Supersedence for Non-Windows

This topic describes how supersedence works in Patch.

Supersedence is a property of Fixlets used in BigFix that provides multiple packages.

Superseded Fixlets are Fixlets that contain outdated packages. When a Fixlet is superseded, a newer Fixlet is created to replace it with the newer version of the packages. The description of the Superseded Fixlet contains the new Fixlet ID.

Supersedence in BigFix Patching

Supersedence in Patch is a property of Fixlets that provides multiple packages. When a Fixlet is superseded; there is an existing, newer, and more advanced Fixlet with the same set of packages.

Superseder Fixlet

Superseder is the latest Fixlet that replaces or updates an outdated version.

Supersedee Fixlet

Supersedee is an outdated Fixlet that is replaced by the latest Fixlet.

Time span of a superseded Fixlet in BigFix

Superseded Fixlets are maintained in the respective OS Patch site for a period of one year. Then, they are moved to a separate superseded patches folder. When an OS version reaches its end-of-life, support is extended for an year and then the corresponding site version is deprecated.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn the answers to frequently asked questions about supersedence in patching in BigFix.

Can I use the superseded Fixlet to deploy an application when a more recent version is available for the same application?

Yes. You can use the superseded Fixlet to deploy the application. You can also update the application to the latest version. The Fixlet description mentions that there is an update available for the application.

What are the exceptions when the superseded Fixlets cannot be used?

With applications like Google Chrome, you can download only the latest version available.

  • Downloadable version: In such cases, the superseded Fixlets would deploy only the latest available version.
  • Reason: The download link is the same in all Fixlets regardless of whether it is a regular Fixlet or a superseded Fixlet.

Does the architecture of the package play a role in supersedence?

Yes. For example, the amd64 architecture Fixlet is superseded only by another amd64 architecture Fixlet. No other architecture Fixlet can supersede the amd64 architecture Fixlet.

Can the same Fixlet be superseded multiple times?

No. The latest version of the superseded Fixlet is marked as superseded and cannot be superseded again.

Are there any relevance changes for the superseded Fixlets?

Yes, additional relevance checks are required for the superseded Fixlet, as follows:
<Relevance>(value of setting "_BESClient_<OS>_EnableSupersededEval" of client as integer = 1) | false</Relevance>

Where <OS> refers to:

SLE for SUSE

OEL for ORACLE

CentOS for CentOS

AIX for AIX

Ubuntu for Ubuntu

Note:
  • The superseded relevance in HPUX and Mac is <Relevance>FALSE</Relevance>.
  • For RHEL customers, the superseded RHEL content is always relevant. Hence, the superseded fixlets in RHEL has no FALSE relevance.
  • AIX and Solaris have a different approach when compared with other Linux Platforms. We do not support supersedence for AIX and Solaris OS updates.

    Exception: For AIX, supersedence is supported for third party applications. Java, openssh, and openssl are the applications currently supported on AIX.

  • CentOS 8 has a different supersedence approach compared to CentOS 6 and CentOS 7. Relevance for superseded fixlets is set to false: <Relevance>False</Relevance>.