Extending the SCC download plug-in

You can configure the SCC download plug-in to download and cache packages from repositories that are not officially supported by BigFix. The SCC download plug-in can resolve package dependency for unsupported SUSE repositories, allowing the installation of unsupported dependent packages. This allows you to use BigFix to deploy packages from repositories that are not shipped out of the box, such as Long Term Service Pack Support (LTSS) or debuginfo repositories.

Before you begin, you must complete the following tasks:

Creating an extended repository list file

The SCC download plug-in can use an extended repository list file, which contains additional repositories for both base and extension products that are included in your subscription.

The extended repository list file must meet the following criteria:
  • It must be a valid .json file.
  • It must be accessible to the SCC download plug-in. Ensure that the Administrator or root user can read the file.
  • It must contain the following format:
    {
   "<OS_key>":[     
     {"name": "<name>", "distro_target": "<distro_target>"},
     {"name": "<name>", "distro_target": "<distro_target>"}
   ], 
   "<OS_key_1>: [
     {"name": "<name>", "distro_target": "<distro_target>"}
   ]
}
Note: It uses the same format as the DLSuSERepoList.json file, which is set for repoListFile in the plugin.ini file.
You must replace the placeholders, which are enclosed in angle brackets <>, with the actual values.
OS_key
To use the unsupported repositories with the BigFix SUSE Patching content, use the following OS keys as listed in the DLSuSERepoList.json file:
  • sles-12-x86_64-sp3
  • sled-12-x86_64-sp3
  • sles-12-x86_64-sp2
  • sled-12-x86_64-sp2
  • sles-12-x86_64-sp1
  • sled-12-x86_64-sp1
  • sles-12-x86_64-sp0
  • sled-12-x86_64-sp0
  • sles-12-s390x-sp3
  • sles-12-s390x-sp2
  • sles-12-s390x-sp1
  • sles-12-s390x-sp0
  • sles-12-ppc64le-sp0
  • sles-12-ppc64le-sp1
  • sles-12-ppc64le-sp2
  • sles-12-ppc64le-sp3
  • sles-11-x86_64-sp4
  • sles-11-x86-sp4
  • sled-11-x86_64-sp4
  • sled-11-x86-sp4
  • sles-11-x86_64-sp3
  • sles-11-x86-sp3
  • sled-11-x86_64-sp3
  • sled-11-x86-sp3
  • sles-11-x86_64-sp2
  • sles-11-x86-sp2
  • sled-11-x86_64-sp2
  • sled-11-x86-sp2
  • sles-11-x86_64-sp1
  • sles-11-x86-sp1
  • sled-11-x86_64-sp1
  • sled-11-x86-sp1
  • sles-11-x86_64-sp0
  • sles-11-x86-sp0
  • sled-11-x86_64-sp0
  • sled-11-x86-sp0
  • sles-11-s390x-sp4
  • sles-11-s390x-sp3
  • sles-11-s390x-sp2
  • sles-11-s390x-sp1
  • sles-11-s390x-sp0
This might not be the full list as later versions of the download plug-in are released. To get the latest and complete copy of the repository list, complete the following actions:
  1. Check whether your endpoints are registered to the latest download plug-in. The Manage Download Plug-ins dashboard indicates when the plug-in is up-to-date or when a new version is available.
  2. View the DLSuSERepoList.json file from the following locations:
    On Windows Systems
    %PROGRAM FILES%\BigFix Enterprise\BES Server\GatherDBData\gather\Patching Support\CurrentSiteData
    On Linux Systems
    /var/opt/BESServer/gatherDBData/gather/Patching Support/CurrentSiteData
Important: Use the correct OS key for each repository to avoid download and dependency resolution issues.
name
You can retrieve the name from the SUSE Customer Center, see Retrieving the repository information.
distro_target
You can retrieve the distribution target name from the SUSE Customer Center, see Retrieving the repository information.

Retrieving the repository information

To retrieve repository information from the SUSE Customer Center, complete the following steps:
  1. Log in to the SUSE Customer Center at https://scc.suse.com.
  2. Click the Subscriptions tab.
    Figure 1. Subscriptions

    Subscriptions
  3. Click the appropriate subscription. The Subscription Information page is displayed.
  4. Click the Base and Extension Products tab.
    Figure 2. Base and Extension Products

    Base and Extension Products
  5. Click the appropriate product name to view a list of repositories for the selected product.
    Note: Do not use the repository names listed in the following screen as the value for the name key in the extended repository list.
    Figure 3. SUSE Repository List

    SUSE Repository List
    You can derive the values for the name and distro_target keys based on the following guidelines:
    For SUSE 11 products:
    The Repository Base URL starts with https://updates.suse.com/repo/$RCE.
    You can determine the name and distro_target values by using this format: 
    https://updates.suse.com/repo/$RCE/<name>/<distro_target>
    For example:
    Figure 4. SUSE 11 example showing the name and distro_target

    SUSE 11 example showing the name and distro_target
    With this information, the custom repository file will be as follows:
    {
"sles-11-x86-sp3":[
 {"name":"SLE11-SP4-Debuginfo-Updates","distro_target":"sle-11-i586"}
]
}
    For SUSE 12 products:
    The Repository Base URL starts with https://updates.suse.com/SUSE/
    You can determine the name value based on the Repository Name (without the architecture information) and the distro_target value by using the following format: 
    sle-<os_version>-<architecture>
    For example:
    Figure 5. SUSE 12 example showing the name, os version, and architecture

    SUSE 12 example showing the name, os version, and architecture
    With this information, the custom repository file will be as follows:
    {
"sles-12-x86_64-sp0":[
 {"name":"SLES12-Debuginfo-Updates", "distro_target":"sle-12-x86_64"}
]
}

Updating the SCC download plug-in configuration file

Configure the SCC Download Plug-in to use an extended repository list file. The plugin.ini configuration file is overwritten when the SCC download plug-in is unregistered or configured from the Manage Download Plug-in dashboard. Any change that you make in the configuration file is lost, therefore take note of the previous changes.
  1. Use a text editor to open the plugin.ini file from the following locations:
    On Windows systems
    %PROGRAM FILES%\BigFix Enterprise\BES Server\DownloadPlugins\SCCProtocol
    On Linux systems
    /var/opt/BESServer/DownloadPlugins/SCCProtocol
  2. In the extendedRepoListFile field, enter the absolute path or relative path to the extended repository list file. If it is set to a relative path, the path must be relative to the location of the SCC download plug-in executable.
    For example: 
    extendedRepoListFile  = C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\
              BES Server\DownloadPlugins\SCCProtocol\<extendedRepoList>.json
  3. If you want set the SCC Download Plug-in to only use the extended repository list, set the onlyUseExtendedRepoListFile field to yes.
    For example: 
    onlyUseExtendedRepoListFile= yes

    If you want to set SCC Download Plug-in to use both repository list files, configure the setting to no. In cases where the same OS key is used in both files, the repositories will be combined.

  4. Save the file.