Welcome
Remote Control
BigFix Remote Control application helps to communicate between different components, clients, and endpoints within BigFix environment.
Remote Control Administrators Guide
This guide is for users who want to administer Remote Control.
Broker configuration
When you install broker support you can use the installed trc_broker.properties file to configure your environment for using the broker function.
How do targets select a broker?
Targets select brokers by connecting to all listed brokers in parallel and using the first one that responds. Custom selection logic can be implemented via PAC files to enable criteria-based routing.

BigFix Documentation Homepage
BigFix 11 Lifecycle Documentation
Welcome to the BigFix Lifecycle documentation, where you can find information about how to install, maintain, and use BigFix Lifecycle.
BigFix Platform
BigFix Query
Lifecycle overview
BigFix Lifecycle is single-agent, single-console technology that provides near real-time visibility into the state of endpoints.
Lifecycle guides in PDF format
Following is a list of links to the BigFix Lifecycle guides in PDF format:
Software Distribution
Use the BigFix Software Distribution applications to deploy software to endpoints across your network from a single location. Maintain control and visibility into software delivery and installation. Device owners can use the Self Service Application to manage software and other BigFix actions that are deployed to them as offers.
OS Deployment
BigFix OS Deployment, which is part of the BigFix Lifecycle Management suite, provides a consolidated, comprehensive solution to quickly deploy new workstations and servers throughout a network from a single, centralized location. This solution saves time and money, enforces a standardized and approved image, and reduces risks associated with non-compliant or insecure configurations.
Remote Control
BigFix Remote Control application helps to communicate between different components, clients, and endpoints within BigFix environment.
- Release notes
  A summary of changed or new features and enhancements included in BigFix Remote Control.
- Remote Control Installation Guide
  By using Remote Control you can remotely support and control thousands of PCs and servers, on an enterprise scale, from a central location or directly, in peer to peer mode.
- Remote Control Administrators Guide
  This guide is for users who want to administer Remote Control.
  - Set a secure environment
    Set a secure environment when you are using Remote Control.
  - Secure target registration
    To prevent unauthorized targets from registering with the Remote Control server, you can use tokens to authenticate the target.
  - Configure SAML 2.0 authentication on the server
    Remote Control V9.1.3 introduced support for SAML 2.0 authentication on the Remote Control server.
  - Configure REST APIs on the Server
    The Remote Control Server starting from version 10.1 Fix Pack 5 brings new REST APIs that enable integration with external products.
  - BigFix Remote Control API Documentation
    REST APIs for BigFix Remote Control Server – session validation, history, recording retrieval, audit messages, and executed commands.
  - Access the server web interface
    After you install the BigFix® Remote Control Server software and the BigFix Remote Control Target software, you can log on to the server application. For more information about installing and configuring the server and target software, see the Remote Control Installation Guide
  - Using the Deployment Status Dashboard
    The Deployment Status Dashboard provides a quick view of the system and brokers health status.
  - Unattended Target Support
    The Unattended Target Support feature allows you to take remote control sessions of targets that are connected through a broker, without the need to provide a connection code. In strict remote control terminology, an unattended target is a managed target that performs Call Home through a broker.
  - Unlocking user accounts
    When a user account is locked, you can unlock the account by using the Unlock locked userid feature.
  - Manage targets and target groups
  - Manage users and user groups
  - Server session policies
  - How session policies are determined
  - Starting a managed session by using an installed controller
    When you start a managed session, you can configure the server to use an installed controller rather than using the Java™ Web Start method. Note that the Java Web Start plugin method is deprecated in Remote Control starting from Version 10.0.0 Update 8 (Build Number 0802). This feature makes starting a session faster and it removes any warning message windows that are displayed while the session is starting.
  - Manage permission sets for temporary access to targets
  - Requests for temporary access to targets
  - Generate custom reports
  - Manage the home page for a user or group
  - Adding tables and columns to queries
  - Configuration and troubleshooting options in the Admin menu
  - Ensure targets are registered correctly
  - Record the session on the target
  - Set up for exporting recordings
  - Audit log distribution
  - Access targets on different networks
  - Editing the properties files
    You can use the properties files in Remote Control to customize your environment, configure Microsoft Entra ID or LDAP, set debug options, and set controller and on-demand target properties. The files can be edited in the BigFix® Remote Control Server UI.
  - Running tools on the target during a remote control session
  - Reduce the volume of target connections to the server
  - Broker configuration
    When you install broker support you can use the installed trc_broker.properties file to configure your environment for using the broker function.
    - Configuring the broker properties
      You can edit the trc_broker.properties file to configure the parameters and connection types required for using brokers in your environment.
    - Setting server connection parameters
      Edit the trc_broker.properties file to set the parameters for the server that the broker authenticates with.
    - Configuring the broker certificate
    - Configuring inbound connections to brokers
      To allow the broker to accept connections from controllers and targets you can define and configure inbound connections using the trc_broker.properties file.
    - Configuring broker connections
      To allow the broker to accept connections from other brokers you can define and configure broker connections using the trc_broker.properties file.
    - Logging broker activity
    - Configuring optional parameters
    - Default configuration parameters
    - How do controllers select a broker?
      Controllers select brokers by contacting them sequentially from a configured list and connecting to the first available one. If the target uses a different broker, the controller switches to match.
    - How do targets select a broker?
      Targets select brokers by connecting to all listed brokers in parallel and using the first one that responds. Custom selection logic can be implemented via PAC files to enable criteria-based routing.
    - Broker setup examples
      The following example illustrates a broker and gateway setup.
  - Web Session Manager Configuration
    The Remote Control Web Session Manager service is automatically installed alongside broker support to enable browser-based Remote Control sessions. Configuration is managed via the trc_wsm.properties file.
  - Managing brokers
    After installing broker support you can register the broker machines in the Remote Control server. When they have been registered you can view the list of brokers, edit the broker details and delete brokers that are no longer required.
  - Certificate management
    Remote Control uses certificates in the Server and in the Broker to address the authentication and verification required for ensuring secure connections between the different product components.
  - Migrating to a new certificate
    If your existing certificates are due to expire, you can create new certificates. Distribute the new certificates to the relevant endpoints so that they can continue to successfully establish remote control sessions through the broker.
  - Configuring the session connection code
    You can define the number of characters required and the timeout value, for the connection code used when starting a remote control session through a broker.
  - Target registration before a remote control session
    When you have targets that are on the internet or third-party networks and cannot register directly with the Remote Control server you can configure server properties to allow the target to register with the server. When the target registers, you can start a remote control session with the target, by using a broker.
  - Configure target properties
  - Importing data from other sources
  - Database table and column descriptions
  - Troubleshooting and Help
  - Gateway sample scenarios
  - Properties for configuring logging activity
    Use properties to determine what type of information and how much is written to the broker, gateway, and target component log files.
  - Override proxy
    The controller uses the proxy defined at system level by default. In some conditions, this may not be desirable. Creating a file named “override.proxy” in the controller install folder changes the default behavior and the system proxy is ignored
- Remote Control Console User Guide
- BigFix Remote Control Controller Users Guide
- Remote Control Target Users Guide
- Remote Control On-demand Target Guide
  Use Remote Control to start remote control sessions over the internet with targets that do not have the target software installed.
- Remote Control V10 Readme
Power Management
Use Power Management to control, monitor, and manage conservation policies in your deployment.
Application Control
BigFix Application Control provides a robust framework for managing application usage within an organization. It allows administrators to define policies that dictate which applications can or cannot be run on endpoints, thereby enhancing security and compliance.
Server Automation
Server Automation provides powerful automation. You can use it to sequence automation actions in steps across multiple endpoints.
Virtual Endpoint Manager
HCL BigFix Virtual Endpoint Manager (VEM) enhances BigFix with centralized, unified endpoint management for hybrid cloud and data center environments, spanning virtual machines and physical endpoints. VEM delivers real-time endpoint visibility, policy-driven automation for configuration and compliance remediation, and consistent security controls to streamline IT operations, reduce risk, and strengthen regulatory compliance.
Profile Management
Profile Management is a WebUI-based feature of BigFix Lifecycle. It provides Security Administrators the capability to define and deploy security policies to Windows 10 and macOS devices.
BigFix Remediate
BigFix MCM

How do targets select a broker?

Targets select brokers by connecting to all listed brokers in parallel and using the first one that responds. Custom selection logic can be implemented via PAC files to enable criteria-based routing.

When a broker session is started on the target as described here or when the target is configured as an Unattended Target, it will connect to a broker that is selected from the broker list cached in the BrokerList property.

The broker selected for the connection is the first one that sends a response. Basically, the target opens a connection to each broker specified in the list in parallel, and the first one that replies is selected and used for the connection. The broker that is selected is typically the one with fewer network hops or the one with the lowest workload.