Database requirements

The database stores all the data retrieved from the clients. Before installing the BigFix server, ensure that the database requirements are met.

A pre-upgrade check Fixlet is available to perform a set of checks to verify if the BigFix server can be successfully upgraded to V9.5.X. A log file is created in the BigFix server directory containing details about the executed steps. If these checks fail, a preupgrade-Version 9.5.X-<datetime>.err log file is created in the BigFix server directory. If these checks end successfully, a preupgrade-Version 9.5.X.out log file is created in the BigFix server directory. X is the modification level. This task is not relevant only when all the checks are completed successfully.

  • The BigFix server on Windows systems supports the following configurations:

    • Local or remote Microsoft SQL Server 2008, 2008 R2, 2012, 2014 or 2016.
      Note: When installing BigFix in a production environment, Microsoft SQL Server Enterprise and Standard are recommended. The Express edition might be used for very small deployments. Refer to Microsoft documentation to choose the best database for your deployment.
      Important: When installing or upgrading BigFix, the user account performing the installation or upgrade must have sysadmin server role in SQL Server. When working with a remote instance of SQL Server, the AD domain service account must have dbo rights, that is db_owner on the BFEnterprise and BESReporting databases. Start with sysadmin server role to perform the installation or upgrade, then back off the privileges to db_owner after the product is up and running.
      Important: When working with SQL Server, ensure that you satisfy the following prerequisites for the Microsoft SQL database collation:
      • The database collation must be case insensitive.
      • The database collation at the server, database and column level must be set to the same value.
      To verify the collation, run the following SQL Server queries:
      At the SQL server instance level
      SELECT ServerProperty('Collation')
      At the database level
      SELECT DatabasePropertyEx('BFEnterprise','Collation')
      SELECT DatabasePropertyEx('BESReporting','Collation')
      At the column level in the BFEnterprise and BESReporting databases
      SELECT C.name, O.name, C.collation_name
      from BFEnterprise.sys.columns C, BFEnterprise.sys.all_objects O
      where C.collation_name is not NULL
      and C.object_id = O.object_id
      and ( O.schema_id = ( SELECT SCHEMA_ID( 'dbo' ) )
      or O.schema_id = ( SELECT SCHEMA_ID( 'webui' ) ) )
      SELECT C.name, O.name, C.collation_name
      from BESReporting.sys.columns C, BESReporting.sys.all_objects O
      where C.collation_name is not NULL
      and C.object_id = O.object_id
      and ( O.schema_id = ( SELECT SCHEMA_ID( 'dbo' ) ) )
      Important: The database compatibility level for BFEnterprise and BESReporting must be at least 100.
      Note: On Windows systems, the SQL Server Native Client driver is a prerequisite.
      Note: The database passwords must not contain the characters '{' or '}' , otherwise the installation might fail.

  • The BigFix server on Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems supports the following configurations:

    • If the DB2 server is installed locally: DB2 V10.5 Enterprise Server Edition / V11.5 GA / 11.5.4 / 11.5.5 / 11.5.6 / 11.5.7 / 11.5.8 Standard Edition 64-bit or DB2 10.5 Workgroup Server Edition 64-bit.
    • If the DB2 server is installed remotely: IBM Data Server client V10.5 / V11.5 GA.
    To check if you have a server or a client installed and to verify the DB2 edition, you can run the db2licm -l command. On the computer where the DB2 server is installed, you receive a detailed report, if only the client is installed you receive an empty report. To check which DB2 version is installed, run the db2level command.
    Note:
    • After installing a deployment, the DB2 instance name used to connect to the database can no longer be modified. The default name is db2inst1.
    • The DB2 instance name with which BigFix connects to both BigFix Server and Web Reports databases must have the following privileges:
      • The SYSADM privilege during the phase of installation.
      • The DBADM privilege during the phase of upgrade.
      • The DATAACCESS privilege at run time.
    • Ensure that you meet the following required database configurations needed to install/upgrade BigFix:
      • LOGFILSIZ must have a minimum value of 10240.
      • LOGPRIMARY must have a minimum value of 10.
      • LOGSECOND must have a minimum value of 100.
      • AUTO_REORG must be set to ON.
    • Ensure that you you have stopped all BigFix services and you have closed all connections to the BFENT database. To verify if you have successfully done these operations, run the following command: 
      db2 list applications for db BFENT
      It should return the following output:
      SQL1611W No data was returned by Database System Monitor.

    • The DB2 instance names used to install the BES Root Server cannot contain the following special characters: blanks, tabs \t, returns \n and ; & | " ' < >

    • The database passwords cannot contain the following characters: blanks, tabs \t, returns \n and ; & | " ' < > %
    • To successfully install the BigFix server on Linux systems, ensure that you unset the DB2 registry variable DB2_COMPATIBILITY_VECTOR. This variable should be set to null.
Note: Do not change the name of BigFix databases; if you do, upgrades might fail.

For more information about the supported database versions, see Detailed system requirements.