Self Service Application

Usage and Config SWD
1

Is anyone using the new SSA (Self Service Application) for SWD (Software Distribution) yet? We’re looking into migrating SWD from SCCM to BigFix and would like to leverage this new feature, but are a little disappointed with some of the limitations:

  • Limitations in the WebUI interface to create and deploy SWD packages prevent us from being able to use it:
    • Only allows single files to be uploaded (no directories)
    • No option for adding applicability criteria for the package (must be done manually in the console after creation)
    • When deploying software as an offer:
      • It prompts you to give an html description instead of using the one supplied during package creation
      • If you do NOT check the box for “ONLY to Software Distribution Client dashboard,” you can customize the action title (which is good), but you lose the version and size fields
      • And, conversely, if you DO check the box for “ONLY to Software Distribution Client dashboard,” you maintain the version and size fields, but it auto-generates the action name (which is how the app appears in SSA) for you
  • Limitations in the Manage Software Distribution dashboard gives users less control over application appearance in SSA
    • When deploying an AMG (Application Management Group), the user cannot specify the name of the action that gets generated. Since SSA displays the action name as the application name, this leads to all the applications having names like:
      • SWD AMG:22928: SWD - Install - TextPad v7.5.1
      • SWD AMG:22917: SWD - Install - Node.js v4.4.5 x64

With these current limitations, we will use the “Manage Software Distribution” dashboard to create our packages, but will be forced to deploy these packages “manually” in the console as offers. Although this isn’t a very big deal for us to do, it kinda defeats the purpose of having that functionality in the dashboard and the WebUI.

Are there plans to incorporate these types of things in either the dashboard or WebUI in the future?

4 Likes
2

Hi @josh.pena,

It is not necessary to deploy the package from WebUI .
You can deploy the package using standard method through Console(can upload folder as well) and also you can add applicability criteria to the package.

Once you have pushed > Deploy IBM BigFix Self Service Application (Windows).

Then after clicking Take Action button of package you want to deploy, select Offer tab as shown in the screenshot.

image.png812×685 19.4 KB

I guess, this will reduce some of your limitations. :slight_smile:

3

Thank you for your reply, but that is of course the method I had already concluded we must use for now (see the last paragraph of my post). My concern is that having to use this method defeats the purpose of having the functionality in the other locations (WebUI and Manage Software Distribution dashboard). Does anyone else agree?

4

Hmm…In my deployment, I can still see the version and size even though I didn’t check the “ONLY to Software Distribution Client dashboard”. I wonder if there’s something else going on. Are you deploying it from the Software page or from the Device page’s Software tab?

5

I’m deploying it from the Software page.

6

Not sure then. I don’t experience the same issue as you. You can try turning on the debug level logging in the SSA to see if it revealed why the version and size didn’t load (link to documentation)

7

Thank you zevanty, I can look into that, but even if that one thing works, the other limitations I described still exist and still prevent us from using the WebUI as our SWD tool anyway. I’m surprised no one else is aware of these limitations – are there just not that many people using BigFix for this yet?

8

There are currently 3 enhancement requests (RFE) filed for the Software Distribution SSP component functionality:

IBM Endpoin Manager Self Servie Portal Action Log:
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rfe/execute?use_case=viewRfe&CR_ID=74484

Filter Option on BIGFIX SSP:
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rfe/execute?use_case=viewRfe&CR_ID=83287

Unable to filter available software on Self Service Portal:
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rfe/execute?use_case=viewRfe&CR_ID=78598

In what you are pointing out you may want to file an additional RFE(s).

See this article for instructions on how to do this:
http://www-01.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg21626077

And then get others to upvote the RFE request for prioritization with the BigFix product management team.

9

@BigFixNinja Thanks for the links, but the issue is with SSA, not SSP, but it’s good to have instructions on how to file RFEs.

@josh.pena I have heard of complaints of WebUI SWD limitations, but ultimately it’s up to the BigFix product management to decide on when those limitations will be addressed. For now, WebUI SWD is really meant for very simple package creation and management.

10

Josh,

Good post. It addresses a lot of the issues I have with SSA, but I would like to add one:

Once the package gets accepted by a user in SSA it disappears from the SSA catalog (after you close and reopen the SSA). Even a re-deployment of the same package to the target will not make it show up in the SSA. In fact, even uninstalling the package won’t make it show up again. The only thing I’ve found that makes it show up again is deleting the __BESData directory.

I just need to figure out where that “flag” is set in the __BESData folder and run a policy action to wipe it everytime something is deployed so it can be available again.

Any ideas anyone before I go down the rabbit hole?

11

Interesting – that’s not the same results I had with my testing. As part of our process I have us creating Uninstall tasks for each app as well, and we always deploy both the install and the uninstall (open-ended) which populates the software catalog for our end users. At first, only the Install task is visible in SSA, but as soon as the user runs the Install successfully, the Uninstall task is immediately displayed to them. Then, after successfully running the Uninstall, the Install becomes immediately displayed again. Not sure what method you’re using, but maybe try that?

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