Collect Cisco UCS logs

Parser Version: 2.0

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

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 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 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/cisco_ucs:
      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: '<customer_id>'
      endpoint: chronicle.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 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
  • customer_id: Customer ID copied from the Google SecOps console
  • 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.

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/cisco_ucs:
      compression: gzip
      creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
      customer_id: '<customer_id>'
      endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      log_type: CISCO_UCS
      raw_log_field: body
  

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, 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 UCS Manager.
2. Select the Admin tab.
3. Expand Faults, Events, and Audit Log.
4. Select Syslog.
5. Locate the File category, and select Enabled for the Admin State.
6. Select the alarm level from the menu (for example, Warnings).
7. Click Save Changes.
8. Locate Remote Destinations category on the right.
9. Select Enabled for 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.

Change Log

View the Change Log for this parser

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