Configuring servers in separate networks

When the BigFix and BigFix Inventory servers are installed in separate networks, automatic lookup of their IP addresses might not work correctly. It might happen, for example in networks that use network address translation (NAT). To ensure that IP addresses of the servers are correct and the communication between them works, change the default settings, and manually enter the IP addresses or domain names of the servers.

About this task

By default, the address of the BigFix server is automatically retrieved from the database. In case of separate networks, the address might contain a local address of the server that cannot be recognized outside of its network. After you specify the IP address of the BigFix server, you also need to specify the correct address of the BigFix Inventory server to allow the BigFix server to access the software catalog.

Procedure

  1. During the initial configuration of BigFix Inventory, while specifying the connection details of the BigFix server, select Disable automatic address lookup, and enter the host name of the BigFix server. The address is always created based on the provided host name and port number.
    Note: To access this panel after the installation, log in to BigFix Inventory, and click Management > Data Sources.


    Tip: To check whether the BigFix host is correct, access the following URL from the BigFix Inventory network: http://hostname:port/UploadReplication. Expected message: Error: no query parameters specified.
  2. On the computer where the BigFix InventoryLicense Metric Tool server is installed, add an environment variable with new addresses that will be used by the BigFix server to access the software catalog.
    1. Go to one of the following directories, and create the server.env file.
      • Linux install_dir/wlp/usr/servers/server1
      • Windows install_dir\wlp\usr\servers\server1
    2. Add the following variable to the file:
      SERVER_URL_CATALOG=https://IP_address:port
      IP address of the BigFix Inventory server that the BigFix server uses to obtain the software catalog and deliver it to the clients. This catalog is then used during the catalog-based software scan.
  3. Restart the BigFix Inventory server.