Collect Big Switch BigCloudFabric logs

Parser Version: 2.0

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

This document explains how to ingest Big Switch BigCloudFabric logs to Google Security Operations using Bindplane agent.

Arista Networks Big Cloud Fabric (BCF), now known as Converged Cloud Fabric (CCF), is a software-defined networking (SDN) solution that provides automated data center fabric management through a centralized controller. The BCF/CCF controller manages leaf-spine network architectures, providing centralized configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting capabilities for enterprise data center networks. This product was originally developed by Big Switch Networks before being acquired by Arista Networks.

Note: Big Switch Networks Big Cloud Fabric (BCF) is a retired product. Arista Networks now offers Converged Cloud Fabric (CCF) as the successor product. This document applies to both BCF and CCF controllers.

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 BCF/CCF Controller
• If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
• Administrative access to the BCF/CCF Controller via GUI or CLI
• BCF/CCF Controller version 2.5 or later (for syslog support)

Get Google SecOps credentials for the Bindplane agent

To authenticate the Bindplane agent to Google SecOps, choose one of the following methods:

• New deployments: Use the Chronicle API (Option 1).
• Legacy deployments: Continue using the ingestion authentication file (Option 2) until the Ingestion API is discontinued on July 20, 2027.

Option 1: Create a service account for the Chronicle API (recommended)

1. Sign in to the Google Cloud console and select the Google Cloud project that is linked to your Google SecOps instance.
2. Go to IAM & Admin > Service Accounts.
3. Click Create service account.
4. Provide the following configuration details:
   • Service account name: Enter a name for the account (for example, bindplane-ingest).
   • Service account description: Enter a description (for example, Bindplane agent log ingestion).
5. Click Create and continue.
6. In the Grant this service account access to project section, click Select a role and select Chronicle Editor.
7. Click Continue, and then click Done.
8. Click the service account you created, and then go to the Keys tab.
9. Click Add key > Create new key.
10. Select JSON and click Create. The key file is downloaded to your computer.
11. Save the key file as ingestion-auth.json in the Bindplane collector directory (/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json on Linux or C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json on Windows), or update creds_file_path in config.yaml to match the path where you save it.
12. Go to IAM & Admin > Settings and copy the Project number. You'll need it for the exporter configuration.

Note: The JSON key is a credential. Restrict access to the file on the Bindplane host and rotate the key according to your organization's policy.

Option 2: Download the ingestion authentication file (legacy)

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.

Note: This file authenticates the agent to the legacy Ingestion API (malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com), which Google has scheduled for end of life on July 20, 2027. Plan to move to Option 1 before that date.

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 ID from the Organization Details section.

   Note: The customer ID is required for configuring the Bindplane agent exporter.

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 Prompt or PowerShell as 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.

Note: The Chronicle API exporter configuration requires Bindplane collector v1.106.0 or later. The previous commands install the latest release. If you're updating an existing installation, upgrade the collector before changing the configuration.

Configure 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

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

   receivers:
     udplog:
       listen_address: "0.0.0.0:514"
   
   exporters:
     chronicle/bigswitch_bcf:
       protocol: https
       # Region of your instance, for example us, europe, asia-southeast1
       location: <LOCATION>
       # Project number of the Google Cloud project linked to the instance
       project: '<PROJECT_NUMBER>'
       compression: gzip
       creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
       customer_id: 'YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID'
       endpoint: chronicle.googleapis.com
       log_type: BIGSWITCH_BCF
       raw_log_field: body
       ingestion_labels:
         env: production
         source: bcf_controller
   
   service:
     pipelines:
       logs/bcf_to_chronicle:
         receivers:
           - udplog
         exporters:
           - chronicle/bigswitch_bcf
   

2. Replace the following placeholders:

   • Receiver configuration:

     • The receiver is configured to listen on UDP port 514 for syslog messages from the BCF/CCF Controller
     • To use a different port, change 514 to your desired port number (for example, 1514 for unprivileged Linux installations)

   • Exporter configuration:

     • creds_file_path: Full path to the service account JSON key file (Option 1):

       • Linux: /opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json
       • Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json

     • YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID: Replace with your Customer ID. For details, see Get Google SecOps customer ID.

     • location: Replace <LOCATION> with the region of your Google SecOps instance (for example, us, europe, or asia-southeast1). The exporter prefixes chronicle.googleapis.com with this value. See Regional Endpoints for the complete list.

     • project: Replace <PROJECT_NUMBER> with the project number from IAM & Admin > Settings.

     • endpoint: Keep set to chronicle.googleapis.com.

     • log_type: Set to BIGSWITCH_BCF (do not change)

     • ingestion_labels: Optional labels for categorizing logs (customize as needed)

Legacy ingestion API exporter

• If you use the ingestion authentication file from Option 2, replace the exporters block with the following. Set creds_file_path to the path to the ingestion authentication file, and if your instance is outside the US, replace malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com with your regional endpoint (for example, europe-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com).

  exporters:
    chronicle/bigswitch_bcf:
      compression: gzip
      creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
      customer_id: 'YOUR_CUSTOMER_ID'
      endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      log_type: BIGSWITCH_BCF
      raw_log_field: body
      ingestion_labels:
        env: production
        source: bcf_controller
  

Note: This exporter will stop working when the Ingestion API is discontinued on July 20, 2027.

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:

  1. Run the following command:

     sudo systemctl restart observiq-otel-collector
     

  2. Verify the service is running:

     sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector
     

  3. Check logs for errors:

     sudo journalctl -u observiq-otel-collector -f
     

• To restart the Bindplane agent in Windows:

  1. 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.

  2. Verify the service is running:

     sc query observiq-otel-collector
     

  3. Check logs for errors:

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

Configure Big Switch BigCloudFabric syslog forwarding

Configure the BCF/CCF Controller to forward syslog messages to the Bindplane agent using either the GUI or CLI method.

Method 1: Configure syslog using the GUI

1. Sign in to the BCF/CCF Controller web interface using your administrator credentials.
2. Go to Maintenance > Logging.
3. Click the Remote Logging tab.
4. Click Add to create a new remote syslog server configuration.
5. Provide the following configuration details:
   • Server: Enter the IP address of the Bindplane agent host (for example, 192.168.1.100).
   • Port: Enter 514 (or the port configured in the Bindplane agent config.yaml).
   • Protocol: Select UDP.
6. Click Save or Apply to save the configuration.
7. Verify the configuration appears in the Remote Logging list.

Method 2: Configure syslog using the CLI

1. Connect to the BCF/CCF Controller via SSH using your administrator credentials.

2. Enter enable mode:

   controller-1> enable
   

3. Enter configuration mode:

   controller-1# configure
   

4. Configure the remote syslog server:

   controller-1(config)# logging remote 192.168.1.100
   

   Replace 192.168.1.100 with the IP address of the Bindplane agent host.

5. Exit configuration mode:

   controller-1(config)# exit
   

6. Verify the syslog configuration:

   controller-1# show logging
   

   The output should display the configured remote syslog server IP address.

Verify log forwarding

1. Generate test log events on the BCF/CCF Controller by performing configuration changes or viewing system status.

2. Check the Bindplane agent logs to verify syslog messages are being received:

   • Linux:

     sudo journalctl -u observiq-otel-collector -f
     

   • Windows:

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

3. Sign in to the Google SecOps console and verify logs are appearing in the Search interface with the ingestion label BIGSWITCH_BCF.

   Note: It may take several minutes for logs to appear in Google SecOps after initial configuration.

UDM mapping table

Log Field	UDM Mapping	Logic
description	metadata.description	Value copied directly, with leading and trailing spaces removed
target_host, time, product_event_type, description, application	metadata.event_type	Set to STATUS_HEARTBEAT if target_host and time not empty; SERVICE_STOP if product_event_type == PORT_DOWN; SERVICE_START if description matches ".Running job." or product_event_type == PORT_UP or application == snmpd-execstart; STATUS_SHUTDOWN if description matches ".status down."; SERVICE_DELETION if product_event_type == Removing Endpoint; SERVICE_CREATION if product_event_type == Adding Endpoint; SERVICE_MODIFICATION if product_event_type == Moving Endpoint or description matches ".change instances."; NETWORK_CONNECTION if target_host not empty; else GENERIC_EVENT
product_event_type	metadata.product_event_type	Value copied directly
application_protocol	network.application_protocol	Set to "UNKNOWN_APPLICATION_PROTOCOL" if application_protocol == "lldpa"
host	principal.hostname	Value copied directly
ip	principal.ip	Value copied directly
process_id	principal.process.pid	Value copied directly
USER	principal.user.userid	Value copied directly
log_level	security_result	Object with severity set to INFORMATIONAL if INFO, MEDIUM if WARN, HIGH if ERROR; action set to ALLOW if INFO or WARN, BLOCK if ERROR
application	target.application	Value copied directly
target_host	target.hostname	Value copied directly
port	target.port	Converted to integer
COMMAND	target.process.command_line	Value copied directly
product_specific_id	target.process.product_specific_process_id	Prefixed with "Bigswitch:"
kv_1, kv2, kv3	target.user.group_identifiers	Merged from kv_1 if not empty, kv2 if not empty, kv3 if not empty
	metadata.product_name	Set to "Big Cloud Fabric"
	metadata.vendor_name	Set to "Big Switch"

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