Audit Logging
Simply stated, audit logging is a process on the Cisco UC appliance which is responsible for logging certain events to log files used specifically for auditing. With CUCM, there are several audit logs:
- Application Log
- Database Log
- Operating System Log
- Remote Support Account Log
The above sources are tracked in separate log files written to the common partition.
Application Log
The application audit log can be used to track configuration changes and activities for the following applications/services:
- CUCM administrative web pages
- CUMC serviceability web pages
- Command Line Interface
- RTMT
- Disaster Recovery System (DRS)
- CDR Analysis and Reporting (CAR)
The application log was the focus of a previous blog article: Audit Logs on Cisco Unified Communications Manager.
Database Log
This log focuses on tracking database changes. It can track changes to the schema, database updates, and database reads. You actually can select administrative changes here, which will increase the level of audit information available for auditing admin level information. So, clearly a little overlap between functions.
Database logging is configured using the Unified Serviceability pages. This is same location used to configure the application audit log parameters. These logs can be accessed from RTMT using the “Cisco Audit Logs/informixauditlogs” subfolder:
If you are looking for these files from the CLI:
admin:file list activelog audit/informixauditlogs/* iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3817 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3818 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3819 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3820 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3821 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3822 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3823 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3824 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3825 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3826 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3827 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3828 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3829 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3830 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3831 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3832 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3833 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3834 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3835 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3836 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3837 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3838 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3839 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3840 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3841 iecucm01_ccm7_1_3_32900_4.3842
Operating System Log
The CUCM appliance OS, like any other, performs functions and runs routines in the background. The activities of these functions and routines can be tracked via the system’s audit logging. Interestingly enough, this audit log can only be enabled or disabled. Further, you have to enable or disable it from the CLI. For example:
admin:utils auditd enable The auditd daemon has been started and was set to start upon reboot.
The OS audit log will show you when a process executes, what was executed, the process ID, and other, somewhat cryptic information.
These logs can be accessed from RTMT using the “Cisco Audit Logs/vos” subfolder or from the CLI:
admin:file list activelog audit/vos/* vos-audit.log dir count = 0, file count = 1
Remote Support Accounting Log
So, there is a feature which allows Cisco TAC to logon to your OS platform and do some low level magic. TAC can access the root shell and look/touch/modify things that standard admins cannot. Remote support accounting tracks the CLI commands that are issued by the technical support teams. You cannot enable/disable this auditing feature. It is engaged automatically when the remote support account is enabled.
The logs themselves are stored in the same location as the operation system logs.