How BigFix generates Pkgvariablekey & ReferenceID in meta_data.txt?

Usage and Config SWD
1

Hi
I need to know how BigFix generates these 2 numbers which I marked below. Both are inside meta_data.txt (this file is created when BigFix exports package )

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2

The first one looks like unix epoch time (in microseconds).

My guess for the reference ID would be that it’s some form of sequential number that identifies the file in the download (Subsequent uploads appear to have sequential ReferenceIDs).

1 Like
3

You’re correct. To provide more information:

The first one is the epoch time of when the package was created.

The second one is the file reference for when you uploaded a file to BigFix. This reference is provided automatically by BigFix starting in 9.2.6. It’s just BigFix’s way of internally tracking file uploads. See https://developer.bigfix.com/rest-api/api/upload.html for examples for the file reference

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4

Thanks, it was very helpfull.

But I have problem with ReferenceID. What will happen when I create package as .zip and import it to BigFix using import option in Manage Software Distribution section ( I will confer ReferenceID’s to files in this package ),and in future BigFix has duplicate these ReferenceID’s? It is possible? Or maybe BigFix has list of all ReferenceID’s or something similar, and when it will generate new ID, exclude ID’s from this list?

5

To answer to my above question, BigFix confer first available Reference ID, even if we give it some number.