BigFix - Set a Maintenance schedule using client settings

With patching things are constantly changing with environments.? For instance, servers might need to be excluded from patching for a particular month or a server role might change for a particular month.? With this you need to be fluid with your patching and schedules.? Using BigFix client settings allows you to tag a particular machine what patch window or what environment it is a part of.? Using these tags you then can setup dynamic groups so machines can come and go but it won’t affect the totality of your patching.?

Create a New Task by going to Tools - New Task

Name the task Set Environment to Prod

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Select the Relevance Tab and Select Computers Which match all of the relevance clauses below

Add the relevance

(not exists settings "environment" whose( (it = "Prod") of (it as string ) of values of it ) of client )        

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Select the Actions Tab

Add the following for your action Script

setting "environment"="Prod" on "{parameter "action issue date" of action}" for client        

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Select Include custom success criteria

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Select the applicability relevance evaluates to false and select OK

?Hit OK and Save the Task

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Copy the Task

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Name the Task Set Environment to QA

Select the Actions Tab

Change the Value to “QA”

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Select the Relevance Tab

Change the Value to “QA”

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Close the Task and Save it.

Duplicate these steps for all of the different environments

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Logged in as a Master Operator go to Tools Manage Properties

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Select the Add New Button

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Name the Property Environment

Add the Following as the Relevance and select OK

if exist values of settings "environment" of client then value of setting "environment" of client else error "not set"        

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Go to Computer Groups

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Right Click on the Blank space and select Create New Automatic Group

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Name the Group

Environment – Prod

Select the Property Environment and the value to prod and select the Create Button

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Create different groups for the different types of environments

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Deploy the Different task to the different types of computers and the property will now display

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Once the groups and client settings are established you then can setup your patch policies to automatically patch those devices.? If a particular server needs to move between environments, you now can move by running the task to assign it.?

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