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Server Automation
Server Automation provides powerful automation. You can use it to sequence automation actions in steps across multiple endpoints.
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.
VMware
You can deploy and configure a management extender plug-in for VMware. You can then manage VMware virtual machines from within BigFix the console.
Snapshot management tasks
Creating a snapshot
Using the Create Snapshot Task, you can create a snapshot of a virtual machine from within the BigFix console. Creating a snapshot captures an image of a virtual machine at a certain time. This snapshot can contain the disk, memory, and device state of a virtual machine at the time of creation.

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.
  - VMware
    You can deploy and configure a management extender plug-in for VMware. You can then manage VMware virtual machines from within BigFix the console.
    - Setup and maintenance for Management Extender
      This section provides documentation about setup and maintenance tasks that you can complete for VMware virtualization.
    - Virtual server overview
      The Virtual Server Overview dashboard lists the hosts and virtual machines reported by the management extender through the VMware API. You can use the Virtual Server Overview to view the attributes of each host and virtual machine. You can also filter the lists of hosts and virtual machines by their attributes. To view the Virtual Server Overview, in the Server Automation domain, select Virtualization > Virtual Server Overview.
    - Host management tasks
    - Snapshot management tasks
      - Creating a snapshot
        Using the Create Snapshot Task, you can create a snapshot of a virtual machine from within the BigFix console. Creating a snapshot captures an image of a virtual machine at a certain time. This snapshot can contain the disk, memory, and device state of a virtual machine at the time of creation.
      - Renaming a snapshot
        Using the Rename Snapshot Task, you can rename a snapshot of a virtual machine from the BigFix console.
      - Removing a snapshot
        Using the Remove Snapshot Task, you can remove an individual snapshot of a virtual machine. This Task does not support the removal of hierarchical snapshots.
      - Removing all snapshots
        Using the Remove All Snapshots Task, you can remove all the snapshots of a virtual machine from the BigFix console.
      - Go To Snapshot
        Using the Go To Snapshot Task, you can go to a user-defined snapshot of a VMware virtual machine from within the BigFix console.
      - Reverting a snapshot
        Using the Revert Snapshot Task, you can revert to the current snapshot of the VMware virtual machine from the BigFix console.
    - Power management tasks
      Using these tasks you can manage the power state of your VMware virtual machines. You you can power off, suspend, and restart your virtual machines in two different ways: soft and hard. When you perform a power operation on a virtual machine with VMware Tools that are installed on the virtual machine, it is referred to as soft. When you perform a power operation by immediately stopping the virtual machine, it is referred to as hard. You can perform both hard and soft power operations on VMware virtual machines from within the BigFix console.
  - AIX® NIM
    You can setup and configure management extender plug-in for AIX® NIM. You can then create and remove NIM Clients and Mksysb images on a NIM master server from within the BigFix console.
  - PowerVM®
    You can deploy and configure a management extender plug-in for PowerVM®. You can then manage PowerVM logical partitions (LPARs) from within the BigFix console.
  - Management Extender Log Viewer
    The Management Extender Log Viewer dashboard provides information about each Virtualization task that you run. In the dashboard, you can view a high-level overview of the action logs. Each log entry contains a link to where you can find the original action window. Each entry also contains a link to the log file.
  - Turning off validation in a task
    Some of the Virtualization Tasks within the Server Automation domain contain a Validation button which you can use to disable validation and enter your own data for some of the parameters.
- 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.

Creating a snapshot

Using the Create Snapshot Task, you can create a snapshot of a virtual machine from within the BigFix console. Creating a snapshot captures an image of a virtual machine at a certain time. This snapshot can contain the disk, memory, and device state of a virtual machine at the time of creation.

Before you begin

Ensure that each snapshot that you create has a unique name.

About this task

Complete the following steps to create a snapshot.

Procedure

Open the Server Automation domain.
From the navigation tree in the Server Automation domain, click Virtualization > Virtual Machine Management > Snapshot Configuration.
From the Snapshot Configuration list, select Create Snapshot.
In the Task: Create a Snapshot window, click Take Action.
In the Action Parameter window, enter the name that you want to give your snapshot and click OK. Ensure that you give the snapshot a unique name.
From the Computer Name list, select the virtual machine of which you want to create a snapshot.

Results

When you successfully create a snapshot of a virtual machine, the Status changes to Completed in the Action: Create Snapshot window.