Embedding in a Common Build

If your organization employs a specific build image or common operating environment (COE) on a CD or image that is used to prepare new computers, you can include the Client in this build.

To create the image, follow these steps:

For Windows operating systems

  1. Install the client on the computer to be imaged. The BigFix client immediately attempts to connect to the server. If it successfully connects to the server, it is assigned a ComputerID. This ComputerID is unique to that particular computer, so it should not be part of a common build image. The next steps delete this ID.
  2. Stop the client by opening the Windows Services dialog and stopping the BES Client service.
  3. Delete the computer-specific identifier (computer ID) by opening the registry to HKLM\Software\Wow6432Node\BigFix\EnterpriseClient\GlobalOptions and deleting the values ComputerID, RegCount, and ReportSequenceNumber.

The BigFix Client is now ready to be imaged.

Note: If the Client is started again for any reason (including a system restart), it re-registers with the server and you will need to perform steps 2 to 3 again. The Server has built-in conflict detection and resolution so if for any reason you fail to delete the ID, the Server can detect that there are multiple Clients with the same ComputerID and forces the Client to re-register to ensure that everything works normally. However, it is advisable to perform the steps above to avoid having a grayed-out Client (the first imaged computer) in the computer list in the Console.

For more information, see Avoiding duplicates when a Client is restored.

For Linux operating systems

  1. Install the client on the computer to be imaged.
  2. Stop the client by running /etc/init/besclient stop.
  3. Delete the computer-specific identifier from the .config file to prevent all copies of the machine from registering with the same client ID to the server.

The BigFix Client is now ready to be imaged.

For more information, see Avoiding duplicates when a Client is restored.

For Macintosh operating systems

  1. Install the client on the computer to be imaged.
  2. Stop the client by using sudo "/Library/BESAgent/BESAgent.app/Contents/MacOS/BESAgentControlPanel.sh" -stop.
  3. Delete the computer-specific identifier to prevent all copies of the machine from registering with the same client ID to the server.
    • If they exist, remove RegCount, ReportSequenceNumber, and ComputerID from the client preferences folder: /Library/Preferences/com.bigfix.besagent.plist.
    • Delete the __BESData folder. The default location is \Library\Application Support\BigFix\BES Agent.

The BigFix Client is now ready to be imaged.

For more information, see Avoiding duplicates when a Client is restored.