Automation Plan Engine 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®.

About this task

Before you begin completing the prerequisite tasks, make sure that the external content site, BES Support, is accessible. This site publishes the Tasks to install the required component, the BigFix server plugin service.
Note: The BES Server Plug-in Service, displayed on the user interface, is a synonym for the BigFix server plugin service. The BigFix server plugin service is the new term.
For each of the Fixlets or Tasks described here, there is normally a lag between the time you run one Fixlet or Task and when another becomes relevant and available.

Complete the following prerequisite steps in the order in which Tasks or Fixlets become relevant in the Server Automation domain. The Tasks or Fixlets only become relevant after you complete a dependent step.

Procedure

  1. You must have BigFix V9.5 installed to install the Automation Plan Engine. For a Linux® installation, the BigFix console must be installed on a Windows® system.
  2. You must have Web Reports installed with your BigFix installation, and create a user with normal access rights in Web Reports. You must do this in Web Reports and this is a different user than the users that you create in the BigFix console. For more information about creating a user in Web Reports, see Web Reports User's Guide.
  3. Create a new BigFix console user for the installation with master operator privileges.
  4. Ensure that the site for the Automation domain, called Server Automation, is accessible. This site publishes the Task that installs the Automation Plan Engine.
  5. Your computers must be subscribed to the Server Automation site. To subscribe the computers, select the Server Automation site from the Sites > External Sites section in the All Content domain. Click the Computer Subscriptions tab and subscribe the computers that you want to have access to the Server Automation site.
  6. Install the BigFix server plugin service on the BigFix server. Install this plug-in using the Install BES Server Plugin Service Task from Setup and Maintenance > Fixlets and Tasks in the Automation node. When you click Take Action, target the BigFix server.
  7. Enable encryption of the credentials for the BigFix REST API by running the Configure REST API credentials for BES Server Plugin Service Task from Setup and Maintenance > Fixlets and Tasks in the Automation node:
    1. Click the Configure REST API credentials for BES Server Plugin Service Task. The user interface from which you must start the encryption enablement Task is displayed.
    2. Enter the user name and password for the master operator user that you created in step 3. This creates an encrypted password.
    3. Click Take Action and specify the server where you are installing the Automation Plan Engine, which is the BigFix server.
      Note: The Configure REST API credentials for BES Server Plugin Service Task remains relevant after you run it. You can check the action history to confirm that it has run.

Results

After completing all of the steps described in this topic, the Task to install the Automation Plan Engine becomes relevant. You can now proceed to install the Automation Plan Engine.