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Manual Chapter : Local Logging with AFM Network Firewall

Applies To:

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BIG-IP AFM

  • 14.1.3, 14.1.2, 14.1.0
Manual Chapter

Local Logging with AFM Network Firewall

Overview: Configuring local event logging

You can configure AFM Network Firewall to log detailed information about BIG-IP system firewall events and store those logs locally on the system.

Task summary for configuring Network Firewall logging locally

Perform these tasks to configure Network Firewall logging locally on the BIG-IP® system.
Enabling logging and storing the logs locally may slightly impact BIG-IP system CPU performance and increase disk space.

Creating a local logging profile

You create a custom logging profile to log AFM Network Firewall events locally.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    Security
    Event Logs
    Logging Profiles
    .
    The Logging Profiles list screen opens.
  2. Click
    Create
    .
    The Create New Logging Profile screen opens.
  3. In the
    Profile Name
     field, type a unique name for the profile.
  4. Select the
    Network Firewall
     check box.
  5. If you want to enable optional subscriber ID logging:
    1. Select the
      Network Address Translation
       check box.
    2. Then in the Network Address Translation area, select the
      Log Subscriber ID
       check box.
    3. Click
      Network Firewall
      .
  6. In the Network Firewall area, from the
    Publisher
     list, select
    local-db-publisher
    .
  7. Set an
    Aggregate Rate Limit
     to define a rate limit for all combined network firewall log messages per second.
    Beyond this rate limit, log messages are not logged.
    Rate Limits are calculated per-second per TMM. Each TMM throttles as needed independently of other TMMs.
  8. For the
    Log Rule Matches
     setting, select how the BIG-IP system logs packets that match ACL rules. You can select any or all of the options.
    Option
    Enables or disables logging of packets that match ACL rules configured with:
    Accept
    action=Accept
    Drop
    action=Drop
    Reject
    action=Reject
    When an option is selected, you can configure a rate limit for log messages of that type.
  9. Select the
    Log IP Errors
     check box, to enable logging of IP error packets.
    When this setting is enabled, you can configure a rate limit for log messages of this type.
  10. Select the
    Log TCP Errors
     check box, to enable logging of TCP error packets.
    When this is enabled, you can configure a rate limit for log messages of this type.
  11. Select the
    Log TCP Events
     check box, to enable logging of open and close of TCP sessions.
    When this is enabled, you can configure a rate limit for log messages of this type.
  12. Enable the
    Log Translation Fields
     setting to log both the original IP address and the NAT-translated IP address for Network Firewall log events.
  13. Enable the
    Always Log Region
     setting to log the geographic location when a geolocation event causes a network firewall event.
  14. Select the
    Log UUID Field
     check box to include the UUID of the specific rule that triggered the log message.
  15. From the
    Storage Format
     list, select how the BIG-IP system formats the log.
    Option
    Description
    None
    Specifies the default format type in which the BIG-IP system logs messages to a remote Syslog server, for example:
    "management_ip_address","bigip_hostname","context_type","context_name","src_ip","dest_ip","src_port","dest_port","vlan","protocol","route_domain","acl_rule_name","action","drop_reason
    Field-List
    Allows you to:
    • Select, from a list, the fields to be included in the log.
    • Specify the order the fields display in the log.
    • Specify the delimiter that separates the content in the log. The default delimiter is the comma character.
    User-Defined
    Allows you to:
    • Select, from a list, the fields to be included in the log.
    • Cut and paste, in a string of text, the order the fields display in the log.
  16. In the IP Intelligence area, from the
    Publisher
     list, select
    local-db-publisher
    .
    The IP Address Intelligence feature must be enabled and licensed.
  17. Set an
    Aggregate Rate Limit
     to define a rate limit for all combined IP Intelligence log messages per second.
    Beyond this rate limit, log messages are not logged.
    Rate Limits are calculated per-second per TMM. Each TMM throttles as needed independently of other TMMs.
  18. Enable the
    Log Translation Fields
     setting to log both the original IP address and the NAT-translated IP address for IP Intelligence log events.
  19. In the Traffic Statistics area, from the
    Publisher
     list, select
    local-db-publisher
    .
  20. For the
    Log Timer Events
     setting, enable
    Active Flows
     to log the number of active flows each second.
  21. For the
    Log Timer Events
     setting, enable
    Reaped Flows
    to log the number of reaped flows, or connections that are not established because of system resource usage levels.
  22. For the
    Log Timer Events
     setting, enable
    Missed Flows
     to log the number of packets that were dropped because of a flow table miss. A flow table miss occurs when a TCP non-SYN packet does not match an existing flow.
  23. For the
    Log Timer Events
     setting, enable
    SYN Cookie (Per Session Challenge)
     to log the number of SYN cookie challenges generated each second.
  24. For the
    Log Timer Events
     setting, enable
    SYN Cookie (White-listed Clients)
     to log the number of SYN cookie clients whitelisted each second.
  25. Click
    Finished
    .
Now you should assign this custom Network Firewall Logging profile to a virtual server.

Configuring a virtual server for event logging

Ensure that at least one log publisher exists on the AFM Network Firewall system.
Assign a custom network firewall logging profile to a virtual server when you want the system to log network firewall events on the traffic that the virtual server processes.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    Local Traffic
    Virtual Servers
    .
    The Virtual Server List screen opens.
  2. Click the name of the virtual server you want to modify.
  3. On the menu bar, click
    Security
    Policies
    .
    The screen displays policy settings for the virtual server.
  4. In the
    Log Profile
     setting, select
    Enabled
    . Then, select one or more profiles, and move them from the
    Available
     list to the
    Selected
     list.
    If you do not have a custom profile configured, select the predefined logging profile
    global-network
     to log Advanced Firewall Manager events. Note that to log global, self IP, and route domain contexts, you must enable a Publisher in the
    global-network
     profile.
  5. Click
    Update
     to save the changes.

Viewing AFM Network Firewall event logs

Ensure that the AFM Network Firewall system is configured to log the types of events you want to view, and to store the log messages locally on the BIG-IP system.
When the system is configured to log events locally, you can view those events using the Configuration utility.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    Security
    Event Logs
    Network
    Firewall
    .
    The Network Firewall event log displays.
  2. To search for specific events, click
    Custom Search
    . Drag the event data that you want to search for from the Event Log table into the Custom Search table, and then click
    Search
    .

Creating an AFM Network Firewall rule from a firewall log entry

You must be logging Network Firewall traffic to create a rule from the Network Firewall logs.
You can create a rule from the local log, from an enforced or staged rule or policy. You might use this to change the action taken on specific traffic that is matched by a more general rule. You can also use this to replicate a rule and change some parameter, such as the source or destination ports. Note that the rule you create from a log entry already has some information specified, such as source and destination address and ports, protocol, and VLAN. You can change any of this information as required.
  1. On the Main tab, click
    Security
    Event Logs
    Network
    Firewall
    .
    The Network Firewall event log displays.
  2. Select the search parameters to show the preferred log results, then click
    Search
    .
  3. Select a log entry, and click
    Create Rule
    .
  4. From the
    Context
     list, select the context for the firewall rule.
    For a firewall rule in a rule list, the context is predefined and cannot be changed.
  5. In the
    Name
     and
    Description
     fields, type the name and an optional description.
  6. From the
    Type
     list, select whether you are creating a standalone network firewall rule or creating the rule from a predefined rule list.
    If you create a firewall rule from a predefined rule list, only the
    Name
    ,
    Description
    ,
    Order
    ,
    Rule List
    , and
    State
     options apply, and you must select or create a rule list to include.
  7. From the
    State
     list, select the rule state.
    • Select
      Enabled
       to apply the firewall rule to the given context and addresses.
    • Select
      Disabled
       to set the firewall rule to not apply at all.
    • Select
      Scheduled
       to apply the firewall rule according to the selected schedule.
  8. From the
    Schedule
     list, select the schedule for the firewall rule.
    This schedule is applied when you set the firewall rule state as
    Scheduled
    .
  9. From the
    Protocol
     list, select the protocol to which the firewall rule applies.
    • Select
      Any
       to apply the firewall rule to any protocol.
    • Select the protocol name to apply the rule to a single protocol.
    ICMP is handled by the BIG-IP system at the global or route domain level. Because of this, ICMP messages receive a response before they reach the virtual server context. You cannot create rule for ICMP or ICMPv6 on a self IP or virtual server context. You can apply a rule list to a self IP or virtual server that includes a rule for ICMP or ICMPv6; however, such a rule will be ignored. To apply firewall actions to the ICMP protocol, create a rule with the
    global
     or
    route domain
     context. ICMP rules are evaluated only for ICMP forwarding requests, and not for the IP addresses of the BIG-IP system itself.
  10. In the
    Source
     list, specify users and groups to which this rule applies.
    • From the
      User
       list, select
      Any
       to have the rule apply to any user.
    • From the
      User
       list, select
      Specify
       and click
      User
      ,
      Group
      , or
      User List
       to specify a user, group, or user list packet source to which the rule applies. When selected, you can type a user or group name in the format
      domain\user_name
       or
      domain\group_name
      . You can specify a user list by selecting it from the list. Click
      Add
       to add a selected user, group, or user list to the packet source list.
  11. In the
    Source
     list, specify addresses and geolocated sources to which this rule applies.
    • From the
      Address/Region
       list, select
      Any
       to have the rule apply to any packet source IP address or geographic location.
    • From the
      Address/Region
       list, select
      Specify
       and click
      Address
       to specify one or more packet source IP addresses or fully qualified domain names (FQDNs) to which the rule applies. When selected, you can type single IP addresses or FQDNs into the
      Address
       field, then click
      Add
       to add them to the address list.
    • From the
      Address/Region
       list, select
      Specify
       and click
      Address List
       to select a predefined list of packet source addresses to which the rule applies. To use an address list with this rule, select the address list and click the
      Add
       button. Similarly, to remove the list from this rule, select the list and click the
      Delete
       button.
    • From the
      Address/Region
       list, select
      Specify
       and click
      Address Range
       to specify a contiguous range of packet source IP addresses to which the rule applies. When selected, you can type a start and end IP address in the fields, then click
      Add
       to add the IP address range to the address list.
    • From the
      Address/Region
       list, select
      Specify
       and click
      Country/Region
       to identify the geographic origin of packet sources, and to apply rules based on selected geographic locations. When selected, a field appears in which you can select a country. For many countries, an extra field appears after you select the country, in which you can select a state or province. If you do not select a specific state or province, the entire country is selected. After you select a geographic location, click
      Add
       to add it to the Source address list.
  12. From the Source
    Port
     list, select the type of packet source ports to which this rule applies.
    • Select
      Any
       to have the rule apply to any packet source port.
    • Select
      Specify
       and click
      Port
       to specify one or more packet source ports to which the rule applies. When selected, you can type single port numbers into the
      Port
       field, then click
      Add
       to add them to the port list.
    • Select
      Specify
       and click
      Port Range
       to specify a list of contiguous packet source port numbers to which the rule applies. When selected, you can type the start and end ports into the fields, then click
      Add
       to add the ports to the port list.
    • Select
      Specify
       and click
      Port List
       to select a predefined list of packet source ports to which the rule applies. To use a port list with this rule, select the port list and click the
      Add
       button. Similarly, to remove the list from this rule, select the list and click the
      Delete
       button.
  13. From the Source
    VLAN/Tunnel
     list, select the VLAN on which this rule applies.
    • Select
      Any
       to have the rule apply to traffic on any VLAN through which traffic enters the firewall.
    • Select
      Specify
       to specify one or more VLANs on the firewall to which the rule applies. To use a VLAN with this rule, move the VLAN from the
      Available
       list to the
      Selected
       list. Similarly, you can remove the VLAN from this rule, by moving the VLAN from the
      Selected
       list to the
      Available
       list.
  14. In the Destination area and from the
    Address/Region
     list, select the type of packet destination address to which this rule applies.
    • Select
      Any
       to have the rule apply to any IP packet destination address.
    • Select
      Specify
       and click
      Address
       to specify one or more packet destination IP addresses or fully qualified domain names (FQDNs) to which the rule applies. When selected, you can type single IP addresses or FQDNs into the
      Address
       field, then click
      Add
       to add them to the address list.
    • Select
      Specify
       and click
      Address List
       to select a predefined list of packet destination addresses to which the rule applies. To use an address list with this rule, select the address list and click the
      Add
       button. Similarly, to remove the list from this rule, select the list and click the
      Delete
       button.
    • Select
      Specify
       and click
      Address Range
       to specify a contiguous range of packet destination IP addresses to which the rule applies. When selected, you can type a start and end IP address in the fields, then click
      Add
       to add the IP address range to the address list.
    • Select
      Specify
       and click
      Country/Region
       to identify the geographic packet destination, and to apply rules based on specific geographic locations. When selected, a field appears in which you can select a country. For many countries, an extra field appears after you select the country, in which you can select a state or province. If you do not select a specific state or province, the entire country is selected. After you select a geographic location, click
      Add
       to add it to the Destination address list.
  15. From the Destination
    Port
     list, select the type of packet destination ports to which this rule applies.
    • Select
      Any
       to have the rule apply to any port inside the firewall.
    • Select
      Specify
       and click
      Port
       to specify one or more packet destination ports to which the rule applies. When selected, you can type single port numbers into the
      Port
       field, then click
      Add
       to add them to the port list.
    • Select
      Specify
       and click
      Port Range
       to specify a list of contiguous packet destination port numbers to which the rule applies. When selected, you can type the start and end ports into the fields, then click
      Add
       to add the ports to the port list.
    • Select
      Specify
       and click
      Port List
       to select a predefined list of packet destination ports to which the rule applies. To use a port list with this rule, select the port list and click the
      Add
       button. Similarly, to remove the list from this rule, select the list and click the
      Delete
       button.
  16. Optionally, to apply an iRule to traffic matched by this rule, from the
    iRule
     list, select an iRule.
  17. When you select an iRule to start in a firewall rule, you can enable iRule sampling, and select how frequently the iRule is started, for sampling purposes. The value you configure is
    one out of n
     times the iRule is triggered. For example, to trigger the iRule one out of every five times the rule matches a flow, select
    Enabled
    , then set this field to
    5
    .
  18. From the
    Action
     list, select the firewall action for traffic originating from the specified source address on the specified protocol. Choose from one of the these actions:
    Accept
    Allows packets with the specified source, destination, and protocol to pass through the firewall. Packets that match the rule, and are accepted, traverse the system as if the firewall is not present.
    Drop
    Drops packets with the specified source, destination, and protocol. Dropping a packet is a silent action with no notification to the source or destination systems. Dropping the packet causes the connection to be retried until the retry threshold is reached.
    Reject
    Rejects packets with the specified source, destination, and protocol. When a packet is rejected the firewall sends a destination unreachable message to the sender.
    Accept Decisively
    Allows packets with the specified source, destination, and protocol to pass through the firewall, and does not require any further processing by any of the further firewalls. Packets that match the rule, and are accepted, traverse the system as if the firewall is not present.
  19. From the
    Logging
     list, enable or disable logging for the firewall rule.
    A logging profile must be enabled to capture logging info for the firewall rule.
  20. Click
    Finished
    .
    The list screen and the new item are displayed.
The new firewall policy rule is created from the log entry.

Disabling logging

Disable event logging when you need to suspend logging for a period of time or you no longer want the BIG-IP system to log specific events.
Logging is enabled by adding log settings to the access profile.
  1. To clear log settings from access profiles, on the Main tab, click
    Access
    Profiles / Policies
    .
  2. Click the name of the access profile.
    Access profile properties display.
  3. On the menu bar, click
    Logs
    .
  4. Move log settings from the
    Selected
     list to the
    Available
     list.
  5. Click
    Update
    .
Logging is disabled for the access profile.

Implementation result

You now have an implementation in which the BIG-IP® system logs specific Network Firewall events and stores the logs in a local database on the BIG-IP system.
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