---
title: "Setting up the NIOS Grid"
canonical: "https://docs.infoblox.com/space/BloxOneCloud/35464209/Setting%20up%20the%20NIOS%20Grid"
format: markdown
---
To connect the Data Connector server to NIOS and to forward output files to a supported destination, you must register the server with Infoblox Grid and configure certain NIOS parameters; doing so will allow Data Connector to collect data from Infoblox Grid. If you configure the NIOS reporting server as a destination in a traffic flow, you will be able to register only one Data Connector with a grid.

- Infoblox supports NIOS 8.4.x for data transfer of RPZ hits. For this reason, if your grid is running NIOS 7.3.x or 8.3.x, you might not be able to collect RPZ hit–related data from NIOS.
- To forward output files to a reporting destination, you must register Data Connector with Grid Master. However, to forward these files to an Infoblox Infoblox Threat Defense or a syslog too, registration is not required l.
- To reduce data transfer between Infoblox Grid, Data Connector, and destinations, enable the **NIOS Object Change Tracking** feature. After you enable this feature, the appliance will track the changes made to NIOS objects and will periodically synchronize the objects you have changed.
- You must configure the NIOS appliance to send syslog messages to an external Data Connector over TCP. By default, the NIOS appliance sends these messages over UDP.

> ⚠️ **Advisory**
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️ The NIOS UI provides a mechanism for filtering the domains it sends to Data Connector. NIOS sends cache logs; for this reason, when configuring NIOS for use with Data Connector, also configure Data Connector to exclude internal corporate and authoritative domains:
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️ ***.<corp domains> **or***.<Authoritative Zones>** 
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️ When corporate and authoritative domains are excluded, internal traffic logs will not be added. 
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️ ![d2666e0f-e32d-4506-b660-5ad19a5394b1.png](media://58b31da4-ffb9-4959-949e-4eb791bae21e)
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️   
> ⚠️ **Image**: <span style="color: #0d0d0d">The configuration panel from NIOS, specifically for setting up DNS properties in relation to a Data Connector.</span>


To configure the NIOS appliance to send messages over TCP, do the following:

1. Log in to the Grid Master.
2. Go to the **Infoblox Grid** tab, **Grid Manager** tab, and then **Members** tab.
3. Click **Grid Properties** > **Edit** in the toolbar.
4. In the **Grid Properties** editor, open the **Monitoring** tab, select the **Log to External Syslog Servers** checkbox, click the **Add** icon, and then specify the IP address of the Data Connector VM.
5. Select **Secure TCP** or **TCP** as the **Transport** option.

For more information about syslogs, refer to the *[Infoblox NIOS Administrator Guide](https://infoblox-docs.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/NIOS)*.