Getting Data In

filtering cisco devices with syslog-ng.conf to avoid catchall

agw
Path Finder

Hello- 

I'm trying to filter cisco logs so that all data shows up in it's own folder in syslog-ng.  However only some of the data is showing up and most of it is going to the catchall directory.  

Cisco log messages start out with a %.  When adding the asterisk to the filter it seems to ignore it.  Here is a piece of the filter I use in the syslog-ng.conf:

filter f_cisco_ios { message("%AUTHMGR") or message("%DOT1X") or message("%MAB") or message("%LINK") or message("%LINE") or message("%DUAL") or message("%ISDN") or message("%EPM") or message("%OSPF") or message("%AUTHPRIV") or message("%LINEPROTO*") or message("%LINK*") };

I'm trying to get any messages with %LINK* to filter to the ciscoios folder but it keeps sending to the catchall directory.  It seems like the syntax I am using is incorrect or maybe there is a better way to filter this without using "message" with filter. 

 

Labels (1)
0 Karma

Stefanie
Builder

We use rsyslog, not syslog-ng. But we have it set up with multiple ports.

Our catchall is port 514 but we have multiple directories set up. We also have a directory for cisco-ios, cisco-asa and some other technologies. All ciscio-ios devices send its data on port 10520, all cisco-asa devices send it's data on port 10521, etc. 

Depending on which port a system sends it's logs to the syslog server will dictate which folder it goes to.

That might be an easier way to set up your syslog server. 

0 Karma

agw
Path Finder

The original configuration was completed by Splunk support with syslog-ng a little over a year ago.  I hadn't thought about using a different port for cisco devices but maybe that is something we could try.  I changed things up on the syslog-ng.conf file and then everything was routing into the ciscoios folder, including palo alto data which I didn't want to happen so I changed things back to the partially working conf file.          

0 Karma
Got questions? Get answers!

Join the Splunk Community Slack to learn, troubleshoot, and make connections with fellow Splunk practitioners in real time!

Meet up IRL or virtually!

Join Splunk User Groups to connect and learn in-person by region or remotely by topic or industry.

Get Updates on the Splunk Community!

Index This | What travels the world but is also stuck in place?

April 2026 Edition  Hayyy Splunk Education Enthusiasts and the Eternally Curious!   We’re back with this ...

Discover New Use Cases: Unlock Greater Value from Your Existing Splunk Data

Realizing the full potential of your Splunk investment requires more than just understanding current usage; it ...

Continue Your Journey: Join Session 2 of the Data Management and Federation Bootcamp ...

As data volumes continue to grow and environments become more distributed, managing and optimizing data ...