SafeConnect Historical Data Replication

Setting up the connection between the SafeConnect appliance(s) and historical backup database.

Step-by-step guide

  1. Identify a target machine with MySQL 5.5 or greater installed. Alternatively, MariaDB 5.5 or greater may also be used.

  2. Make sure all SafeConnect Appliances have a clear logical route to this machine on port 3306.

  3. Create the database.

  4. Grant the SafeConnect Appliance privileges to this database.

Assuming your database is named “backupDB”, the MySQL commands would look like the following. Please note that the 'USERNAME' and 'PASSWORD' fields can be whatever you want, as long as you preserve the single quotes.

use backupDB
grant all privileges on backupDB.* to 'USERNAME'@'%' identified by 'PASSWORD';
flush privileges;

Once the above is completed forward the database name, username and password to your Impulse Support representative, along with the target machine’s IP. Your representative will finish the setup and contact you for verification.

The replication cycle is configurable, defaulting to every 5 minutes.
It’s a good idea to thin the table periodically, as data volume can grow quite large over time.
Storage size should be allocated at 1 GB per year, for every 1000 concurrent users.
Due to a third party dependency, MySQL 5.6.x or greater is currently unsupported for this feature.

Setting up the Database Table

You can use the following script to set up the Clienthist table in your target MySQL database.

CREATE TABLE clienthist ( clientHistId bigint(20) unsigned NOT NULL auto_increment, PRIMARY KEY (clientHistId), transType char(15) NOT NULL , transDate timestamp NOT NULL , -- client header info clientId bigint(20) unsigned NOT NULL default '0', sessionUID varchar(32) NOT NULL default '', currentIpAddress char(15) NULL , principal text, ugroupId mediumint(9) unsigned NULL, ugroupLabel varchar(255) , hostreftypeId mediumint(9) unsigned NOT NULL default '0', hostreftypeLabel varchar(255) NOT NULL default '', policyCompliance text, winMachineName varchar(85), macaddress varchar(25) , localIpAddress char(15) NULL , routerIpAddress char(15) NULL , webMessageId mediumint(9) unsigned NULL, webMessageLabel varchar(150) , webMessageViewName varchar(50) , osName varchar(25) NULL, -- client state outCompliancePolicyId mediumint(9) unsigned NOT NULL default '0', outCompliancePolicyLabel varchar(255) NULL, outComplianceadminMsgIds varchar(255) null, groupUpdated tinyint(1) NOT NULL default '0', quarantined tinyint(1) NOT NULL default '0', ilan tinyint(1) NOT NULL default '0' ) ENGINE=InnoDB;

Guide to the Fields

What follows is a high level breakdown of the fields in the clienthist table. Please contact your Impulse Point Support or Service Delivery Specialist for more details.

Field

Description

clientHistId

Primary key for the clienthist table. Typically not used for troubleshooting or reporting.

transType

How SafeConnect interacted with the endpoint.

transDate

Time at which this interaction occurred.

clientId

Primary key from the internal table that tracks an endpoint’s status while it’s online. Typically only used by Impulse Point personnel.

sessionUID

Unique identifier for a Policy Key device. Rotates with each active session. Will read “NEW” for non-Policy Key devices.

currentIpAddress

Endpoint’s IP address, as reported by the network.

principal

Combination of network authentication username, plus any applicable role information from AD, LDAP, or Safe•Connect device enrollment. Format: “USERNAME,ROLE1,ROLE2,ROLE3,etc.”

ugroupId

Identifies the endpoint’s SafeConnect policy group.

ugroupLabel

SafeConnect policy group name, as displayed in the Policy Manager.

hostreftypeId

Numerically represents SafeConnect’s current assessment of an endpoint’s device type.

hostreftypeLabel

The common name associated with each hostreftypeId.

policyCompliance

Lists all policies applicable to a given endpoint, along with their compliance state.

winMachineName

Endpoint’s device name as received from DHCP or the Policy Key.

macaddress

Endpoint’s mac address as received from DHCP, Radius accounting, or the Policy Key.

localIpAddress

The IP address reported by the Policy Key. Will differ from the currentIpAddress 1) if the endpoint is downstream of a home router using NAT, or 2) temporarily, if the device is switching from wired to wireless, or vice versa.

routerIpAddress

IP address of the Layer 3 switch that forwarded the endpoint’s flow (eg, Netflow, Sflow, Aruba mirrored traffic) data to SafeConnect. This is the device where enforcement will take place if the endpoint should be quarantined. A blank routerIpAddress indicates that 1) no relevant flow data has been received, and consequently 2) the device cannot be quarantined.

webMessageId

Identifies which enforcement message was displayed to the endpoint, if any.

webMessageLabel

Common name associated with the webMessageId. This is also how the message will be displayed in the Policy Manager’s Custom Messaging module, if applicable.

webMessageViewName

Enforcement message’s location on the enforcer’s file system. Typically useful for customers who have direct SSH access to edit the messaging.

osName

Reported by the Policy Key if applicable, a more detailed variant of the hostreftypeLabel.

outCompliancePolicyId

Identifies the topmost non-compliant policy in the endpoint’s policy tree. This is the policy for which the endpoint will receive any applicable messaging or enforcement actions.

outCompliancePolicyLabel

Common name associated with the outCompliancePolicyId. This is the policy name as displayed in the Policy Manager and Dashboard.

outComplianceadminMsgIds

Identifies supplementary messaging associated with a given policy.

groupUpdated

A value of “1” indicates that a Policy Manager upload has occurred since the last time the endpoint communicated with SafeConnect.

quarantined

A value of “1” indicates that the endpoint is due to be blocked at the Layer 3 switch for policy compliance.

ilan

A value of “1” indicates that the endpoint is due to be blocked using the Policy Key’s ILAN technology for policy compliance.