Configuring the Self Service Application from the BigFix UI

Use the Configure Self Service Application wizard from the Software Explorer page to generate a BigFix deployment task that installs, upgrades, and configures the Self Service Application (SSA) on endpoints — controlling notifications, offerings, behavior, and appearance from a guided four-step wizard.

Before you begin

Before configuring the Self Service Application, ensure that:

  • You have administrator access in the BigFix UI.
  • Software packages with SSA-enabled tasks (with labels and icons) have been created so that end users can see and request software offers. See Managing Packages — Adding Files and Tasks.

About this task

The Self Service Application Configuration wizard is accessible from the three dots (More) options icon on the Software Explorer page in the BigFix UI. The wizard generates an Install and Configuration BigFix Task that, when deployed to endpoints, installs or upgrades the SSA application with the settings you define.

Figure 1. BigFix UI Administration — Application Configuration Page

The Application Configuration page in the BigFix UI Administration section. The Configure Self Service Application option is shown as the primary action. Clicking it opens the four-step SSA configuration wizard.

The behavior of this wizard is equivalent to the SSA Configuration page in the legacy BigFix WebUI, making the migration from the legacy tool straightforward for administrators already familiar with that workflow.

Procedure

  1. On the Software Explorer page, click the three dots (More) icon and click Configure Self Service Application.
    The wizard opens at the Properties step (Step 1 of 4).
  2. On the Properties step (Step 1), configure the SSA installation properties and define which version of the SSA will be deployed.
    Figure 2. SSA Configuration Wizard — Step 1: Properties

    Step 1 (Properties) of the Configure Self Service Application wizard, showing fields for selecting the SSA version to deploy and configuring installation properties such as target site, deployment scope, and version options.
  3. On the Appearance step (Step 2), customize the visual look and feel of the SSA as it will be presented to end users on their devices.
    Figure 3. SSA Configuration Wizard — Step 2: Appearance

    Step 2 (Appearance) of the wizard, showing branding and visual customization settings for the Self Service Application — including options for color themes, logo upload, and layout preferences that device owners will see when using the SSA on their endpoints.
    Appearance settings may include branding elements, color themes, and layout preferences visible to device owners using the SSA.
  4. On the Behavior step (Step 3), configure SSA runtime behavior settings using the sub-sections in the left panel:
    Figure 4. SSA Configuration Wizard — Step 3: Behavior

    Step 3 (Behavior) of the wizard, showing a left-panel navigation with seven sub-sections: Notifications, Offerings, Action Requests, History, Messages, Technician, and Custom Tabs. The right panel shows the configuration options for the currently selected sub-section. A Reset all button at the top restores all behavior settings to factory defaults.
    Table 1. SSA Behavior Configuration Sub-sections
    Sub-section Configuration Options
    Notifications Enable or disable toast notifications. When disabled, messages appear directly inside the SSA window instead of as desktop toasts. Set the collapsing threshold (maximum number of notifications visible on screen simultaneously) and the expiration time for completed notifications.
    Offerings Configure how software offerings and offers are presented in the SSA catalog including visibility behavior. Also, enable the Get all button from here and set this tab as default in SSA.
    Action Requests Enable minimization of SSA main window at deadline and also set this tab as default in SSA.
    History Configure the action history view available to end users, including how far back the history extends. Also, enable the Admin actions toggle and set this tab as default in SSA.
    Messages Enable Messages to receive Administrator messages and set this tab as default in SSA. Messages tab allows the logged in user to view and manage messages.
    Technician Enable the Technician tab for SSA technician users. A Technician dashboard in SSA is hidden by default. It is often used to provide diagnostic information available to an endpoint administrator.
    Custom Tabs Add and configure custom tabs that appear in the SSA navigation, for example to surface internal links, web portals, or custom content to end users.
    Tip:
    Use Reset all on the Behavior step to revert all settings to their factory defaults without having to reconfigure each sub-section individually.
  5. On the Summary step (Step 4), review all configured settings across Properties, Appearance, and Behavior.
    Figure 5. SSA Configuration Wizard — Step 4: Summary Before Submission

    Step 4 (Summary) of the Configure Self Service Application wizard, displaying a read-only review of all settings entered in the Properties, Appearance, and Behavior steps. A Submit button at the bottom generates and saves the Install and Configuration BigFix Task.
  6. Click Submit on the Summary step to generate and save the Install and Configuration BigFix Task.
    The task is stored in the BigFix Platform and is ready to deploy to target endpoints.
  7. Deploy the generated Install and Configuration task to your target endpoints using the standard BigFix deployment workflow.

Results

The Self Service Application is installed or upgraded on target endpoints with the settings defined in the wizard. Device owners can now open the SSA on their endpoints to browse available software offerings, submit action requests, and view their action history.

What to do next

After deploying the SSA, ensure your deployment tasks have been configured with SSA labels and icons so that they appear as visible offers in the SSA catalog. See Managing Packages — Adding Files and Tasks for SSA task configuration details.