For Windows operating systems

  1. Install the client on the computer to be imaged. The IBM BigFix client immediately attempts to connect to the server. If it successfully connects to the server, it is assigned a ComputerID. This ComputerID is unique to that particular computer, so it should not be part of a common build image. The next steps delete this ID.
  2. Stop the client by opening the Windows Services dialog and stopping the BES Client service.
  3. Delete the computer-specific identifier (computer ID) by opening the registry to HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\BigFix\EnterpriseClient\GlobalOptions and deleting the values ComputerID, RegCount, and ReportSequenceNumber.

The BigFix Client is now ready to be imaged.

Note: If the Client is started again for any reason (including a system restart), it re-registers with the server and you will need to perform steps 2 to 3 again. The Server has built-in conflict detection and resolution so if for any reason you fail to delete the ID, the Server can detect that there are multiple Clients with the same ComputerID and forces the Client to re-register to ensure that everything works normally. However, it is advisable to perform the steps above to avoid having a grayed-out Client (the first imaged computer) in the computer list in the Console.