Collect Fortinet FortiManager logs

Supported in:

This document explains how to ingest Fortinet FortiManager logs to Google Security Operations using Bindplane.

Fortinet FortiManager is a centralized network management platform that provides unified management, best practices compliance, and workflow automation for Fortinet security and networking devices. FortiManager enables administrators to centrally manage configurations, policies, firmware updates, and security services across thousands of FortiGate firewalls and other Fortinet devices in the Security Fabric.

Before you begin

Make sure you have the following prerequisites:

  • A Google SecOps instance.
  • A Windows Server 2016 or later, or a Linux host with systemd.
  • Network connectivity between the Bindplane agent and Fortinet FortiManager.
  • If running behind a proxy, ensure firewall ports are open per the Bindplane agent requirements.
  • Privileged access to the Fortinet FortiManager management console with permissions to modify System Settings.
  • FortiManager version 5.0.7 or later.

Get Google SecOps ingestion authentication file

  1. Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
  2. Go to SIEM Settings > Collection Agent.
  3. Click Download to download the ingestion authentication file.
  4. Save the file securely on the system where the Bindplane agent will be installed.

Get Google SecOps customer ID

  1. Sign in to the Google SecOps console.
  2. Go to SIEM Settings > Profile.
  3. Copy and save the Customer ID from the Organization Details section.

Install the Bindplane agent

Install the Bindplane agent on your Windows or Linux operating system according to the following instructions.

Windows installation

  1. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell as an administrator.

  2. Run the following command:

    msiexec /i "[https://github.com/observIQ/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/observiq-otel-collector.msi](https://github.com/observIQ/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/observiq-otel-collector.msi)" /quiet

  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

  4. Verify the installation by running:

    sc query observiq-otel-collector

    The service should show as RUNNING.

Linux installation

  1. Open a terminal with root or sudo privileges.

  2. Run the following command:

    sudo sh -c "$(curl -fsSlL [https://github.com/observiq/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/install_unix.sh](https://github.com/observiq/bindplane-agent/releases/latest/download/install_unix.sh))" install_unix.sh

  3. Wait for the installation to complete.

  4. Verify the installation by running:

    sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector

    The service should show as active (running).

Additional installation resources

For additional installation options and troubleshooting, see the Bindplane agent installation guide.

Configure the Bindplane agent to ingest syslog and send to Google SecOps

Locate the configuration file

  • Linux: bash sudo nano /opt/observiq-otel-collector/config.yaml
  • Windows: cmd notepad "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\config.yaml"

Edit the configuration file

  • Replace the entire contents of config.yaml with the following configuration:

    receivers:
    udplog:
        listen_address: "0.0.0.0:514"

exporters:
    chronicle/fortimanager:
        compression: gzip
        creds_file_path: '/etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json'
        customer_id: 'your-customer-id-here'
        endpoint: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
        log_type: FORTINET_FORTIMANAGER
        raw_log_field: body
        ingestion_labels:
            env: production
            source: fortimanager

service:
    pipelines:
        logs/fortimanager_to_chronicle:
            receivers:
                - udplog
            exporters:
                - chronicle/fortimanager

Configuration parameters

Replace the following placeholders:

  • Receiver configuration:

    • listen_address: IP address and port to listen on. Use 0.0.0.0:514 to listen on all interfaces on port 514. If port 514 requires root privileges on Linux, use 0.0.0.0:1514 and configure FortiManager to send to port 1514.

  • Exporter configuration:

    • creds_file_path: Full path to the ingestion authentication file.
      • Linux: /etc/bindplane-agent/ingestion-auth.json
      • Windows: C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\ingestion-auth.json
    • customer_id: Your Customer ID (for example, a1b2c3d4-e5f6-g7h8-i9j0-k1l2m3n4o5p6).
    • endpoint: Regional endpoint URL:
      • US: malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      • Europe: europe-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      • Asia: asia-southeast1-malachiteingestion-pa.googleapis.com
      • See Regional Endpoints for the complete list.
    • log_type: Must be exactly FORTINET_FORTIMANAGER.
    • ingestion_labels: Optional labels for filtering and organization.

Save the configuration file

After editing, save the file:

  • Linux: Press Ctrl+O, then Enter, then Ctrl+X.
  • Windows: Click File > Save.

To restart the Bindplane agent in Linux:

  1. Run the following command:

    sudo systemctl restart observiq-otel-collector

  2. Verify the service is running:

    sudo systemctl status observiq-otel-collector

  3. Check logs for errors:

    sudo journalctl -u observiq-otel-collector -f

To restart the Bindplane agent in Windows:

  1. Choose one of the following options:

    • Command Prompt or PowerShell as administrator:
    net stop observiq-otel-collector && net start observiq-otel-collector
    • Services console:
      1. Press Win+R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
      2. Locate observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector.
      3. Right-click and select Restart.

  2. Verify the service is running:

    sc query observiq-otel-collector

  3. Check logs for errors:

    type "C:\Program Files\observIQ OpenTelemetry Collector\log\collector.log"

Configure Fortinet FortiManager syslog forwarding

FortiManager syslog configuration is a two-step process: first, define the syslog server in the GUI, then enable local log forwarding via CLI.

Step 1: Add syslog server in FortiManager GUI

  1. Sign in to the Fortinet FortiManager web interface.
  2. Go to System Settings > Advanced > Syslog Server.
  3. Click Create New in the toolbar.
  4. Configure the following settings:
    • Name: Enter a descriptive name (for example, Chronicle-Bindplane).
    • IP address (or FQDN): Enter the IP address of the Bindplane agent host (for example, 192.168.1.100).
    • Syslog Server Port: Enter 514 (or 1514 if using a non-privileged port).
    • Reliable Connection: Leave disabled for UDP (default), or enable for TCP.
    • Secure Connection: Leave disabled unless you have configured TLS certificates.
  5. Click OK to save the syslog server configuration.

Step 2: Enable local log forwarding via CLI

  1. Connect to the FortiManager CLI via SSH or console.

  2. Run the following commands (For FortiManager 5.0.7 and later):

    config system locallog syslogd setting
        set syslog-name Chronicle-Bindplane
        set severity information
        set status enable
end

Configuration parameters:

  • syslog-name: Must match the Name you configured in the GUI.
  • severity: Set to information to capture all local logs. Options include: emergency, alert, critical, error, warning, notification, information, debug.
  • status: Set to enable to start forwarding logs.

  1. Verify the configuration: config system locallog syslogd setting show end

  2. Verify logs are being sent:

    • Linux: sudo tcpdump -i any port 514 -A
    • Windows: Use Wireshark to capture traffic on port 514.

Notes on FortiManager syslog behavior

  • FortiManager sends its own local event logs (system, configuration changes, administrative actions), not logs from managed FortiGate devices.
  • By default, Reliable Connection is disabled (UDP port 514). If enabled, logs use TCP port 514.
  • Syslog messages use a Fortinet-specific format. The Google SecOps FORTINET_FORTIMANAGER parser is designed for this format.
  • Ensure system time is synchronized with NTP and configured to UTC. (Go to Dashboard > System Information widget to edit).

UDM mapping table

Log Field UDM Mapping Logic
type, subtype, pri, operation, performed_on, lograte, msgrate, logratelimit, logratepeak, action, cpuusage, memusage, diskusage, disk2usage, userfrom about.resource.attribute.labels Labels associated with the resource.
clearpass-spt, allow-routing, color, comment, fabric-object, name, node-ip-only, obj-type, sdn-addr-type, sub-type, adom, pkgname, _signal-lte-rsrq, _signal-lte-rssi, performed_on_dev, changetype additional.fields Additional fields for extended data.
cache_ttl_label network.dns.answers DNS answers mapping.
changes metadata.description Detailed description of the event.
event_type metadata.event_type The category/type of event.
log_id metadata.product_log_id Product-specific identifier.
session_id network.session_id Session identifier.
adminprof principal.administrative_domain Administrative domain of the principal.
devname principal.hostname Hostname of the principal.
src_ip principal.ip IP address of the principal.
device_id principal.resource.product_object_id Resource product ID.
uuid principal.user.userid User ID of the principal.
action_details security_result.action The security action taken.
wildcard, subnet, end-ip, start-ip security_result.detection_fields Fields used for security detection.
msg security_result.summary Summary of the security event.
target_ip, tar_ip, remote_ip target.ip Target entity IP address.
tar_port, remote_port target.port Target entity port.
user target.user.userid User ID of the target.
N/A metadata.vendor_name Set to Fortinet.
N/A metadata.product_name Set to FortiManager.

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