HCL-BF-PRO-10 HCLSoftware U Certified Professional-BigFix Platform 1 Questions and Answers

• To create an Automatic Computer Group, you need to use a Relevance expression that evaluates to true or false for each computer in your deployment12.
• The Relevance expression should check two conditions: the operating system is Windows 10 and a user is signed in.
• To check the operating system, you can use the name of operating system property, which returns a string like “Win10” or “Win7” for Windows computers3. You can use the contains operator to see if the string contains “Win10”.
• To check the user status, you can use the logged on user property, which returns the name of the current user or an empty string if no user is logged on4. You can use the exists or not operators to see if the property has a value or not.
• You can use the and operator to combine the two conditions into one Relevance expression.
• The correct answer is D, which checks if the name of operating system contains “Win10” and if the logged on user exists.
• The other options are incorrect because:
• 1: Create Automatic Computer Group
• 2: Create Automatic Computer Group
• 3: Operating System Inspector
• 4: Logged On User Inspector
• 5: [Version Inspector]

• The BigFix Client contacts its Relay to gather new content using the UDP protocol on port 52311 (by default).
• The UDP protocol is used for notifications, which are messages sent by the Relay to inform the Client that there is new content available, such as actions, fixlets, tasks, or analyses.
• The Client then initiates a TCP connection with the Relay on the same port to download the new content and report the results back to the Relay.
• The TCP protocol is used for data transfers, which are more reliable and secure than UDP, but also more resource-intensive and slower.
• The Relay then forwards the Client reports to the Root Server or another Relay using the TCP protocol as well. References:
• Port requirements for communication between root to clients via relay
• BigFix Wiki - BigFix Relays
• How is BigFix secure? Authentication or Protocol used in BigFix for secure communication

• To upgrade the BigFix platform components, you need to follow the recommended order and the version rules as documented in the Upgrade Paths and the BigFix Upgrade Best Practices.
• The recommended order of upgrading the components is as follows:1
• The version rules for the components are as follows:12

References:

• 1: Upgrade paths for BigFix 10 - HCL Product Documentation
• 2: Upgrading on Windows systems - HCL Product Documentation
• 3: BigFix Wiki - BigFix Upgrade Best Practices

• When creating roles in Web Reports, you can define the permissions that you want to grant to the users who are assigned to that role.
• There are some check boxes that you can use to specify the permissions, such as:
• These check boxes are available in the Create Roles page, which you can access from Administration > User Management > Manage Roles > Create role.
• The other options (A, D, and F) are not available as check boxes when creating roles in Web Reports. They are either irrelevant or controlled by other settings. References:
• Manage Roles
• Create Roles
• Permissions Set in the BigFix Console

• A Multiple Action Group is a way to deploy a set of Fixlets or tasks in a single grouping using the Take multiple actions command1.
• As a requirement, each Fixlet or task involved in the group must have associated a default action1.
• A default action is an action script that is predefined by the Fixlet or task author and can be executed without any user input2.
• If one or more of the Fixlets that are selected do not have a default action, the Take multiple actions command will fail and display an error in the Console1.
• To resolve this issue, the operator can either select only Fixlets or tasks that have default actions, or create a Baseline that includes the Fixlets or tasks without default actions1. References:
• 1: Taking multiple actions
• 2: Action Script
• 3: Take multiple actions
• 4: Action Script Guide

• BigFix Clients are the endpoints that run the BigFix Agent software and communicate with the BigFix Server or Relays.
• BigFix Clients periodically check for new content from the BigFix Server or Relays, such as Fixlets, Tasks, Actions, or Analyses.
• The default interval for checking new content is 15 minutes, but this can be configured by the BigFix Administrator.
• To reduce the network traffic and latency, BigFix also uses a notification mechanism to inform the BigFix Clients of new content as soon as possible.
• The notification mechanism uses the UDP protocol, which is a connectionless and lightweight protocol that does not require a handshake or acknowledgment.
• The BigFix Server or Relays send UDP packets to the BigFix Clients on port 52311, which is the default port for BigFix communication.
• The UDP packets do not contain any content, but only serve to notify the BigFix Clients that there is something new for them to gather.
• Upon receiving a UDP notification, the BigFix Client initiates a TCP connection to the BigFix Server or Relay to gather the new content over a secure and reliable channel.
• The UDP notification mechanism can be enabled or disabled by the BigFix Administrator, and it can also be configured to use different ports or multicast addresses. References:
• BigFix Architecture
• BigFix Client Settings
• BigFix Notification Guide

• The BigFix Console is a graphical user interface that allows you to interact with the BigFix Platform and perform various tasks, such as deploying actions, creating content, managing sites, and viewing reports1.
• The BigFix Console operators are the users who can access the BigFix Console and perform different activities based on their permissions and roles2.
• There are two types of Console operators: Master Operators (MO) and Non-Master Operators (NMO)2.
• Master Operators are the administrative users of the BigFix Console. They have access to all the computers defined in the BigFix environment and the authority to create and manage other Console operators2.
• Non-Master Operators are the users who manage the day-to-day BigFix operations, including Fixlet management and action deployment, against a subset of computers they are allowed to manage by the Master Operator2.
• Some of the activities that can only be performed by a Master Operator are23:
• Some of the activities that can be performed by both Master Operators and Non-Master Operators are23:

References:

• The BigFix Console
• The Console Operators
• Accessing the console

• On a Windows Root Server, the service that is responsible for inserting client report data into the database is BES FillDB.
• BES FillDB is a process that runs on the BigFix Server system and is responsible for storing the information returned from the BigFix Agents into the BigFix database. This information can be data, such as the value of retrieved properties or the result of the evaluation of the applicability relevance or the success criteria of Fixlets and Tasks, or the information contained in a report returning the result of a BigFix Query1.
• BES FillDB reads the buffer directory content, parses the report, and stores the report data in the database. It also offers a parameter called DatabaseBoostLevel to optimize BigFix performance2.
• The other services listed are not responsible for inserting client report data into the database. BES ServerDB Plugin Service is a service that allows the BigFix Server to communicate with the database. BES Root Server is a service that manages the communication between the BigFix Server and the BigFix Agents. BES GatherDB is a service that gathers the site content from the BigFix Server and stores it in the database3. References:
• Configuring FillDB
• Configuring the FillDB database performance
• BigFix Services

The Four Eyes Approval feature is a security mechanism that requires the approval of another console operator who is a member of a specified role before an action can be executed. This feature is useful for preventing unauthorized or accidental actions that could affect the endpoints in the BigFix deployment. To enable this feature, you need to follow these steps:

• Use the BigFix Administration Tool to add the useFourEyesAuthentication advanced option and set its value to true.
• Restart the BES Root Server service and the BigFix Console.
• Create a role for the approvers and add one or more operators to it.
• Select the Actions Require Approval option for the operators who need to get approval for their actions and choose the approvers role from the drop-down list.
• When an operator takes an action that requires approval, they will see a dialog box asking them to enter the credentials of an approver. The action will be pending until an approver logs in and approves it. References:
• Four Eyes Approval Capability
• Has anyone tried SAML Authentication with Four-Eyes authentication?
• BigFix Platform Security Configuration Guide

To upgrade a stand-alone WebUI server, the following steps are required:

• Copy the BigFix WebUI installer (default location is %PROGRAM FILES%\BigFix Enterprise\BES Installers\WebUI) to the client computer that is running the BigFix WebUI.
• Stop the WebUI service.
• Run the installer on the computer that is running the WebUI. The installer detects the WebUI and offers to upgrade it for you. Follow the installer instructions to upgrade the BigFix WebUI.
• Start the WebUI service.

References:

• Upgrading the WebUI
• Stand-alone Web Reports upgrade? - Platform - BigFix Forum

• The WebUI is a web-based interface that provides access to the flexibility and power of BigFix.
• A Master Operator is a user role that has full permissions to manage all aspects of the BigFix environment, including creating, modifying, and deleting content, actions, and users.
• An action is a deployment of content, such as Fixlets, tasks, or baselines, to one or more endpoints. An action can have various statuses, such as open, completed, stopped, or expired.
• To review all actions taken in their BigFix environment, a Master Operator can log into the WebUI and navigate to the Deployments page, which provides a list of all actions, along with their details, such as name, source, target, status, start time, and end time.
• The Deployments page also allows the Master Operator to filter, sort, search, and export the list of actions, as well as view the action details, results, and logs for each action.
• The other pages in the WebUI do not provide a comprehensive list of all actions. The Activities page shows the recent actions taken by the current user, the Fixlets and Tasks page shows the available content from the BigFix sites, and the Reports page shows the predefined and custom reports for the BigFix environment. References:
• WebUI User’s Guide
• WebUI Administration Guide
• BigFix WebUI

• To create a schedule to delete duplicate computer records from the BigFix database, you need to use the BigFix Administration Tool1.
• The BigFix Administration Tool is a separate application that allows you to perform various administrative tasks on the BigFix server, such as creating users, managing licenses, configuring encryption, and removing computers1.
• To use the BigFix Administration Tool, you need to have the Master Operator role and access to the BigFix server machine1.
• To create a schedule to delete duplicate computer records, you need to use the BES Computer Remover tool, which is a component of the BigFix Administration Tool2.
• The BES Computer Remover tool allows you to automatically detect and remove inactive or duplicate computers from the BigFix database based on various criteria, such as last report time, computer name, IP address, or a custom property2.
• To create a schedule to delete duplicate computer records, you need to follow these steps2:
• 1: Using the BigFix Administration Tool
• 2: Removing computers from the BigFix database
• 3: Using the BigFix Administration Tool
• 4: Removing computers from the BigFix database

• Starting from V9.5.6, the relay diagnostics page is disabled by default and can be protected by a password when enabled.
• To enable the relay diagnostics page, you need to set the client setting _BESRelay_Diagnostics_Enable to a value of 1 on the relay computer. You can do this using the BigFix Console, the registry editor, or a custom fixlet or task.
• To protect the relay diagnostics page with a password, you need to assign a value to the _BESRelay_Diagnostics_Password client setting on the relay computer. You can do this using the same methods as above.
• After setting the _BESRelay_Diagnostics_Password, the URL to the relay diagnostics page must use the https protocol instead of http, otherwise the browser will show the “403 forbidden” error and the relay diagnostics page will not display.
• To access the relay diagnostics page, open a browser and type in the address field: https://:52311/rd or https://:52311/RelayDiagnostics, where is the address of the workstation where the relay that you want to check is installed. You will be prompted to enter the password that you set for the _BESRelay_Diagnostics_Password client setting.
• On the relay diagnostics page, you can gather information about your environment settings, relay status, console user authorization, site gathering, and client registration. References:
• Relay and Server diagnostics
• How can I enable _BESRelay_Diagnostics_Enable" = “1”
• Relay diagnostics

• The BigFix Diagnostics Tool is a program that checks the status and configuration of the server components, such as the database, the gather service, and the web reports server.
• The tool can be run at any time, either after installing the server or later, to troubleshoot any issues or monitor the server performance.
• To run the tool, you need to log on to the server as an administrator and launch the program from the Start menu.
• The tool will analyze the server components and display the results in a graphical interface, with green, yellow, or red lights indicating the health of each component.
• You can also click on the Full Interface button to see more details and access the knowledge base articles for each component.
• The tool can also be run remotely by taking action on the Troubleshoot: Execute Server Diagnostic task located in the BES Support site, but this requires the client to be installed on the server. References:
• Running the BigFix Diagnostics tool
• Running the IBM BigFix Diagnostics tool
• Waiting for downloads to be mirrored - BigFix Forum
• BigFix Wiki - BES Client Diagnostics

According to the BigFix Platform documentation, the default port used for BigFix Web Reports to connect is 8083, as of version 9.5.2. This is because the HTTPS configuration is automatically enabled on port 8083 when Web Reports is installed. If you want to use a different port or switch to HTTP configuration, you need to customize the Web Reports settings manually or using the BigFix Console12.

The other options (A, B, and D) are not correct because:

• Port 443 is the default port for WebUI to use HTTPS, not Web Reports3.
• Port 52311 is the default port for BigFix clients and relays to communicate with the BigFix server, not Web Reports4.
• Port 80 was the default port for Web Reports in version 9.2.4 and earlier, but it was changed to avoid conflict with WebUI.

References:

• Installing Web Reports Standalone
• Customizing HTTPS on Web Reports
• Change Communication Ports
• Network Port Conflicts
• [BigFix Network Ports]