Console
    Start free

    Collect VMware vSphere logs

    Supported in:

    This document explains how to ingest VMware vSphere logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

    VMware vSphere is a virtualization platform that generates syslog messages for ESXi host events, VM operations, authentication, and system health monitoring.

    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 VMware vSphere ESXi host
    • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
    • Privileged access to the VMware vSphere Web Client or ESXi Shell

    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 Bindplane 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 the Bindplane agent installation guide .

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

    Locate the configuration file

    • Linux:

       sudo  
nano  
/opt/observiq-otel-collector/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/vmware_vsphere 
 : 
  
 compression 
 : 
  
 gzip 
  
 creds_file_path 
 : 
  
 '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json' 
  
 customer_id 
 : 
  
 '<customer_id>' 
  
 endpoint 
 : 
  
 malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com 
  
 log_type 
 : 
  
 VMWARE_VSPHERE 
  
 raw_log_field 
 : 
  
 body 
 service 
 : 
  
 pipelines 
 : 
  
 logs/vmware_vsphere_to_chronicle 
 : 
  
 receivers 
 : 
  
 - 
  
 udplog 
  
 exporters 
 : 
  
 - 
  
 chronicle/vmware_vsphere

    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:

         sudo  
systemctl  
status  
observiq-otel-collector

      2. Check logs for errors:

         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 in VMware vSphere

    Option 1: vSphere Web Client

    1. Sign in to the vSphere Web Client.
    2. Select the ESXi host.
    3. Go to Configure > System > Advanced System Settings.
    4. Click Edit.
    5. Set the Syslog.global.logHost parameter to udp://<bindplane-ip>:514 (replace <bindplane-ip> with your Bindplane agent IP address).
    6. Click OK.

    Option 2: ESXi Shell

    1. SSH to the ESXi host.

    2. Run the following commands:

       esxcli  
system  
syslog  
config  
 set 
  
--loghost = 
udp://<bindplane-ip>:514
esxcli  
system  
syslog  
reload
      • Replace <bindplane-ip> with your Bindplane agent IP address.

    UDM mapping table

    Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
    Originator_label
    		additional.fields Merged
    activityType_label
    		additional.fields Merged
    certVerificationStatus_label
    		additional.fields Merged
    cls_simple_activity_label
    		additional.fields Merged
    itemType_label
    		additional.fields Merged
    logtype_label
    		additional.fields Merged
    opID_label
    		additional.fields Merged
    progress_label
    		additional.fields Merged
    securityCompliance_label
    		additional.fields Merged
    sub_label
    		additional.fields Merged
    vpxd_label
    		additional.fields Merged
    column9
    		extensions.auth.type Mapped: logged out → AUTHTYPE_UNSPECIFIED
    column9
    		metadata.description Directly mapped
    msg
    		metadata.description Directly mapped
    response_Message
    		metadata.description Directly mapped
    column3
    		metadata.event_timestamp Parsed as ISO8601
    column9
    		metadata.event_type Mapped: logged out → USER_LOGOUT
    has_principal
    		metadata.event_type Mapped: true → NETWOK_CONNECTION , true → STATUS_UPDATE
    column4
    		metadata.product_event_type Directly mapped
    column1
    		metadata.product_log_id Directly mapped
    uuid
    		metadata.product_log_id Directly mapped
    user_agent
    		network.http.parsed_user_agent Renamed/mapped
    user_agent
    		network.http.user_agent Directly mapped
    sessionId
    		network.session_id Directly mapped
    Hostname
    		principal.asset.hostname Directly mapped
    hostname
    		principal.asset.hostname Directly mapped
    srcip
    		principal.asset.ip Merged
    Hostname
    		principal.hostname Directly mapped
    hostname
    		principal.hostname Directly mapped
    srcip
    		principal.ip Merged
    column5
    		security_result.severity Mapped: INFO → INFORMATIONAL
    severity
    		security_result.severity_details Directly mapped
    pid
    		target.process.pid Directly mapped
    column7
    		target.resource.name Directly mapped
    column6
    		target.user.userid Directly mapped
    N/A
    		 extensions.auth.type Constant: AUTHTYPE_UNSPECIFIED
    N/A
    		 metadata.event_type Constant: NETWOK_CONNECTION
    N/A
    		 metadata.product_name Constant: VMWARE_VSPHERE
    N/A
    		 metadata.vendor_name Constant: VMWARE_VSPHERE
    N/A
    		 security_result.severity Constant: INFORMATIONAL

    Need more help? Get answers from Community members and Google SecOps professionals.

    Create a Mobile Website
    View Site in Mobile | Classic
    Share by: