Register a server with a Relay

Customizations
1

I have the need to use the clientsettings.cfg in order to have clients in a particular azure tenant register themself to the bigfix server but use a relay to do the registration as they can communicate to the relay but cannot to the BigFix server.

I have the clientsettings.cfg file like this:
_RelaySelect_Automatic=0
_RelayServer1=http://relay1.xyz.com:52311/bfmirror/downloads/
_RelayServer2=http://relay2.xyz.com:52311/bfmirror/downloads/
BESClient -register password http://relay1.xyz.com:52311

I'm not 100% sure that I have this right, and I have no idea where I get the password from. Is this my userid password?

Thanks in advanced for your help

2

Hi,

Relay settings require a double underscore: have a look at the BigFix documentation pages: Windows Clients

about the password, it’s required only if you set the Relay as authenticating and it’s the relay password you chose: Authenticating relays

Regards

3

__RelaySelect_Automatic=0
__RelayServer1=http://relay1.company.com:52311/bfmirror/downloads/
__RelayServer2=http://relay2.company.com:52311/bfmirror/downloads/
_BESClient_SecureRegistration=mysecret

4

Yes, the issue is the underscores.

If my memory is correct, Single Underscore properties can be changed using a task or by editing the computer. Double underscore properties are reserved and modified by the server/agent.

Edit

Copilot gave me a stupid answer, but chatgbt gave a good one. Here is the response from chatgbt

Single underscore settings like:

_BESClient_ArchiveManager_OperatingMode
_BESClient_Download_PreCacheStageDiskLimitMB
_BESClient_EMsg_Detail

are generally configurable BigFix settings. These are the ones you would normally set through policy actions, clientsettings.cfg, registry/plist edits, or masthead/client configuration depending on the setting.

Double underscore settings like:
__RelayServer1
__Relay_Control_RootServer
__BESDataServer

are generally client-managed/internal settings. The BigFix client may create, update, or overwrite them automatically. A BigFix forum answer from BigFix community experts sums it up well: regular settings are single underscore, and double-underscore settings are things the client can overwrite periodically on its own. 

So the practical rule is:

_BESClient_...   = administrator/configurable setting
__Something...  = internal/client-maintained setting

Example: this is valid as a configurable Archive Manager setting:

_BESClient_ArchiveManager_OperatingMode=2
but this would be wrong:
__BESClient_ArchiveManager_OperatingMode=2

because adding the second underscore changes it into a different setting name, and the client will not treat it as the documented Archive Manager setting.

One important distinction: BigFix retrieved properties / analysis properties can be named almost anything, including _Name or __Name, but the underscores do not give them special behavior. The single-vs-double underscore convention really matters for client settings, especially the ones under settings of client. BigFix’s inspector docs describe client settings as name/value objects maintained by the client.