Installation

Create a Custom SSA Deployment Fixlet in the WebUI

You must be a BigFix Master Operator to use the WebUI's Configure Self-Service Application page.

Displaying Client UI Dashboards in SSA

Client UI dashboards appear as tabs across the top of the Self-Service Application.

To learn more about dashboards, see Creating Custom Client Dashboards in the BigFix Configuration Guide.

Procedure

1. From the WebUI Settings menu, select Self-Service Application to open the Configure Self-Service Application page.
2. Complete the fields to create an SSA installation task.
   
   
   • Task Name – Use the default name or enter your own, for example, Install SSA on OS X Machines, or Upgrade Self Service App from V2 to V3.
   • Site – Select the custom content site where you want this SSA Installation task to be stored.
   • Application Name on Devices – Enter the text that you want to appear in the SSA title bar, or use the default.
   • Operating System – Select one. If you have both Windows and OS X endpoints on your system, create a separate SSA installation task for each one.
   • Change Icon – Click to change the icon image device owners use to open the Self-Service Application. Use .ico files on Windows systems and .png files on OS X systems. The default is the BigFix icon.
   • Change Action Icon – Click to provide a .png file to replace the default BigFix action icon image.
   • Change Baseline Icon – Click to provide a .png file to replace the default BigFix multi-action icon image.
   • Change Restart Icon – Click to provide a .png file to replace the default BigFix restart icon image.
   • Brand Color – Use this option to change the banner color behind the application name. Enter a specific hex value or click the field to select from a palette. The Preview field displays the application name and selected color.
   • Help Message – Enter any text that you want to display in the SSA footer. For example, For assistance updating this device go to http://support.ucmc.org. Keep the message to a single line.
   • Catalog Tab – Set the list view as default after every SSA startup
   • History Tab – Set the number of days past actions appear on the History tab.
     
     
   • Messages Tab – Select the check box to show the Messages tab in SSA. Messages tab allows the logged in user to view and manage messages sent through BigFix WebUI.
   • Display Administrative Actions – Check the box to include actions taken by a BigFix administrator on the History tab.
   • Toast Notifications – Select the check box to enable or disable SSA toast notifications that have a deadline. If toast notifications are disabled then the messages are directly shown into the SSA main window.
   • Get All Button – Select the check box to show or hide the Get All button in the Offerings tab.
   • Collapsing Threshold – Set a threshold in order to collapse all toast notifications with a deadline. If the number of notifications exceeds the chosen threshold, a summary panel is created showing all the notifications grouped by type.
   • Expiration time for complete notifications – Set the duration for which the complete notification stays on the screen. After the specified duration, the notification will be automatically dismissed.
   • Minimize SSA main window at Deadline – Select the check box to allow to minimize the SSA main window when an action reaches its deadline.
   • Technician Tab – Check the box to include a Technician dashboard in SSA. Hidden by default, a Technician dashboard is often used to provide diagnostic information available to an endpoint administrator. Use the key combination Ctrl+Alt+Shift+T to display a Technician dashboard, and hide it again. An endpoint can have only one Technician dashboard at a time.
   • Custom Tab – Click Add New Tab to add custom dashboards to SSA and upload their archive files. For more details, refer to Displaying Client UI Dashboards in SSA section above.
     Important:

     The name of the custom tab should not contain the following words: Offers, Progress, Available Software, Your Power Footprint, Dashboard, Offerings, Action Requests, Surveys.
     Click Delete Tab to remove or cancel adding a custom tab. Select Default Tab to automatically select the Custom Tab after every SSA startup.
3. Deploy the task to all relevant endpoints.

Use the Load Previous Settings link to create multiple SSA tasks with similar settings. To use the Configure Self-Service Application page to update the settings and options on an existing SSA installation, create an installation task with the new parameters and deploy it to all relevant machines.

Self-Service Application tasks are part of your custom content library. To see them on the Custom Content list, use the Self-Service Application filter.

Use Fixlets Provided in the BigFix Console Software Distribution Site

Procedure

1. Upgrade your environment to BigFix Platform version 9.5.3, if you have not already done so. The Fixlet is available in the BES Support Content site.
2. Enable the BES Client UI.
   1. From the BigFix console go to Sites > External Sites > BES Support > Fixlets and Tasks.
   2. Locate the Fixlet BES Client Setting: BESClientUI Enable Mode.
   3. Scroll down to Actions. Review the Fixlet descriptions to find which setting is best for your environment. Use either:
      1. …set the BES Client UI to be shown for all sessions or
      2. …set the BES Client UI to be shown for only local sessions
3. In the BigFix console’s Software Distribution site, locate the SSA Fixlet for your operating system and deploy it to all relevant endpoints.
   • Windows: Deploy the latest version of BigFix Self-Service Application on Windows (vX.Y.Z)
   • Mac OS: Deploy the latest version of BigFix Self-Service Application on Mac OS X (vX.Y.Z)
   Note:

   • The uninstall Fixlet, Remove BigFix Self Service Application is available in the same location. Deploying or removing the Self-Service Application automatically restarts the BES Client.

   • Configure the string setting _BESClient_ActionManager_SSAv2Mode to SSAV2UIAll. If set, the BESClient and BESClientUI will inhibit all existing BESClientUI visual components, enable the new data flow, expect the SSA to recognize the new data, and expect the SSA to supply the required requests to support existing BESClientUI functionality.