Introduction to BlackBerry Push APIPratik Sapra,

Mobile Application Development Specialist

Introduction To BlackBerry Push API

• Overview

• Architecture

• Security

• Requesting Access

Overview – BlackBerry Push API

• Provides a transport infrastructure for Server to Device pushed data

• Primary focus on consumer applications– Alerts– Replace polling to improve performance & reduce costs– Poke-Pull model– Event driven systems– Near real-time notifications

Can be used for enterprise deployments– Cross company applications – Enterprises without a BlackBerry Enterprise Server

Overview – Benefits

• Provides information immediately

• Optimizes network efficiency

• Preserves the battery life

• Reduces complexity for developers

• Improves developer margins

Architecture

• Pushes are initiated on the Server– Server side application is required– Server to Server interface for the Push Initiator– BlackBerry Infrastructure is the middleware

• Sends data to a specified port on the Device– Client side Java application required to receive the push

• Uses PAP 2.2 Standard push protocols– OMA-WAP-TS-PAP-V2_2-20071002-C

• Requests are HTTP XML requests• Supported requests:

– Submit Push– Cancel Push– Query for Status

• Response:– Result notification

Architecture – Components

Three major components:

• The server-side push service

• A client-side application

• BlackBerry Infrastructure

Architecture – Push Request Workflow

Mobile Client

Push Request

Response

BlackBerry Infrastructure

1

2

Result Notification

Response

3

45

6

Push

Acknowledgement

Push Initiator

1. Server sends PAP Push which contains a list of specified devices

2. BlackBerry Infrastructure sends response to Server and queues request

3. BlackBerry Infrastructure pushes data to specified devices

4. Each device sends ACK to BlackBerry Infrastructure

5. BlackBerry Infrastructure sends notification to Server

6. Server sends Read notification to BlackBerry Infrastructure

Security

• BlackBerry Infrastructure Authentication– Push Initiator is authenticated to the BlackBerry Infrastructure– Push Initiator can only push to its mobile application

• 1:1 relationship between Push Initiator and mobile application

– Push Initiator can only push to devices registered for their application

– Each push request is authenticated to BlackBerry Infrastructure– Unique listening port for each application

• BlackBerry Infrastructure does not encrypt data– Expects that payload data will already be encrypted by Push

Initiator

• Content Provider Authentication– Mobile application should be authenticated to the Push Initiator

Requesting Access

• Register at www.blackberry.com/pushapi • Sample code provided on registration approval• Content Provider tests the push service

– Given access to the evaluation infrastructure• Research In Motion validates the Content

Provider’s client and server-side applications – Ensuring development guidelines are met

• Service is moved into production – Once all requirements are met

• Only available to ISV Alliance Partners– To become an ISV Alliance partner visit

www.blackberry.com/allianceapplication • Contact for service costs