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Panzura

Understanding File Activity Monitoring

The Activity Monitor can be configured to monitor the following:

  • Ability to collect all or specific file activity for specific values or specific combinations of values

It provides the ability to feed activity data to SIEM products. The following dashboards have been specifically created for Activity Monitor event data:

It also provides the ability to feed activity data to other Netwrix products:

  • Netwrix Threat Prevention
  • Netwrix Threat Manager

Remember, the Activity Agent must be deployed to a Windows server that acts as a proxy for monitoring the target environment.

Add Panzura Host​

Prior to adding a Panzura host to the Activity Monitor, the prerequisites for the target environment must be met. See the Panzura CloudFS Monitoring topic for additional information.

Follow the steps to add a Panzura host to be monitored.

Step 1 – In Activity Monitor, go to the Monitored Hosts tab and click Add. The Add New Host window opens.

Choose Agent

Step 2 – On the Choose Agent page, select the Agent to monitor the storage device. Click Next.

Add Host

Step 3 – On the Add Host page, select the Panzura radio button and enter the Panzura filer name. Click Next.

Panzura Properties

Step 4 – On the Panzura Options page, enter the Username, Password, and select the Protocol to be used by the Panzura host.

  • The different protocols that can be selected are:

    • Auto Detect (Default)
    • HTTPS
    • HTTPS, ignore certificate errors

    Click HTTPS Options to open the Trusted server certificate window.

Click Next.

Customize Certifiacte Verification

  • HTTPS Options – Opens the Trusted server certificate window to customize the certificate verification during a TLS session

    • Import – Click to browse for a trusted server certificate
    • Remove – Click to remove selected trusted server certificate
    • Enable hostname verification – Select this checkbox to ensure that the host name the product connects to matches the name in the certificate (CN name)
    • Click OK to close the window and save the modifications

    Click Connect to connect to the Panzura device. Click Next.

Configure Operations

Step 5 – On the Configure Operations page, select the File Operations and Directory Operations to be monitored.

  • Suppress Microsoft Office operations on temporary files – Filters out events for Microsoft Office temporary files. When Microsoft Office files are saved or edited, many temporary files are created. With this option enabled, events for these temporary files are ignored.

Click Next.

configurebasicoptionspanzura

Step 6 – On the Configure Basic Options page, choose which of the following settings to enable:

  • Add C:\ to the beginning of the reported file paths - Adds ‘C:\” to file paths to be displayed like a Windows file path:
    • Display example if checked – C:\Folder\file.txt
    • Display example if unchecked – /Folder/file.text
  • Report UNC paths - Adds a UNC Path column and a Rename UNC Path column in the generated TSV files
    • This option corresponds to the REPORT_UNC_PATH parameter in the INI file. It is disabled by default. The UNC Path is in the following format:
      • For CIFS activity – \[HOST][SHARE][PATH]
      • Example CIFS activity – \ExampleHost\TestShare\DocTeam\Temp.txt
      • For NFS activity – [HOST]:/[VOLUME]/[PATH]
      • Example NFS activity – ExampleHost:/ExampleVolume/DocTeam/Temp.txt
    • When the option is enabled, the added columns are populated when a file is accessed remotely through the UNC Path. If a file is accessed locally, these columns are empty. These columns have also been added as Syslog macros.
  • Report operations with millisecond precision - Changes the timestamps of events being recorded in the TSV log file for better ordering of events if multiple events occur within the same second.
    • Enterprise Auditor 8.1+ is required to use this feature.

Click Next.

wheretologgeneric

Step 7 – On the Where To Log The Activity page, select whether to send the activity to either a Log File) or Syslog Server. Click Next.

NOTE: An option must be selected before moving to the next step.

fileoutput

Step 8 – If Log File) is selected on the Where To Log The Activity page, the File Output page can be configured.

  • Specify output file path – Specify the file path where TSV log files are saved on the agent's server. Click the ellipses button (...) to open the Windows Explorer to navigate to a folder destination. Click Test to test if the path works.

  • Period to keep Log files – Log files will be deleted after the period entered as the number of days elapses. The default is 10 days. Use the dropdown to specify whether to keep the Log files for a set amount of Minutes, Hours, or Days.

  • This log file is for Enterprise Auditor – Enable this option to have Enterprise Auditor collect this monitored host configuration

    RECOMMENDED: Identify the configuration to be read by Enterprise Auditor when integration is available.

    • While Activity Monitor can have multiple configurations per host, Enterprise Auditor can only read one of them.

  • Add header to Log files – Adds headers to TSV files. This is used to feed data into Splunk.

Click Next.

syslogoutput

Step 9 – If Syslog Server is selected on the Where To Log The Activity page, the Syslog Output page can be configured.

  • Syslog server in SERVER[:PORT] format – Type the Syslog server name with a SERVER:Port format in the textbox.

    • The server name can be short name, fully qualified name (FQDN), or IP Address, as long as the organization’s environment can resolve the name format used. The Event stream is the activity being monitored according to this configuration for the monitored host.

  • Syslog Protocol – Identify the Syslog protocol to be used for the Event stream. The drop-down menu includes:

    • UDP
    • TCP
    • TLS

    The TCP and TLS protocols add the Message framing drop-down menu. See the Syslog Tab topic for additional information.

  • The Test button sends a test message to the Syslog server to check the connection. A green check mark or red will determine whether the test message has been sent or failed to send. Messages vary by Syslog protocol:

    • UDP – Sends a test message and does not verify connection
    • TCP/TLS – Sends test message and verifies connection
    • TLS – Shows error if TLS handshake fails

    See the Syslog Tab topic for additional information.

Click Finish.

activitymonitorpanzura

The added Panzura host is displayed in the monitored hosts table. Once a host has been added for monitoring, configure the desired ouptuts. See the Output for Monitored Hosts topic for additional information.

Host Properties for Panzura​

Configuration settings can be edited through the tabs in the host’s Properties window. The configurable host properties are:

See the Host Properties Window topic for additional information.