Welcome
Security
Configure different security features to adequately protect business assets and resources in the data model when using BigFix Inventory.
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.
Troubleshooting single sign-on (SSO)
This section provides troubleshooting procedure for the single sign-on setup in BigFix Inventory.

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
BigFix Scanner (New)
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.
- 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
- 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 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.
- 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.
  - Creating single sign-on users
    To be able to enable single sign-on, you must create first at least one users that can later log in toBigFix Inventory. Note that once single sign-on is enabled, no other authentication methods are available.
  - Configuring single sign-on based on Security Assertion Markup Language token
    You can configure single sign-on based on a Security Access Markup Language (SAML 2.0) token and an external Identity Provider server.
  - Troubleshooting single sign-on (SSO)
    This section provides troubleshooting procedure for the single sign-on setup in BigFix Inventory.
  - Advanced single sing-on configuration
    This section covers additional configuration options available when setting up single sign-on.
- 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.
- Hardening network security configuration: restrict incoming requests to selected HOSTS
  Protect BigFix Inventory deployment by specifying allowed HOST in the HTTP header when connecting.
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
Service Graph Connector Integration

Troubleshooting single sign-on (SSO)

This section provides troubleshooting procedure for the single sign-on setup in BigFix Inventory.

Review the tema.log

When troubleshooting the single sing-on setup start from checking the tema.log. It contains additional information that is not reported on the UI.

Understand the network setup between end user browser, Identity Provider and BFI (Service Provider)

When setting up single sign-on there is critical to understand network connectivity. Key question to answer is if you accessing the BigFix Inventory directly or via load balancer or proxy? What URL will be used to access the BigFix Inventory?

It is critial to use the same URL over the whole configuration process.

In case when you are using load balancer or proxy remember to make BigFix Inventory aware of the URL that will be used to access it by Configuring spHostAndPort.

Enabling Debug Logging for the SSO

Default logging, including debug mode, does not include the details of the SSO message exchange. In difficult cases there might be needed to review the messages paylaod to trace the problem.

To enable debug logging for single sign-on in BigFix Inventory, edit the web.xml file and change the value of config.sso.debug to true.

<context-param>
  <param-name>config.sso.debug</param-name>
  <param-value>true</param-value>
</context-param>

Once change is made, restart BigFix Inventory server and reproduce the failing scenario.

Entra ID and BFI: endless redirection loop

An endless redirection loop is made. Proceed with manual setup and avoid the use of metadata from BigFix Inventory. Make sure that neither the Sign-On URL nor the Relay State is configured. If these settings are configured, recreate the application definition in Entra ID from beginning.

Entra ID and BFI: error AADSTS750054

When the correct page is provided in BigFix Inventory login page for Service Provider Initiated (SP-initiated) flow, you may get error AADSTS750054. This error is caused by the lack of compatibility between Entra and WebSphere HTTP binding methods (Redirect only vs. POST only). For more detailed information about the error, refer to Microsoft Learn - Troubleshoot AADSTS750054 error.

To add feedback about this topic, select the following checkbox:

By clicking this box, you acknowledge that you are NOT a U.S. Federal Government employee or agency, nor are you submitting information with respect to or on behalf of one. HCL provides software and services to U.S. Federal Government customers through its partners Four, Inc. Contact this team at https://hcltechsw.com/resources/us-government-contact. Do not include any personal data in this Comment box. Note: To report a problem or question about the product software, do not use this form. Instead, go to the HCL Software Support site. Personal data should not be shared in this comment box. See our Privacy Statement to understand how personal data is used.