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

• The download cache size on a relay or a server can be changed by using the Fixlet ID# 148 BES Relay/Server Setting: Download Cache Size, available from the BES Support Site.
• This Fixlet allows the administrator to specify the desired cache size in MB as a parameter of the action.
• To increase the cache size to 10 GB, the administrator needs to enter 10240 as the value of the parameter, since 1 GB = 1024 MB.
• The Fixlet will then create or modify the client setting _BESGather_Download_CacheLimitMB on the target relay or server, and set its value to the specified parameter.
• The Fixlet will also restart the BES Client service on the target relay or server to apply the new setting.
• The new cache size will take effect after the service restarts, and the relay or server will be able to store more downloaded files in its cache. References:
• Managing Downloads
• BES Client download cache limit?
• The download size exceeds the maximum value set in the client setting

• Message Level Encryption (MLE) allows your Clients to encrypt upstream data using a combination of an RSA public/private key-pair and an AES session key1.
• When MLE is enabled, the BigFix Root server (or a decrypting Relay) needs to use the corresponding RSA private key to decrypt the AES session key, which is then used to decrypt the Client report1.
• This decryption process consumes CPU resources on the BigFix Root server, and the amount of CPU usage depends on the number of encrypted reports received and the key length used1.
• Therefore, the BigFix Root server requires additional CPU resources appropriate to the number of managed endpoints to process the encrypted reports1.
• The other options are incorrect because:
• 1: Message Level Encryption (MLE) Overview
• 2: [Enabling encryption on Relays]

• To define password complexity criteria for local Web Reports users, you need to edit the webreports.cfg file located in the C:\Program Files (x86)\BigFix Enterprise\BES Server\BESReportsServer\wwwroot\cgi-bin directory.1
• In the webreports.cfg file, you can set the following parameters to customize the password complexity requirements:2
• After editing the webreports.cfg file, you need to restart the Web Reports service for the changes to take effect.1

References:

• 1: https://help.hcltechsw.com/bigfix/9.5/platform/Platform/Web_Reports/c_web_reports_config_file.html
• 2: https://bigfix-wiki.hcltechsw.com/wikis/home?lang=en-us#!/wiki/BigFix%20Wiki/page/Console%20User%20Password%20Policies

A Top Level Relay is a relay that directly communicates with the BigFix Server and has other relays as its children. A Top Level Relay has no limit as to the number of relays they can manage, but it is recommended to have no more than 1000 relays per Top Level Relay for optimal performance. When designing a relay hierarchy, the BigFix Administrator should consider the following factors:

• The network bandwidth and latency between the relays and the server
• The number and size of the fixlets, actions, and reports that are exchanged between the relays and the server
• The CPU and memory resources of the relays and the server
• The relay affiliation and selection settings of the clients and the relays
• The encryption and decryption of the client reports by the relays and the server

References:

• Creating top-level decrypting relays
• Top-Level Relays - Platform - BigFix Forum
• Relay Health - BigFix
• Creating top-level decrypting relays - IBM

To create a new retrieved property in BigFix, the following steps are required:

• From the BigFix Console, select Manage Properties from the Tools menu. The Manage Properties dialog is displayed.
• You can filter the properties by using the left filter panel to select a subset of the properties to view on the right. If you cannot find what you want in this list, create a new property: click Add New, then enter a name for the property and a valid Relevance expression. This can access hardware characteristics, registry entries, and even data in specific files on the client computers.
• After you define the new property, the Clients automatically compute the value of the corresponding relevance expression and return it to the Database. Click the OK button.
• The new property will be available in the column headers of computer listings, allowing you to sort and filter on its values. It can also be used to target Fixlet actions and generate Web Reports.

References:

• Creating Retrieved Properties
• Adding new properties under “By retrieved properties”

• The BES Client Usage Profiler is a tool that collects information about the client evaluation cycle, such as the average, maximum, and minimum duration, and the percentage of time spent on different tasks, such as action, api, archive, gather, etc.1
• To enable the BES Client Usage Profiler, you need to run the task 361 TROUBLESHOOTING: Enable BES Client Usage Profiler on the target clients. This task will set the _BESClient_UsageProfiler_Enable client setting to 1 and restart the client service.2
• After the task is completed, you can use the analysis 362 TROUBLESHOOTING: BES Client Usage Profiler to view the results of the profiler. This analysis will show you the evaluation cycle statistics and the breakdown of the time spent on each task.3
• You can use this information to identify any potential issues or bottlenecks in the client evaluation cycle, such as long action duration, high api percent, or excessive gather time. You can also compare the results with other clients or the average values to see if there are any anomalies or outliers.4
• To disable the BES Client Usage Profiler, you need to run the task 363 TROUBLESHOOTING: Disable BES Client Usage Profiler on the target clients. This task will set the _BESClient_UsageProfiler_Enable client setting to 0 and restart the client service.

References:

• 1: evaluation cycle | BigFix Developer
• 2: https://help.hcltechsw.com/bigfix/9.5/platform/Platform/Config/c_usage_profiler.html
• 3: https://help.hcltechsw.com/bigfix/9.5/platform/Platform/Config/r_usage_profiler_analysis.html
• 4: https://forum.bigfix.com/t/an-overview-on-the-client-evaluation-cycle/28056

• According to the BigFix platform documentation, the BigFix server on Windows systems supports the following configurations: Local or remote Microsoft SQL Server 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019 or 202212.
• Therefore, the correct answer is option D. Microsoft SQL Server.
• The other options are not supported by BigFix on Windows systems, and can be ruled out. Therefore, options A, B, and C are incorrect. References:
• Database requirements
• Software requirements

• 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

• The WebUI cache is used to improve the response time of the WebUI by storing and refreshing some data that requires complex calculations, such as the number of applicable devices or patches1.
• The cache refresh interval, also known as the cache Time To Live (TTL) value, determines how often the cached data is invalidated and updated1. The default value is 600 seconds (10 minutes)1.
• To change the cache refresh interval, you can use the client setting _WebUIAppEnv_CACHE_TTL and enter the desired interval in seconds1. The minimum value is 180 seconds (3 minutes)1.
• Increasing the cache refresh interval can reduce the impact on system resources, especially for large deployments and intensive patching activities1. However, it can also affect the freshness of the cached data1.
• Another setting that affects the WebUI caching is _WebUIAppEnv_CACHE_INTERVAL, which determines how often the WebUI checks for new data from the BigFix server1. The default value is 60 seconds1.
• Decreasing the cache interval can improve the responsiveness of the WebUI, but it can also increase the load on the BigFix server1. Therefore, you should balance the cache interval and the cache TTL values according to your needs and environment1.
• The other settings, _WebUIAppEnv_SP_QUEUE_CONCURRENT, _WebUIAppEnv_DATA_REFRESH_SECONDS, and _WebUIAppEnv_SITE_CACHE_SIZE, are not related to the WebUI cache refresh interval12.
• _WebUIAppEnv_SP_QUEUE_CONCURRENT limits the number of stored procedures that run simultaneously per app in the background that update cache values1. The default value is 51.
• _WebUIAppEnv_DATA_REFRESH_SECONDS determines how often the WebUI polls the BigFix server for new data2. The default value is 15 seconds2.
• _WebUIAppEnv_SITE_CACHE_SIZE specifies the maximum size of the site cache in megabytes2. The default value is 100 MB2.

References:

• Caching - HCL Product Documentation
• Server settings definitions - HCL Product Documentation

• To create a Custom Site, you need to select Tools > Create Custom Site from the BigFix Console and enter a name for your site. You can also provide a description and a domain for your site.
• To assign permission levels to operators, you need to click the Operator Permissions tab from the site dialog and select the operators from the list. You can also grant read permission globally to all operators by clicking the corresponding button.
• The permission levels that can be assigned to operators are:
• The permission levels that cannot be assigned to operators are:
• Creating Custom Sites
• User Permissions and Guidelines
• Selecting Sites

To create a patch policy, you need to follow these steps12:

• On the Policies page, click Add Policy. The Add Policy page is displayed.
• Provide the following information under Policy Criteria page: Policy Name, Site, Description, Custom Content Criteria, and External Content Criteria.
• Click Next to configure the Pre-Patch and Post-Patch behaviour of the new policy.
• Click Next to configure the Schedule for the new policy. You can set the Start Date, End Date, Frequency, and Execution Window for the policy deployment.
• Click Next to select the Targets for the new policy. You can choose from Manual Selection, Automatic Group, or Relevance Expression.
• Review the Summary of the new policy and click Save to activate it. References:
• Patch Policy Overview
• Create a Patch Policy

To upgrade a DSA environment, the following steps are required:

• Run the BigFix Server upgrade on the primary server first, following the manual upgrade instructions1.
• Verify that the primary server is upgraded successfully and that all the services are running.
• Run the BigFix Server upgrade on the secondary servers, one at a time, following the same manual upgrade instructions1.
• Verify that the secondary servers are upgraded successfully and that all the services are running.
• Verify that the DSA replication is working properly and that the data is consistent across all the servers.

References:

• Manual upgrade - HCL Product Documentation
• BigFix Wiki - BigFix Upgrade Best Practices
• Deploy newer version of BigFix Server on DSA, viable?

• A BigFix Relay is a special type of BigFix Client that can cache and distribute files to other BigFix Clients, reducing the workload and bandwidth usage of the BigFix Server1.
• A BigFix Relay can be installed on any BigFix Client that runs on a supported BigFix Relay operating system, which includes Windows, Linux, and Solaris23.
• A BigFix Relay does not require a server operating system or a dedicated endpoint, as long as it meets the minimum system requirements and recommendations for a relay, which are similar to those for a workgroup file server23.
• A BigFix Relay must have a two-way TCP connection to its parent, which can be another relay or the BigFix Server23.
• A BigFix Relay can be installed using a Fixlet from the BigFix Console or the command line4. References:
• 1: Relays and Servers
• 2: Relay requirements and recommendations
• 3: Relay requirements
• 4: Installing a relay

• Domains are a major organizing principle in the BigFix Console that allow you to access and manage related sites, such as Patch Management, AntiVirus Management, Power Management, and so on.
• Domains are not collections of Fixlet messages, but rather contain a set of related sites that have Fixlet messages, tasks, analyses, and other content. The content is created by HCL, other vendors, or yourself, depending on the site type and subscription.
• Domains do not provide a way to deploy actions across the network, but rather help you to find and select the relevant content for your actions. You can still use the Action Wizard or the Take Action button to deploy actions from any domain or site.
• Domains are located in the lower-left portion of the Console, where you can select the domain you want from the buttons at the bottom of the panel. The contents of the domain are then displayed in the upper-right panel, where you can filter and sort them by various criteria.
• Domains are not located under Tools in the Console, but rather under the Sites node in the navigation tree. You can also access the Manage Domains dialog from the Tools menu, where you can create, edit, or delete domains. References:
• Domains
• Introducing Domains
• Manage Domains

• An analysis is a custom content that allows operators to monitor and audit specific properties of the managed BigFix clients12.
• To create an analysis, an operator needs to have the Can Manage Analyses permission, which grants the ability to create, edit, activate, and deactivate analyses3 .
• This permission can be assigned to any console operator, regardless of whether they are master or non-master operators3 .
• Therefore, the correct answer is D. Only console operators with the Can Manage Analyses permission are allowed to create an analysis. References:
• Create Analysis - HCL Product Documentation
• Creating Analyses - HCL Product Documentation
• Operators and analysis - HCL Product Documentation
• [Operator Permissions - HCL Product Documentation]