SPLK-1005 Splunk Cloud Certified Admin Questions and Answers

In Splunk Cloud, when an app on Splunkbase indicates "Request Install," it means that the app is not available for direct self-service installation and requires intervention from Splunk Support. This could be because the app needs to undergo an additional review for compatibility with the managed cloud environment or because it requires special installation procedures.

In these cases, customers need to contact Splunk Support to request the installation of the app. Support will ensure that the app is properly vetted and compatible with Splunk Cloud before proceeding with the installation.

Splunk Cloud Reference: For further details, consult Splunk’s guidelines on requesting app installations in Splunk Cloud and the processes involved in reviewing and approving apps for use in the cloud environment.

Source:

Splunk Docs: Install apps in Splunk Cloud Platform

Splunkbase: App request procedures for Splunk Cloud

The valid method for creating index-time field extractions is to create a configuration app that includes the necessary props.conf and/or transforms.conf configurations. This app can then be uploaded via the UI. Index-time field extractions must be defined in these configuration files to ensure that fields are extracted correctly during indexing.

Splunk Documentation Reference: Index-time field extractions

Splunk executes scripts from specific directories that are structured within its installation paths. These directories typically include:

SPLUNK_HOME/etc/system/bin: This directory is used to store scripts that are part of the core Splunk system configuration.

SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/<app name>/bin: Each Splunk app can have its own bin directory where scripts specific to that app are stored.

SPLUNK_HOME/bin/scripts: This is a standard directory for storing scripts that may be globally accessible within Splunk's environment.

However, C. SPLUNKHOMS/ctc/scripts/local is not a recognized or standard path used by Splunk for executing scripts. This path does not adhere to the typical directory structure within the SPLUNK_HOME environment, making it the correct answer as it does not correspond to a valid script execution path in Splunk.

Splunk Documentation References:

Using Custom Scripts in Splunk

Directory Structure of SPLUNK_HOME

In a managed Splunk Cloud environment, several features are available to ensure that the platform is secure, scalable, and meets enterprise requirements. The key features include:

Availability of premium apps: Splunk Cloud supports the installation and use of premium apps such as Splunk Enterprise Security, IT Service Intelligence, etc.

SSO Integration: Single Sign-On (SSO) integration is supported, allowing organizations to leverage their existing identity providers for authentication.

IP address whitelisting and blacklisting: To enhance security, managed Splunk Cloud environments allow for IP address whitelisting and blacklisting to control access.

Given the options:

Option C correctly lists these features, making it the accurate choice.

Option A incorrectly states "no IP address whitelisting or blacklisting," which is indeed available.

Option B mentions "no SSO integration" and "no availability of premium apps," both of which are inaccurate.

Option D talks about a "maximum concurrent search limit of 20," which does not represent the standard limit settings and may vary based on the subscription level.

Splunk Documentation References:

Splunk Cloud Features and Capabilities

Single Sign-On (SSO) in Splunk Cloud

Security and Access Control in Splunk Cloud

By default, the sc_admin role in Splunk Cloud is granted several important capabilities, including:

indexes_edit: The ability to create, edit, and manage indexes.

fsh_manage: Manage full-stack monitoring integrations.

admin_all_objects: Full administrative control over all objects in Splunk.

can_delete: The ability to delete events using the delete command.

Option C correctly lists these default capabilities for the sc_admin role.

Splunk Documentation Reference: User roles and capabilities

The correct monitor statement that will capture all variations of the syslog file paths across different systems is [monitor:///var/log/network/syslog*/linux_secure/*].

This configuration works because:

syslog* matches directories that start with "syslog" (like syslog01, syslog02, etc.).

The wildcard * after linux_secure/ will capture all files within that directory, including different filenames like syslog.log and syslog.log.2020090801.

This setup will ensure that all the necessary files from the different syslog hosts are monitored.

Splunk Documentation Reference: Monitor files and directories

In props.conf, valid stanzas can include source types, hosts, and source specifications. The correct syntax uses colons for specific types, such as source types and hosts, but follows a particular format:

A. [sourcetype::linux_secure] is the correct answer. This is a valid stanza format for a source type in props.conf. It indicates that the following configurations apply specifically to the linux_secure source type.

B. [host=nyc25]: Incorrect, the correct format for a host-based stanza uses double colons, not an equal sign.

C. [host::nyc]:* Incorrect, wildcards are not used in this manner within props.conf.

D. [host

]:* Incorrect, the correct format requires double colons for host stanzas.

Splunk Documentation References:

props.conf Specification

Universal Forwarders can connect directly to Splunk Cloud, and there is no limit on the number of Universal Forwarders that may connect directly to it. This capability allows organizations to scale their data ingestion easily by deploying as many Universal Forwarders as needed without the requirement for intermediate forwarders unless additional data processing, filtering, or load balancing is required.

Splunk Documentation Reference: Forwarding Data to Splunk Cloud

The recommended method to test the onboarding of a new data source before putting it into production is to send test data to a test index. This approach allows you to validate data parsing, field extractions, and indexing behavior without affecting the production environment or data.

Splunk Documentation Reference: Onboarding New Data Sources

In Splunk, when ingesting logs such as an Apache access log, the time zone for each event is typically determined by the time zone indicator present in the raw event data itself. In the log snippet you provided, the time zone is indicated by -0400, which specifies that the event's timestamp is 4 hours behind UTC (Coordinated Universal Time).

Splunk uses this information directly from the event to properly parse the timestamp and apply the correct time zone. This ensures that the event's time is accurately reflected regardless of the time zone in which the Splunk instance or forwarder is located.

Splunk Cloud Reference: For further details, you can review Splunk documentation on timestamp recognition and time zone handling, especially in relation to log files and data ingestion configurations.

Source:

Splunk Docs: How Splunk software handles timestamps

Splunk Docs: Configure event timestamp recognition

The SHOULD_LINEMERGE setting is used in Splunk to control whether or not multiple lines of an event should be combined into a single event. This setting is configured in the props.conf file, where Splunk handles data parsing and field extraction. Setting SHOULD_LINEMERGE = true merges lines together based on specific rules.

Splunk Documentation Reference: props.conf - SHOULD_LINEMERGE

The statement about monitor inputs that is true is that the ignoreOlderThan option allows files to be ignored based on their file modification time. This setting helps prevent Splunk from indexing older data that is not relevant or needed.

Splunk Documentation Reference: Monitor files and directories

Explanation: The ellipsis (...) in [monitor:///var/log/.../*.log] allows Splunk to monitor files ending in .log in all nested directories under /var/log/. [Reference: Splunk Docs on monitor stanza syntax]

SEDCMD is a directive used within the props.conf file in Splunk to perform inline data transformations. Specifically, it uses sed-like syntax to modify data as it is being processed.

A. Can only be used to mask or truncate raw data: This is the correct answer because SEDCMD is typically used to mask sensitive data, such as obscuring personally identifiable information (PII) or truncating parts of data to ensure privacy and compliance with security policies. It is not used for more complex transformations such as changing the sourcetype per event.

B. Configured in props.conf and transform.conf: Incorrect, SEDCMD is only configured in props.conf.

C. Can be used to manipulate the sourcetype per event: Incorrect, SEDCMD does not manipulate the sourcetype.

D. Operates on a REGEX pattern match of the source, sourcetype, or host of an event: Incorrect, while SEDCMD uses regex for matching patterns in the data, it does not operate on the source, sourcetype, or host specifically.

Splunk Documentation References:

SEDCMD Usage

Mask Data with SEDCMD

When a directory monitor is set up with automatic sourcetyping, a user can selectively override the sourcetype assignment by configuring the props.conf file on the forwarder. The props.conf file allows you to define how data should be parsed and processed, including assigning or overriding sourcetypes for specific data inputs.

Splunk Documentation Reference: props.conf configuration

The regex replacement processor is part of the parsing stage in Splunk's data ingestion pipeline. This stage is responsible for handling data transformations, which include applying regex replacements.

D. Parsing pipeline is the correct answer. The parsing pipeline is where initial data transformations, including regex replacement, occur before the data is indexed. This stage processes events as they are parsed from raw data, including applying any regex-based modifications.

Splunk Documentation References:

Data Processing Pipelines in Splunk

Explanation: The Universal Forwarder credentials package is available in the Splunk Cloud search head’s Universal Forwarder app for secure, managed deployment. [Reference: Splunk Docs on Universal Forwarder credentials package]

Explanation: SEDCMD in props.conf applies regular expressions to modify data as it is ingested. It is useful for transforming raw event data before indexing. [Reference: Splunk Docs on SEDCMD]

When a forwarder is unable to send data to indexers, it queues the data in memory and optionally on disk. The setting used for the disk queue is persistentQueueSize. This configuration defines the size of the disk queue that stores data temporarily on the forwarder when it cannot immediately forward the data to an indexer.

Splunk Documentation Reference: Configure forwarding and receiving in Splunk

In Splunk, when configuring file and directory monitor inputs, several settings are available that control how data is indexed and processed. These settings are defined in the inputs.conf file. Among the given options:

host: Specifies the hostname associated with the data. It can be set to a static value, or dynamically assigned using settings like host_regex or host_segment.

index: Specifies the index where the data will be stored.

sourcetype: Defines the data type, which helps Splunk to correctly parse and process the data.

TCP_Routing: Used to route data to specific indexers in a distributed environment based on TCP routing rules.

host_regex: Allows you to extract the host from the path or filename using a regular expression.

host_segment: Identifies the segment of the directory structure (path) to use as the host.

Given the options:

Option B is correct because it includes host, index, sourcetype, TCP_Routing, host_regex, and host_segment. These are all valid settings for file and directory monitor inputs in Splunk.

Splunk Documentation References:

Monitor Inputs (inputs.conf)

Host Setting in Inputs

TCP Routing in Inputs

By referring to the Splunk documentation on configuring inputs, it's clear that Option B aligns with the valid settings used for file and directory monitoring, making it the correct choice.

Explanation: Using the oneshot command allows a direct check for data reception in the cloud environment. Logs can be verified in the cloud after the forwarder sends them. [Reference: Splunk Docs on testing forwarder data inputs]