When using Splunk Universal Forwarders, which of the following is true?
Answer : B
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
A log file is being ingested into Splunk, and a few events have no date stamp. How would Splunk first try to determine the missing date of the events?
Answer : D
When events lack a timestamp, Splunk defaults to using the file modification time, which is accessible metadata for parsing time information if no timestamp is present in the log entry. [Reference: Splunk Docs on timestamp recognition]
What information is identified during the input phase of the ingestion process?
Answer : C
During the input phase, Splunk assigns metadata fields such as sourcetype, host, and source, which are critical for data categorization and routing. [Reference: Splunk Docs on data ingestion stages]
What can be used in a Splunk Cloud environment to create new sourcetypes?
Answer : A
In a Splunk Cloud environment, the Data Preview feature is used to create and test new sourcetypes. This feature allows you to upload sample data, configure parsing settings, and define sourcetypes interactively without directly editing configuration files like props.conf or using the CLI.
Splunk Documentation Reference: Data Preview
A user has been asked to mask some sensitive data without tampering with the structure of the file /var/log/purchase/transactions. log that has the following format:
A)
B)
C)
D)
Answer : B
Option B is the correct approach because it properly uses a TRANSFORMS stanza in props.conf to reference the transforms.conf for removing sensitive data. The transforms stanza in transforms.conf uses a regular expression (REGEX) to locate the sensitive data (in this case, the SuperSecretNumber) and replaces it with a masked version using the FORMAT directive.
In detail:
props.conf refers to the transforms.conf stanza remove_sensitive_data by setting TRANSFORMS-cleanup = remove_sensitive_data.
transforms.conf defines the regular expression that matches the sensitive data and specifies how the sensitive data should be replaced in the FORMAT directive.
This approach ensures that sensitive information is masked before indexing without altering the structure of the log files.
Splunk Cloud Reference: For further reference, you can look at Splunk's documentation regarding data masking and transformation through props.conf and transforms.conf.
Source:
Splunk Docs: Anonymize data
Splunk Docs: Props.conf and Transforms.conf
Which of the following statements regarding apps in Splunk Cloud is true?
Answer : B
In Splunk Cloud, only apps that have been certified and vetted by Splunk are supported. This is because Splunk Cloud is a managed service, and Splunk ensures that all apps meet specific security, performance, and compatibility requirements before they can be installed. This certification process guarantees that the apps won't negatively impact the overall environment, ensuring a stable and secure cloud service.
Self-service installation is available, but it is limited to apps that are certified for Splunk Cloud. Non-certified apps cannot be installed directly; they require a review and approval process by Splunk support.
Splunk Cloud Reference: Refer to Splunk's documentation on app installation and the list of Cloud-vetted apps available on Splunkbase to understand which apps can be installed in Splunk Cloud.
Source:
Splunk Docs: About apps in Splunk Cloud
Splunkbase: Splunk Cloud Apps
Which file or folder below is not a required part of a deployment app?
Answer : D
When creating a deployment app in Splunk, certain files and folders are considered essential to ensure proper configuration and operation:
app.conf (in default or local): This is required as it defines the app's metadata and behaviors.
local.meta: This file is important for defining access permissions for the app and is often included.
metadata folder: The metadata folder contains files like local.meta and default.meta and is typically required for defining permissions and other metadata-related settings.
props.conf: While props.conf is essential for many Splunk apps, it is not mandatory unless you need to define specific data parsing or transformation rules.
D . props.conf is the correct answer because, although it is commonly used, it is not a mandatory part of every deployment app. An app may not need data parsing configurations, and thus, props.conf might not be present in some apps.
Splunk Documentation Reference:
Building Splunk Apps
Deployment Apps
This confirms that props.conf is not a required part of a deployment app, making it the correct answer.