Proxy Log Conversion Across Industrial Automation Protocols

The patent introduces proxy servers as intermediary components that receive log data from devices using various communication protocols (Modbus, Siemens, ABB, etc.) and convert them to a standardized format for the Syslog collector. This intermediary layer enables the system to collect security-relevant log data from heterogeneous devices without requiring each device to support multiple protocols or the collector to handle protocol diversity directly, thus improving security monitoring capability while managing complexity through centralized protocol conversion.

The proxy servers are designed with multi-functionality to handle both protocol conversion and network bridging operations. Each proxy server can receive log data from devices on its local network using native protocols, convert the data to standardized format, and forward it to the Syslog collector on a different network. This universal capability allows the system to monitor operations across multiple isolated networks without requiring separate infrastructure for each network segment, improving operational monitoring while controlling complexity through consolidated server functionality.

The patent implements a standardized conversion format as an intermediary representation layer between diverse device protocols and the Syslog collector. All log data from different device types (PLCs, sensors, actuators) using various protocols (Modbus, Siemens, ABB, Rockwell, Schneider) is converted to this intermediate standardized format by proxy servers, which then forwards it to the collector. This approach provides high adaptability to accommodate new device types and protocols while managing complexity by maintaining a single conversion target format rather than requiring direct compatibility between all device pairs.