How do I get a trial?

Usage and Config Platform
1

Hi
Im trying to get a trail of BigFix, when I sign up the links provided are broken.
I went and downloaded the full version but it gives me an error, something about the “masthead file is missing on the installation folder” I think because I dont have a license.
Thanks

2

When you install, you would be prompted for “Evaluation” or “Production”, did you select “Evaluation”?

It has been a while since I have done this step, so I might have to actually try it again :slight_smile:

If you could state at which step you see that error, it might help.

Martin

3

I just realized that I had to install the License Generator app, which is bigger.
I dont seem to find tutorials or documentation on BigFix, but this site seems to be very active.
I just installed it, and added a Windows Agent on a Windows 8.1 machine, I see the machine reporting on the console, but Im not sure how to pull the list of patches that machine has and how to configure pushing patches.
Where do I find a quick start guide on how this software works?
Thanks a lot !

4

The quick basics …

  • The Console will tell you which patches are MISSING.
  • The Console will allow you to install the missing patches.
  • Content (Fixlets/Tasks, Analyses, etc) are organized into SITES.
  • The Agent (aka BES Client) is what does all the work. The Server simply acts as a repository.
  • Relays are recommended/required for installations of over a few hundred systems.
    ** Relays prevent the server from being flooded with TCPIP Connection when there are thousands of endpoints.
    ** Relays act as Store/Forward devices for Patch content and Endpoint Properties.
  • The Thick Console only runs on Windows.
  • There is a WebUI that provides some of the basic functions, it’s an ongoing developmental project for IBM.

IBM has posted a number of videos on YouTube. There are several that cover “basic” functions in addition to the ones that cover some of the more advanced functions.

5

Thanks Tim.
I will watch the videos.
I installed the console, but I dont see much, just the agent I installed, and one PC that has the console installed.
Nothing else is shown, I thought I would see already the patches installed and missing from the agent that I installed.
Not sure where to go next.
Maybe I have to give it more time.
Do you happen to know where I could see sample reports? Im a service provider and I wonder what kind of reports I could give to my customers. Specially if they can have some branding.

6

BigFix works off of “Relevance”. In other words, what content (Patches, Software, Settings, etc) are available to install on a computer (what’s RELEVANT at the moment). The Console is not where you would look to see what is “already” installed on a computer. The BigFix Console is not concerned with “the past”, only the Present and the Future.

There are other components of BigFix that give you different access to data. WebReports, IBM BigFix Inventory, the WebUI, Security Configuration Monitoring (SCM), etc. These are all Web Interfaces that have their own database instances and perform regular ETL (Export, Transform, Load) processes to gather data from the central BES Server database.

The Relevance language is the “targeting” or “query” language that the BES Clients use to report their Relevance to a given Fixlet or Task.

Relevance is also used in Analyses to return “Properties” for the Endpoints (these are what you see displayed in the Console when viewing Computers). I don’t know which Analyses are available in a Trial installation of BigFix, but the one that has the “Installed Applications” for Windows is “Applications Information (Windows)” You should login as a Master Operator and make sure that it is Globally enabled. Once that is done, the endpoints will gather the Analysis definition and begin to process the properties within it.

Again, you’re not going to be able to really use that data in the Console, it’s more useful in the WebReports interface.

For practice, and to see what I mean by “not really usable”, once you have activated the Analysis, and your Endpoints have had a chance to chew on it for a bit, do the following (if you can’t find the Analysis, see my “Another Thought” below) …

Under the “All Content” Domain …

  1. Click on “Computers” so that you see your Computers displayed. If I understand your setup correctly, this should be your server and your Console computer.
  2. Right Click on the header above one of the Columns you are currently displaying.
  3. A “Column Picker” dialog box will appear.
  4. Type (without quotes) “Installed Applications”
  5. Put a Check next to the “Installed Applications (Windows)” entry and it will be added to your Console Computer view.

It may initially show as the value. This means that either the endpoints have not reported the values yet, or the server has not ingested them, or your console has not loaded them. Be patient.

Eventually it will change to . Not the most useful thing to see. Hover your cursor over the field and it will display the elements, but you can’t filter or sort by the data here. That’s what I mean by Not Useful in the Console.

Log into WebReports and your can now Filter the list of Computers by using the Installed Applications (Windows) property.

Just a brief note: If you do purchase the BigFix product and install a Production implementation, you want to AVOID doing too much as a “Master Operator”. Have a Non-MO account that you use for as much as you can. It has to do with how the BES Clients schedule their work based on “Sites” within BigFix. The Master Operators put their Actions in the “Master Action” site which is processed at a higher priority than other sites, which can lead to reduced efficiency at the BES Client. Someone from IBM can explain it better than I did.

Another thought: Check under the “BigFix Management” domain, look at the “License Overview”. Scroll down to the “Enabled Sites” list. BigFix content (Fixlets for Patches and software updates, etc) are contained in “Sites” that have to be subscribed to by computers. The computers will then evaluate the content in the sites and return their “Relevance” status for each piece of Content. Make sure that the “Patches for Windows” and “Updates for Windows Applications” sites are enabled and that you have subscribed “All Computers” (In a production implementation, you would want to limit the subscription here to just Windows computers so that other OS’s don’t waste time looking at the content). If those two sites are not currently enabled, find them in the list a little lower down and enable them for “All Computers” for now. Do NOT enable any of the Patches for Windows (language) sites. I believe they are being deprecated.

7

Here are some pointers to get you started with BigFix.

1) Introduction:

Start by first reviewing the following:

2) Download and Install IBM BigFix

Download IBM BigFix from http://support.bigfix.com/bes/release/9.5/patch4/ and select “Download” next to Installation Generator (or from the trial link as you have done)

See the following guide on how to install and setup BigFix - https://darrylmiles.wordpress.com/2013/03/22/installing-ibm-endpoint-manager-9-0-less-than-15-minutes/ The associated video can assist you with the setup too - https://youtu.be/ySyxIqOywC8

3) Understand IBM BigFix

Review some the various BigFix overview videos. http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21616676#platform. See some of the following:
What are Fixlets

  • Subscribing to sites in IBM Endpoint Manager
  • IBM Endpoint Manager 9 - Console Usage Quick Start
  • IBM Endpoint Manager 9 - Patch for Windows Quick Start

Hope this helps.

Darryl
@iamdarrylmiles

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