Collecting logs from AVEVA System Platform and sending them to Elastic could be complex because of the unique combination of the log source and the desired destination. This post will show you how to forward log data from AVEVA System Platform to Elastic by incorporating the NXLog log collection tool.
AVEVA System Platform
AVEVA System Platform is a modular and scalable industrial software platform for software solutions focused on industrial automation and engineering personnel, including SCADA, HMI, IIoT, and Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES). AVEVA System Platform supports both the supervisory control layer and the manufacturing execution system (MES) layer, presenting them as a single information source.
Collecting AVEVA System Platform logs
AVEVA System Platform produces a wide variety of logs concerning its operations. Some of those logs are available through Windows Event Log and network monitoring, but most exist as flat files.
AVEVA System Platform controls systems of significant financial and security importance. In mission-critical settings, the timely collection and processing of AVEVA System Platform logs is crucial to the reliability and security of the systems it controls. Even a brief interruption of normal operations could result in catastrophic consequences. However, the sheer diversity of log formats and data structures, and the noise that some of these logs contain, pose severe challenges to most logging software.
NXLog Enterprise Edition is a lightweight, modular log collection tool capable of tackling the most challenging cases log collection may pose. Its rich features allow it to read almost any log format and parse fields to produce structured data for further processing. It is the perfect tool for monitoring and collecting AVEVA System Platform logs.
- Collecting AVEVA System Platform logs from Windows Event Log
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Many applications send their logs directly to Windows Event Log, the preferred logging facility on the Windows platform. AVEVA System Platform sends its diagnostic and security-related events, such as user authentication, the state of system components, record modifications, and information about various other services to Windows Event Log. Logs can be read and collected using an Event ID related to AVEVA System Platform or by a given source name.
- Collecting AVEVA System Platform logs from file
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File-based AVEVA System Platform logs include logs from:
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ArchestrA system
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ArchestrA Logger and Log Viewer
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Historian Search
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Historian Configuration Exporter error
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InTouch Access Anywhere
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License Server
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- Collecting AVEVA System Platform logs from database tables
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AVEVA System Platform reads information from database tables and provides insights into internal components and process-related data such as tag data, process alarms, and process events. Logs are collected from the following databases:
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System Monitor
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Runtime
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Holding
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Alarm
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Records from history blocks
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- AVEVA System Platform Network Monitoring
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AVEVA System Platform supports open platform communications (OPC) functionality, SuiteLink, DDE/FastDDE, and ArchestrA Message Exchange. NXLog can passively monitor network traffic and generate logs for most network protocols.
The easiest way to collect and normalize AVEVA System Platform logs is by deploying NXLog. With its unique capabilities, logs can be collected from literally any file in any format. Given the wide variation in format and structure of such log files, its versatility is ideal for these systems.
For more information on integrating NXLog with AVEVA System Platform, see the AVEVA System Platform integration guide.
The sources mentioned above and NXLog’s features play an important role in normalizing logs accepted by Elastic.
Sending logs to Elastic
Elasticsearch is a search engine and document database for storing, searching, and analyzing log data that you can deploy locally. On the other hand, Elastic Cloud is a SaaS solution that adds value to Elastic with its cloud-native features, such as managed enterprise search, data visualization, and security.
NXLog can integrate with both products by collecting and sending logs or as a relay, aggregating logs it receives from various sources and forwarding them.
- Elasticsearch logs
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NXLog Enterprise Edition provides the om_elasticsearch output module that supports sending logs in bulk to Elasticsearch. With the NXLog Community Edition, the om_http module sends logs to Elasticsearch for low-volume logging scenarios. Because it sends a request to the Elasticsearch HTTP REST API for each event, HTTP request and response latency limit the maximum logging throughput.
- Elastic Cloud logs
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The Elasticsearch REST API is used to send logs to the Elastic cloud. For NXLog to connect to the API, it requires an API key, the Elasticsearch endpoint, and the Elastic Cloud CA certificate. These requirements are configured on the main menu under Management > Stack Management.
You can view the log records by logging in to your Elastic Cloud instance. Navigate to Analytics > Discover from the main menu, then select the relevant index pattern to display the data.
For more information on configuring NXLog and sending logs to Elasticsearch and Elastic Cloud respectively, please visit the Elasticsearch and Kibana and Elastic Cloud integration sections in the NXLog User Guide.
