Types of content
IBM BigFix is based on contents. The generic term of content might represent data to distribute to targets, or instructions to run on targets, or queries to run on targets.
- Action
- An action is a script that runs on selected targets. Actions are
used to fix policy violation and security exposures, to run configuration
steps or, in general, to run operations or commands on targets. Fixlets,
tasks, and baselines contain actions and depend on actions to run
their remediation mission.
For more information about actions, see Actions.
- Fixlet
- A Fixlet is a document that contains instructions that the IBM
BigFix agents on target systems use to assess their status,
identify issues, such as a vulnerability or a lack of compliance with
a policy rule, and take corrective actions to resolve.
For more information about Fixlets, see Fixlets and Tasks.
- Task
- A task is a document that contains instructions that IBM BigFix agents on target systems use to run locally
commands or configuration activities.
For more information about tasks, see Fixlets and Tasks.
- Baseline
- A baseline is a deployment container of Fixlets and tasks. You can use it to apply a set of
contents at the same time to one or more targets. The contents are applied according to the sequence
specified in the baseline description. For example, a baseline might contain:
- A Fixlet to install a product.
- A Fixlet to upgrade it to a required level.
- A task to configure the product that is installed.
For more information about baselines, see Baselines.
- Analysis
- An analysis is a collection of property expressions that allows an operator to view and
summarize various properties of IBM BigFix
Client computers across a network.
For more information about analyses, see Analyses.
You can access these types of contents from the IBM BigFix console. Each application that belongs to the IBM BigFix suite uses these contents to accomplish its activities. You can create your custom content to satisfy your specific needs. For example, you can create custom Fixlets to apply patches to your home-developed applications or to enforce your policy rules. You must have specific authorizations to create your custom content.
Contents are contained in content sites and are automatically updated on timely basis. The set of content sites available to you depends on the IBM BigFix product licenses that you bought. For more information about accessing content sites, see Post-installation steps. If you have the required authorizations, you can create your own custom content site to collect your custom contents.