After creating a package, add the necessary files to install
the software product that you want to deploy to your endpoints and
then create the distribution tasks.
Adding the installation files
To add a file
to the package, click Add Files located under
the Manage Files tab.
This action opens the Add Files to Package window
where you can add files and folders. For information about the types
of files you can add, see Supported package types.
Note: The
dashboard can only download files that do not require any authentication,
such as files that do not need username or password.
Important: For IBM BigFix v9.1 or later: Do not close the dashboard
while files are uploading. Otherwise, files may fail to upload.
There are different ways to add a file or a bundle
to a package. You can use any of the following options:
Add File
Specify a single file, which is uploaded from the system. You
can manually type the name of the file, or click Browse to
locate a file stored in your system.
Add Folder
Specify an entire folder of content of your package, which is uploaded from the system. As in
the previous example, type the name of the folder or browse to locate a
folder in your system.
Note: The dashboard can only
compress folder that is less than 4 GB.
The Compression Depth feature, located within the Add
Folder field, is used to compress files together at a
specified folder depth. Use a depth of '0' to bundle all
files together into one compression file.
Note: To
maintain optimum performance, use the compression feature if pushing
more than 50 files to an endpoint. Distributing many small files costs
more network bandwidth, while distributing fewer large files costs
more endpoint processor. Use the Compress Folders at depth option
to tune this performance control for your environment.
Note: If
you choose to compress nested folders when adding the installation
files of a software product, you can rename the folders that are uploaded
to a package. Rename the folders for easier identification, especially
if multiple folders are uploaded. The folder name uses the following
naming convention: compressedPackageData-<YYYMMDDHHMM>
Add File URL
Specify the URL of the file. You can either choose to download the file immediately or only
during Fixlet runtime.
Note: The ability to download the file immediately and upload it to the BigFix server is available
only for BigFix v9.1 or
later.
By default, the HTTPS certificates used for enabling the HTTPS connection are validated by using
the certificate bundle included in the BigFix console installation. If you want to use a different
set of certificates, you can use the client setting
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\BigFix\EnterpriseClient\Settings\Client\_Console_CACert_Path
specifying the full path of the file containing the set of certificates. For example,
c:\BigFix1\certificates\custom-ca-bundle.crt on Windows systems.
If you want to associate the file to a Fixlet and download it
only when the Fixlet is deployed, click Do not download
the file until Task runtime. Then, provide the following
information, which are validated only during Fixlet runtime:
File name
SHA1 value
SHA256 value
Size information (in bytes)
Verify that you enter the correct values, otherwise the console
will prompt an error message when the Fixlet is deployed.
Click Use Relative Path if
you want to add the files into a specific folder of the package, and
then enter the folder directory. For example, you must enter InstallPackage/Languages if
you want to add another language file to your package with the following
structure:
After selecting
an option, click the Add to Package button
at the bottom part of the window. This action processes all the information
for your package, analyzes the relevant files, and uploads them to
the server.
The upload is complete when the file status changes to a check mark.
Note: If a file fails to
upload, check the logs in <Windows
temp>\SoftwareDistributionLogs\Uploadmanager. If a file
fails to upload, check the logs in the folder <Windows
temp>\SoftwareDistributionLogs, under folder
Uploads for BigFix v9.1 or later, or folder
Uploadmanager for BigFix v9.0 or earlier.
Creating distribution tasks
To
create a distribution task for the package, click the Manage
Tasks tab.
Note: Add tasks only after you add files.
Click New
Task to open the Create Distribution Task window,
which displays all available files associated with your package that
can be included in a distribution task.
Note: The Policy Action type
of Mac PKG tasks is not supported in the Software Distribution task
deployment process.
Select each file that you want to deploy to your endpoints, and click
Next.
You cannot create a task where all of the files are in a
relative path. Software Distribution tasks require that the installation
commands exist in the root of the package. If you attempt to add files
to a package that has no files in its root folder, the task displays
the following warning:
Click Next. In this window, you define
an installation command to be used when sending the software package
to your endpoints, and customize a command-line message specific to
your distribution task.
Note: If you added a PKG file, select whether
it is a Mac or Solaris file.
You can also configure the following advanced options for the distribution task:
Force installation
This option is only applicable to SPB files.
You can specify the values for the SPB built-in variables,
such as the installation path, folder name, file separator, either
during the creation of the task or at deployment time.
To modify variables at deployment time, you must select them
during task creation. The selected variables can then be edited in the
Fixlet description page.
Add custom preinstallation and postinstallation commands
You can include any additional commands during the creation of the
installation task through the dashboard rather than editing the task
after its creation. For more information, see Adding preinstallation and postinstallation commands.
Create an individual log
Configure the task to generate an individual log file upon the
completion of the action. For more information, see Generating logs for individual tasks.
Use a custom directory
Specify a full path location, including the drive, to download and run
the installation files. For example, C:/SWD.
Files are downloaded and extracted to this custom directory instead of
the default __Download/ directory. Tasks run from
the specified location instead of the default
../__BESData/actionsite directory. A folder
called tmp is created in the specified path, and is
cleared before running any new tasks.
You can configure to remove the files from the client in the
tmp folder when the action completes.
You can run the command either as a system user or current user or as a local user. The default
is to run the task as a system user, but certain packages require the current user
to install the software package successfully. Click Next.
Click Create Task when you complete these steps.
Note: The relevance builder that is Create Expressions
and Combine Expressions in the Create Distribution Task is no longer
available in the latest version of dashboard.
A security warning will be prompted to Enable or
Disable dynamic content.
In the next window, click the link in the Actions box to
deploy the action, and set parameters in the Take Action dialog.
Note: Ensure that you test a Fixlet before deploying it in a
production environment.
To verify if the task has completed
successfully, check whether the software was installed on the endpoints.
For more information, see Package type verification.
You can edit a task only if you have the appropriate console
permissions to view and edit the task, regardless of the permissions
set through the Manage Software Distribution dashboard. If you do
not have console permission to edit a task and you attempt to do so,
an error message displays.
A similar error message displays when you attempt to
delete a Software Distribution package through the Manage Software
Distribution dashboard without having the appropriate permission.