Collect Dell ECS logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest Dell ECS Enterprise Object Storage logs to Google Security Operations using the Bindplane agent.

Dell ECS is an enterprise object storage platform that generates syslog messages for login, logout, and credential management events. The parser extracts 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 Dell ECS system
  • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements
  • Administrative credentials for the ECS management portal

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

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/dell_ecs_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/dell_ecs

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 Dell ECS to forward logs to the syslog server

  1. Sign in to the ECS management portal using administrative credentials.
  2. Go to Settings > Event Notifications > Syslog.
  3. Click New Server.
  4. Provide the following details:
    • Protocol: Select either UDP or TCP (ensure it matches the protocol configured on the syslog server).
    • Target: Enter the IP address or Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) of the syslog server.
    • Port: Enter the port number.
    • Severity: Select Informational as the minimum severity level of logs to be forwarded.
  5. Click Save.

UDM mapping table

Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
data read_only_udm.metadata.description If eventType is UPDATE, the description is extracted from the data field using a regular expression. If eventType is DELETE, the description is extracted from the data field using a regular expression and further processed to extract the user ID.
data read_only_udm.principal.ip If eventType is UPDATE, the IP address is extracted from the data field using a regular expression.
data read_only_udm.target.resource.product_object_id If eventType is DELETE, the URN token is extracted from the data field using a regular expression.
data read_only_udm.target.user.userid If eventType is UPDATE, the user ID is extracted from the data field using a regular expression. If eventType is DELETE, the user ID is extracted from the description field after initial processing of the data field.
eventType read_only_udm.metadata.event_type If eventType is UPDATE and a userid is extracted, the event type is set to USER_LOGIN. If eventType is DELETE and a userid is extracted, the event type is set to USER_LOGOUT. Otherwise, the event type is set to GENERIC_EVENT.
eventType read_only_udm.metadata.product_event_type The value is derived by concatenating the serviceType and eventType fields from the raw log, enclosed in square brackets and separated by " - ".
hostname read_only_udm.principal.asset.hostname The hostname is copied from the hostname field.
hostname read_only_udm.principal.hostname The hostname is copied from the hostname field.
log_type read_only_udm.metadata.log_type The log type is set to DELL_ECS. The mechanism is hardcoded to MECHANISM_UNSPECIFIED. The event timestamp is copied from the timestamp field of the raw log entry. The product name is hardcoded to ECS. The vendor name is hardcoded to DELL. If eventType is DELETE, the resource type is hardcoded to CREDENTIAL.
timestamp read_only_udm.metadata.event_timestamp The event timestamp is taken from the timestamp field of the raw log entry.
timestamp timestamp The timestamp is parsed from the timestamp field of the raw log entry.

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