Install sql server on Bigfix inventory

I have google about sql server requirement for using with BFI but it seem that it’s not have the clear one so if anyone can suggested me about these question.

1). What is the version of sql server that can be support with Bigfix inventory (2012, 2014, 2016) ?
2). Do Bigfix server and Bigfix inventory will work normally if they both have a different version of sql server ?

The Wiki page for BFI is here.

  1. BFI supports up to SQL 2014 (but you can install up to 9.2.11 on SQL 2016). They expect support for SQL 2016 later this year (2018).

  2. BFI and BES SQL versions are independent of one another.

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So that’s mean If on BES with sql server 2012 and BFI sql server 2014 there will working normally,isn’t it ?

That is correct. Though you are best to use SQL 2016 for both and keep the BFI database in SQL 2014 compatibility mode until which time BFI 9.5.13 (hopefully) is released.

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Do you have official documentation that SQL 2016 in 2014 Comparability Mode will work with Inventory 9.2.12?

You mean besides the Wiki pages I provided?

Correct. The only mention is the defect below.

Defect - 188918 BigFix Inventory does not block installation with MSSQL 2016 database and later which is not a supported version of the database.

@AlexaVonTess have you tried upgrading to 9.2.12 with a SQL 2016 database in SQL2014 compatibility mode yet? I may want to give that a try but if you already know it doesn’t work it would save me the time. Thanks!

I was waiting for you! :yum:

That was an option I had discussed with our DBA, but I later decided to just wait for the version that support SQL 2016. I’m told they have top men working on it right now.

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IBM has provided more details for this issue:

Thanks @itsmpro92 for the update!

I understand that the 9.2.12 update blocks itself when SQL Server 2016 is detected. Do you know whether the upgrade can run if SQL is configured for a lower compatibilitylevel (SQL 2014 compatibility mode for example)?

I am not using subcapacity licensing so I’m not concerned if the subcapacity reports are incorrect, but I’m very interested in the shared disk enhancements in 9.2.12.

@JasonWalker

I’m not sure if it is blocked, per se. According to the Internal defects fixes list, Defect 188917 is resolved with

Information that MSSQL 2016 database and later is not supported by BigFix Inventory

This corresponds with the warning message in the Fixlet itself, about SQL Server 2016 being unsupported. Also, based on my admittedly cursory examination of the contents of the BFI-server-9.2.12.0-20180620-2309-windows-x86_64.zip file, there don’t appear to be any tests for SQL Server compatibility or version levels.

It would appear from the information provided by Microsoft that this change in datetime2() behavior only applies to compatibility level 130 and above. So keeping your database at SQL Server 2014 compatibility seems like it would work.

I would be concerned about getting into an unsupported configuration if you go down this road. That being said, the following from the Knowledge Center seems like good advice:

Important

It is strongly recommended, especially in big environments, to first perform the upgrade in the test environment. To do this, back up your production database, restore it on the test server, and perform the upgrade there. If it is successful, perform the upgrade on the production server.

Then run the upgrade in interactive mode, rather than from a fixlet.

According to the release notes at https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/wikis/home?lang=en#!/wiki/Tivoli%20Endpoint%20Manager/page/BFI%20update%209.2.12 , there is a fix for issue 188918 described as
"BigFix Inventory does not block installation with MSSQL 2016 database and later which is not a supported version of the database."

If the check is based on Compatibility Level, I’d expect to be ok if I downgrade the databases compatibility level to 2014; I just don’t know whether the check is processed in another way.

I should be finding out this week though :slight_smile:
As always, thanks very much for your insights on this.

@itsmpro92 @AlexaVonTess Well, I finally went and tried it.

Forced the SQL Database Compatibility Level to the SQL 2014 level, applied the BFI 9.2.12 upgrade, services started, looking good…

then I connected to the web interface, was redirected to a message to update the schema, “click here”, and …BAM “Database error: Microsoft SQL 2016 is not compatible with BigFix Inventory. Use a supported version of the SQL Database”

Rolling back the VM snapshot now, and I guess I’m not going to have BFI until 9.2.13. I’m really hoping to not get stuck with ServiceNow Discovery instead.

Anyone have any other ideas to fake a SQL server version report, or a workaround to get BFI 9.2.12 to install on SQL 2016, or any guesses on when we can hope for 9.2.13 ?

@JasonWalker - That’s useful information. It appears that IBM is just being conservative, and avoiding issues with customers that don’t understand compatibility levels.

What’s in the logs on BFI?

I agree with you that this is an urgent requirement. It’s been a few years since SQL Server 2016 was released, so this should not have come as a surprise.

I don’t suppose DB2 is an option for you?

Afraid I don’t have the rest of the BFI logs, I’ve already rolled back my VM snapshot.

I’d hope that since someone went to the effort of coding in a SQL Server version check, there might be some super-secret command line to bypass the check for those of us willing to try out database compatibility level…or better yet, the update itself could downgrade compatibility level since it should have db_owner rights anyway.

Afraid DB2 isn’t much of an option for me, especially if it looks like 9.2.13 may be coming anytime soon.

That’s too bad. Stuck on .12 for the time being, it seems.

Actually stuck on .11 - what’s maddening is that .12 has the enhancement for sharef disks that is important to me.

Thanks for giving it a try and sharing your results! (and reinforcing my decision to hold off) :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

Too bad the “incompatible” message didn’t appear during the initial pre-checks of the installer, huh?

BTW: The 9.2.13 supporting SQL 2016 was just a guess (hope) on my part; don’t hold IBM to that. “Later this year” is all I received from IBM".

Any chance we can get a link to the offline installer for 9.2.11? We are on SQL2016 already and running BFI 9.2.7. The fixlet only pushes 9.2.12. I can’t wait for .13, and would like to move to .11 before Oct when we go into holiday change blackout.