Configure a Kafka target for an open data stream

You can export data on an ExtraHop system to any Kafka server for long-term archiving and comparison with other sources.

1. Log in to the Administration settings on the ExtraHop system through https://<extrahop-hostname-or-IP-address>/admin.
   Repeat these steps on each sensor in your environment.
2. In the System Configuration section, click Open Data Streams.
3. Click Add Target.
4. From the Target Type drop-down menu, select Kafka.
5. In the Name field, type a name to identify the target.
6. From the Compression drop-down list, select one of the following compression methods that will be applied to the transmitted data:
   • None
   • GZIP
   • Snappy
7. From the Partition strategy drop-down list, select one of the following partitioning methods that will be applied to the transmitted data:
   • Default (Hash Key)
   • Manual
   • Random
   • Round Robin
8. From the Protocol drop-down menu, select one of the following protocols over which to transmit data:
   • TCP
   • SSL/TLS
9. (Optional): If you selected the SSL/TLS protocol, specify certificate options.
   1. If the Kafka server requires client authentication, specify a TLS client certificate to send to the server in the Client certificate field.
   2. If you specified a client certificate, specify the private key of the certificate in the Client key field.
   3. If you do not want to verify the certificate of the Kafka server, select Skip server certificate verification.
   4. If you want to verify the certificate of the Kafka server, but the certificate has not been signed by a valid Certificate Authority (CA), specify trusted certificates to verify the server certificate with in the CA certificates (optional) field. Specify the certificates in PEM format. If this option is not specified, the server certificate is validated with the built-in list of valid CA certificates.
10. Specify at least one Kafka broker, also referred to as a node in a Kafka cluster, that can receive transmitted data.

    Note:

    You can add multiple brokers that are part of the same Kafka cluster to ensure connectivity in case a single broker is unavailable. All brokers must be part of the same cluster.

    1. In the Host field, type the hostname or IP address of the Kafka broker.
    2. In the Port field, type the port number of the Kafka broker.
    3. Click the plus (+) icon.
11. (Optional): Click Test to establish a connection between the ExtraHop system and the remote Kafka server and send a test message to the server.
    The dialog box displays a message that indicates whether the connection succeeded or failed. If the test fails, edit the target configuration and test the connection again.
12. Click Save.