Install BigFix without starting the service on Windows+Mac

How do I install the BigFix client on Windows without having it start up right away? I’m fairly sure there is a way to do this using a command line switch or some similar method, but I don’t know what it is, and I can’t find any documentation on it.

One reason you might want to do this is when installing BigFix post imaging, but before the last automated reboot. The idea is to get BigFix installed, but have things continue and not have BigFix start it’s work until the last reboot in the process.

Another reason is to install BigFix, but then make some custom config changes before starting it up. One example is to drop a Relays.dat file in place before BigFix starts up for the first time.

This is applicable on both Windows and Mac, but not *nix because this is the default behavior on *nix platforms.

CC: @jbt

Related:

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Use the STARTAGENTSERVICE property:

  • 0 prevents the BESClient service from starting after installation
  • 1 starts the BESClient service after installation (default behavior)

e.g.,

msiexec.exe /i BigFixAgent.msi /qn STARTAGENTSERVICE=0

or

setup.exe /s /v"/qn STARTAGENTSERVICE=0"

In our setup process, there is a guaranteed reboot after the BigFix client is installed, so the BigFix service starts at the next system startup. If you are doing this sequentially (e.g., in a batch file), can’t count on a reboot, and/or want to begin processing after your config changes, you could always start the service yourself, e.g.,

net start BESClient

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One obvious way would be to install it without a masthead…

If it doesn’t have a masthead the service exits.

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Thanks, that is exactly what I was looking for.

It occurs to me that I should have just opened the MSI in ORCA and went looking for the property options.

@AlanM So you are saying you could not include a masthead at first, do whatever you need, then plop the masthead into place and things would get going at that point?

Yeah you can do that as the client will not be able to start up if it doesnt have a masthead. The only issue that can happen on some of the UNIX platforms is the client may go into maintenance mode as the service manager can disable a service that it can’t start up.

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