Adding host file entry with Bigfix server

[sanjay]

Hi,

I need to add host file entry with Bigfix server for all clients. Can you please help me to know how I can do it (apart from GPO)

I am suddenly started facing issue that some of the servers are not reporting to Bigfix and after adding the hostfile, they are working fine. I am checking for DNS side as well, but for safer side, I want hostfile to be updated correctly with Bigfix server entry.

Your quick help is highly appreciated.

[Sean]

Please be sure to search the forums before posting. Try this solution for example: Appending a wildcard IP entry to /etc/hosts on Windows

[jgstew]

Related:

• https://bigfix.me/fixlet/details/23379
• https://www.bigfix.me/analysis/details/2994561
• https://bigfix.me/fixlet/details/23381
• https://www.bigfix.me/analysis/details/2998257
• https://bigfix.me/fixlet/details/23380
• https://www.bigfix.me/fixlet/details/20536
• How do I add a carriage return before a new hosts file entry (if an entry already exists)?
• Appending entry into the HOSTS file

[jgstew]

@sanjay

I want hostfile to be updated correctly with Bigfix server entry.

This is a very bad idea long term.

If the root server IP changes, you won’t be able to fix it through bigfix unless the client can also reach a relay.

I would strongly recommend setting all systems to have a failover relay with a FQDN that you control in public DNS that you can then set to either an A record or CNAME to point to the top level relay or root server as needed.

If you really need a hosts file entry, you could also have all clients have a fake relay FQDN called hostsfile.mycompany.org and you would set an entry in the hosts file to get that relay to resolve to an actual relay or root server.

The real trick is, you can have a client try as many failover relays as you want, and those relays can be fake until you actually define them in the future to point to what you need.