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Pages on BigFix Patch Management

• Overview
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• Guidelines for Console Operators

Pages on BigFix Power Management

• BigFix Power Management
• Restricted Pages
• Power Management Overview for Console Operators

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BigFix at Stanford

Overview

Stanford uses the BigFix Enterprise Suite (BES) to deploy patches and updates to Windows and Macintosh computers. BigFix also provides a consistent and reliable way to remotely configure power settings for Windows computers. It is administered by IT Services in collaboration with others across the University.

Patch Management

Internet-based attacks upon individual desktop and laptop computers are a world-wide problem.  New vulnerabilities are discovered every month. This underscores the importance of keeping operating systems up-to-date by installing security patches as soon as they become available. Failure to keep all systems patched can place everyone on the network at risk.

The BigFix patch management system allows Stanford to install critical security patches on computers as soon as they're made available by Microsoft and Apple and tested here.

BigFix is an agent-based software solution. Each computer communicates with the server to determine its patch status. The server will automatically apply appropriate updates once they have been released. Release of patches occurs after broad campus-wide testing and follows a rigorous, but rapid, procedure.

Client software must be installed on all computers that are to be managed by the BigFix system administrators. Certain basic inventory information about the computer - such as IP address, operating system, some hardware data, and the presence or absence of critical security updates - is collected. A complete list of collected information is always available.

Power Management (for Windows only)

With approximately 40,000 desktop and laptop computers on campus, it takes a lot of electricity to charge and run all these machines. BigFix Power Management was deployed to help the University both reduce this electricity usage and reduce our green house gas emissions. Power Management lets you set the power management settings you want and then makes sure they stay set so you don't have to worry about it. Power Management choices can be as simple as turning the monitor off after 15 minutes or can be set more aggressively to put your computer into standby mode when it hasn't been used for 30 or 60 minutes.

Need to give a presentation and don’t want your monitor to turn off?  Go ahead and change your settings to ‘Always On.’ If you forget to change them back, BigFix will put your computer back on your settings after 24 hours.

You can change your sustainability preferences (or opt out) at any time by running the Stanford Power Management Tool.

By using BigFix for power management, the University is able to better measure energy usage by desktop computers. Also, it lets you participate in our green house gas reduction efforts.

See the BigFix Power Management page for more information about Stanford's power management program for computers.

Getting Started

• Download the BigFix client software:  Windows  |  Macintosh
  
   23700  Installed BigFix Clients
  
  
• Download the Stanford Power Management Tool for Windows

More Information

For more information please see the BigFix FAQ.

If you encounter problems or need assistance, please submit a HelpSU request.