Collect Cisco UCS logs

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This document explains how to ingest Cisco UCS logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Cisco UCS generates syslog messages for system events, faults, and audit logs. The parser extracts fields using grok patterns and maps them to the Unified Data Model (UDM).

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following prerequisites:

  • A Google SecOps instance
  • Windows Server 2016 or later, or Linux host with systemd
  • Network connectivity between the Bindplane agent and the Cisco UCS system
  • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
  • Privileged access to Cisco UCS Manager

Get Google SecOps ingestion authentication file

  1. Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
  2. Go to SIEM Settings > Collection Agents.
  3. Download the Ingestion Authentication File.
  4. Save the file securely on the system where the Bindplane agent will be installed.

Get Google SecOps customer ID

  1. Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
  2. Go to SIEM Settings > Profile.
  3. Copy and save the Customer IDfrom the Organization Detailssection.

Install the Bindplane agent

Install the Bindplane agent on your Windows or Linux operating system according to the following instructions.

Windows installation

  1. Open Command Promptor PowerShellas an administrator.
  2. Run the following command:

      msiexec 
      
     / 
     i 
      
     "https://github.com/observIQ/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/observiq-otel-collector.msi" 
      
     / 
     quiet 
     
    
  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

  4. Verify the installation by running:

     sc query observiq-otel-collector 
    

    The service should show as RUNNING.

Linux installation

  1. Open a terminal with root or sudo privileges.
  2. Run the following command:

     sudo  
    sh  
    -c  
     " 
     $( 
    curl  
    -fsSlL  
    https://github.com/observiq/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/install_unix.sh ) 
     " 
      
    install_unix.sh 
    
  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

  4. Verify the installation by running:

     sudo  
    systemctl  
    status  
    observiq-otel-collector 
    

    The service should show as active (running).

Additional installation resources

For additional installation options and troubleshooting, see Bindplane agent installation guide .

Configure the Bindplane agent to ingest syslog and send to Google SecOps

Locate the configuration file

  • Linux:

     sudo  
    nano  
    /etc/bindplane-agent/config.yaml 
    
  • Windows:

     notepad "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\config.yaml" 
    

Edit the configuration file

  • Replace the entire contents of config.yaml with the following configuration:

      receivers 
     : 
      
     udplog 
     : 
      
     listen_address 
     : 
      
     "0.0.0.0:514" 
     exporters 
     : 
      
     chronicle/cisco_ucs 
     : 
      
     compression 
     : 
      
     gzip 
      
     creds_file_path 
     : 
      
     '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json' 
      
     customer_id 
     : 
      
     '<customer_id>' 
      
     endpoint 
     : 
      
     malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com 
      
     log_type 
     : 
      
     CISCO_UCS 
      
     raw_log_field 
     : 
      
     body 
     service 
     : 
      
     pipelines 
     : 
      
     logs/cisco_ucs_to_chronicle 
     : 
      
     receivers 
     : 
      
     - 
      
     udplog 
      
     exporters 
     : 
      
     - 
      
     chronicle/cisco_ucs 
     
    

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

  • Receiver configuration:

    • listen_address : IP address and port to listen on:
      • 0.0.0.0 to listen on all interfaces (recommended)
      • Port 514 is the standard syslog port (requires root on Linux; use 1514 for non-root)
  • Exporter configuration:

    • creds_file_path : Full path to ingestion authentication file:
      • Linux: /etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json
      • Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json
    • customer_id : Customer ID copied from the Google SecOps console
    • endpoint : Regional endpoint URL:
      • US: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      • Europe: europe-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      • Asia: asia-southeast1-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      • See Regional Endpoints for complete list

Save the configuration file

  • After editing, save the file:
    • Linux: Press Ctrl+O , then Enter , then Ctrl+X
    • Windows: Click File > Save

Restart the Bindplane agent to apply the changes

  • To restart the Bindplane agent in Linux, run the following command:

     sudo  
    systemctl  
    restart  
    observiq-otel-collector 
    
    1. Verify the service is running:

       ```bash
      sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector
      ``` 
      
    2. Check logs for errors:

       ```bash
      sudo journalctl -u observiq-otel-collector -f
      ``` 
      
  • To restart the Bindplane agent in Windows, choose one of the following options:

    • Command Prompt or PowerShell as administrator:

       net  
      stop  
      observiq-otel-collector && 
      net  
      start  
      observiq-otel-collector 
      
    • Services console:

      1. Press Win+R , type services.msc , and press Enter.
      2. Locate observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector.
      3. Right-click and select Restart.
      4. Verify the service is running:

         sc  
        query  
        observiq-otel-collector 
        
      5. Check logs for errors:

          type 
          
         "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\log\collector.log" 
         
        

Configure syslog on Cisco UCS

  1. Sign in to the Cisco UCSManager.
  2. Select the Admintab.
  3. Expand Faults, Events, and Audit Log.
  4. Select Syslog.
  5. Locate the Filecategory, and select Enabledfor the Admin State.
  6. Select the alarm level from the menu (for example, Warnings).
  7. Click Save Changes.
  8. Locate Remote Destinationscategory on the right.
  9. Select Enabledfor Server 1 Admin State.
  10. Provide the following configuration details:
    • Level: Select Informational.
    • Hostname: Enter the Bindplane IP address. The default port in UCS is 514 .
    • Facility: Select Local7.
  11. Click Save Changes.

UDM mapping table

Log field UDM mapping Logic
application
read_only_udm.principal.application Value taken from the 'application' field extracted by the Grok pattern.
desc
read_only_udm.security_result.description Value taken from the 'desc' field extracted by the Grok pattern.
desc
read_only_udm.security_result.severity If 'desc' field contains Warning , set to HIGH .
filename
read_only_udm.principal.process.file.full_path Value taken from the 'filename' field extracted by the Grok pattern.
file_size
read_only_udm.principal.process.file.size Value taken from the 'file_size' field extracted by the Grok pattern and converted to an unsigned integer.
host
read_only_udm.principal.ip Value taken from the 'host' field extracted by the Grok pattern.
hostname
read_only_udm.principal.hostname Value taken from the 'hostname' field extracted by the Grok pattern.
prod_evt_type
read_only_udm.metadata.product_event_type Value taken from the 'prod_evt_type' field extracted by the Grok pattern.
service
read_only_udm.target.application Value taken from the 'service' field extracted by the Grok pattern.
severity
read_only_udm.security_result.severity If 'severity' field contains error (case-insensitive), set to ERROR .
timestamp
read_only_udm.metadata.event_timestamp.seconds Value taken from the 'timestamp' field extracted by the Grok pattern and parsed as a timestamp.
user
read_only_udm.principal.user.userid Value taken from the 'user' field extracted by the Grok pattern.
read_only_udm.extensions.auth.type Set to MACHINE if the 'user' field is not empty.
read_only_udm.metadata.event_type Logic based on field presence:
- USER_LOGIN if 'user' field is not empty.
- GENERIC_EVENT if both 'hostname' and 'host' fields are empty.
- STATUS_UPDATE otherwise.
read_only_udm.metadata.log_type Hardcoded to CISCO_UCS .
read_only_udm.metadata.product_name Hardcoded to Cisco UCS .
read_only_udm.metadata.vendor_name Hardcoded to Cisco .

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