Custom Attributes in SQL Database

Customizations
1

I’d like to add a couple additional attributes to some groups I’ve created. For example, I have a group called “Friday 8PM” - this indicates that we will push patches the Friday after patch Tuesday at 8PM.

To schedule the patches, we use the API against a separate database that we update monthly, pulling from the BigFix database. Currently we can only pull the name of the group, then I have to go in manually and fill out some fields to indicate Friday and 8PM. If I had extra fields/attributes in the BF database that I could pull, my life would be much easier.

Can this be done, say, with an analysis?

2

Will adding custom properties to the devices work for you?

Then you can just pull those custom properties.

3

Possibly… i don’t know that I have permissions to do so but if that is what’s needed, then I can get those permissions I am sure.

4

If your an NMO, you will have to find out if you have access to create custom properties. You can also accomplish the same result by creating an analysis. Each Analysis property can be used for identifying machines.

First, and this is critical. You want to make your properties as a client settings if you want cross platform availability (value of setting “Patch_Day” of client).

You can create a custom property that reads a Windows Registry key but if you make it a client setting, you can use the same property on other, non windows systems.

You can use two values to identify a system, Patch_Day and Patch_Times

If you use “manage properties” in the console, you can create the property there…

NAME: Patch_Day

if exist values of settings "Patch_Day" of client then value of setting "Patch_Day" of client else "Not Set"

Then the Time

Name: Patch_Time

if exist values of settings "Patch_Time" of client then value of setting "Patch_Time" of client else "Not Set""

Then create a task to set these values…

Name: Set Patch Day and Time

// Set Patch Day and Patch Time, prompted to enter these values
action parameter query "PatchDay" with description "Please enter the Patch day you would like to assign these systems (Monday, Tuesday...):" With default ""
action parameter query "PatchTime" with description "Please enter the Patch Time you would like to assign these systems (8:00 PM):" With default ""
setting "Patch_Day"="{parameter "PatchDay" of action}" on "{parameter "action issue date" of action}" for client
setting "Patch_Time"="{parameter "PatchTime" of action}" on "{parameter "action issue date" of action}" for client.

You can still pull this data from the registry on windows systems if you want, They are here…

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\BigFix\EnterpriseClient\Settings\Client\Patch_Day

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\BigFix\EnterpriseClient\Settings\Client\Patch_Time

I am not able to provide the API, hopefully someone else can do so. I do not use API.

1 Like
5

Cool thanks! I will have a deeper look into this and give it a go. Looks like it might do just what I need!