Post-Provisioning System Configuration

This Fixlet automates the post-provisioning configuration of AIX® LPARs and Linux™ systems by updating the hostname and/or time zone based on user-provided parameters. If parameters are left blank, the corresponding settings will remain unchanged. As this is an optional Fixlet and task, this can be used if the user intends to use it for updating; otherwise it will not be used.

Before you begin

You must activate the AIX® NIM Overview analysis. To activate the analysis, navigate to the Domain Panel of the Server Automation domain and select Virtualization > AIX NIM > Setup and Maintenance and select AIX NIM Overview. In the Analysis: AIX NIM Overview pane, select Activate.

About this task

This Fixlet updates the hostname and/or the time zone for Linux™ and AIX® systems after provisioning.

This Fixlet automates post-provisioning configuration of Linux™ and AIX® systems by updating the hostname and/or the time zone. It accepts user-provided parameters and applies them to the target system using OS-specific methods.

If either parameter is left blank, that setting will be skipped.
Note:
  • Examples of valid time zones: AIX® TZ formats (IST-5:30, IST-0530, CST6CDT), Linux™ tz database names (Asia/Kolkata, etc.).
  • Hostnames must contain only letters, numbers, dots, and hyphens. No spaces or special characters like #@%^&*.
  • Maximum hostname length is 25 characters.
This Fixlet contains the following two parameters:
Table 1. Post-Provisioning System Configuration Fixlet
Parameter Name Description
Hostname The new hostname of the system/endpoint. If left blank, then this parameter is not changed.
Timezone The new time zone of the system/endpoint. If left blank, then this parameter is not changed.
Fixlet behaviour on different environments -
On Linux™
For hostname, updates are made to /etc/hostname.
For time zone, updates are made to either /usr/share/zoneinfo or /etc/localtime or /etc/timezone.
On AIX®
For hostname, updates are made to either /etc/nodename or /etc/hosts.
For time zone, updates are made to TZ format in /etc/environment.

Procedure

  1. Login to BigFix Console.
  2. From All Content > Fixlets and Tasks > All, select Post-Provisioning System Configuration fixlet.
    Figure 1. Post-Provisioning System Configuration Task


  3. From the Task: Post-Provisioning System Configuration panel, on the Description tab, enter the hostname and timezone parameters.
  4. Select the Take Action tab, and select the endpoints you want to apply the changes to.
  5. Click OK.

Results

By applying this Fixlet on an endpoint, you can update the either its hostname or the time zone parameters or both.