OpenVPN

Ship your OpenVPN logs using Filebeat to your Logit.io Stack

Follow the steps below to send your observability data to Logit.io

Logs

Configure OpenVPN to ship logs via Filebeat to your Logit.io stacks via Logstash.

Install Integration

Please click on the Install Integration button to configure your stack for this source.

Configure OpenVPN Logging

OpenVPN is a system that enables secure connections either between two points or between sites in a virtual private network.

You can consult the OpenVPN documentation (opens in a new tab) for more details.

Please note that these instructions are intended for Linux and MacOS systems only.

Install Filebeat

To get started you will need to install filebeat. To do this you have two main options:

Choose the filebeat (opens in a new tab) ZIP file (Windows ZIP x86_64) or
Choose the Microsoft Software Installer MSI (opens in a new tab) file (Windows MSI x86_64 (beta))

To successfully install filebeat and set up the required Windows service you will need to have administrator access.

If you have chosen to download the zip file:

Extract the contents of the zip file into C:\Program Files.
Rename the extracted folder to filebeat
Open a PowerShell prompt as an Administrator (right-click the PowerShell icon and select Run As Administrator).
From the PowerShell prompt, run the following commands to install filebeat as a Windows service:

cd 'C:\Program Files\filebeat'

.\install-service-filebeat.ps1

If script execution is disabled on your system, you need to set the execution policy for the current session to allow the script to run. For example:

PowerShell.exe -ExecutionPolicy UnRestricted -File .\install-service-filebeat.ps1

For more information about Powershell execution policies see here (opens in a new tab).

If you have chosen to download the filebeat.msi file:

double-click on it and the relevant files will be downloaded.

At the end of the installation process you'll be given the option to open the folder where filebeat has been installed.

Open a PowerShell prompt as an Administrator (right-click the PowerShell icon and select Run As Administrator).
From the PowerShell prompt, change directory to the location where filebeat was installed and run the following command to install filebeat as a Windows service:

.\install-service-filebeat.ps1

If script execution is disabled on your system, you need to set the execution policy for the current session to allow the script to run. For example:

PowerShell.exe -ExecutionPolicy UnRestricted -File .\install-service-filebeat.ps1

For more information about Powershell execution policies see here (opens in a new tab).

Configure Filebeat.yml

The configuration file below is pre-configured to send data to your Logit.io Stack.

Copy the configuration file below and overwrite the contents of the Filebeat configuration file typically located at /etc/filebeat/filebeat.yml

####################### Logit.io Filebeat Configuration #########################
# ============================== Filebeat inputs ===============================
filebeat.inputs:
- type: filestream
  enabled: true
  paths:
  - "/var/log/openvpnas.log"
  
  fields:
    type: "openvpn"
  fields_under_root: true
  encoding: utf-8
  ignore_older: 12h
 
# ================================== Outputs ===================================
output.logstash:
  hosts: ["@logstash.host:@logstash.sslPort"]
  loadbalance: true
  ssl.enabled: true

Validate Configuration

In the directory where Filebeat is installed, run the following command to validate the installation:

.\@beatname.exe test config -c @beatname.yml

If the yml file is invalid, @beatname will print a description of the error. For example, if the output.logstash section was missing, @beatname would print no outputs are defined, please define one under the output section

Start Filebeat

To start Filebeat, run in Powershell:

Start-Service filebeat

Launch Logit.io to view your logs

Data should now have been sent to your Stack.

View My Data

If you don't see take a look at How to diagnose no data in Stack below for how to diagnose common issues.

How to diagnose no data in Stack

If you don't see data appearing in your stack after following this integration, take a look at the troubleshooting guide for steps to diagnose and resolve the problem or contact our support team and we'll be happy to assist.

OpenVPN Overview

OpenVPN is a well-known open-source VPN solution that offers secure and encrypted connectivity for remote sites and users. To effectively monitor and analyze OpenVPN activity, it is crucial to have a dependable and efficient log management solution.

OpenVPN generates logs that record important information about system activity, connection attempts, and client behavior. To efficiently manage these logs, organizations can utilize Filebeat, which is an open-source log shipper, to send OpenVPN logs to various destinations such as Elasticsearch, Logstash, or OpenSearch.

Filebeat is widely used because of its compatibility and ease of use for sending logs from OpenVPN to different destinations. To ship OpenVPN logs to Filebeat, organizations can configure OpenVPN to write logs to a specific location, and then Filebeat can collect and forward the log data to other destinations like OpenSearch.

Having a robust log management solution in place enables organizations to gain valuable insights into OpenVPN activity and take proactive steps to ensure optimal system performance and security. By utilizing tools like the Elastic Stack and Filebeat, organizations can analyze data from various sources and have a better understanding of VPN connectivity and user behavior.

If you need any further assistance with shipping your log data to Logit.io we're here to help you get started. Feel free to get in contact with our support team by sending us a message via live chat and we'll be happy to assist.

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