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Configuration Guide
Learn how to configure BigFix according to your needs.
BigFix Site Administrator and Console Operators
In BigFix there are two basic classes of users.
Mapping authorized activities with permissions
The following table shows which activities you can, cannot or could, under specific conditions, allow an operator to do by assigning permissions in the Details tab of the Operator Definition.

Configuration Guide
Learn how to configure BigFix according to your needs.
- Introduction
  This guide explains additional configuration steps that you can run in your environment after installation.
- BigFix Site Administrator and Console Operators
  In BigFix there are two basic classes of users.
  - The Site Administrator
    The site administrator has the following primary responsibilities:
  - The Console Operators
    There are two types of Console operators:
  - Different ways to define a Console Operator
    There are different ways to add console operators, assigning them roles or granting permissions to view or manage specific computers and sites.
  - Adding Local Operators
    You can create accounts for operators that access the console using the local BigFix account.
  - Mapping authorized activities with permissions
    The following table shows which activities you can, cannot or could, under specific conditions, allow an operator to do by assigning permissions in the Details tab of the Operator Definition.
  - Operators and analysis
    Operators have various rights and restrictions when activating and deactivating analysis.
  - Monitoring Operators
    If you are a master Operator (you must have a correctly authorized user name created with the BigFix Administration Tool), you can monitor what other operators are doing and what computers they are authorized to administer.
- Integrating with LDAP
  You can add Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) associations to BigFix.
- Enabling SAML V2.0 authentication for LDAP operators
  Starting from Version 9.5.5, BigFix supports SAML V2.0 authentication via LDAP-backed SAML identity providers.
- Using multiple servers (DSA)
  Here are some of the important elements of multiple server installations:
- Server object IDs
  The BigFix server generates unique IDs for the objects that it creates: Fixlets, tasks, baselines, properties, analysis, actions, roles, custom sites, computer groups, management rights, subscriptions.
- Customizing HTTPS for Gathering
  You can gather license updates and external sites by using the HTTP or HTTPS protocol on a BigFix server or in an airgapped environment.
- Configuring secure communication
- Real Time AV Exclusions
  BigFix Console, Server and Relay components of the architecture perform high volume file operations.
- Downloading files in air-gapped environments
  In air-gapped environments, to download and transfer files to the main BigFix server, use the Airgap utility and the BES Download Cacher utility.
- Getting client information by using BigFix Query
  The BigFix Query feature allows you to retrieve information and run relevance queries on client workstations from the WebUI BigFix Query Application or by using REST APIs.
- Persistent connections
  Starting from Patch 11, the capability to establish persistent connections was added to the product.
- Relays in DMZ
  Starting from Patch 13, the capability to establish a persistent TCP connection between the parent relay in the more secure zone and its child relay inside the DMZ network was added to the product. This allows you to manage systems in a demilitarized zone (DMZ network).
- Working with PeerNest
  The BigFix client includes a new feature named PeerNest, that allows to share binary files among clients located in the same subnet. The feature is available starting from BigFix Version 9.5 Patch 11.
- Archiving Client files on the BigFix Server
  You can collect multiple files from BigFix clients into an archive and move them through the relay system to the server.
- BigFix Configuration Settings
  A number of advanced BigFix configuration settings are available that can give you substantial control over the behavior of the BigFix suite. These options allow you to customize the behavior of the BigFix server, relays, and clients in your network.
- Additional configuration steps
  These topics explain additional configuration steps that you can run in your environment.
- Migrating the BigFix Server (Windows/MS-SQL)
  This section details the steps and operational procedures necessary for migrating the BigFix Server from existing hardware onto new computer systems.
- Migrating the BigFix Server (Linux)
  This section provides basic information on migrating your BigFix Server from existing Linux hardware onto new systems.
- Server audit logs
  Starting with BigFix version 9.5.11, the server audit logs include the following items:
- List of advanced options
  The following lists show the advanced options that you can specify in the Advanced Options tab of the BigFix Administrative tool on Windows systems, or in the BESAdmin.sh command on Linux systems using the following syntax:
- Security Configuration Scenarios
  BigFix provides the capability to follow the NIST security standards by configuring an enhanced security option.
- Client Authentication
  Client Authentication extends the security model used by BigFix to encompass trusted client reports and private messages.
- Maintenance and Troubleshooting
  If you are subscribed to the Patches for Windows site, you can ensure that you have the latest upgrades and patches to your SQL server database servers.

Mapping authorized activities with permissions

The following table shows which activities you can, cannot or could, under specific conditions, allow an operator to do by assigning permissions in the Details tab of the Operator Definition.

For more information about operator's specific permissions, see Adding Local Operators.

Table 1. Mapping of authorized activities with operator permissions
Activities	Operator
Manage Fixlet Sites	No
Change Client heartbeats	No
Create Fixlets	If Custom Content is set to YES
Create Tasks	If Custom Content is set to YES
Create Analyses	If Custom Content is set to YES
Create Baselines	If Custom Content is set to YES
Activate/Deactivate Analyses	Administered
Take Fixlet/Task/Baseline Action	Administered
Take Custom Action	If Custom Content is set to YES and Can Create Actions is set to YES
Stop Actions	Administered
Manage Administrative Rights	No
Manage Global Retrieved Properties	No
View Fixlets	Administered
View Tasks	Administered
View Analyses	Administered
View Computers	Administered
View Baselines	Administered
View Computer Groups	Administered
View Unmanaged Assets	Administered
View Actions	Administered
Make Comments	Administered
View Comments	Administered
Globally Hide/Unhide	No
Locally Hide/Unhide	Yes
Use Wizards	If Custom Content is set to YES
Remove computer from database	If Can Create Actions is set to YES
Create Manual Computer Groups	If Can Create Actions is set to YES
Delete Manual Computer Groups	If Custom Content is set to YES
Create Automatic Computer Groups	If Custom Content is set to YES
Delete Automatic Computer Groups	If Custom Content is set to YES and Administered
Create Custom Site	No
Modify Custom Site Owners	No
Modify Custom Site Readers/Writers	Site Owners
Create a Master Operator	No
Use the WebUI	If Can use WebUI is set to YES
Submit BigFix Query	If both Can use WebUI and Can Submit Queries are set to YES
Administered: The operator must own or have permissions. Requires Custom Authoring: Granted by the site administrator through the console.