Manual Chapter : Logging Network Firewall events

Applies To:

  • BIG-IQ Centralized Management

    8.4.0, 8.3.0, 8.2.0, 8.1.0, 8.0.0

Updated Date: 07/07/2026

Logging Network Firewall events

BIG-IQ receives AFM events from BIG-IP via it’s Data Collection Devices (DCD). To optimize the process, while ensuring high availability, it is best to load balance log events to a remote logging pool of DCDs. This will prevent data loss, in the instance that a DCD becomes unavailable, without unnecessary duplication of information.

While Network Security provides and automated process for creating a logging profile, and its associated objects, you need manually add your DCD pool to the Log Publisher’s destination list.

To complete this process for Network Security, you must have previously configured the following:

  • An imported and discovered BIG-IP device that hosts your AFM policy and logging profile.
  • A remote logging pool of DCDs configured to the service port number 8018.

For more information about configuring a remote pool of DCDs, see Connect Devices to a Data Collection Device Cluster in the Planning and Implementing a BIG-IQ Deploymentguide at support.f5.com.

Note: If you have already created or imported your logging profile, use this process to adjust the existing settings to include the remote logging pool of DCDs.

You must create a remote logging pool for the DCDs configured to the service port of your module. For more information see Connect Devices to a Data Collection Device cluster in the Planning and Implementing a BIG-IQ Deployment guide at support.f5.com.

Create a Remote High-Speed Log and Splunk-type Log Destination to specify that log messages are sent to your pool of DCDs.

  1. At the top of the screen, click Configuration, then, on the left, click LOCAL TRAFFIC > Logs > Log Destinations.

    The Log Destinations screen displays a list of the log destinations that are defined on this device.

  2. Click Create.

  3. Type a unique Namefor this destination.

  4. From the Type list, select Remote High-Speed Log

  5. From the Protocol list, select TCP.

  6. From the Device list, select the BIG-IP device that hosts your service module’s policy or profile.

  7. From the Pool list, select your pool of DCDs.

  8. Click Save & Close.

    The Log Destinations screen opens.

  9. Click Create.

  10. Type a unique Name for this destination.

  11. From the Type list, select Splunk.

  12. Under the Forward To field, select Remote High-Speed Log, and select the Remote High-Speed log saved in step 8.

  13. Click Save & Close.

You have now designated your DCD pool as a remote destination for BIG-IP to send its logging data. If your system has multiple modules that require event logging, ensure that you repeat this process for the module’s designated DCD pool.

Create a Log Publisher to specify that BIG-IP system sends log messages to BIG-IQ. When configuring your Log Publisher ensure you are adding the Splunk-type Log Destination.

Before you configure monitoring of Network Security data logging, you need to ensure that the Network Security service is running on the DCD.

Ensure that the Network Security service is activated by reviewing the services installed on the DCD on the BIG-IQ Data Collection Devices screen: System > BIG-IQ DATA COLLECTION > BIG-IQ Data Collection Devices.

Important: Note whether the designated DCD listener is configured to monitor the BIG-IP devices using their self-IP or management network IP address. It is strongly discouraged to use the management network for data collection purposes, as it is not intended for production traffic. In the case that your DCD is using the management network IP, you must define a network routing gateway on your BIG-IP device as described in BIG-IP TMOS: Routing Administration.

Note: If you deactivate the Network Security service for a DCD, or remove a DCD with that service enabled, the associated pool member will be removed from the pool when you next deploy to the BIG-IP device (or devices). The pool afm-remote-logging-pool_*big-ipname* contains the pool member for the specified BIG-IP device.

You configure the collection of Network Security data logs so that you can better view and monitor information about your Network Security policies and firewalls. The BIG-IQ Centralized Management system provides a single button configuration process that creates and configures the needed configuration objects. The system automatically creates these configuration objects, if needed:

  • One or more logging profiles
  • A log publisher
  • A log destination
  • A pool for each device
  • Pool members
  • A pool monitor

  1. Click Configuration > SECURITY > Network Security > Contexts.

  2. In the list of firewall contexts, select the check box to the left of the one or more virtual servers to use.

    The virtual servers are listed in the Firewall Type column as vip.

  3. Click Configure Logging.

    The Network Security Logging Configuration dialog box opens.

  4. In the dialog box, click Continue.

    The dialog box shows the configuration status, including which objects were created.

  5. Click Close.

  6. Use the Deployment screens to deploy the BIG-IP device associated with the virtual server using the Local Traffic service using these steps.

    1. Click Deployment > EVALUATE & DEPLOY > Local Traffic & Network.

    2. In the Deployments area, click Create.

    3. Specify a Name and Description, and select the appropriate deployment options.

    4. In the Target Device(s) area, select the device used by the application and click Create.

    The deployment causes some the objects created by the Network Security logging configuration process to be deployed to the device.

  7. Deploy the BIG-IP device for the virtual server using the Network Security service using these steps.

    1. Click Deployment > EVALUATE & DEPLOY > Network Security.

    2. In the Deployments area, click Create.

    3. Specify a Name and Description, and select the appropriate deployment options.

    4. In the Target Device(s) area, select the BIG-IP device to deploy and click Create.

    The deployment causes the remaining objects created by the Network Security logging configuration process to be deployed to the device.

You have now configured your logging profile to send Network Security events from the BIG-IP devices associated with the virtual servers. Once you have deployed your changes, you can view these events on Monitoring > EVENTS > Network Security screens.

Note: Once you have completed this process, ensure that all your changes to your Local Traffic and Shared Security virtual servers are deployed over the host BIG-IP device. You can deploy your changes by going to, Deployment > EVALUATE & DEPLOY > Local Traffic & Network Deployment > EVALUATE & DEPLOY > Shared Security

You must have created the log destination before you can add it to the an existing Log Publisher. For more information see Managing Logs in support.f5.com.

Edit the Log Publisher destination settings to change the pools that receive remote logging messages from BIG-IP.

  1. At the top of the screen, click Configuration, then, on the left, click LOCAL TRAFFIC > Logs > Log Publishers.

    The screen displays a list of the Log Publishers that are defined on this device.

  2. Select the name of the log publisher you wish to edit.

    The log publisher properties screen opens.

  3. To add log destinations, select the Log Destination(s) from the Available list and use the arrow to move your selection to the Selected list.

    You can filter the Available list by selecting the type of destination from the drop-down list.

  4. To remove log destinations, select the Log Destination(s) from the Selected list and use the arrow to move your selection to the Available list.

  5. Click Save & Close

You have changed the remote destinations associated with the Log Publisher. This will alter where the BIG-IP device sends its log data.

Deploy changes to your BIG-IP device.