Making an image with Sophos

[Dolla Bill$]

Is it ok to make an image with Sophos and Big Fix already installed?

[MMosher]

Benny Horta & Carlos Diaz give it a thumbs down.

[cmiranda]

Is it ok to make an image with Sophos and Big Fix already installed?

Randi Jones has said the ITS strongly recommends AGAINST including BigFix and Sophos in your images.

[rj2k21]

why? it gets installed when you join dadeschools . is there somthing i'm missing I just reimaged my school getting ready for summer.

[Dark Ansi]

The problem is over time the bigfix and sophos on the image will be outdated. So it is better to get a fresh copy via GPO then have them update unnecessarily.

[ReyS739]

and i believe there are some steps you need to take before you pull your image so when ones looking in the big fix or sophos console it doesn't say the same name 1000 times. And it could lead to update issue too i believe

[MMosher]

Each installation has to be unique to register with the console for management purposes, something like each box needing a unique sid.

[Really now!!]

The big issue that causes the problem is the life of your image.  For instance if you only make your images once per year then it would be a bad idea but if you make them every couple of months like I do then it should be no problem. The Big Fix version does not change that often.  Just make sure your new images contain the latest versions and you should be fine.  I run into problems creating images with it uninstalled because the first time you log in to do the updates after you just installed it it installs again.  

[MMosher]

Title SOPHOS and Ghost   
Body Please do not include Sophos as part of your ghost images. You will be making more work for yourselves in the future.
 
Sophos upgrades its engine monthly. If a Sophos installation is more than 3 months old it will not accept any incremental packages This means that if you created an image with Sophos that is more than 3 months old it will not update once the image is deployed.  This is why we have always asked not to have Sophos included on images.
 
We also ask that you check your Sophos installation files. They also need to be updated every 3 months to include the current engine. I have added a section in the Sophos Downloads area with the current versions of the installers. To check your version right click on your Sophos installer click properties and select the details tab. The date modified should be no more than 3 months. If it is stop using it and download a new coopy. 

[R-U-Serious]

The almost official word is to "Please, do not install it on your images."  Like I said this is almost because you didnt get it from the top.  Let's all try and be on the same page.

[Woody]

The big issue that causes the problem is the life of your image...

Exactly!  I have Master Image machines for each model staying up to date.  When ready to image, I use scripts to remove the SID and pull a fresh image.  One of the scripts was given to the district by Sophos & the other is from info provided by BigFix.  After being imaged, the machines connect to BigFix & Sophos w/o any problems.

[Really now!!]

Yes sophos updates but Big fix does not update that often.  If you have the current version of Big Fix it will automatically update sophos.  Or it should.  Six of one or a half dozen of the other as long as you do not use old images it should be fine either with or without it installed. 

[Woody]

Even w/a fresh image, for BigFix, you need to delete the __BESData folder & clear Registry settings:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\BigFix\EnterpriseClient\GlobalOptions]
"RegCount"=""
"ComputerId"=""
"ReportSequenceNumber"=""