Welcome
Patch User Guides
Explore how BigFix Patch streamlines automated patch management, enhances vulnerability remediation, and facilitates seamless update deployment from a unified console. This comprehensive solution ensures efficient system maintenance and security, making it an essential tool for IT professionals.
Patch for VIOS User's Guide
Discover how BigFix Patch for VIOS provides an automated and simplified patching process specifically designed for IBM's AIX Virtual I/O Server (PowerVM VIOS) environments. It allows system administrators to manage and deploy patches efficiently across all PowerVM VIOS endpoints from a single console.
Using BigFix Patch for VIOS
Use the Fixlets on the Patches for VIOS Fixlet site to apply PowerVM VIOS patches to your deployment.
Alternate disk utility overview
Use the VIOS Advanced Deployment Wizard to deploy fix packs to a new or existing alternate disk clone.

BigFix Documentation Homepage
BigFix 11 Patch Documentation
Welcome to the BigFix Patch documentation, where you can find information about how to install, maintain, and use the BigFix Patch.
BigFix Platform
Patch Overview
Learn how BigFix Patch offers an automated and streamlined patch management solution, simplifying the patching process that is administered from a single console.
Patch User Guides
Explore how BigFix Patch streamlines automated patch management, enhances vulnerability remediation, and facilitates seamless update deployment from a unified console. This comprehensive solution ensures efficient system maintenance and security, making it an essential tool for IT professionals.
- Patch for Windows User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for Windows™ provides Fixlets for Microsoft™ security and non-security patches. Dashboards, wizards, and reports aid you in managing updates for various endpoint devices.
- Patch for AIX User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for AIX® provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all AIX endpoints.
- Patch for VIOS User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for VIOS provides an automated and simplified patching process specifically designed for IBM's AIX Virtual I/O Server (PowerVM VIOS) environments. It allows system administrators to manage and deploy patches efficiently across all PowerVM VIOS endpoints from a single console.
  - Overview
    BigFix Patch for VIOS provides unified, real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all endpoints from a single console. BigFix Patch keeps your PowerVM VIOS clients current with the latest packages, Fix Packs, and fixes.
  - Using the download plug-in
    The download plug-ins, AIX Plug-in, and AIX Plug-in R2 are executable programs that download relevant patches directly from the patch vendor. Fixlets use an internal protocol to communicate with the download plug-in to download files. These Fixlets are based on updates made by the vendor.
  - Using the VIOS download cacher for PowerVM VIOS
    You can use the AIX download cacher for PowerVM VIOS to deploy Fix Packs fixes. The download cacher uses HTTP to download specific fix packs. Ensure that HTTP network traffic is not blocked in your environment.
  - Using BigFix Patch for VIOS
    Use the Fixlets on the Patches for VIOS Fixlet site to apply PowerVM VIOS patches to your deployment.
    - Fix pack download configuration
      Configure the target PowerVM VIOS systems and the BigFix server to download filesets from the internet.
    - Fileset installation states
      Fileset installations can be in either an Applied or a Committed state.
    - Deploying Fix Packs
      You can deploy Fix Packs updates through the BigFix released content or the custom content that is generated by the VIOS Deployment Wizard.
    - Creating Fixlets for interim fixes
      Use the VIOS Interim Fix Management Wizard to create Fixlets to install customized interim fixes on VIOS systems.
    - Deploying interim fixes
      BigFix provides Fixlets for interim fixes that are released through an PowerVM VIOS vulnerability advisory or subscription notification. You can deploy these Fixlets to install interim fixes to endpoints. For customized interim fixes, you can use the VIOS Interim Fix Management Wizard to create custom Fixlets for deployment.
    - Uninstalling all interim fixes
      Interim fixes lock their target filesets to prevent any changes to the filesets while the interim fix is installed.
    - Creating Fixlets for firmware updates
      You can use the VIOS Deployment Wizard to deploy packages for firmware updates, which are also known as microcode updates, on endpoints that are not managed by IBM Hardware Management Console (HMC). These updates can be in either .rpm or .iso format.
    - Deploying firmware updates
      You can deploy firmware updates, also known as microcode updates, by using the custom content that was created by the VIOS Deployment Wizard.
    - Creating Fixlets for PowerVM VIOS fileset updates
      You can use the VIOS Deployment Wizard to deploy fileset updates and Program Temporary Fixes (PTFs).
    - Creating Fixlets for PowerVM VIOS package updates
      You can use the VIOS Deployment Wizard to deploy packages for Fix Packs.
    - Alternate disk utility overview
      Use the VIOS Advanced Deployment Wizard to deploy fix packs to a new or existing alternate disk clone.
      - Deploying Fix Packs to a new or existing alternate disk clone
        Use the VIOS Advanced Deployment Wizard to create a new clone of the current running system to an alternate disk and deploy the updates to the newly created clone. Deploying updates to a copy of the running system allows updates to run without extended periods of downtime. It also allows for a backup of the system's current state that can be quickly restored.
      - Creating a new alternate disk clone
        Use the VIOS Advanced Deployment Wizard to create an alternate disk clone of the current rootvg on targeted VIOS systems.
      - Updating the rootvg boot device
        You can use the VIOS Advanced Deployment Wizard to update the rootvg boot device to identify where the boot device of the current running system is located in the list of boot devices. When the device is located, the new boot device is inserted before the current device in the boot list unless stated otherwise. The wizard provides options if you want to replace the boot list to contain only the new device that you specified.
      - Removing alternate disk volume groups
        You can choose to delete unwanted volume groups from their alternate disk locations. This also removes the volume group definitions from the ODM database and removes the entry from the boot list.
    - Multibos utility overview
      Use the VIOS Advanced Deployment Wizard to deploy fix packs to a new or an existing standby BOS.
    - Creating preinstallation verification checks
      Use the VIOS Advanced Deployment Wizard to create Fixlets that check the preinstallation requirements of a selected fix pack against the endpoints in your environment.
    - Rejecting applied filesets
      You can use the VIOS Advanced Deployment Wizard to create tasks to reject filesets that are in the applied state and restore the previous version of the update. You can reject individual filesets or all the filesets for a specific fix pack. You can run a preview of the action to ensure that it completes successfully without rejecting any filesets. You can also specify whether you want to reject filesets that have dependencies and do not meet the rejection checks.
    - NFS Repository Management overview
      To help manage fix packs on a remote disk space, BigFix Patch offers the NFS (Network File System) Repository Management feature on the VIOS Advanced Deployment Wizard.
    - Individual VIOS fileset updates
      Deploy VIOS fix pack updates as a full fix pack bundle and not as individual filesets. Updating individual filesets might cause unexpected results.
    - Supersedence
    - Troubleshooting Failed OS Updates
      Learn which common factors affect the outcome of a deployment.
    - Network Installation Management (NIM) integration
      BigFix provides an alternative solution for updating and managing multiple VIOS system through Network Installation Management (NIM). BigFix supports the NIM patch management features in this release.
  - Troubleshooting
    When problems occur when patching VIOS endpoints, review the log files to determine what went wrong and how to correct the errors.
  - Frequently asked questions
    The questions and answers in this section can help you to better understand BigFix Patch for VIOS.
- Patch for Red Hat Enterprise Linux User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for Red Hat Enterprise Linux™ provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all Red Hat Enterprise Linux endpoints.
- Patch for CentOS Linux User's Guide
  Learn about BigFix® Patch for CentOS Linux™ that provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all CentOs endpoints.
- Patch for Alma Linux User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for Alma Linux provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all Alma Linux endpoints.
- Patch for Amazon Linux User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix® Patch for Amazon Linux™ provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all Amazon Linux endpoints.
- Patch for SUSE Linux Enterprise User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for SUSE Linux™Enterprise provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all SUSE Linux endpoints.
- Patch for Ubuntu User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for Ubuntu provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all Ubuntu endpoints.
- Patch for Oracle Linux User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for Oracle Linux™ provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all Oracle Linux endpoints.
- Patch for Solaris User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for Solaris provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all Solaris endpoints.
- Patch for HP-UX User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for HP-UX provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all HP-UX endpoints.
- Patch for Mac OS X User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix® Patch for Mac OS X provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all Mac OS X endpoints.
- Patch for Debian User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for Debian provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all Debian endpoints.
- Patch for Raspbian User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for Raspbian provides Fixlets that you use to manage the latest updates and service packs that Raspberry Pi releases. These Fixlets are available through the Patches for Raspbian sites.
- Patch for Rocky Linux User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for Rocky Linux provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all Rocky Linux endpoints.
- Patch for Open SUSE Leap 15 User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for Open SUSE Leap 15 provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches to all Open SUSE Leap 15 endpoints.
- Patch for VMware ESXi User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for VMware ESXi provides you unified, near real-time visibility to manage patches to all VMware ESXi endpoints from a single console.
- Patch for Virtual Endpoint Manager User's Guide
  Discover how BigFix Patch for Virtual Endpoint Manager provides an automated, simplified patching process that is administered from a single console. It gives you unified, near real-time visibility, and enforcement to deploy and manage patches in a virtual environment.
- Extended third-party Windows Application
- Supersedence for Non-Windows
  This topic describes how supersedence works in Patch.
Detailed system requirements
The tables in this section provide detailed information about the system requirements for BigFix 11.
Glossary
This glossary provides terms and definitions for the BigFix® Patch software and products.
Patch guides in PDF format
Below is a comprehensive list of links to the BigFix Patch user guides available in PDF format, designed to assist users in navigating and utilizing the software effectively:

Alternate disk utility overview

Use the VIOS Advanced Deployment Wizard to deploy fix packs to a new or existing alternate disk clone.

Before running any alternate disk tasks, ensure that a secondary disk to clone the current disk exists.

You can deploy fix packs updates through alternate disk operations either from using the internet download method or through an NFS mount.