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Installing
Learn about the requirements and available installation scenarios to ensure that the deployment of BigFix Inventory goes smoothly in your environment.
Planning the installation
Before you start the installation, review information about hardware and software requirements and other considerations to ensure that the installation completes successfully.
Hardware requirements
During setup, match your optimum deployment size to your hardware specifications. Use the recommendations as a general guidance.

Installing
Learn about the requirements and available installation scenarios to ensure that the deployment of BigFix Inventory goes smoothly in your environment.
- Planning the installation
  Before you start the installation, review information about hardware and software requirements and other considerations to ensure that the installation completes successfully.
  - BigFix Inventory infrastructure
    A complete deployment of BigFix Inventory consists of the BigFix Inventory server and its database, the BigFix server and its database, and a BigFix console. Additionally, a BigFix client must be installed on every computer from which you want to collect software inventory data. Depending on the environment size, you can install all components on a single computer, or distribute them among multiple computers.
  - System requirements
    Ensure that computers on which you want to install BigFix Inventory components run on supported operating systems and hypervisors and have the prerequisite software installed.
  - Software requirements
    Ensure that all prerequisite software is installed on the computers in your infrastructure.
  - Hardware requirements
    During setup, match your optimum deployment size to your hardware specifications. Use the recommendations as a general guidance.
    - Hardware requirements for the server on Windows
      Ensure that the computer on which you are installing the BigFix Inventory meets the minimal CPU, and memory requirements for the server and database elements.
    - Hardware requirements for the server on Linux
      Ensure that the computer on which you are installing the BigFix Inventory meets the minimal CPU, and memory requirements for the server and database elements.
    - Hardware requirements for the client
      Review important information about hardware requirements for the BigFix client and the software and capacity scans that are embedded in it.
  - Port requirements
    When planning the infrastructure, ensure that port numbers used by BigFix Inventory, BigFix, and the database are free to enable communication between those components.
  - Firewall exceptions
    Some of the fixlets require that the BigFix server connects to the Internet and downloads necessary files and updates. To ensure that they can be downloaded, relevant web addresses must be accessible from the computer where the server is installed. Add those addresses as firewall exceptions and ensure that they are accessible to the proxy server if you are using it.
  - Proxy exceptions
    If the BigFix server uses a proxy for Internet connection to access fixlet sites or prefetch downloads, the BigFix Inventory server must be added to an exception list to ensure that the catalog propagation works properly.
  - Installation accounts
    You can install all the infrastructure components as the administrative user. You can also install some components as a non-administrative user but some limitations apply.
  - Coexistence scenarios
    This topic describes supported scenarios for the coexistence of BigFix Inventory and License Metric Tool.
- Installing on Windows
  A complete deployment of BigFix Inventory on Windows requires the installation of three components: the BigFix platform, the BigFix Inventory server, and an MS SQL database. Additionally, a BigFix client must be installed on every computer from which you want to collect software inventory data. You can install all components from scratch or add the BigFix Inventory server to the existing BigFix infrastructure. Depending on the environment size, you can install all components on a single computer, or distribute them among multiple computers.
- Installing on Linux
  A complete deployment of BigFix Inventory on Linux requires the installation of three components: the BigFix platform, the BigFix Inventory server, and DB2 database. Additionally, a BigFix client must be installed on every computer from which you want to collect software inventory data. Depending on the environment size, you can install all components on a single computer, or distribute them among multiple computers.
- Installation-related tasks
  If you encounter problems during the installation, you can check details related to the problem, fix it, and then resume the installation. If the BigFix and BigFix Inventory servers are in separated networks, you can disable the automatic address lookup to avoid problems with initial configuration. Learn how to check the current application and catalog version to make sure that your installation and initial configuration were successful.

Hardware requirements

During setup, match your optimum deployment size to your hardware specifications. Use the recommendations as a general guidance.