1. Define Splunk?
Splunk is a software platform that allows users to analyze machine-generated data from hardware devices, networks, servers, IoT devices, etc. Splunk is widely used for searching, visualizing, monitoring, and reporting enterprise data. It processes and an analysis machine data and converts it into powerful operational intelligence by offering real-time insights into the data through accurate visualizations.
2. What are the benefits of feeding data into a Splunk instance through Splunk Forwarders?
If you feed the data into a Splunk instance via Splunk Forwarders, you can reap three significant benefits – TCP connection, bandwidth throttling, and an encrypted SSL connection to transfer data from a Forwarder to an Indexer. Splunk’s architecture is such that the data forwarded to the Indexer is load-balanced by default. So, even if one Indexer goes down due to some reason, the data can re-route itself via another Indexer instance quickly. Furthermore, Splunk Forwarders cache the events locally before forwarding it, thereby creating a temporary backup of the data.
3. Why use only Splunk?
Splunk has a lot of competition in the market, for performing IT operations, for analyzing machine logs, providing security and doing business intelligence. But, there is no one single tool other than Splunk that can do all of these operations and that is where Splunk comes out of the box and makes a difference. Splunk helps in scaling up infrastructure and get professional help from a firm supporting the platform.
4. What is the “Summary Index” in Splunk?
In Splunk, the Summary Index refers to the default Splunk index that stores data resulting from scheduled searches over time. Essentially, it is the index that Splunk Enterprise uses if a user does not specify or indicate another one. The most significant advantage of the Summary Index is that it allows you to retain the analytics and reports even after your data has aged.
5. What is the purpose of Splunk DB Connect?
Splunk DB Connect is a generic SQL database plugin designed for Splunk. It enables users to integrate database information with Splunk queries and reports seamlessly.
6. What is the function of the Splunk Indexer?
The Splunk Indexer creates and manages indexes. It has two core functions – to index raw data into an index and to search and manage the indexed data.
7. What are some of the most important configuration files in Splunk?
The most crucial configuration files in Splunk are:
- props.conf
- indexes.conf
- inputs.conf
- transforms.conf
- server.conf
8. What is the importance of the License Master in Splunk? What happens if the License Master is unreachable?
In Splunk, the License Master ensures that the right amount of data gets indexed. Since the Splunk license is based on the data volume that reaches the platform within a 24hr-window, the License Master ensures that your Splunk environment stays within the constraints of the purchased volume. If ever the License Master is unreachable, a user cannot search the data. However, this will not affect the data flowing into the Indexer – data will continue to flow in the Splunk deployment, and the Indexers will index the data. But the top of the Search Head will display a warning message that the user has exceeded the indexing volume. In this case, they must either reduce the amount of data flowing in or must purchase additional capacity of the Splunk license.
9. What purpose does the Time Zone property serve in Splunk?
In Splunk, Time Zone is crucial for searching for events from a security or fraud perspective. Splunk sets the default Time Zone for you from your browser settings. The browser further picks up the current Time Zone from the machine you are using. So, if you search for any event with the wrong Time Zone, you will not find anything relevant for that search. The Time Zone becomes extremely important when you are searching and correlating data pouring in from different and multiple sources.
10. Define Sourcetype in Splunk.
In Splunk, Sourcetype refers to the default field that is used to identify the data structure of an incoming event. Sourcetype should be set at the forwarder level for indexer extraction to help identify different data formats. It determines how Splunk Enterprise formats the data during the indexing process. This being the case, you must ensure to assign the correct Sourcetype to your data. To make data searching even easier, you should provide accurate timestamps, and event breaks to the indexed data (the event data).
11. What is Btool in Splunk?
Btool in Splunk is a command-line tool that is used for troubleshooting configuration file issues. It also helps check what values are being used by a user’s Splunk Enterprise installation in the existing environment.
12. How does Splunk avoid duplicate indexing of logs?
The Splunk Indexer keeps track of all the indexed events in a directory – the Fishbuckets directory that contains seek pointers and CRCs for all the files being indexed presently. So, if there’s any seek pointer or CRC that has been already read, splunkd will point it out.
13. Define “Search Factor” and “Replication Factor”?
Search Factor (SF) and Replication Factor (RF) are clustering terminologies in Splunk. While the SF (with a default value of 2) determines the number of searchable copies of data maintained by the Indexer cluster, the RF represents the number of copies of data maintained by the Indexer cluster. An important thing to remember is that SF must always be less than or equal to the replication factor. Also, the Search Head cluster only has a Search Factor, whereas an Indexer cluster has both SF and RF.
14. Differentiate between Splunk SDK and Splunk Framework.
Splunk SDKs are primarily designed to help users develop applications from scratch. They do not require Splunk Web or any other component from the Splunk App Framework to function. Splunk SDKs are separately licensed from Splunk. As opposed to this, the Splunk App Framework rests within the Splunk Web Server. It allows users to customize the Splunk Web UI that accompanies the product. Although it lets you develop Splunk apps, you have to do so by using the Splunk Web Server.
15. What is the comparison between Splunk and spark?
Considering the deployment area, the Splunk help to collect data that is generated by the machine and make it accessible to a larger audience. It is a proprietary kind of tool that works in the streaming mode. On the contrary, spark help in-memory applications. It is basically an open source software which works both in a streaming and batch mode.
16. What is Splunk Administration?
Splunk is mainly used to make machine data reachable, utilizable & helpful to everyone. It also helps to examine the massive volume of machine data that is produced by technology infrastructure & IT systems in virtual, physical & in the cloud.
17. Why is Splunk used for the analysis of machine data?
This is because of the valuable insights it gives into IT app management, compliance, operations, security, and detection of threat & fraud very.
18. Why is Splunk administration used for the analysis of machine data?
Splunk administration is considered as a great tool which will allow the visibility of data that will be generated from machines such as hardware devices, IoT devices, servers, and other sources. As it helps to provide crucial insights into IT operations, it is used for analyzing the machine data with ease.
19. How does Splunk help in the Organization?
Most of the corporations are investing in this technology as it helps to examine their end-to-end infrastructures, shun service outages & gain real-time critical insights into client experience, key business metrics & transactions.
20. Give a few use cases of Knowledge Objects.
Knowledge objects can be used in many domains.
- Application Monitoring: Your applications can be monitored in real-time with configured alerts to notify when an application crashes.
- Physical Security: You can have the full leverage of the data containing information about the volcanos, floods, etc. to gain insights, if your firm deals with them.
- Network Security: With the usage of lockups from your knowledge objects, you can increase security in your systems by blacklisting certain IPs from getting into your network.
- Employee Management: If you want to monitor the activity of people who are serving their notice period, then you can create a list of those people and create a rule preventing them from copying data and using them outside.
21. How to install & upgrade Splunk enterprise?
First, the planning of the installation process should be efficient & confidential. Then later, estimate your hardware requirements. The third step is to install the Splunk enterprise on Windows, Unix, Linux or MoS etc & it can also be upgraded to the earlier version if it is required.
The installation of Splunk enterprise should be a confidential one and for the same, you need to check the hardware requirement such that the platform can be implemented easily. After checking, you can install the enterprise on operating systems such as Windows, Linux, MoS, and others. In addition, you can also upgrade the enterprise when needed from time to time.
22. What is the use of the deployment server in Splunk administration?
The deployment server usage is more efficient which probably controls the host-independent connotations, path naming conventions, machine naming conventions from a central location.
23. Does Splunk administration support user authentication systems?
The Splunk administration will support the various authentication systems such as Splunk internal authentication with role-based user access, LDAP, A scripted authentication API for use with an external authentication system like PAM or RADIUS, Multifactor authentication & Single Sign-on.
24. What is Splunk cloud administration?
Here, mostly all the tasks will be handled by the Splunk cloud administrator to use the data in an efficient manner. In order to use all data effectively, all necessary tasks are supposed to be handled by this cloud administration.
25. What do you understand by Splunk Administration? What is the latest version of the tool Splunk?
Splunk can be regarded as a platform that makes data accessible to users. You can have easy visibility of data generated from hardware devices, networks, servers, and other sources. The Splunk administration helps to analyze plenty of data that is used in various plenty of IT operations, security, threat and detecting any fraud cases. Splunk is a vital tool that is used in businesses for data analytics. The latest version of the tool is Splunk 6.3.
26. Explain different types of data inputs in Splunk?
Following are different types of data inputs in Splunk:
- Using files and directories as input
- Configuring Network ports to receive inputs automatically
- Add windows inputs. These windows inputs are of four types: 1) active directory monitor, 2) printer monitor, 3) network monitor, and 4) registry inputs monitor.
27. How Splunk avoids duplicate log indexing?
Splunk allows you to keeps track of indexed events in a fish buckets directory. It contains CRCs and seeks pointers for the files you are indexing, so Splunk can’t if it has read them already.
28. Explain default fields for an event in Splunk ?
There are 5 default fields which are barcoded with every event into Splunk. They are: 1) host, 2) source, 3) source type, 4) index, and 5) timestamp.
29. How can you extract fields?
In order to extract fields from either sidebar, event lists or the settings menu using UI. Another way to extract fields in Splunk is to write your regular expressions in a props configuration file.
30. What are three versions if Splunk?
Splunk is available in three different versions. These versions are 1) Splunk enterprise, 2) Splunk light, 3) Splunk cloud.
- Splunk enterprise: Splunk Enterprise edition is used by many IT organizations. It helps you to analyze the data from various websites and applications.
- Splunk cloud: Splunk Cloud is a SaaS (Software as a Service) It offers almost similar features as the enterprise version, including APIs, SDKs, and apps.
- Splunk light: Splunk light is a free version which allows, to make a report, search and edit your log data. Splunk light version has limited functionalities and features compared to other versions.
