Upgrading a BigFix Server with a remote database

Recommended steps for upgrading a BigFix Server with a remote database.

The automatic upgrade Fixlet cannot upgrade certain configurations using a remote database. In those cases, you need to upgrade the BigFix Server manually.

Furthermore, remote database setups might encounter problems during upgrade and require resetting the database connection settings after manually running the BigFix Server installer. These steps can help you identify erroneous configurations after the upgrade.

Pre-upgrade checklist:

  1. Back up your database.
  2. On the computer hosting the BigFix Server, back up the ODBC registry keys by running the following commands from the Windows Command Prompt (cmd.exe): 
    reg export "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\ODBC\ODBC.INI" "%UserProfile%\Desktop\ODBC.INI 32-bit.reg" /Y
reg export "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ODBC\ODBC.INI" "%UserProfile%\Desktop\ODBC.INI 64-bit.reg" /Y
    The 32-bit and 64-bit registry keys represent the ODBC data sources that memorize the database connection parameters. The data source names (DSN) used by the BigFix Platform are:
    enterprise_setup
    always present, used by the server installer for the upgrade
    bes_bfenterprise
    present if the BigFix Server is installed
    LocalBESReportingServer
    present if the Web Reports server is installed
  3. Identify the authentication method and the account used to connect to the database. If the bes_bfenterprise data source contains a Trusted_Connection parameter set to Yes, then Windows Authentication is being used and the account is the same that is running the BigFix Server services. Otherwise, SQL Server Authentication is being used and the account is the one saved in the User value of the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\BigFix\Enterprise Server\Database
  4. If you are using SQL Server Authentication, on the computer hosting the BigFix Server, backup the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\BigFix\Enterprise Server\Database. If the BigFix Web Reports server is installed on the same computer, also backup the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\BigFix\Enterprise Server\FillAggregateDB.
  5. Ensure that the account used to connect to the database has the sysadmin server role. After the upgrade, you can lower its permissions, as long as it remains a db_owner of the BigFix databases.
  6. If Windows Authentication is being used, it is critical that the account used to run the BigFix Server installer is the same that is used to access the database and to run the BigFix Server services.

Troubleshooting steps:

If the installation does not complete successfully, run the following steps:

  1. Check the bes_bfenterprise ODBC data source. It should point to the BigFix Server database which, by default, is called BFEnterprise. Verify that it uses the same authentication mode as before the upgrade. The BESRootServer, FillDB and GatherDB services fail to connect to the database if this DSN is not configured correctly.
  2. If BigFix Web Reports is installed, check the LocalBESReportingServer ODBC data source. It should point to the Web Reports database which, by default, is called BESReporting. Verify that it uses the same authentication mode as before the upgrade. You will receive an error message prior to the Web Reports login request if this is not configured correctly.
  3. If you are using Windows Authentication, check that the BESRootServer, FillDB, GatherDB and BESWebReportsServer services are configured to run with the same account that they should use to connect to the database.
  4. If you are using SQL Server Authentication, check that the username and password registry keys are set correctly. The passwords are encrypted. If you suspect they might be wrong, you can reset them as follows. Stop all BigFix services, change the registry keys, then restart all services. The passwords will be encrypted again when the BigFix services are back up and running.
  5. If your BigFix Console gives an error message that the database has the wrong version, ensure that the BigFix Console was updated to the same version as the BigFix Server. If it was, and it still shows the same error, contact HCL support.