issue is most frequently caused when an iPad’s passcode does not meet Airwatch’s requirements.  Advise users that passcodes must be at least 8 characters long, and cannot have ANY consecutive characters.  This includes numbers that are consecutive backwards.  Examples of bad passcodes: Wilson32, abbafan1, DeltaPhi, July2013.

If a user has recently received a new iPad, or has recently changed passcodes, then passcode complexity is likely the issue.

This issue can also be caused by an incorrect Sanofi Email domain, or other internet connectivity problems.

Resolution:

Ensure that the iPad has a valid internet connection, and that the user’s Sanofi Email Exchange password is correct, per the article [link withheld].  Check the domain below the password field, and if it is “Optional” escalate to 2^nd Tier per the article [link withheld].

To check for and fix an unsecure password, do the following:

• Log into the Airwatch Console.
• Click on Menu, and select Email Management.
• Enter the user’s NM number or GZ ID in the search bar.
• The user’s device should appear.  If its Status is “Blocked” and Reason is “D” click on the device’s name.
• Verify that at least one of the listed passcode requirements is unchecked.  If so, click on Clear Passcode at the top of the window.
• The user should receive a prompt to change the passcode.  Remind the user of Airwatch’s requirements.
• Perform another search in Email Management to verify the passcode is now valid.  Repeat the process if necessary.
• Verify that the user no longer receives “Cannot get mail.  The connection to server has failed” when checking email.

iPad Calendar – Missing Events

The following is a contribution to the knowledge base of my current employer.

 

Issue:

A user states that she is missing events on her iPad’s calendar, or that her coworkers are not receiving invitations sent from her iPad

Resolution:

The iPad uses a user’s Sanofi email account in order to send/receive calendar events.

To verify that the user’s Activesync email exchange is functioning properly:

• Ensure that the user has an internet connection, and is not in airplane mode.
• From the Home screen, tap Settings.
• Tap Mail, Contacts, Calendars.
• Tap Sanofi Email.
• Tap Account or the user’s email address.
• Enter the user’s Windows password into the password field.
• Ensure that the password verifies.  The user should see a series of checkmarks.

The iPad’s Calendar app can view events from multiple calendars.  The user may not have the appropriate calendar selected.  The only calendar that links with the user’s Outlook account is titled “Sanofi Email.”

In order to verify that the correct calendar is showing:

• Open the iPad’s Calendar app.
• Tap the word “Calendars” at the bottom of the screen.
• Ensure that the calendar under the Sanofi Email heading has a checkmark.
• Have the user note the color of the dot associated with the Sanofi Email calendar.  This will allow her to make sure that events are saved to the correct calendar.

When the user creates events, she should be selecting Sanofi Email in the Calendar section of the Add Event screen.  Have the user verify that color of the dot in Add Event matches the Sanofi Email dot in “Calendars.”

If events were created to calendars other than Sanofi Email (such as iCloud), the source can be changed by tapping on the event, tapping Calendar, and selecting Sanofi Email.

Cisco Anyconnect – “Limited or no connectivity” and quickly changing networks

The following is a contribution to the knowledge base of my current employer.

 

Issue:

A user states that after attempting to connect to a wireless network, his connection status is initially “Associating…” and changes to “Limited or no connectivity.”

OR

A user states that her laptop is quickly switching between available wireless networks, but cannot establish an actual connection.

Cause and Prevention:

This issue frequently occurs when users select wireless networks with the basic Windows connection tool instead of Cisco Anyconnect.  Advise users that they should ALWAYS use Cisco Anyconnect to select wireless networks.

Resolution:

Ensure that the user entered the proper wireless security key, and that other devices (iPads or personal computers) can connect to the network.  If the network is valid, do the following:

• In the system tray, right click on the flag icon (“Solve PC issues”) and select “Troubleshoot a problem.”
• Click “Network and Internet.”
• Click “Network Adapter” and select next on the prompt that follows.
• Select “Wireless Network Connection” and click next.  Windows should begin automatic troubleshooting.
• Click close to end troubleshooting and verify that Cisco Anyconnect can connect to a network.

If the issue is not resolved after this, schedule a session with a remote tech to have NIC drivers reinstalled.

Market Research Excerpt

The following is an excerpt from a research assignment on the state of live music as it applied to The National Theater, in Richmond, Virginia.

 

The live music business is healthy.  According to the Chicago Tribune revenues for live venues are up 7.8 percent, despite ticket sales dropping a slight 3 percent.  This is attributable to rising ticket prices; they’ve doubled in the last ten years (currently averaging $67 per ticket).  Considering the current economic climate, the fact that revenues are up is a good sign for the future.

According to Scott Gelman, VP of Live Nation (which is a corporate spinoff of radio giant Clear Channel), the US’s largest concert promoter, “We’re an escape for people in tough economic times.”

Live Nation promotes mostly large scale musicians — arena fillers like Madonna, Phish, Bruce Springsteen, and The Eagles, many of whom can charge upwards of $250 per ticket.  If an item with that kind of price tag is selling well in a depression, it says a lot about how much our audience values their favorite musicians.

It’s a qualified success, however.  According to Billboard, the concert industry really took a hit in 2007, when overall concert attendance dropped about twenty percent.  This caused a drop in the absolute show count.  This year overall attendance is still down 2.1 percent, but on a show by show basis attendance is up 6.3 percent, and box office sales up 18%.  In plain English: there are less shows on the whole, but each show is making more money.

Recently Neil Young sold only half of his tickets at the Allstate Arena, though Gelman blames this on it being a chair-free, general admission show.  People in their 50’s don’t want to stand through a four hour concert.  This leads me to The National, which courts a similar demographic as artists like Neil Young, but with a much smaller venue, much smaller bands, and about 300 first-come-first-serve general admission seats (out of a full capacity of 1500).

The National is only about a year old, opening roughly 6 months after the similarly sized and now defunct Toad’s Place.  Before Toad’s there was no venue in Richmond to accommodate a mid-level, 1500 person concert. The Richmond Colliseum, which caters to big acts like Springsteen, is frequently skipped on national tours due to the venues poor condition.  You also had much smaller venues like Alley Katz, The Canal Club, and the constantly changing Twisters/929/Nanci Raygun (currently Bagel Czar).  These venues hold smaller acts than the National, usually low level national tours or local bands, and often have a lot of niche acts for a younger crowd (i.e. a lot hardcore).

With The National, Richmond finally has a much needed middle ground.  It opens the city up to critically well regarded bands that aren’t popular enough to be on Clearchannel radio, but are too big to play for only 300 people.

Now that Toad’s is gone, The National has no immediate competition as far as venues go.  The related Innsbrook is closest, but it’s significantly larger, outdoors, and has a distinct musical identity, where The National draws from a larger range of artists.  That’s not to say that there isn’t plenty of other competition for Richmonders’ time and money.