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Server Automation
Server Automation provides powerful automation. You can use it to sequence automation actions in steps across multiple endpoints.
Server Automation content
Server Automation provides content that you can use to automate processes and software deployment.
Patching Microsoft Windows® clusters
You can use Server Automation to automate patching of Microsoft Windows® clusters. Server Automation contains preconfigured Fixlets that allow you to patch Microsoft Windows clusters.
Patching Windows® clusters
You can patch Windows® clusters using Server Automation Fixlets. To automate the workflow, you combine the Fixlets in an Automation Plan. The Automation Plan that automates the workflow includes a Fixlet to pause the node that you are patching. Another Fixlet moves any groups on the node to another node. The Fixlets to patch the operating system are run next. The last Fixlet in the workflow resumes the node. The Fixlets to pause and resume the nodes are operating system-specific and the supported operating systems are described in the Fixlet descriptions.

Server Automation
Server Automation provides powerful automation. You can use it to sequence automation actions in steps across multiple endpoints.
- Overview
  BigFix Lifecycle Server Automation provides you with the capability to automate provisioning workflows. You can automate a sequence of Fixlets, Tasks, and Baselines across different endpoints, such as servers or computers. Server Automation exploits the agility and scalability of BigFix to deliver powerful functionality in a lean and efficient manner, with minimal impact on your network.
- Automation
  BigFix Lifecycle Server Automation provides you with technology to sequence actions, such as the deployment of Fixlets, across multiple endpoints. To sequence automation, you create an Automation Plan. Your Automation Plan contains all of the actions for your end-to-end automation sequence.
- Virtualization
  Virtualization is a software technology that allows multiple operating systems to run on the same host computer at the same time. Additional uses of virtualization include the quick creation of new systems for testing, training, and demonstration. Using virtualized computers saves the cost of hardware, management, and administration of the server infrastructure.
- Configuring your system
  This section describes how the BigFix architecture is relevant for Server Automation. It also describes how Server Automation can affect BigFix performance.
- Sample Automation Plans
  Server Automation is shipped with a number of sample Automation Plans that you can run out of the box. To run these Automation Plans out of the box, ensure that the Fixlets contained in them are available. Typically, you would substitute some of the Fixlets contained in these samples with particular Fixlets that you want to run. Use the information in each of the following sections to find out more about each of the sample plans.
- Server Automation content
  Server Automation provides content that you can use to automate processes and software deployment.
  - Advanced patching
    You can use Server Automation to complaete several advanced patching scenarios, for example to automate patching of virtual machine templates.
  - Patching Microsoft Windows® clusters
    You can use Server Automation to automate patching of Microsoft Windows® clusters. Server Automation contains preconfigured Fixlets that allow you to patch Microsoft Windows clusters.
    - Patching Windows® clusters
      You can patch Windows® clusters using Server Automation Fixlets. To automate the workflow, you combine the Fixlets in an Automation Plan. The Automation Plan that automates the workflow includes a Fixlet to pause the node that you are patching. Another Fixlet moves any groups on the node to another node. The Fixlets to patch the operating system are run next. The last Fixlet in the workflow resumes the node. The Fixlets to pause and resume the nodes are operating system-specific and the supported operating systems are described in the Fixlet descriptions.
      - Patching Windows® 2003 and 2008 clusters
        Read this topic to learn how to patch Windows 2003 and 2008 clusters.
      - Patching Windows® 2008 R2 and later clusters
        To patch clusters with Windows® 2008 Release 2 and later operating systems, there are two enhanced patching Tasks available. Using these Tasks in an Automation Plan to automate the workflow reduces the number of group moves through the patching cycle, while maintaining the clustered applications availability for the maximum possible time during patching. The cluster groups remain on the nodes they were on before the patching for the maximum possible time and each node is returned to its original state after it is patched, rather than at the end of the entire cluster patching process.
    - Patching Exchange 2007 clusters
      You can use Server Automation Fixlets to patch a Windows® Cluster that is running Microsoft Exchange 2007 on Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008. As per industry standard, patch the passive node first. This avoids moving the Mailbox server twice in a patching scenario. You add the Server Automation Fixlets into a plan to automate the patching process. You can use Fixlet 121 Move Exchange 2007 Mailbox Server from Node to identify the active node as this Fixlet will only be relevant on the node running the Mailbox server.
    - Patching Exchange 2010 and later clusters
      You can use Server Automation Tasks to patch an operating system running Microsoft Exchange 2010 and Exchange 2013 (Exchange 2013 SP1 and later versions) Data availability groups (DAG), while maintaining the DAG availability. You patch the operating system using a number of Tasks and a service. The Tasks automate the execution of Microsoft Exchange scripts provided with Exchange 2010 and Exchange 2013. You run these Tasks in an Automation Plan and you can combine them with custom Tasks for patching the underlying operating system to fully automate the patching process.
    - Automating patching of operating system servers in a Microsoft Hyper-V cluster
      You can use Server Automation to automate patching of operating system servers in a Microsoft Hyper-V cluster, without affecting the data availability groups operations. Server Automation enables you to automate the patching process using a number of Tasks which manage the cluster as it is being patched. The Tasks prepare nodes for patching by pausing them and moving all virtual machines, groups, and resources off the nodes. The required patches are then applied to the operating system as part of the automation flow. After the operating system is patched, the automation flow restores the nodes to their original pre-patching state.
    - Automating middleware patching of Microsoft® SQL Server 2008 Release 2 in Windows clusters
      You can use Server Automation Tasks to automate patching of a SQL Server 2008 Release 2 cluster, with minimal impact on the cluster availability. Unlike some of the other Server Automation cluster patching solutions, this solution patches Microsoft® SQL Server and not the underlying Microsoft Windows® operating system.
    - Automating patching of Microsoft® SQL Server 2012 and later in Windows clusters
      You can use Server Automation Tasks in an Automation Plan to automate patching of SQL Server 2012 and later in a Microsoft® Windows® cluster, with minimal impact on cluster availability. The automated patching is done in phases, one phase per node, and at least one node remains operational at all times during the patching. Note that this cluster patching solution patches SQL Server and not the underlying Microsoft Windows operating system.
    - Cluster patching terms and concepts
      The following table describes some key cluster patching terminology and concepts.
  - Server Automation middleware content
    You can use the BigFix Lifecycle Server Automation middleware Tasks to automate the deployment of middleware applications. You can include these Tasks as steps in your Automation Plans.
  - OSD content
    BigFix Lifecycle Server Automation provides a number of Fixlets that allow you to deploy operating systems from within BigFix. These Fixlets connect to the BigFix Bare Metal Server server, which carries out the actual provisioning. You can include these Fixlets in your Automation Plans.
  - Server Automation Chef-Solo content
    You can use BigFix Lifecycle Server Automation Chef-Solo Tasks to automate the installation of Chef-Solo and download and run Chef-Solo cookbooks and recipes. The Chef-Solo installation and Chef-Solo cookbooks are downloaded from the Opscode Community web site.
  - Server Automation Remote Connector
    BigFix Remote Connector module replaces the existing RXA module. When the Remote Connector is installed on a machine, the machine can act as an intermediary to execute BigFix functionality such as executing commands on or transferring files to a remote target machine, even if BigFix agent is not installed in that target machine. For example, Linux embedded targets. You can use Server Automation content to install Remote Connector on a system on which the BigFix agent is installed.

Automating patching of operating systems in Microsoft® Windows® clusters

You can patch Windows® clusters using Server Automation Fixlets. To automate the workflow, you combine the Fixlets in an Automation Plan. The Automation Plan that automates the workflow includes a Fixlet to pause the node that you are patching. Another Fixlet moves any groups on the node to another node. The Fixlets to patch the operating system are run next. The last Fixlet in the workflow resumes the node. The Fixlets to pause and resume the nodes are operating system-specific and the supported operating systems are described in the Fixlet descriptions.

The following topics describe patch clusters on various Windows versions: