Catalog problems

Catalog problems are related to the inability to download a new catalog or upload it to BigFix Inventory.

The software catalog cannot be downloaded because the Software Catalog Update task is not applicable.
Note: The Software Catalog Update task is not relevant for BigFix Inventory versions before 9.2.11.

When you install BigFix Inventory, the target computer sends information about the new software to the BigFix server. Then, the BigFix server verifies that the computer is linked to this server. If it is, the server marks it with the custom setting SUA_Server_Path_[user_ID]. If the setting is set to the BigFix Inventory installation path, the task is applicable.

If the setting is not specified for a particular computer, the Software Catalog Update task might not be applicable. If you are sure that BigFix Inventory is installed on this computer, specify the setting manually.
  1. Log in to the BigFix console that is linked to your BigFix server.
  2. In the navigation bar, click Computers.
  3. In the right-upper pane, right-click the computer on which you installed BigFix Inventory, and click Edit Computer Settings.
  4. To add a setting, click Add.
  5. In the Setting Name, type SUA_Server_Path_[user_ID].
    Note: [user_ID] is the ID of a Linux™ user who installed BigFix Inventory.
  6. In the Setting Value, specify the BigFix Inventory installation path.
  7. Click OK.
If the SUA_Server_Path_[user_ID] setting is set properly and the problem persists, ensure that the following conditions are fulfilled:
  • The BigFix Inventory server is installed on a computer with a single static IP.
  • The computer on which the BigFix Inventory server is installed can decompress the downloaded catalog file.
  • A manually downloaded catalog is not in the /opt/ibm/BFI/bfi_catalog directory.
  • The BigFix server can connect to the BigFix Inventory server by using port 9081.
  • The BigFix Inventory server can connect to the BigFix server by using port 52311.
  • The BigFix Inventory server has an entry for the BigFix server in the etc/hosts file.
  • The BigFix server has an entry for the BigFix Inventory server in the etc/hosts file.
  • The user that you provided when you configured the connection to the BigFix server has the right permissions to run the fixlet. For more information, see the topic Operators permissions in the BigFix documentation.
The Catalog Download task fails because the BigFix server cannot connect to the BigFix Inventory server.
The problem occurs when the BigFix and BigFix Inventory servers are installed in separate networks and the automatic lookup of their IP addresses does not work correctly. 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. For more information, see: Configuring servers in separate networks.
When you upload a software catalog file, the following error is displayed: Upload failed. The uploaded file does not appear to be a valid catalog. On inspection, file appears truncated.
If there is a delay when initially downloading the catalog file from the server, then the downloaded file might be truncated. For example, if more than 30 seconds is taken to rename and save the file. This problem depends on how your browser handles the downloading of large files. To solve this problem, accept and save the file within a short time period or use a different browser.
Backups of software directories are reported as separate products.
If you store backups of software directories on your endpoints, they might be reported as separate software instances resulting in false discoveries and incorrect license consumption. To avoid this problem, either exclude the backups from scanning or compress them with a data compressor, such as zip or rar.
A duplicated software component is created during a second import of catalog customizations.

If you import a custom catalog definition that contains unique IDs to another BigFix Inventory instance, then modify a publisher or vendor in the signature xml file and import it again, the second import will create a new software component in the hierarchy. The signature definition will be removed from the original hierarchy.

This behavior is caused by using the same signature uniqueId. When the custom catalog definition XML file reuses a signature uniqueId that exists in the database, the signature is updated to reflect the new software component. To correct the data in the catalog, delete the first catalog entry and ensure that the new entry contains the needed data or reimport the new catalog with a different unique signature ID.

The number of discovered software instances is higher than the number of instances that are installed.
The problem might occur when the product is discovered both by a custom signature and a signature from the catalog provided by BigFix. It happens when you create a custom signature and later on a signature for the same product is delivered with the software catalog provided by BigFix. Because the catalogs are fully independent, the two signatures are not merged.
To verify whether it is the case, perform the following steps:
  1. In the top navigation bar, click Reports > Software Installations.
  2. Hover over the Manage Report View icon Manage Report View icon, and click Manage Report View. Then, select the Component Definition Source check box.
  3. Filter the report to the product for which the number of discovered instances was too high.
  4. Check whether the catalog that is listed in the Component Definition Source column is Custom for some instances and some other type for other instances of a particular product. If yes, delete the custom signature for this product.
The number of discovered instances should be normalized after the next software scan and import of data.
Part numbers are not matched with products after you upload the part number file.
The problem might be related to the outdated application data.
  • Ensure that import of data was completed after the upload of the part number file. Log in to BigFix Inventory, and go to Reports > Part Number Upload. Look at the Upload and Import History and check the status of the latest action. After import completes, it should be marked as successful.
  • Check if you have the latest version of the software catalog. If not, update the software catalog to the latest version.
  • Make sure that the list of discovered software is up-to-date by checking the date of the last scan in the Software Scan Status analysis in the BigFix console. To update the inventory data, run the Initiate Software Scan fixlet. Set up a single scan by clearing the Reapply this action check box on Execution tab.
After applying any changes, upload the part number file again and run the import of data.
The version of the software catalog is displayed in different formats in BigFix Inventory and in the BigFix console.
The catalog upload process is automatized and the task that triggers the catalog upload is changes. Because of these changes, the software catalog can be displayed in a date format or as a fixpack version. To ensure the version consistency, upgrade the BigFix Inventory server to the latest version.
The <not set> value appears under the Product Name on Software Classification panel
The product name is not set if the component does not have any product relation that is defined in the software catalog. The component is detected on its own.
To resolve this issue, make sure that you have the latest version of BigFix software catalog.
Note: If upgrading the software catalog does not help, contact the relevant product team and ask them to register the product. You can use custom bundling to create a new relation as a temporary workaround. For more information, see: Assigning components to products.