At NIH/NLM we have a couple dozen SA workstations that have the BESConsole installed - Bigfix doesn’t supply an upgrade fixlet for this by default (they do provide an install fixlet, but it targets all computers, not just computers with an older version of the console installed).
I’ve snatched the code from the bes server upgrade fixlet and made a console upgrade fixlet, which I’ve been using since 9.2.x… I just make a minor update every time there is a new release. I’ve just made a version for 9.5.1 which we just upgraded to.
I put it up for download in case anyone else finds this useful (its tested on Windows 7 & Windows 2008, works fine on both):
Out of curiosity does the “IBM BigFix - Updated Platform Server Components Verison #.#.# Now Available!” fixlet meet your requirements?
It should be initially applicable only on your root server but once your root server is upgraded applicability should shift to being only applicable on devices that have an out-of-date versions of the console installed.
The typical use of this when upgrading would be to target this fixlet dynamically against your infrastructure so that it upgrades the server and all consoles in the environment.
In the past this fixlet has never shown as relevant to anything but the bigfix server itself… I’ll do a test when I get a little free time and revert one of my console installs back to 9.5.0 and see if this fixlet then shows up as relevant for that host, and post an update.
Make sure your console systems have been rebooted… I have seen this and in the past have created a “Custom Copy” of the original Updated Platformxxx fixlet and removed the last relevance statement that says “not pending restart” . It then shows up all the other machines with older consoles in stalled. I then either nag the console operators to reboot or wait till they belly ache about the “database version” error and then do the bofh thing and tell then to read their email … can you say “Bwhahaha”
Only problem here is - I hate rebooting systems when there is no real need. And in my experience there is not a legit need to reboot between upgrades of the BESConsole!! But I concur with and appreciate your BOFH sentiments…
Well unfortunately I can blame the “not pending restart” requirement on the Microsoft Runtime that we need to install as if there is a pending restart it can mess up internally sometimes (only the 64 bit version for some reason as well) depending on the state of what you have installed.
We had to add that because of that prerequisite that the server components have.
What is the latest on the console upgrade? I am not finding a relevant fixlet. Is the standard process to require a manual install. That doesn’t seem very good.
For the latest version 9.5.13, you’d use the Fixlet from BES Support:
“4344 IBM BigFix - Updated Platform Server Components version 9.5.13 Now Available!”
Two catches -
Other than the Root Server itself, it won’t be Relevant on any other server/console components until the client detects the root server has been upgraded to 9.5.13. This detection can take some time, potentially hours, before the client detects the registration server has been upgraded. That’s based on this part of (((if (windows of operating system) then ((version of registration server = "9.5.13.130") AND exists regapp "BESConsole.exe" whose (version of it < "9.5.13.130" AND version of it >= "9.2.3")) else false)
I think there is still a ‘not pending restart’ clause as well that has to be satisfied before the fixlet becomes relevant.
Thanks Jason. You are correct on both counts. It takes forever to satisfy the relevance for the registration server, and if the endpoint is pending restart the fixlet will not be relevant.
Last upgrade (9.5.11), I copied the fixlet “4344 IBM BigFix - Updated Platform Server Components version 9.5.11 Now Available!” to my custom area and commented out the relevance for registration server, and no pending restart. Is that what others are doing? Those two relevance statements do not seem to be necessary. The registration server will eventually update, and there does not seem to be a problem installing the console if there is a pending restart.
Pending Restart is the relevance that always trips me up. It happens infrequently enough that I forget to look at that as a reason for the applicability to fail.
I like your idea of customizing the Fixlet to remove the blocking applicability relevance.
