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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.
Advanced patching
You can use Server Automation to complaete several advanced patching scenarios, for example to automate patching of virtual machine templates.
Patching WebSphere® Application Server clusters
You can use Server Automation to automate patching of a Windows® cluster that is running stand-alone nodes of WebSphere® Application Server v8.0, v8.5, or v8.5.5.

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 WebSphere® Application Server clusters
      You can use Server Automation to automate patching of a Windows® cluster that is running stand-alone nodes of WebSphere® Application Server v8.0, v8.5, or v8.5.5.
    - Patching VMware virtual machine templates
      To patch a VMware virtual machine template, you run a copy of a Server Automation sample plan. Use sample plan ID 161 to patch a VMware virtual machine template on Microsoft® Windows®, and use sample plan ID 165 to patch on Linux®. The plan automates the process of patching the virtual machine template by creating a new virtual machine from the template that you want to patch, patching that virtual machine, removing BigFix client identity data, and then converting the virtual machine back to a template. The new template is a mirror of the original template except that it is has a new name and is updated with your patching content and does not contain the BigFix client identity data and is therefore generic.
  - 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.
  - 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.

Patching IBM® WebSphere® Application Server on Microsoft® Windows® standalone

You can use Server Automation to automate patching of a Windows® cluster that is running stand-alone nodes of WebSphere® Application Server v8.0, v8.5, or v8.5.5.

Before you begin

Before running any of the patching steps the control scripts must be installed. Use Task 110-Install Windows Cluster Control Application to install the control scripts.
This patching solution is supported only on Microsoft Windows 2008 Server Release 2 or newer.

About this task

You automate the patching process using an Automation Plan. To automate the patching, you can use Server Automation sample plan ID 552 or sample plan ID 553. Use sample plan ID 552 to automate patching of the operating system for two standalone WebSphere® Application Server nodes, or use sample plan ID 553 to automate the WebSphere® Application Server middleware patching for two standalone nodes.

To automate the patching process, use one of the sample plans listed above, or create an Automation Plan that contains the following content.

Procedure

Use Task Stop Servers for Stand-alone IBM WebSphere Application Server (8.0, 8.5, or 8.5.5) on Microsoft Windows to stop the WebSphere® Application Server servers as the first step in the plan. Enter the WAS instance parameter value and enter the WAS credentials user name and password. You can set these values as defaults using the Default Settings Server Automation .
Include the patch Fixlets to patch WebSphere® Application Server as the second step in the plan.
Include one of the following Tasks, depending on whether you are automating patching of the middleware or the operating system:
- If you are automating patching the WebSphere® Application Server middleware, use Task 160 Restart Endpoint on Pending Restart and Wait for Restart to Complete.
- If you are automating patching of the operating system, use Task 126 Restart Endpoint and Wait for Restart to Complete.
Run Task 551 Resume Servers for Stand-alone IBM WebSphere Application Server (8.0 or 8.5) on Microsoft Windows to resume WebSphere® Application Server.
Repeat this process for the second node in the cluster and for any other nodes.