AWS Parameters

This topic provides an overview of the AWS collection configuration parameters for deploying a remote log collection service (VLC) in an Amazon Web Services (AWS) environment.

Workflow

This workflow illustrates the basic tasks needed to start collecting events through Log Collection.

netwitness_lcwf.png

What do you want to do?

Role I Want to... Documentation

Administrator

Perform basic Log Collection implementation

Basic Implementation

Administrator

Set up a lockbox to maintain lockbox settings.

Set Up a Lockbox

Administrator

Start Log Collection services.

Start Collection Services

Administrator

*Configure Log Collection protocols and event sources.

Configure Collection Protocols and Event Sources

Administrator

Verify that Log Collection is working.

Verify That Log Collection Is Working

*You can perform this task here.

Related Topics

The following table describes the Basic configuration parameter for AWS collection.

Note: Required parameters are marked with an asterisk. All other parameters are optional.

Parameter Description

Name *

Name of the event source.

Enabled netwitness_checkbox.png

Select the check box to enable the event source configuration to start collection. The check box is selected by default.

Account Id *

Account Identification code of the S3 Bucket

S3 Bucket Name *

Name of the AWS (CloudTrail) S3 bucket.

Amazon S3 bucket names are globally unique, regardless of the AWS (CloudTrail) region in which you create the bucket. You specify the name at the time you create the bucket.

Bucket names should comply with DNS naming conventions. The rules for DNS-compliant bucket names are:

  • Bucket names must be at least three and no more than 63 characters long.

  • Bucket names must be a series of one or more labels. Adjacent labels are separated by a single period “.”. Bucket names can contain lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens. Each label must start and end with a lowercase letter or a number.

  • Bucket names must not be formatted as an IP address (for example, 192.168.5.4).

The following examples are valid bucket names:

  • myawsbucket
  • my.aws.bucket
  • myawsbucket.1

The following examples are invalid bucket names:

  • .myawsbucket - Do not start a Bucket Name with a period

  • myawsbucket. - Do not end a Bucket Name with a period

  • my..examplebucket - Only use one period between labels.

Access Key *

Key used to access the S3 bucket. Access Keys are used to make secure REST or Query protocol requests to any AWS service API. Please refer to Manage User Credentials on the Amazon Web Services support site for more information on Access Keys.

Secret Key *

Secret key used to access the S3 bucket.

Region *

Region of the S3 bucket. us-east-1 is the default value.

Region Endpoint

Specifies the AWS CloudTrail hostname. For example, for an AWS public cloud for us-east region, the Region Endpoint would be s3.amazonaws.com. More information can be found at http://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/rande.html#s3_region. This parameter is necessary to collect CloudTrail logs from AWS Government or Private clouds.

Use Proxy

Enable Use Proxy to set proxy for AWS server. By default, it is disabled.

Proxy Server

Enter the proxy name you want to connect to access the AWS server.

Proxy Port

Enter the port number that connects to the proxy server to access the AWS server.

Proxy User

Enter the user name to authenticate with the proxy server.

Proxy Password

Enter the password to authenticate with proxy port.

Start Date *

Starts AWS (CloudTrail) collection from the specified number of days in the past, measured from the current timestamp. The default value is 0, which starts from today. The range is 0–89 days.

Log File Prefix

Prefix of the files to be processed.

Note: If you set a prefix when you set up your CloudTrail service, make sure to enter the same prefix in this parameter.

Cancel

Closes the dialog without adding the AWS (CloudTrail).

OK

Adds the current parameter values as a new AWS (CloudTrail).

The following table describes the Advanced configuration parameter for AWS collection.

Parameter Description

Debug

Caution: Only enable debugging (set this parameter to On or Verbose) if you have a problem with an event source and you need to investigate this problem. Enabling debugging will adversely affect the performance of the Log Collector.

Enables or disables debug logging for the event source.

Valid values are:

  • Off = (default) disabled

    • On = enabled

  • Verbose = enabled in verbose mode ‐ adds thread information and source context information to the messages.

This parameter is designed to debug and monitor isolated event source collection issues. The debug logging is verbose, so limit the number of event sources to minimize performance impact.

If you change this value, the change takes effect immediately (no restart required).

Command Args

Arguments added to the script.

Polling Interval

Interval (amount of time in seconds) between each poll. The default value is 60.

For example, if you specify 60, the collector schedules a polling of the event source every 60 seconds. If the previous polling cycle is still underway, it will wait for it to finish that cycle. If you have a large number of event sources that you are polling, it may take longer than 60 seconds for the polling to start because the threads are busy.

SSL Enabled netwitness_checkbox.png

Select the check box to communicate using SSL. The security of data transmission is managed by encrypting information and providing authentication with SSL certificates.

The check box is selected by default.

Test Connection

Validates the configuration parameters specified in this dialog are correct. For example, this test validates that:

  • NetWitness can connect with the S3 Bucket in AWS using the credentials specified in this dialog.

  • NetWitness can download a log file from the bucket (test connection would fail if there were no log files for the entire bucket, but this would be extremely unlikely).