Submitting the license request

How to submit a license request.

To install a production copy of BigFix, you must first purchase a license from HCL.

During the installation you can choose different types of setup depending on the license input file you have:

I want to install with a BES license authorization file 
   I want to install with a Production license that I already have 
   I want to install with an existing masthead

BES license authorization file

After you purchase a license from HCL you receive a BigFix license authorization file. You must use this file the first time you run a production installation.

The sales agent will want to know how many clients you intend to install. Based on this, the agent creates, signs, and emails you a License Authorization file, which will have a name like CompanyName.BESLicenseAuthorization.

If you run this installation and do not have access to the Internet, a temporary request (beslicense.request) is generated to request a production license (license.crt) from the BigFix License Server and a license.pvk private key file. You can leave the installation in pending status until you receive the production license.

Copy the request named request.BESLicenseRequest on to a machine with access to Internet, visit the BigFix website, post your request, and download your certificate. After you downloaded the certificate, copy it to the machine on which you are installing the server and continue the installation. If you exited the installation, to install the server you must run the installation using the option that requires an existing Production license file.

Note: The DNS/IP address that you choose becomes a permanent part of your deployment and must never change. For flexibility, it is strongly recommended that you use a DNS name instead of a static IP address.

The installation program collects further information about your deployment and then creates the digital signature key license.pvk and a file called the action site masthead. This file combines configuration information (IP addresses, ports, and so on.) and license information (how many Clients are authorized and for how long) together with a public key that is used to verify the digital signatures.

Production license

Use this option if you have already the production license license.crt and the private key file on the machine on which you are installing the server, but did not complete the server installation.

An existing masthead

Use this type of installation to reinstall the BigFix server or a DSA server. The input file needed to run this installation is the action site masthead file that was generated during the first installation. The action site masthead has the extension .afxm and acts as a configuration file with parameters such as the BigFix server IP address or server name, port number, and locking behavior. It contains information necessary for the digital signature security scheme that BigFix uses (the masthead contains the public key information), and the licensing information that allows BigFix users to run BigFix with a specified number of users for a specified length of time. The BigFix Server installer requires the masthead file be in the server installation folder.

Decide how to send your activation request to HCL. If your computer is not connected to the Internet or cannot reach the HCL license servers, you must select option 2. If you chose 2, a request file named request.BESLicenseRequest is generated.

To submit the request file to HCL, use the following Web site: http://support.bigfix.com/bes/forms/BESLicenseRequestHandler.html

You can, then, continue the installation by importing the certificate file that you received (license.crt) or exit from the installation and rerun it at a later time.

Import License Certificate
[1]  Continue with the installation importing the certificate (license.crt).
[2]  Exit from the installation, I will import the certificate at a later time.

If you exit the installation, you can rerun ./install.sh later and repeat all the steps specifying that you want to use the generated license with option 2:

Choose the setup type that best suits your needs:
[1]  I want to install with a BES license authorization file
[2]  I want to install with a Production license that I already have
[3]  I want to install with an existing masthead

From this point on, you can proceed with the normal installation procedure.