Troubleshooting guide

267
18: Packaging and distributing applications
Distributing applications over the wireless network
Distribute applications
Method Description
User-initiated wireless pull Developers can post their compiled applications to a public or private web site, and BlackBerry® device users
can download the application over the wireless network by pointing the web browser on their BlackBerry
devices to this URL. When a BlackBerry device user visits the URL, the web browser prompts the BlackBerry
device user to install the application. If the BlackBerry device user accepts, the application downloads over the
wireless connection and installs immediately.
Server-initiated wireless
push
In an enterprise environment, the BlackBerry Enterprise Server administrator can push applications out to
BlackBerry device users over the wireless network and enforce that the application installs. The administrator
simply creates a new policy and indicates that the application is required. Once the policy is set on the
BlackBerry Enterprise Server, the application is sent to the BlackBerry device users without the need for any
actions on the part of the BlackBerry device users.
Task Steps
Deploy .jar files. This task requires that a BlackBerry® device user download a .jar file to a BlackBerry device that
connects to a BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
> Make .jar files available for download. When BlackBerry device users use the BlackBerry
Browser to download a .jar file, the BlackBerry MDS™ Data Optimization Service feature of the
BlackBerry Enterprise Server converts the .jar file to a .cod file.
Deploy .cod files. 1. Set the required MIME type on the web server.
• For .cod files, set the MIME type to application/vnd.rim.cod.
• For .jad files, set the MIME type to text/vnd.sun.j2me.app-descriptor.
• For .jar files, set the MIME type to application/java-archive.
2. Place the .cod and .jad files on the web server for the BlackBerry device users to download. By
making .cod files available, you can make available applications to BlackBerry device users
who do not access the network using a BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
Set .cod file dependencies. If any of the required modules are not present, the BlackBerry Browser prevents the wireless
installation of the application and lists the missing modules for the BlackBerry device user.
> In the application descriptor (.jad) file, use the RIM-COD-Module-Dependencies attribute to
specify modules that the application requires but that the application does not provide.
For example, an application that requires the RIM XML library might use the following in the
application descriptor:
RIM-COD-Module-Dependencies: net_rim_cldc, net_rim_xml
Determine if a .cod file contains sibling
.cod files.
The following information is required only if BlackBerry device users access applications using the
BlackBerry Internet Service or a WAP gateway.
> Extract the contents of the .cod file. Any .cod files within the original .cod file are the sibling
files.
Deploy a .cod file with sibling .cod files to
a BlackBerry device that is not connected
to a BlackBerry Enterprise Server.
> Modify the application .jad file so that the file lists each sibling file individually.