BigFix Custom Installer Compiler

Customizations
1

(imported topic written by Branden_Wood91)

Many BigFix customers, want to use the clientsettings.cfg ( http://support.bigfix.com/cgi-bin/kbdirect.pl?id=244) as part of the installer, to predefine client settings and relays during installation.

The main reasons are usually to reduce network traffic by providing the clients the intelligence to register with surrounding relays instead of the BigFix server that may be across the country or even the globe. The other reason I see frequently, is to define client settings so that clients will immediately become a member of a predefined group.

The problem is customers may have many groups and locations, therefore they would need to create multiple clientsettings.cfg and attempt to keep track of them, while providing local operators only access to the client installation folder with their custom clientsettings.cfg. This has proven to be quite tedious.

So… I have created a utility that will take all of these items and compile them into a single exe that may then be redistributed to the local operators. The utility has the capability to add a custom clientsettings.cfg, a custom file of any sort to the besclient directory that may be used for identification or any other purpose later, and pass the standard command line options.



To use the utility:

-Provide the location to the BESinstallers\client folder.

-If you have a breadcrumb file enter it on the second line.

-Provide the location of the clientsettings.cfg.

-Provide the location where you would like your newly compiled setup file to go.

-Add a comment to describe the target group.

-And any command line switches you wish to add.

When you click create the utility will compile an exe in your output directory entitled �BESClientsetup_(comment entered in the groupname field).exe



You can now distribute this installer to the target group, and it will install with the clientsettings.cfg. I have also found that you can rename this file setup.exe and place it in the C:\BESInstallers\BESClientDeploy\BigFixInstallSource\ClientInstaller folder and you can then use the BES Client Deploy Tool.

Feedback is appreciated.

Download available here:

http://support.bigfix.com/labs/BigFixInstallerCompiler.zip

*UPDATE 6/2/10

Fixed bug where a breadcrumb file was required in the second field.

Fixed bug where installer was not created on Windows 7 and Server 2008.

2

(imported comment written by mcalvi91)

looks like it would be good. What is meant by the “group name”?

3

(imported comment written by Branden_Wood91)

Group name could be anything. It gets appended to the compiled installer at the end. For instance, if you were creating a compiled installer for your HR group. You would put HR in the group name and the installer would be called. Setup_HR.exe

Thanks

4

(imported comment written by mcalvi91)

ah, was hoping it was assign to a group.

5

(imported comment written by Branden_Wood91)

It would be very easy to add the client to an automatic group through this utility. You could add a client setting as part of the clientsettings.cfg with the computer group criteria, and then create an automatic group with that criteria as the relevance for the group membership. As clients were deployed with this utility they would automatically join their respective groups.

6

(imported comment written by mcalvi91)

I did not see anything in the Configuration Settings (

http://support.bigfix.com/bes/misc/besconfigsettings.html

) on how to add a group. Any place I can look to see an example? The group I want to add has the following relevance.

(version of client >= 
"6.0.0.0") and(

true and exists 

true whose (

if 

true then ((exists value 
"NewImage" of key 
"hklm\system\build" of registry )) 

else 

false))