Dell Brocade G620 Brocade 8.0.1 Fabric OS Administratiors Guide - Page 98

Verifying host syslog prior to configuring the audit log, all event classes

Page 98 highlights

Performing Advanced Configuration Tasks firmware downloads, and other configuration changes; in other words, critical changes that have a serious effect on the operation and security of the switch. Important information related to event classes is also tracked and made available. For example, you can track changes from an external source by the user name, IP address, or type of management interface used to access the switch. Auditable events are generated by the switch and streamed to an external host through a configured system message log daemon (syslog). You specify a filter on the output to select the event classes that are sent through the system message log. The filtered events are streamed chronologically and sent to the system message log on an external host in the specified audit message format. This ensures that they can be easily distinguished from other system message log events that occur in the network. Then, at some regular interval of your choosing, you can review the audit events to look for unexpected changes. Before you configure audit event logging, familiarize yourself with the following audit event log behaviors and limitations: ∙ By default, all event classes are configured for audit; to create an audit event log for specific events, you must explicitly set a filter with the class operand and then enable it. ∙ Audited events are generated specific to a switch and have no negative impact on performance. ∙ The last 1024 messages are persistently saved in the audit log, but all audit events are sent to the system message log, which - assuming there are no bottlenecks - will be forwarded to your syslog server. ∙ The audit log depends on the system message log facility and IP network to send messages from the switch to a remote host. Because the audit event log configuration has no control over these facilities, audit events can be lost if the system message log and IP network facilities fail. ∙ If too many events are generated by the switch, the system message log becomes a bottleneck and audit events are dropped by the Fabric OS. ∙ If the user name, IP address, or user interface is not transported, "None" is used instead for each of the respective fields. ∙ For High Availability, the audit event logs exist independently on both active and standby CPs. The configuration changes that occur on the active CP are propagated to the standby CP and take effect. ∙ Audit log configuration is also updated through a configuration download. Before configuring an audit log, you must select the event classes you want audited. NOTE Only the active CP can generate audit messages because event classes being audited occur only on the active CP. Audit messages cannot originate from other blades in a Backbone. Switch names are logged for switch components and Backbone names for Backbone components. For example, a Backbone name may be FWDL or RAS and a switch component name may be zone, name server, or SNMP. Refer to the Fabric OS Message Reference for details on event classes and message formats. For more information on setting up the system error log daemon, refer to the Fabric OS Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide. NOTE If an AUDIT message is logged from the CLI, any environment variables will be initialized with proper values for login, interface, IP and other session information. Refer to the Fabric OS Message Reference for more information. Verifying host syslog prior to configuring the audit log Audit logging assumes that your syslog is operational and running. Before configuring an audit log, you must perform the following steps to ensure that the host syslog is operational. 1. Set up an external host machine with a system message log daemon running to receive the audit events that will be generated. Brocade Fabric OS Administration Guide, 8.0.1 98 53-1004111-02

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firmware downloads, and other configuration changes; in other words, critical changes that have a serious effect on the operation and
security of the switch.
Important information related to event classes is also tracked and made available. For example, you can track changes from an external
source by the user name, IP address, or type of management interface used to access the switch.
Auditable events are generated by the switch and streamed to an external host through a configured system message log daemon
(syslog). You specify a filter on the output to select the event classes that are sent through the system message log. The filtered events
are streamed chronologically and sent to the system message log on an external host in the specified audit message format. This
ensures that they can be easily distinguished from other system message log events that occur in the network. Then, at some regular
interval of your choosing, you can review the audit events to look for unexpected changes.
Before you configure audit event logging, familiarize yourself with the following audit event log behaviors and limitations:
By default,
all event classes
are configured for audit; to create an audit event log for specific events, you must explicitly set a
filter with the
class
operand and then enable it.
Audited events are generated specific to a switch and have no negative impact on performance.
The last 1024 messages are persistently saved in the audit log, but all audit events are sent to the system message log, which
— assuming there are no bottlenecks — will be forwarded to your syslog server.
The audit log depends on the system message log facility and IP network to send messages from the switch to a remote host.
Because the audit event log configuration has no control over these facilities, audit events can be lost if the system message
log and IP network facilities fail.
If too many events are generated by the switch, the system message log becomes a bottleneck and audit events are dropped
by the Fabric OS.
If the user name, IP address, or user interface is not transported,
"None"
is used instead for each of the respective fields.
For High Availability, the audit event logs exist independently on both active and standby CPs. The configuration changes that
occur on the active CP are propagated to the standby CP and take effect.
Audit log configuration is also updated through a configuration download.
Before configuring an audit log, you must select the event classes you want audited.
NOTE
Only the active CP can generate audit messages because event classes being audited occur only on the active CP. Audit
messages cannot originate from other blades in a Backbone.
Switch names are logged for switch components and Backbone names for Backbone components. For example, a Backbone name
may be FWDL or RAS and a switch component name may be zone, name server, or SNMP.
Refer to the
Fabric OS Message Reference
for details on event classes and message formats. For more information on setting up the
system error log daemon, refer to the
Fabric OS Troubleshooting and Diagnostics Guide
.
NOTE
If an AUDIT message is logged from the CLI, any environment variables will be initialized with proper values for login, interface,
IP and other session information. Refer to the
Fabric OS Message Reference
for more information.
Verifying host syslog prior to configuring the audit log
Audit logging assumes that your syslog is operational and running. Before configuring an audit log, you must perform the following
steps to ensure that the host syslog is operational.
1.
Set up an external host machine with a system message log daemon running to receive the audit events that will be generated.
Performing Advanced Configuration Tasks
Brocade Fabric OS Administration Guide, 8.0.1
98
53-1004111-02