1. A user logs in to a collaboration client on a BlackBerry® device.
2. The BlackBerry device compresses and encrypts the user ID and password, and sends them through the BlackBerry Router to the BlackBerry Dispatcher over port 3101.
3. The BlackBerry Dispatcher sends the request to the BlackBerry Collaboration Service over port 3200. If the BlackBerry Collaboration Service is located on a remote computer, the request remains encrypted using a Research In Motion® proprietary protocol.
4. The BlackBerry Collaboration Service checks the BlackBerry Configuration Database to find out if the maximum number of sessions has been reached, and performs one of the following actions:
   • If the maximum number of sessions has been reached and a timeout limit is set, the BlackBerry Collaboration Service logs out any instant messaging sessions on BlackBerry devices that are out of coverage, and any instant messaging sessions that are no longer sending status messages to the BlackBerry Collaboration Service.
   • If no idle sessions exist, the BlackBerry Collaboration Service sends a "Server Busy" status message to the BlackBerry device and rejects the login request.
   • If the maximum number of sessions is not set and the number of sessions equals the total number that the HTTP persistent connection supports, the BlackBerry Collaboration Service sends a "Failed" status message to the BlackBerry device and rejects the login request.

   The BlackBerry Collaboration Service checks the BlackBerry Configuration Database to verify that the user has permission to use the collaboration client, and tries to authenticate the user using Integrated Windows® Authentication. If the authentication is not successful, the BlackBerry Collaboration Service tries a forms-based login process instead. The BlackBerry Collaboration Service sends a login request in XML format to the Microsoft® Office Communicator Web Access server.

   The BlackBerry Collaboration Service opens the connection using HTTPS over port 443. You can also configure the connection to use HTTP, the transport protocol that the AJAX service uses, or a custom port number.

5. The Microsoft Office Communicator Web Access server formats the request using a Microsoft API and sends the request to the Microsoft® Office Live Communications Server over an MTLS connection.
6. The Microsoft Office Live Communications Server accepts the request, processes the login information, and sends the acceptance to the Microsoft Office Communicator Web Access server.
7. The Microsoft Office Communicator Web Access server sends the acceptance to the BlackBerry Collaboration Service.
8. The BlackBerry Collaboration Service sends the acceptance, in encrypted and compressed format, through the BlackBerry Dispatcher to the BlackBerry device, and creates a cache of the connectivity information to maintain the instant messaging session.
9. The collaboration client on the BlackBerry device starts the session using an open GET request over the HTTPS persistent connection.

The BlackBerry Collaboration Service receives events that the server initates from the Microsoft Office Communicator Web Access server using an HTTP GET or HTTPS GET request, and sends the events to the collaboration client over the session. The BlackBerry Collaboration Service sends events that the BlackBerry device initiates to the Microsoft Office Communicator Web Access server using an HTTP POST or HTTPS POST request.