Splunk SPLK-2002 Questions Answers

• inputs.conf is a configuration file that contains settings for various types of data inputs, such as files, directories, network ports, scripts, and so on1.
• initCrcLength is a setting that specifies the number of characters that the input uses to calculate the CRC (cyclic redundancy check) of a file1. The CRC is a value that uniquely identifies a file based on its content2.
• crcSalt is another setting that adds a string to the CRC calculation to force the input to consume files that have matching CRCs1. This can be useful when files have identical headers or when files are renamed or rolled over2.
• When troubleshooting a situation where some files within a directory are not being indexed, the ignored files are discovered to have long headers, the first thing that should be added to inputs.conf is to increase the value of initCrcLength. This is because by default, the input only performs CRC checks against the first 256 bytes of a file, which means that files with long headers may have matching CRCs and be skipped by the input2. By increasing the value of initCrcLength, the input can use more characters from the file to calculate the CRC, which can reduce the chances of CRC collisions and ensure that different files are indexed3.
• Option C is the correct answer because it reflects the best practice for troubleshooting this situation. Option A is incorrect because decreasing the value of initCrcLength would make the CRC calculation less reliable and more prone to collisions. Option B is incorrect because adding a crcSalt with a static string would not help differentiate files with long headers, as they would still have matching CRCs. Option D is incorrect because adding a crcSalt with the attribute would add the full directory path to the CRC calculation, which would not help if the files are in the same directory2.

References:

1: inputs.conf - Splunk Documentation 2: How the Splunk platform handles log file rotation 3: Solved: Configure CRC salt - Splunk Community

 The following statements are true about Splunk indexer clustering:

• All peer nodes must run exactly the same Splunk version. This is a requirement for indexer clustering, as different Splunk versions may have different data formats or features that are incompatible with each other. All peer nodes must run the same Splunk version as the master node and the search heads that connect to the cluster.
• The search head must run the same or a later Splunk version than the peer nodes. This is a recommendation for indexer clustering, as a newer Splunk version may have new features or bug fixes that improve the search functionality or performance. The search head should not run an older Splunk version than the peer nodes, as this may cause search errors or failures. The following statements are false about Splunk indexer clustering:
• The master node must run the same or a later Splunk version than the search heads. This is not a requirement or a recommendation for indexer clustering, as the master node does not participate in the search process. The master node should run the same Splunk version as the peer nodes, as this ensures the cluster compatibility and functionality.
• The peer nodes must run the same or a later Splunk version than the master node. This is not a requirement or a recommendation for indexer clustering, as the peer nodes do not coordinate the cluster activities. The peer nodes should run the same Splunk version as the master node, as this ensures the cluster compatibility and functionality. For more information, see [About indexer clusters and index replication] and [Upgrade an indexer cluster] in the Splunk documentation.

Splunk Enterprise licensing is based on the amount of data that is ingested and indexed by the Splunk platform per day1. The data that counts against the license is the data that is stored in the indexes that are visible to the users and searchable by the Splunk software2. The indexes that are visible and searchable by default are the main index and any custom indexes that are created by the users or the apps3. The main index is the default index where Splunk Enterprise stores all data, unless otherwise specified4.

Option B is the correct answer because the data for the main index will count against the ingest-based license, as it is a visible and searchable index by default. Option A is incorrect because the summary index is a special type of index that stores the results of scheduled reports or accelerated data models, which do not count against the license. Option C is incorrect because the _metrics index is an internal index that stores metrics data about the Splunk platform performance, which does not count against the license. Option D is incorrect because the _introspection index is another internal index that stores data about the impact of the Splunk software on the host system, such as CPU, memory, disk, and network usage, which does not count against the license.

References:

1: How Splunk Enterprise licensing works - Splunk Documentation 2: What data counts against my license? - Splunk Documentation 3: [About indexes and indexers - Splunk Documentation] 4: [The main index - Splunk Documentation] : [Summary indexing - Splunk Documentation] : [About metrics indexes - Splunk Documentation] : [About the Monitoring Console - Splunk Documentation]

The correct answer is C. Increase the parallellngestionPipelines attribute. This is an option in limits.conf that may provide performance benefits at the forwarding tier, as it allows the forwarder to process multiple data inputs in parallel1. The parallellngestionPipelines attribute specifies the number of pipelines that the forwarder can use to ingest data from different sources1. By increasing this value, the forwarder can improve its throughput and reduce the latency of data delivery1. The other options are not effective options to provide performance benefits at the forwarding tier. Option A, enabling the indexed_realtime_use_by_default attribute, is not recommended, as it enables the forwarder to send data to the indexer as soon as it is received, which may increase the network and CPU load and degrade the performance2. Option B, increasing the maxKBps attribute, is not a good option, as it increases the maximum bandwidth, in kilobytes per second, that the forwarder can use to send data to the indexer3. This may improve the data transfer speed, but it may also saturate the network and cause congestion and packet loss3. Option D, increasing the max_searches_per_cpu attribute, is not relevant, as it only affects the search performance on the indexer or search head, not the forwarding performance on the forwarder4. Therefore, option C is the correct answer, and options A, B, and D are incorrect.

1: Configure parallel ingestion pipelines 2: Configure real-time forwarding 3: Configure forwarder output 4: Configure search performance