Welcome
Security
Configure different security features to adequately protect business assets and resources in the data model when using BigFix Inventory.
Configuring database connection encryption
You can encrypt the connection between BigFix Inventory server and the BigFix Inventory database. Encryption is established between BigFix Inventory server and the database engine using a JDBC driver. You can encrypt the connection while upgrading the server.
Keystores
Keystores and truststores are repositories that contain cryptographic artifacts like certificates and private keys that are used for cryptographic protocols such as TLS. BigFix Inventory uses below keystore and truststore files to enhance its security. They are located in <Installation_directory>/wlp/usr/servers/server1/resources/security directory.

BigFix Documentation Homepage
BigFix 11 Inventory Documentation
Welcome to the BigFix Inventory documentation, where you can find information about how to install and configure BigFix Inventory. The application provides you with information about your inventory and license metrics. You can manage your software assets, gather information about your hardware, and ensure license compliance for your enterprise using BigFix Inventory.
BigFix Platform
Overview
Become familiar with key concepts that are necessary to understand how BigFix Inventory works and learn about features and functions that are introduced in every version of the application.
Installing
Learn about the requirements and available installation scenarios to ensure that the deployment of BigFix Inventory goes smoothly in your environment.
Configuring
After you install BigFix Inventory, configure the application. Create accounts for the users who need access to the application and set up scans to collect software and hardware inventory data from your environment.
Upgrading
A new version of BigFix Inventory is released periodically, typically at the end of each calendar quarter. Upgrade to the new version regularly to take full advantage of new features and application fixes.
Catalog Overview
This section provides information about catalog updates available with every release.
Managing the infrastructure
After you complete the initial configuration of BigFix Inventory, learn how to manage components of its infrastructure: VM managers, server, database, and data sources.
Software inventory and license utilization
You can classify the discovered software so that reports in BigFix Inventory reflect your entitlements and properly show utilization of license metrics by particular products.
Managing security threats
Learn how to use BigFix Inventory to manage security threats in your environment. You can view whether any of the installed components is prone to any Common Vulnerability and Exposure (CVE).
Tutorials
Tutorials help you understand how to use BigFix Inventory. They consist of modules that focus on broad goals. Modules consist of tasks that show how to configure specific settings step-by-step.
Security
Configure different security features to adequately protect business assets and resources in the data model when using BigFix Inventory.
- Flow of data
  There are several different interactions that occur between the components of the BigFix Inventory infrastructure and between the user and tool.
- Security configuration scenarios
  Check what security options need to be enabled on the BigFix server and the BigFix Inventory server to achieve each of the supported security scenarios.
- Configuring database connection encryption
  You can encrypt the connection between BigFix Inventory server and the BigFix Inventory database. Encryption is established between BigFix Inventory server and the database engine using a JDBC driver. You can encrypt the connection while upgrading the server.
  - Enabling database connection encryption for MS SQL for BigFix Inventory
    Configure the MS SQL Server with BigFix Inventory database to apply SSL-based encryption.
  - Enabling database connection encryption for DB2 for BigFix Inventory
    Configure the DB2 database to apply SSL based encryption.
  - Enabling the database connection encryption for Data Source
    Configure the connection to Data Source (BigFix Platform DB2 / MSSQL database) to apply SSL based encryption.
  - Keystores
    Keystores and truststores are repositories that contain cryptographic artifacts like certificates and private keys that are used for cryptographic protocols such as TLS. BigFix Inventory uses below keystore and truststore files to enhance its security. They are located in <Installation_directory>/wlp/usr/servers/server1/resources/security directory.
- Configuring secure communication
  To ensure secure communication, BigFix Inventory uses public key cryptography, which is based on algorithms that use two separate keys, a private key and a public key. This key pair is used to encrypt and decrypt communication
- Assuring compliance with federal encryption standards
  You can configure BigFix Inventory to be compliant with the Federal Information Processing Standard requirements that are related to encryption.
- Authenticating users with LDAP
  BigFix Inventory supports authentication through a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server. To use this feature, you must configure the BigFix Inventory server.
- Configuring and enabling single sign-on (SSO)
  Available from 9.2.1. You can now use the two-factor authentication and use SSO to log on to BigFix Inventory and maintain login consistency with other applications in the enterprise. You can configure BigFix Inventory to use two-factor authentication with single sign-on based either on the exchange of Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML 2.0) token and Microsoft™ Active Directory Federation Services as Identity Provider or you can use the IBM Lightweight Third-Party Authentication (LTPA) technology and IBM Security Access Manager for Web as the authentication service.
- Configuring passwords and encryption mechanisms
  To improve the application security, define a security policy for user passwords. You can also configure passwords and encryption mechanisms for the keystore in which the passwords are stored, and the BigFix Inventory database.
- Configuring user account lockout
  Available from 9.2.8. By default, user account is locked for 5 minutes after the user attempts to log in to BigFix Inventory more than 10 times within 5 minutes. You can change the default settings or disable the user account lockout.
- Configuring VM Manager tool to accept trusted VM manager certificates
  By default, the VM Manager tool accepts all VM manager certificates regardless of whether they are trusted or not. You can change the default behavior to ensure that only trusted certificates are accepted by the VM Manager tool.
- Relays
  Relays lighten both upstream and downstream burdens on the server. Rather than communicating directly with a server, clients can instead be instructed to communicate with designated relays, considerably reducing both server load and client and server network traffic.
Troubleshooting and support
Learn about solutions to common problems that might arise when you use BigFix Inventory BigFix Inventory and how to find logs and trace files that help you troubleshoot those problems.
Tuning performance
Learn how to plan the infrastructure of BigFix Inventory and to configure the application server to achieve optimal performance. The following guidelines are applicable in big data environments as well as in smaller environments that are running on low-performance hardware.
Integrating with REST API
External systems integration is one of the key features of BigFix Inventory. Business logic is enabled for integration and interfaces are provided for common integration points.
Glossary
Guide in PDF format
DataFlow ServiceNow Integration

Keystores

Keystores and truststores are repositories that contain cryptographic artifacts like certificates and private keys that are used for cryptographic protocols such as TLS. BigFix Inventory uses below keystore and truststore files to enhance its security. They are located in <Installation_directory>/wlp/usr/servers/server1/resources/security directory.

key_server.p12: This keystore stores BigFix Inventory server certificate. It is managed by BigFix Inventory server. If you want to configure the server certificate, refer to the instructions provided in Configuring secure communication.
keys_bf_db.p12: This truststore stores BigFix Platform database certificates. To add new certificate to this truststore, refer to the instructions provided in Enabling the database connection encryption for Data Source.
key_bfi_db.p12: This truststore stores BigFix Inventory database certificate. To add new certificate to this truststore, refer to the instructions provided in Enabling database connection encryption for MS SQL for BigFix Inventory or Enabling database connection encryption for DB2 for BigFix Inventory depending on your database type.
keys_ilmt.p12: This keystore stores keys for reports signing, PVU table signatures validation, database passwords and token encryptions. It is manager by BigFix Inventory server.
keys_vmmdc.p12: This keystore stores keys for VM Manager password management. It is managed by BigFix Inventory server.

You can also define your own keystore, such as a SSO keystore. For more information, refer to Configuring SSO keystore passwords and encryption.

To change the keystore password, refer to the instructions provided in Configuring cryptographic keystore password and encryption.

There are more keystore files specific to other BigFix Inventory tools, such as:

VM Manager tool keystore: Improving security of storing VM manager passwords
SAP Metric Data Collector keystore: Changing the default secret key and password to the SAP Metric Data Collector keystore
BigFix Inventory Container Solution keystores: For more information on Container solution, refer to Software discovery in containers.