Frequently asked questions

Why are some things not showing up on my console?

Check to make sure that your management configure is configured properly and has the correct credentials to your vCenter machine. By default, the location of this file is at: C:\Program Files\BigFix Enterprise\Management Extender\Plugins\VMware ESXi 1\plugin\plugin-settings.ini. For 64-bit systems, it is found in C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\Management Extender\Plugins\VMware ESXi 1\plugin\plugin-settings.ini).

I've set up an offline patch window but I'm seeing unusual behavior. What might be wrong?

Check to see that a BigFix agent is installed on each of the machines targeted by the offline patch window. Check to see if you have multiple actions in the action history of the 'Enforce Offline Patch Window task' affecting the same endpoints.

What should I configure to have a running offline window?

Check that you have the following items setup:

My virtual machines are no longer powering on during a patch window. What happened?

Check to see if you are at the maximum number of concurrent running machines. That setting can be found by default in this directory: C:\Program Files\BigFix Enterprise\Management Extender\Plugins\VMware ESXi 1\Patch Windows\(name of patch window)\(host - operations.txt). For 64-bit systems, it is found in C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\Management Extender\Plugins\VMware ESXi 1\Patch Windows\(name of patch window)\(host - operations.txt). The number inside represents the number of concurrently running virtual machines per host. If the number is at the limit that was initially set, consider setting a higher concurrent virtual machine number.

Can I have more than one offline window at a time targeted at the same endpoint?

Yes, you can have more than one offline window at a time targeted at the same endpoint.

Does the offline patch window scheduler workflow work for more than just patch content?

Yes, it does. You can run any BigFix action from any site via this offline workflow.

Why can't I apply any ESXi patches?

The Patches for ESXi content is audit only. In order to remediate ESXi issues, use the VMware Update Manager or download and apply patches manually from the VMware website.

Why is it that I cannot install an agent on ESXi?

This is a restriction that VMware introduced in their ESXi hypervisors.

Can I install the management extender on a non windows machine?

Currently, the proxy agent can only be installed on Windows-based machines.

Can I run the BigFix for Mobile Management Extender alongside the vCenter Management Extender?

Yes, you can run both management extenders.

What is the difference between proxied machines and normal machines on the TEM Console?I

Normal machines have a full BigFix agent installed on them, with the full standard set of inspectors and actions. Instead of a full BigFix agent, proxied machines use APIs to pull back information about devices and feed that information into the console as a computer report. Proxied machines have a more limited set of inspectors and actions.

Will having proxied machines affect my machine count?

Yes. Proxied machines will also count as normal machines on licensing. Talk with your sales representative to figure out how to adjust the license agreement to accommodate your virtual infrastructure.

Why are some fields different between what a proxied VM reports and what the TEM agent reports?

The vCenter plug-in grabs data directly from the VMware APIs and then translates them into BigFix properties. However, because a lot of these fields are set by the user, sometimes they can mismatch what gets reported in the BigFix Agent. For example, it is possible to set the Guest Operating System version to be something very different from what is actually installed on virtual machine.

What kind of best practices or highly suggested settings do you have for this management extender?

The device refresh interval should be at least 5 minutes. On a medium to large size deployment, this refresh interval time should be set to 15 minutes or beyond. The Enforce Management Extender policy action should be set to however long it takes to run a substantial amount of BigFix actions before it is forced to power down. The maximum time limit that can be set is an hour long.

What kind of machine should the Management Extender be?

For medium to larger size deployments, the main limiting factor is most likely going to be the CPU. As long as it is something running quad cores, the machine should be able to handle all of the management extender tasks.

If I revert a snapshot, can I expect a different computer report on the console?

No, it will be the same computer report on the BigFix Console.