Course Description

BigFix combines endpoint and security management into a single solution that enables users to see and manage fixed, mobile, physical and virtual endpoints on more than 90 different operating system versions. In addition to ensuring that all of a company’s systems are patched and secure, BigFix automates time-intensive tasks across complex networks, queries endpoints in real-time for the presence of malicious files, allows for quick software installations, performs advanced automation, and allows for simple remote control with just a few clicks. This course will present material that will help BigFix Users develop the foundation knowledge they need to successfully leverage BigFix in their managed environments.
 

Objectives

Upon completion of the BigFix Fundamentals Extended Edition course, students will be able to:

• Gain a basic understanding of the BigFix portfolio and architecture
• Learn to use and configure the operator Console
• Explore and learn to use the BigFix Web User Interface
• Create and deploy patches manually and through automation by using policies
• Learn about Fixlets, Tasks, and Baselines and when to use them
• Learn about Roles and Users
• Overview including key concepts, features and functions of BigFix Patch
• Navigating the BigFix Patch console and Web User Interface
• Patching Windows Environments
• Explore and create Web Reports
• Perform basic troubleshooting

Audience

Prerequisites

Basic Microsoft Windows and VMWare skills
 

Content

Introduction

• Welcome to the BigFix Family!
• What can BigFix do for you?
• Identifying the BigFix suite components.
• A modular approach to meeting your operational requirements.
• Let’s take a look at the latest and greatest features of BigFix.

Architecture

• How BigFix works under the covers.
• Message flow - Discovering the flow of how action directives make it to endpoints and back to the BigFix server.

Console Operation

• Let’s discover the console!
• Workflow – Get your work done with the BigFix Console
• Optimizing your BigFix Console experience

Web User Interface

• What is the Web UI?
• Navigating the Web UI
• Discovering the Apps menu
• How do I find patches in the Web UI?
• Let’s deploy some patches!
• Looking for something? Let’s learn about Query
• Headaches keeping up with patches? Let’s automate with policies!

Content and Sites

• What is content?
• What are Fixlets, Tasks and Baselines and when should I use them?
• Take Action!
• Discovering Analyses and Properties
• How to use custom computer properties to unleash the power of BigFix
• Get organized with Content Sites!
• Learn how to secure your BigFix Environment using Roles and Users
• Minimize administrative overhead using Computer Groups!

Patch Management

• What is BigFix Patch?
• Features of BigFix Patch: Fixlets, Dashboards, Wizards, Analyses

How to Get Started with BigFix Patch

• What are content sites?
• How to enable and subscribe computers into content sites: Scaling out patch deployment to other operating systems
• Who publishes patches into External patch sites?
• Differences between External and Custom content sites
• Differences between Windows and Non-Windows patches
• Download Plugins (for Non-Windows patches)

Deploying Patches (Using Default Parameters)

• One patch
• Many patches as an ad-hoc group
• Many patches as ‘Baselines’: What is a Baseline?, Creating a new Baseline, Modifying an existing Baseline

Customizing a Patch Action

• Targeting: Static Snapshot of targets, Dynamically selecting targets, Manually listing targets
• Constraints and Behavior
• Post-Action: Reboot / Shutdown

Everything you need to know about Web Reports

• Configure and use web reporting
• How to access the Web Reports Interface
• List and generate existing reports
• Explore and Filter Data
• Create Custom Reports
• Export Report Data
• Schedule Reports to be automatically generated and mailed

Troubleshooting

• How to upload and review client logs
• Analyzing events in the console