BigFix 9.5 Patch 10 is now available

[bpastore]

The BigFix team is pleased to announce the release of version 9.5 Patch 10 (9.5.10.79) of the BigFix Platform.

The main features included in this release are:

• Client Deploy Tool (CDT) Key file option and custom installation path
  When installing the BigFix clients from the Client Deploy Tool (CDT) Wizard, you can access the target computers through the SSH key authentication. You can also specify for the Windows target computers a custom installation path, if you do not want to use the default installation path.

• TLS-encrypted SMTP connection for Web Reports
  When setting up an email address from Web Reports, you can upgrade the SMTP connection to TLS.

• Windows authentication leveraged in command line utilities
  You can now use your Windows credentials to authenticate to BigFix utilities such as the PropagateFiles.exe tool and the IEM CLI.

• Windows performance, efficiency, and maintenance improvements

  • The FillDB configuration has been modified to permit more efficient database bulk insert and update operations. Given FillDB is responsible for pushing client reports into the database, this results in a more responsive and more efficient BigFix.
  • The Microsoft SQL Server configuration has been updated to provide improved concurrency and scalability options for BigFix.
  • The BigFix provided Microsoft SQL Server index management scripts have been rewritten to ensure indexes are better managed, with improved fault tolerance while consuming fewer system resources and reducing application impact. This has a positive impact on the long term performance, scalability, and stability of BigFix.

• Other Enhancements

  • Added full support for IBM BigFix Agent on MacOS 10.14.
    Note that, on MacOS Mojave version 10.14 or later, some default security settings restrict access to certain folders in the user’s library which in turn might affect custom content.
  • Added support for IBM BigFix Agent on SUSE Linux Enterprise 11 PPC on Power 9 (P8 compatibility mode) and SUSE Linux Enterprise 12 PPC on Power 9 (P9 mode).
  • APAR and defect fixes.
  • Security enhancements.

See further details in the 9.5.10 Release Notes at: https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/wikis/home?lang=en#!/wiki/90553c0b-42eb-4df0-9556-d3c2e0ac4c52/page/IBM%20BigFix%209.5.10%20Release%20Notes

See the full technical changelist at: https://support.bigfix.com/bes/changes/fullchangelist-95.txt

Pre-Upgrade Considerations:

• All BigFix Platform components are being released in this patch.
• Ensure to STOP the WebUI and any other active application connecting to the BigFix database BEFORE starting the upgrade
• A manual Server upgrade is required if you upgrade from a version earlier than 9.5.5. Refer to the 9.5.5 release notes for more information
• A Pre-Upgrade check Fixlet is available. The Fixlet performs a set of checks to verify if the IBM BigFix Server can be successfully upgraded to 9.5.10. A log file is created in the IBM BigFix Server directory containing details about the executed steps.

Useful links:

IBM BigFix downloads and release information: http://support.bigfix.com/bes/release/9.5/patch10

Upgrade documentation in IBM Knowledge Center

• BigFix Server on Linux: https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSQL82_9.5.0/com.ibm.bigfix.doc/Platform/Installation/c_upgrading1_linux.html
• BigFix Server on Windows: https://www.ibm.com/support/knowledgecenter/SSQL82_9.5.0/com.ibm.bigfix.doc/Platform/Installation/c_upgrading1.html

[flecciso]

[fangludi]

Does it support Windows 10 1803 and 1809?

[bpastore]

Yes, it supports Windows 10 1803. Regarding Windows 10 1809, we are running the final tests and we will provide an official support statement as soon as the tests complete.

[cjwolford]

I assume it’s the same story with Server 2019 (1809)?

[nicksberger]

Any update for Windows 10 1809 ?

[bpastore]

For Windows 10 1809, we completed the verification test on the first version Microsoft released and the BigFix client 9.5 Patch 10 runs fine.

Anyhow, before announcing officially that windows 10 1809 is supported, we are waiting for Microsoft to release the new build of the OS, that fixes the upgrade issues. We do not expect substantial changes, but we prefer to re-run some testing before declaring the official support.

Regards,
Bernardo

[masingh]

Hi, Is BigFix client 9.5.10.79 & 9.5.5.193 supporting to the BigFix server version 9.2.8.74?

[bpastore]

When running on the latest versions of Windows 10, only the 9.5.x agents are certified (the value of “x” depends on the specific version of Windows 10). In such a scenario (so 9.5.x agent running on windows 10) we officially support 9.5 clients connecting to server/relay at version 9.2.12 or above.