The Erase Data and Disable Handheld command can be sent to a BlackBerry® smartphone over the wireless network to erase all data and disable it so that it is no longer connected to the BlackBerry® Enterprise Server. Always verify whether the command is successfully sent and received.

The smartphone must be turned on and in a wireless coverage area sufficient enough to receive the command. If the smartphone is turned off or is out of a wireless coverage area, the command is queued on the BlackBerry Enterprise Server until the smartphone is turned on or returns to a wireless coverage area.

Note: If a user is removed from the BlackBerry Enterprise Server before the command has reached the smartphone, data will not be erased from the smartphone.

Use the Erase Data and Disable Handheld command

To send the Erase Data and Disable Handheld command, complete the following steps:

BlackBerry Enterprise Server 4.0 to 4.1 SP7

1. Open BlackBerry Manager.
2. Click the User List tab.
3. In the IT Admin section, click Erase Data and Disable Handheld.
4. Click Yes to erase data.

Note: If using BlackBerry® Enterprise Server 4.0 SP5 or earlier for Microsoft® Exchange, use the Kill Handheld command to erase the data on a BlackBerry smartphone and disable it. For more information, see the BlackBerry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange version 4.0 Administration Guide.

To verify that the command was successfully sent, the BlackBerry Policy Service logging level must be set to 4. For instructions on configuring logging levels, see the Additional Information section in this article.

To verify that the Erase Data and Disable Handheld command has been sent and received, review the BlackBerry Policy Service log file. By default, the BlackBerry Policy Service log file is located in C:\Program Files\Research In Motion\BlackBerry Enterprise Server\Logs\<date>.

The BlackBerry Policy Service (POLC) log file displays lines that are similar to the following:

[40000] (10/03 13:00:52):{0x974}{<user_name>@<domain>,PIN=XXXXXXXX, UserID=1}SCS::PollDBQueueNewRequests - Queuing KILL_DEVICE_REQUEST request

The previous line indicates when the command was first sent and that the command is being queued for the BlackBerry smartphone.

[40000] (10/03 13:01:15):{0x960} {<user_name>@<domain>, PIN=XXXXXXXX, UserId=1}RequestHandler::HandleITADMINDataCommand -ITPolicy Receive Ack for the command KILL_HANDHELD_COMMAND - Processing packet, Tag=23980295

The previous line indicates when the BlackBerry smartphone received the command and that it sent a confirmation of the receipt.

Note 1:

To search using a string in the log file, search for ITPolicy Received Ack for the command KILL_HANDHELD_COMMAND. Once the string is located, one can verify the user associated with the command. Search for this string when the smartphone does not meet the requirements to receive the command when it is first sent.

Note 2

This does not remove the IT policy from the smartphone.

To remove all association of the smartphone with the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, see KB14202.

• BlackBerry Enterprise Server 4.0 to 5.0 SP3

To configure the logging level for the BlackBerry Policy Service log, complete the following steps:

1. In the BlackBerry Server Configuration tool, click the Logging tab.
2. Select BlackBerry Policy Service and set the Debug Log Level to 4.
3. Click Apply and then click OK.

See KB04433 for information on event log levels.

Consider the following items when the Erase Data and Disable Handheld command is executed:

1. If the smartphone is turned off when the Erase Data and Disable Handheld command is sent, the command is executed as soon as the smartphone connects to the wireless service provider's network. The command is queued on the BlackBerry® Infrastructure for 7 days.
2. If a user account is activated with a new BlackBerry smartphone and the user account was not removed from the BlackBerry Enterprise Server, the Erase Data and Disable Handheld command is executed.
3. The Erase Data and Disable Handheld command can be canceled by selecting the Cancel Pending Disable Handheld option.
4. The Erase Data and Disable Handheld command can still be sent to a smartphone that has a Microsoft® Active Directory® account disabled, or when a user has had their mailbox deleted from the mail store, as long as the user was not removed from the BlackBerry Enterprise Server.