Winlogbeat Configuration
Ship logs with Winlogbeat
Winlogbeat is a Windows specific event-log shipping agent installed as a Windows service. It can be used to collect and send event logs to one or more destinations, including Logstash.
Follow this step by step guide to get 'logs' from your system to Logit.io:
Step 1 - Install Winlogbeat
Download the Winlogbeat Windows zip file from the official downloads page.
Extract the contents of the zip file into C:\Program Files.
Rename the
winlogbeat-<version>
directory toWinlogbeat
.Open a PowerShell prompt as an Administrator (right-click the PowerShell icon and select Run As Administrator). If you are running Windows XP, you may need to download and install PowerShell.
Run the following commands to install Winlogbeat as a Windows service:
PS C:\Users\Administrator> cd 'C:\Program Files\Winlogbeat' PS C:\Program Files\Winlogbeat> .\install-service-winlogbeat.ps1 Security warning Run only scripts that you trust. While scripts from the internet can be useful, this script can potentially harm your computer. If you trust this script, use the Unblock-File cmdlet to allow the script to run without this warning message. Do you want to run C:\Program Files\Winlogbeat\install-service-winlogbeat.ps1? [D] Do not run [R] Run once [S] Suspend [?] Help (default is "D"): R Status Name DisplayName ------ ---- ----------- Stopped winlogbeat winlogbeat
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-winlogbeat.ps1
Step 2 - Configure Winlogbeat.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 Winlogbeat configuration file typically located at C:\Program Files\Winlogbeat\winlogbeat.yml
winlogbeat.event_logs:
- name: Application
ignore_older: 72h
- name: System
- name: Security
fields:
type: wineventlog
fields_under_root: true
# ================================== Outputs ===================================
output.logstash:
hosts: ["your-logstash-host:your-ssl-port"]
loadbalance: true
ssl.enabled: true
It’s a good idea to run the configuration file through a YAML validator to rule out indentation errors, clean up extra characters, and check if your YAML file is valid. Yamllint.com is a great choice.
Step 4 - Validate configuration
Let's check the configuration file is syntactically correct.
PS C:\Program Files\Winlogbeat> .\winlogbeat.exe test config -c .\winlogbeat.yml -e
Step 5 - Start winlogbeat
Ok, time to start ingesting data!
PS C:\Program Files\Winlogbeat> Start-Service winlogbeat
Winlogbeat should now be running. If you used the configuration described here, then you can view the log file at C:\ProgramData\winlogbeat\Logs\winlogbeat
.
You can view the status of the service and control it from the Services management console in Windows. To launch the management console, run this command:
PS C:\Program Files\Winlogbeat> services.msc
Step 6 - Check Logit.io for your logs
Now you should view your data:
If you don't see logs take a look at How to diagnose no data in Stack below for how to diagnose common issues.
Step 7 - how to diagnose no data in Stack
If you don't see data appearing in your Stack after following the steps, visit the Help Centre guide for steps to diagnose no data appearing in your Stack or Chat to support now.
Step 8 - Stopping winlogbeat
Stop the Winlogbeat service with the following command:
PS C:\Program Files\Winlogbeat> Stop-Service winlogbeat
Step 9 - Winlogbeat Installation Instructions Overview
Winlogbeat is a logging agent maintained by Elastic for the purposes of collecting Windows event logs. It is part of the beats family that makes up the Elastic Stack. Winlogbeat can read events from any event log channel using the Windows OS.
Windows log data once centralised in the ELK stack can be monitored for anomaly detection & other security-related incidents including unauthorised access and backdoor installations. These logs can also deliver metrics to Kibana allowing you to create visualisations & security reports easily.
If you need any further assistance with migrating your Winlogbeat logs to Logstash we're here to help you get started. Feel free to reach out by contacting our support team by visiting our dedicated Help Centre or via live chat & we'll be happy to assist.