IBM iSeries (AS/400) Log Source - How to add

How to enable Audit for IBM iSeries (AS/400) Journal Logs

For analyzing Journal logs of IBM AS400/iSeries, you need to initially enable auditing in those systems.

To enable auditing for AS400/i Series journal logs you have to

1. Create a journal receiver

2. Attach the journal receiver to a journal

3. Specify the audit logs that are to be stored in the journal receiver

Once the journal receiver is created and the logs specified are collected in it, EventLog Analyzer will fetch those logs for monitoring,report generation and alert notification

Note: For setting up Security auditing in AS400/iSeries machines, you must have *AUDIT special authority

Creating a Journal Receiver

You can create a journal receiver in a library of your choice by using the following command:

Note: This example uses a library called JRNLIB for journal receivers

• You can place the journal receiver in any library of your choice. But be ensured that it is not placed in QSYS library,since this is a system library and contains the audit logs

• Choose a  name for the journal receiver such that the convention could also be used for future journal receivers (eg.AUDRCV0001). This type of naming convention is useful when system managed changing of journal receiver is carried out

• When you want to change the journal receivers to continue the naming convention, use *GEN option

• Specify appropriate threshold level that suits your system size and activity. The size you choose should be based on the number of transactions on your system and the number of actions you choose to audit. For system change- journal management support, the threshold must be atleast 5000KB

• To limit access to  the information stored in the journal, specify * EXCLUDE on AUT parameter

Attaching the Journal Receiver to a Journal

Create the QSYS/QAUDJRN journal by using the following command

• The journal name QSYS/QAUDJRN must be used

Note: To create this journal you must have the authority to add objects to QSYS

• Specify the journal receiver name that you have created on JRNRCV parameter

• Specify *EXCLUDE on the AUT parameter to limit access to the information stored in the journal

• (*SYSTEM) is passed as the parameter for Manage Receiver (MNGRCV). Thus when the attached journal receiver reaches its threshold size, the system by itself detaches this receiver and creates and attaches a new journal receiver

• This will avoid detaching receivers and creating & attaching new receiver manually, using CHGJRN command

• To retain the detached journal receiver, we have specified (*NO) as parameter for DLTRCV. This will prevent the automatic deletion of detached receivers by the system

• QAUDJRN receivers are your security audit trail. Hence, ensure that they adequately archived

Specify the Logs that are to be captured by the Journal Receiver

Use the following command, to specify the logs that are to be stored in the Journal Receiver created:

• To specify which actions are to be logged into the audit journal for all the users on the system, you need to set the audit level QUDLVL system value using the WRKSYSVAL command

•  If you want to set action and object auditing for specific users, use CHGUSRAUD command

• You can also set object auditing for specific objects as per your requirement, using CHGOBJAUD and CHGDLOAUD commands

• Setting up QAUDENDACN system value,  helps you to determine the system's action when it is unable to write an entry to the audit journal

• With QAUDFRCLVL system value parameters, you can control the transfer of audit records  from memory to auxillary storage

• To start auditing set QAUDCTL system value to any value other than *NONE

Once these security auditing set up is completed, EventLog Analyzer will automatically fetch the logs collected in the journal receiver of the AS400/iSeries host that added for monitoring. If the AS400/iSeries machine is not added to EventLog Analyzer server, add the host