Configure Update Sets, Catalog Files, and System Properties in ServiceNow™ for BigFix Application Control

Configure the ServiceNow™ instance to receive and process application exception requests from Application Control managed endpoints. This task imports the ServiceNowUpdateSet.xml file staged by the preceding task, configures the Application_Catalog_BigFix and BAC_Application_Exception_Catalog REST Message catalog files with BigFix REST API credentials and endpoint URLs, and sets the BigFix_User_Key and BigFix_User_Name system properties required for the exception approval workflow.

Before you begin

Complete the steps in the Stage the BigFix Application Control Update Set for ServiceNow Administrator Handoff task before attempting this task.

About this task

As an administrator, configure the Update Sets, catalog files, and system properties on the customer's ServiceNow™ instance. This configuration enables exception requests raised on Application Control managed endpoints to be created and managed in the customer's ServiceNow™ instance.

Perform the following steps to configure the update sets, catalog files, and system properties in ServiceNow™:

Procedure

  1. In the BigFix® Console, navigate to All Content > BigFix Application Control > Fixlets and Tasks.
  2. Browse to the customer's ServiceNow™ instance portal where the exception requests raised by the end-users will reflect.
  3. From All tab, search for Update Sets properties.
    Figure 1. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — All Tab: Search for Update Set Properties

    ServiceNow All tab search box with "Update Sets" entered as the search term, showing search results including the Retrieved Update Sets property used to manage update sets pulled from another ServiceNow instance.
  4. Click Retrieved Update Sets. This property updates the Update Sets property that are pulled form another ServiceNow™ instance.
  5. From Retrieved Update Sets screen, click the Import Update Set from XML link at the bottom-left of the screen. The link Import Update Set from XML imports an update set from an XML file exported from another ServiceNow™ instance, in this case it will be the customers instance.
    Figure 2. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — Retrieved Update Sets: Import Update Set from XML Link

    ServiceNow Retrieved Update Sets screen showing the Import Update Set from XML link at the bottom-left of the screen, used to import an update set from an XML file exported from another ServiceNow instance.
    Note:
    Perform the steps mentioned in the Stage the BigFix Application Control Update Set for ServiceNow Administrator Handoff task to get the Update Set file that you need to import.
  6. From the Import XML screen, click Choose file to select the XML file from the customer's instance that you need to import. After the file is selected, click Upload. Once successfully uploaded, you will see the uploaded file on the Retrieved Update Set screen.
    Figure 3. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — Import XML: Choose File and Upload the ServiceNowUpdateSet.xml File

    ServiceNow Import XML screen showing the Choose file button to select the ServiceNowUpdateSet.xml file and the Upload button to upload it to the ServiceNow instance.
  7. On the Retrieved Update Set screen, click to open the newly uploaded update set.
    Figure 4. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — Retrieved Update Set: Open the Uploaded Update Set

    ServiceNow Retrieved Update Set screen showing the newly uploaded update set entry to click and open for preview and commit processing.
  8. On the Retrieved Update Set <file-name> screen, click the Preview Update Set button. Click Close once the preview processing is complete.
    Figure 5. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — Retrieved Update Set: Preview Update Set

    ServiceNow Retrieved Update Set screen showing the Preview Update Set button that initiates preview processing, and the Close button to dismiss the preview dialog once processing is complete.
  9. Browse to Select All > Actions on selected rows... > Accept remote update.
    Figure 6. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — Retrieved Update Set: Accept Remote Update Action

    ServiceNow Retrieved Update Set screen showing the Select All option and the Actions on selected rows menu with Accept remote update selected to accept all update set changes from the remote ServiceNow instance.
  10. Once the Accept remote update action is complete, click the Commit Update Set button. Click Close once the Commit Update Set action is complete.
    Figure 7. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — Retrieved Update Set: Commit Update Set

    ServiceNow Retrieved Update Set screen showing the Commit Update Set button that applies the accepted update set changes to the ServiceNow instance, and the Close button to dismiss the commit dialog once complete.
  11. Next, configure the REST Message property. To do so, browse back to the All tab and search for REST Message property.
    Figure 8. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — All Tab: Search for REST Message

    ServiceNow All tab search box with "REST Message" entered as the search term, used to navigate to the REST Message screen where the BigFix Application Control catalog files are configured.
  12. On the REST Message screen, there will be two Application Control catalog files. These files will be used for communicating with BigFix Application Control REST APIs by ServiceNow™.
    Figure 9. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — REST Message: Application Control Catalog Files (Application_Catalog_BigFix and BAC_Application_Exception_Catalog)

    ServiceNow REST Message screen showing the two BigFix Application Control catalog files: Application_Catalog_BigFix and BAC_Application_Exception_Catalog, which are used for communicating with BigFix Application Control REST APIs.
  13. Click the Application_Catalog_BigFix file, and select the Authentication type as Basic. In the Basic auth profile field, enter BigFix REST API credentials. These fields set the authentication type for communicating with BigFix REST APIs.
    Note:
    Before executing this step, ensure that you have BigFix REST API credentials available with you.
    Figure 10. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — Application_Catalog_BigFix: Set Authentication Type to Basic and Enter BigFix REST API Credentials

    ServiceNow Application_Catalog_BigFix REST Message screen showing the Authentication type field set to Basic and the Basic auth profile field where BigFix REST API credentials are entered for authenticating communication with BigFix REST APIs.
    1. You can search for the BigFix REST API credentials by clicking the Lookup using list option.
      Figure 11. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — Application_Catalog_BigFix: Lookup Using List to Search for BigFix REST API Credentials

      ServiceNow Application_Catalog_BigFix Basic auth profile field showing the Lookup using list option to search for existing BigFix REST API credential records in the ServiceNow Basic Auth Configuration.
    2. On the Basic Auth Configuration | ServiceNow screen, either search and select the credentials from the list or click New to create new record in ServiceNow™.
      Figure 12. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — Basic Auth Configuration: Select Existing or Create New BigFix REST API Credential Record

      ServiceNow Basic Auth Configuration screen showing a list of existing credential records and the New button to create a new BigFix REST API credential record for the Application_Catalog_BigFix REST Message.
    3. On the New Record | Basic Auth Configuration | ServiceNow screen, enter the Name, Username, and Password of the record. Click Submit.
      Figure 13. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — New Record Basic Auth Configuration: Enter Name, Username, and Password for BigFix REST API Credentials

      ServiceNow New Record Basic Auth Configuration screen showing the Name, Username, and Password fields for creating a new BigFix REST API credential record, with the Submit button to save the record.
  14. Now, update the endpoints for the REST POST and PUT methods. This endpoint is the BigFix REST API server with which ServiceNow™ will communicate.
    Figure 14. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — Application_Catalog_BigFix: HTTP Methods Endpoint — BigFix REST API Server URL for POST and PUT

    ServiceNow Application_Catalog_BigFix HTTP Methods section showing the Endpoint column for the POST and PUT methods, where the BigFix REST API server URL is entered so ServiceNow can communicate with BigFix Application Control.
  15. Next, browse to the REST Message screen and select the BAC_Application_Exception_Catalog file.
    Figure 15. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — REST Message: Select BAC_Application_Exception_Catalog

    ServiceNow REST Message screen with the BAC_Application_Exception_Catalog file selected, which configures the ServiceNow instance endpoint for receiving exception requests from BigFix Application Control managed endpoints.
  16. On the REST Message BAC_Application_Exception_Catalog screen, update the Endpoint field with the URL of the customers ServiceNow™ instance. This endpoint URL is ServiceNow™ instance where you wish to generate the exception requests raised by the desktop users of Application Control.
    Figure 16. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — BAC_Application_Exception_Catalog: Update Endpoint with ServiceNow Instance URL

    ServiceNow BAC_Application_Exception_Catalog REST Message screen showing the Endpoint field where the customer's ServiceNow instance URL is entered to direct exception requests from BigFix Application Control managed endpoints to the correct ServiceNow instance.
  17. Scroll down on the same screen and update the Endpoint column for the post and put methods in the HTTP Methods section.
    Figure 17. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — BAC_Application_Exception_Catalog: HTTP Methods Endpoint — Update POST and PUT with ServiceNow Instance URL

    ServiceNow BAC_Application_Exception_Catalog HTTP Methods section showing the Endpoint column for POST and PUT methods, where the ServiceNow instance URL is entered to route exception requests to the correct instance.
  18. Next, configure the sys_properties.list property. To do so, browse back to the All tab and search for sys_properties.list property.
    Figure 18. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — All Tab: Search for sys_properties.list

    ServiceNow All tab search box with sys_properties.list entered as the search term, used to navigate to the System Properties screen where the BigFix_User_Key and BigFix_User_Name properties are configured.
  19. On the System Properties screen, search using the BigFix keyword in the Name column.This search will result in two BigFix® properties: BigFix_User_Key & BigFix_User_Name.
    Note:
    The ServiceNow™ user (with exception manager role or persona), must have ITIL and REST Service roles assigned to it before you proceed to update the properties in this step.
    Figure 19. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — System Properties: Search Using BigFix Keyword to Locate BigFix_User_Key and BigFix_User_Name Properties

    ServiceNow System Properties screen showing the Name column filtered by the BigFix keyword, displaying the BigFix_User_Key and BigFix_User_Name properties that must be configured for the exception approval workflow.
    1. BigFix_User_Key is the password of the ServiceNow™ user (user with the exception manager role or persona).
      Figure 20. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — System Properties: BigFix_User_Key — Password of the ServiceNow Exception Manager User

      ServiceNow System Properties screen showing the BigFix_User_Key property, which must be set to the password of the ServiceNow user with the exception manager role or persona for the exception approval workflow.
    2. BigFix_User_Name is the user name of the ServiceNow™ user (user with the exception manager role or persona).
      Figure 21. BigFix Application Control — ServiceNow — System Properties: BigFix_User_Name — Username of the ServiceNow Exception Manager User

      ServiceNow System Properties screen showing the BigFix_User_Name property, which must be set to the user name of the ServiceNow user with the exception manager role or persona for the exception approval workflow.

Results

The ServiceNow™ instance is configured to receive and process application exception requests from Application Control managed endpoints. The update set is committed, the Application_Catalog_BigFix and BAC_Application_Exception_Catalog REST Message catalog files are configured with the correct authentication and endpoint URLs, and the BigFix_User_Key and BigFix_User_Name system properties are set. Exception requests raised by desktop users on managed endpoints are now routed to the ServiceNow™ instance for exception approval processing.