* The Reviewmeister takes a look at patch management tool BigFix
BigFix is an agent-based patch management tool that includes three components – Server, Console and Agent.
The Server maintains the data and performs the processing tasks. The Console is the administrative Windows graphical user interface (GUI) application with embedded HTML components. The Agent software is installed on managed systems. The product also includes access to the BigFix Enterprise Security Site, which is the vendor’s repository for security information.
The core of BigFix’s product is a technology called fixlets, messages that monitor, detect and fix identified problems, such as a missing hot-fix. Fixlets have attributes that define a problem, a description of the problem and a recommended fix.
You can deploy patches to one or many machines. Because the agents are always monitoring the system, BigFix also includes an option to install a patch whenever it is relevant on a system.
Fixlets can automatically reboot the system, display a message to the user, be distributed over a period of time to reduce network traffic and be scheduled to run at a specific date and time. When deployment starts, the patch is downloaded from the BigFix site to the local server and then to the machines scheduled to receive the patch.
Patch distributions worked well in our test, but BigFix doesn’t provide the same detailed control as PatchLink, nor does it let customers create their own packages unless they purchase a separate development environment.
Reports are generated by a separate engine, which is launched with the BigFix console, but requires a separate logon. Default reports include computer properties, operating systems distribution, relevant fixlets and relevant fixlets over time.
For the full report, go to https://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/2003/0303patchrev.html
