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Configuration Guide
Learn how to configure BigFix according to your needs.
Client Authentication
Client Authentication extends the security model used by BigFix to encompass trusted client reports and private messages.
Authenticating relays
BigFix deployments with internet-facing relays that are not configured as authenticating are prone to security threats.

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.
- 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.
  - Authenticating relays
    BigFix deployments with internet-facing relays that are not configured as authenticating are prone to security threats.
  - Handling the key exchange
    When an agent tries to register and does not have a key and certificate, it automatically tries to perform a key exchange with its selected relay.
  - Manual key exchange
    If an agent does not have a certificate and can only reach an authenticating relay on the network, connected through the internet, you can manually run the following command on the agent so it can perform the key exchange with an authenticating relay:
  - Revoking Client Certificates
    After a client authenticates, you can revoke its certificate if you have any reason to doubt its validity.
  - Re-registering a revoked client
    The client revoke procedure removes a client from the console and updates a client certificate revocation list.
  - Mailboxing
    With Client Mailboxing you can send an encrypted action to any given client, instead of broadcasting it to all clients.
- 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.

Authenticating relays

BigFix deployments with internet-facing relays that are not configured as authenticating are prone to security threats.

Context

Security threats in this context might mean unauthorized access to the relays and any content or actions, and download packages associated with them or to the Relay Diagnostics page that might contain sensitive information (for example, software, vulnerability information, and passwords).

You can configure relays as authenticating to authenticate the agents. This way, only trusted agents can gather site content or post reports. Use an authenticating relay configuration for an internet-facing relays in the DMZ. A relay configured to authenticate agents only performs TLS communication with child agents or relays that present a TLS certificate issued and signed by the server during a key exchange.

When a relay is configured as authenticating, only the BigFix clients in your environment can connect to it and all the communication between them happens through TLS (HTTPS). This configuration also prevents any unauthorized access to the Relay and Server diagnostics page.

Note: If you need to install new clients and you can only reach an authenticating relay, then you must perform a manual key exchange. For details, see Manual key exchange.

How to enable relay authentication

To upgrade the relays to authenticating relays, do the following steps:

On the BES Support website, find the BES Client Settings: Enable Relay authentication Fixlet.
Run the fixlet and wait for the action to finish.

You can configure relays for authentication by manually updating the _BESRelay_Comm_Authenticating configuration setting also. The default value of the setting is 0 which indicates that the relay authentication is disabled; to enable the authentication, set the value to 1. For more details, see Authentication.

By default, every client re-registers with its parent relay once every six hours. Existing clients cannot send reports until they re-register themselves with the relay.