Collect Brocade switch logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest Brocade switch logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Brocade switches (Fibre Channel SAN switches) generate syslog messages for fabric events, zone changes, login/logout activity, and system events. The parser normalizes fields 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 Brocade switch
  • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
  • Administrative access to the Brocade switch using SSH or Telnet

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 ID from the Organization Details section.

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.

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/brocade_switch:
        compression: gzip
        creds_file_path: '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json'
        customer_id: '<customer_id>'
        endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
        log_type: BROCADE_SWITCH
        raw_log_field: body

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/brocade_switch_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/brocade_switch

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 export from a Brocade switch

  1. Connect to the Brocade switch using SSH or Telnet with the appropriate credentials.

  2. Run the following command to specify the IP address and Port of the syslog server (Bindplane):

    syslogadmin --set -ip <BINDPLANE_IP> -port 514

  3. Run the following command to display the configured syslog servers:

    syslogadmin --show -ip

UDM mapping table

Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
application additional.fields[].key: "application"
additional.fields[].value.string_value:		 Value extracted from the application@1588 field in the raw log when the KV_DATA field exists.
class additional.fields[].key: "class"
additional.fields[].value.string_value:		 Value extracted from the class@1588 field in the raw log when the KV_DATA field exists.
domain principal.administrative_domain Value extracted from the grok pattern matching the domain field.
Event additional.fields[].key: "event_category"
additional.fields[].value.string_value:		 Value extracted from the arg0@1588 field in the raw log when the KV_DATA field exists.
event_id metadata.product_log_id Value extracted from the grok pattern matching the event_id field.
event_type metadata.product_event_type Value extracted from the grok pattern matching the event_type field.
flags additional.fields[].key: "flags"
additional.fields[].value.string_value:		 Value extracted from the grok pattern matching the flags field.
Info metadata.description Value extracted from the Info field, parsed using grok.
interface app_protocol_src Value extracted from the interface@1588 field in the raw log when the KV_DATA field exists. Used to derive network.application_protocol.
ip principal.ip Value extracted from the ip field, parsed using grok. Merged into principal.ip if it's not the same as the IP extracted from the Info field.
Info, IP Addr principal.ip Value extracted from the IP Addr field within the Info field, parsed using grok.
log additional.fields[].key: "log"
additional.fields[].value.string_value:		 Value extracted from the log@1588 field in the raw log when the KV_DATA field exists.
msg metadata.description Value extracted from the msg field, parsed using grok.
msgid additional.fields[].key: "msgid"
additional.fields[].value.string_value:		 Value extracted from the msgid@1588 field in the raw log when the KV_DATA field exists.
prin_host principal.hostname
principal.asset.hostname		 Value extracted from the grok pattern matching the prin_host field.
product_version metadata.product_version Value extracted from the grok pattern matching the product_version field.
repeat_count additional.fields[].key: "repeat_count"
additional.fields[].value.string_value:		 Value extracted from the msg field, parsed using grok.
role, user_role principal.user.attribute.roles[].name Value extracted from the role@1588 or user_role field. If the value is "admin", it's replaced with "Admin".
sequence_number additional.fields[].key: "sequence_number"
additional.fields[].value.string_value:		 Value extracted from the grok pattern matching the sequence_number field.
severity security_result.severity Value extracted from the severity field, parsed using grok. Mapped to UDM severity values (INFORMATIONAL, ERROR, CRITICAL, MEDIUM).
Status security_result.summary Value extracted from the Status field.
switch_name additional.fields[].key: "switch_name"
additional.fields[].value.string_value:		 Value extracted from the grok pattern matching the switch_name field.
target_application target.application Value extracted from the grok pattern matching the target_application field.
time additional.fields[].key: "time"
additional.fields[].value.string_value:		 Value extracted from the time field within the kv_data3 field.
timestamp metadata.event_timestamp.seconds Value extracted from the timestamp field, parsed using the date filter.
user principal.user.userid
principal.user.user_display_name		 Value extracted from the user or user@1588 field, parsed using grok. Copied from principal.hostname. Copied from principal.ip. Copied from metadata.product_event_type or set to "STATUS_UPDATE" based on conditions. Copied from the log's create_time.nanos. Determined by parser logic based on the values of has_principal, has_target, has_userid, and event_type. Can be "SYSTEM_AUDIT_LOG_UNCATEGORIZED", "STATUS_UPDATE", or "GENERIC_EVENT". Hardcoded to "BROCADE_SWITCH". Hardcoded to "BROCADE". Hardcoded to "BROCADE_SWITCH". Derived from the interface field or set to "SSH" if the interface field contains "SSH".

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