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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.
Installing the Automation Plan Engine
To install the Automation Plan Engine, you must have BigFix V9.5 with the Server Automation site installed. Make sure that your system meets all of the prerequisites before you begin installing the Automation Plan Engine. You can then install the Automation Plan Engine by executing a Task from your BigFix console.

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.
  - What's new in this release
    This release of Server Automation contains the following updates.
  - Features added in previous releases
    A summary of changed or features and enhancements included in BigFix® Server Automation in previous releases.
  - Supported content
    This section lists the software and software versions supported by Server Automation.
  - Key concepts and terminology
    Server Automation provides automation functionality that you can use to automate IT processes. To automate your workflows using Server Automation, you use an Automation Plan. The Automation Plan contains steps, one for each distinct phase in the automated workflow. When you execute an Automation Plan, an action is created for the plan. Child actions will then be created for each of the steps in the plan as the plan is processed.
  - Architecture
    Server Automation is based on the BigFix architecture. The only additional component required to use Server Automation is the Automation Plan Engine. The Automation Plan Engine processes your Automation Plans by running each step in the Automation Plan. You install the Automation Plan Engine using a Task. The Automation Plan Engine is located on the same system as the BigFix server.
  - Key features
    Server Automation provides key automation features that allow you to automate best practices for your data center.
  - Installing the Automation Plan Engine
    To install the Automation Plan Engine, you must have BigFix V9.5 with the Server Automation site installed. Make sure that your system meets all of the prerequisites before you begin installing the Automation Plan Engine. You can then install the Automation Plan Engine by executing a Task from your BigFix console.
    - Prerequisites
      You can install the Automation Plan Engine on Linux® and Windows® platforms. Before installing the Automation Plan Engine, make sure that your system meets all of the prerequisites. This section describes all of the prerequisite tasks that you must complete before installing the Automation Plan Engine and the instructions are the same for both Windows and Linux.
    - Installing
      You can install the Automation Plan Engine on Windows® and Linux® systems. To install the Automation Plan Engine, you run a Task from your BigFix console. The Task to install the Automation Plan Engine becomes relevant only if the BigFix server plugin service is installed correctly. You must install the Automation Plan Engine on the system on which the BigFix server is installed. The installation procedure is the same for both Windows and Linux.
    - Configuring the Automation Plan Engine
      You can configure the Automation Plan Engine to specify the polling interval, log level settings, and settings for how Baseline actions are processed, without stopping the Automation Plan Engine. These are all global settings and therefore apply to all Automation Plans.
    - Upgrade the Automation Plan Engine
      To upgrade the Automation Plan Engine, you run a Task from your BigFix console. There are two upgrade scenarios described here. Use the first procedure if you upgraded your version of BigFix from V8.2 to V9.5 and want to upgrade the Automation Plan Engine. Use the second scenario if you upgraded BigFix V9.x to V9.5 and want to upgrade the Automation Plan Engine. The procedure is the same for Microsoft Windows and Linux upgrades, except where identified as platform-specific.
    - Uninstalling the Automation Plan Engine
      To uninstall the Automation Plan Engine, you run a Task from your BigFix console. The Task to uninstall the Automation Plan Engine becomes relevant when you install the Automation Plan Engine.
  - Installing the management extender
    Using the : Deploy Management Extender for VMware vCenter Task, you can install a management extender plug-in on a BigFix server.
  - Server Automation domain upgrades
    The Server Automation domain is upgraded automatically when the contents of the Server Automation site is updated.
- 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.

Installing the Automation Plan Engine

To install the Automation Plan Engine, you must have BigFix V9.5 with the Server Automation site installed. Make sure that your system meets all of the prerequisites before you begin installing the Automation Plan Engine. You can then install the Automation Plan Engine by executing a Task from your BigFix console.

Install the Automation Plan Engine by completing the following steps:

Read the documentation for important information about the installation.
Complete the prerequisites. After you have completed the prerequisites, you are ready to install the Automation Plan Engine and the Task that installs the Automation Plan Engine becomes relevant.
Run the Task that installs the Automation Plan Engine on the BigFix server. The installation takes a few minutes and when it has completed, the Task that installs the Automation Plan Engine is no longer relevant.
Verify that the Automation Plan Engine installed successfully and has started. The BigFix server plugin service starts the Automation Plan Engine when it is installed on the BigFix server.

The following sections describe each of these steps in detail.