Collect VMware vSphere logs

Supported in:

Google SecOps SIEM

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 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 the 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/vmware_vsphere:
      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: 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 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/vmware_vsphere:
      compression: gzip
      creds_file_path: '/opt/observiq-otel-collector/ingestion-auth.json'
      customer_id: '<customer_id>'
      endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      log_type: VMWARE_VSPHERE
      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:

     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
timestamp	event.idm.read_only_udm.metadata.event_timestamp	Mapped from changelog
file_path	event.idm.read_only_udm.target.process.file.full_path	Mapped from changelog
api_invocations	event.idm.read_only_udm.security_result.detection_fields	Mapped from changelog
column2	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
login time	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
syslog_priority	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
user_level	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
session_id	event.idm.read_only_udm.network.session_id	Mapped from changelog
uuid	event.idm.read_only_udm.metadata.product_log_id	Mapped from changelog
Hostname	event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.hostname	Mapped from changelog
Hostname	event.idm.read_only_udm.principal.asset.hostname	Mapped from changelog
msg	event.idm.read_only_udm.metadata.description	Mapped from changelog
Originator	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
sub	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
opID	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
progress	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
cls_simple_activity	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
certVerificationStatus	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
itemType	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
vpxd	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
securityCompliance	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
logtype	event.idm.read_only_udm.additional.fields	Mapped from changelog
severity	event.idm.read_only_udm.security_result.severity_details	Mapped from changelog

Change Log

View the Change Log for this parser

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