Welcome
Server Automation
Server Automation provides powerful automation. You can use it to sequence automation actions in steps across multiple endpoints.
MSSQL Always On Availability Group Cluster Patching
Use Tasks 190 and 191 to perform controlled failover and failback of a SQL Server Always On Availability Group during planned maintenance, ensuring data integrity and minimal application downtime.

BigFix Documentation Homepage
BigFix 10 Lifecycle Documentation
Welcome to the BigFix Lifecycle documentation, where you can find information about how to install, maintain, and use BigFix Lifecycle.
BigFix Platform
BigFix Query
Lifecycle overview
BigFix Lifecycle is single-agent, single-console technology that provides near real-time visibility into the state of endpoints.
Lifecycle guides in PDF format
Following is a list of links to the BigFix Lifecycle guides in PDF format:
Software Distribution
Use the BigFix Software Distribution applications to deploy software to endpoints across your network from a single location. Maintain control and visibility into software delivery and installation. Device owners can use the Self Service Application to manage software and other BigFix actions that are deployed to them as offers.
OS Deployment
BigFix OS Deployment, which is part of the BigFix Lifecycle Management suite, provides a consolidated, comprehensive solution to quickly deploy new workstations and servers throughout a network from a single, centralized location. This solution saves time and money, enforces a standardized and approved image, and reduces risks associated with non-compliant or insecure configurations.
Remote Control
BigFix Remote Control application helps to communicate between different components, clients, and endpoints within BigFix environment.
Power Management
Use Power Management to control, monitor, and manage conservation policies in your deployment.
Application Control
BigFix Application Control provides a robust framework for managing application usage within an organization. It allows administrators to define policies that dictate which applications can or cannot be run on endpoints, thereby enhancing security and compliance.
Server Automation
Server Automation provides powerful automation. You can use it to sequence automation actions in steps across multiple endpoints.
- Overview
  BigFix Lifecycle Server Automation provides you with the capability to automate provisioning workflows. You can automate a sequence of Fixlets, Tasks, and Baselines across different endpoints, such as servers or computers. Server Automation exploits the agility and scalability of BigFix to deliver powerful functionality in a lean and efficient manner, with minimal impact on your network.
- Automation
  BigFix Lifecycle Server Automation provides you with technology to sequence actions, such as the deployment of Fixlets, across multiple endpoints. To sequence automation, you create an Automation Plan. Your Automation Plan contains all of the actions for your end-to-end automation sequence.
- Virtualization
  Virtualization is a software technology that allows multiple operating systems to run on the same host computer at the same time. Additional uses of virtualization include the quick creation of new systems for testing, training, and demonstration. Using virtualized computers saves the cost of hardware, management, and administration of the server infrastructure.
- Configuring your system
  This section describes how the BigFix architecture is relevant for Server Automation. It also describes how Server Automation can affect BigFix performance.
- Sample Automation Plans
  Server Automation is shipped with a number of sample Automation Plans that you can run out of the box. To run these Automation Plans out of the box, ensure that the Fixlets contained in them are available. Typically, you would substitute some of the Fixlets contained in these samples with particular Fixlets that you want to run. Use the information in each of the following sections to find out more about each of the sample plans.
- Server Automation content
  Server Automation provides content that you can use to automate processes and software deployment.
- MSSQL Always On Availability Group Cluster Patching
  Use Tasks 190 and 191 to perform controlled failover and failback of a SQL Server Always On Availability Group during planned maintenance, ensuring data integrity and minimal application downtime.
- Notices
Virtual Endpoint Manager
HCL BigFix Virtual Endpoint Manager (VEM) enhances BigFix with centralized, unified endpoint management for hybrid cloud and data center environments, spanning virtual machines and physical endpoints. VEM delivers real-time endpoint visibility, policy-driven automation for configuration and compliance remediation, and consistent security controls to streamline IT operations, reduce risk, and strengthen regulatory compliance.
Profile Management
Profile Management is a WebUI-based feature of BigFix Lifecycle. It provides Security Administrators the capability to define and deploy security policies to Windows 10 and macOS devices.
BigFix Remediate
BigFix MCM

MSSQL Always On Availability Group Cluster Patching

Use Tasks 190 and 191 to perform controlled failover and failback of a SQL Server Always On Availability Group during planned maintenance, ensuring data integrity and minimal application downtime.

This is the reference documentation for two MSSQL Always On Availability Group Cluster Patching tasks.

Task 190 - SQL Server Always On Availability Group Failover: Performs a controlled failover of a SQL Server Always On Availability Group from the current primary replica to a healthy synchronous secondary replica. Before initiating the failover, the task validates that the target replica is connected, synchronized, healthy, and eligible to assume the primary role. This enables planned maintenance activities, such as operating system or SQL Server patching, to be performed on the original primary node while minimizing application downtime and ensuring no data loss.
Task 191 - SQL Server Always On Availability Group Failback: Performs a controlled failback of a SQL Server Always On Availability Group to the original primary replica after maintenance has been completed. The task verifies that the original primary replica has rejoined the Availability Group, is synchronized, connected, healthy, and ready to become the primary replica before executing the failback. This restores the Availability Group to its normal operating configuration following planned maintenance.

How to use the tasks for execution in Automation Plans?

Parameters tab showing the Availability Group name field required before executing a failover or failback task — Figure 1. How to use the tasks for execution

Fill-up the Parameters tab with exact Availability Group Name (for example, the lab name AGName is used here. The Take Action OK button will not proceed until a valid AG name is specified. This is a safety requirement for the failover and failback tasks.

How to use the tasks for setup?

Setup view showing gathered site content with Availability Group computers listed and the AG name input field — Figure 2. How to use task for setups

After the site content is gathered, the task uses relevance to pull the applicable Availability Group computers. The user can then enter the Availability Group name as shown in the image.