Home
Configuration Guide
Learn how to configure BigFix according to your needs.
Using multiple servers (DSA)
Here are some of the important elements of multiple server installations:

Configuration Guide
Learn how to configure BigFix according to your needs.
- Introduction
  This guide explains additional configuration steps that you can run in your environment after installation.
- BigFix Site Administrator and Console Operators
  In BigFix there are two basic classes of users.
- Integrating with LDAP
  You can add Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) associations to BigFix.
- Enabling SAML V2.0 authentication for LDAP operators
  Starting from Version 9.5.5, BigFix supports SAML V2.0 authentication via LDAP-backed SAML identity providers.
- Using multiple servers (DSA)
  Here are some of the important elements of multiple server installations:
  - Disaster Server Architecture (DSA)
    The following diagram shows a typical DSA setup with two servers. Each Server is behind a firewall, possibly in a separate office, although it is easy to set up multiple servers in a single office as well.
  - Configuring relay failover
    If an BigFix server goes down, whether due to disaster or planned maintenance, the DSA server might be used to find a new server connection.
  - Message Level Encryption and DSA
    If Message Level Encryption is enabled and clients are set using Task: BES Client Setting: Encrypted Reports, move the BigFix server encryption key to the secondary BigFix DSA server.
  - Managing Replication (DSA) on Windows systems
    To install additional Windows servers, follow the procedure described in Platform/Installation/c_installing_additional_servers_.html#c_installing_additional_servers_.
  - Managing Replication (DSA) on Linux systems
    To install additional Linux servers, follow the procedure described in Platform/Installation/c_installing_additional_linux_servers.html#c_installing_additional_linux_servers_.
- Server object IDs
  The BigFix server generates unique IDs for the objects that it creates: Fixlets, tasks, baselines, properties, analysis, actions, roles, custom sites, computer groups, management rights, subscriptions.
- Customizing HTTPS for Gathering
  You can gather license updates and external sites by using the HTTP or HTTPS protocol on a BigFix server or in an airgapped environment.
- Configuring secure communication
- Real Time AV Exclusions
  BigFix Console, Server and Relay components of the architecture perform high volume file operations.
- Downloading files in air-gapped environments
  In air-gapped environments, to download and transfer files to the main BigFix server, use the Airgap utility and the BES Download Cacher utility.
- Getting client information by using BigFix Query
  The BigFix Query feature allows you to retrieve information and run relevance queries on client workstations from the WebUI BigFix Query Application or by using REST APIs.
- Persistent connections
  Starting from Patch 11, the capability to establish persistent connections was added to the product.
- Relays in DMZ
  Starting from Patch 13, the capability to establish a persistent TCP connection between the parent relay in the more secure zone and its child relay inside the DMZ network was added to the product. This allows you to manage systems in a demilitarized zone (DMZ network).
- Working with PeerNest
  The BigFix client includes a new feature named PeerNest, that allows to share binary files among clients located in the same subnet. The feature is available starting from BigFix Version 9.5 Patch 11.
- Archiving Client files on the BigFix Server
  You can collect multiple files from BigFix clients into an archive and move them through the relay system to the server.
- BigFix Configuration Settings
  A number of advanced BigFix configuration settings are available that can give you substantial control over the behavior of the BigFix suite. These options allow you to customize the behavior of the BigFix server, relays, and clients in your network.
- Additional configuration steps
  These topics explain additional configuration steps that you can run in your environment.
- Migrating the BigFix Server (Windows/MS-SQL)
  This section details the steps and operational procedures necessary for migrating the BigFix Server from existing hardware onto new computer systems.
- Migrating the BigFix Server (Linux)
  This section provides basic information on migrating your BigFix Server from existing Linux hardware onto new systems.
- Server audit logs
  Starting with BigFix version 9.5.11, the server audit logs include the following items:
- List of advanced options
  The following lists show the advanced options that you can specify in the Advanced Options tab of the BigFix Administrative tool on Windows systems, or in the BESAdmin.sh command on Linux systems using the following syntax:
- Security Configuration Scenarios
  BigFix provides the capability to follow the NIST security standards by configuring an enhanced security option.
- Client Authentication
  Client Authentication extends the security model used by BigFix to encompass trusted client reports and private messages.
- Maintenance and Troubleshooting
  If you are subscribed to the Patches for Windows site, you can ensure that you have the latest upgrades and patches to your SQL server database servers.

Using multiple servers (DSA)

Here are some of the important elements of multiple server installations:

Depending on the platform where you plan to install the additional server, you can follow the procedures described in Installing Additional Windows Servers (DSA) or Installing Additional Linux Servers (DSA).
Servers communicate on a regular schedule to replicate their data. To review the current status and adjust the replication interval, see Managing Replication (DSA) on Windows systems or Managing Replication (DSA) on Linux systems.
When each server is ready to replicate from the other servers in the deployment, it calculates the shortest path to every other server in the deployment. Primary links are assigned a length of 1, secondary links 100, and tertiary links 10,000. Links that resulted in a connection failure the last time they were used are considered to be non-connected.
When an outage or other problem causes a network split, it is possible for a custom Fixlet or a retrieved property to be modified independently on both sides of the split. When the network is reconnected, precedence goes to the version on the server with the lowest Server ID.
If multiple copies of Web Reports are installed, they operate independently. Each Web Report server can connect to the server that is most convenient, because they all contain equivalent views of the database.
By default, server 0 (zero) is the master server. The BigFix Administration Tool on Windows and the BESAdmin command on Linux only allow you to perform certain administrative tasks (such as creating and deleting users) when connected to the master server.