Splunk Enterprise Data Administration

This training provides the fundamental knowledge of Splunk forwarders and methods to get remote data into Splunk indexers. It covers installation, configuration, management, monitoring, and troubleshooting of Splunk forwarders and Splunk Deployment Server components.

Audience:

This course is designed for administrators who are responsible for getting data into Splunk Indexers.

Prerequisites

To be successful, students should have a solid understanding of the following single-subject modules:

  • What is Splunk? 
  • Intro to Splunk 
  • Using Fields 
  • Intro to Knowledge Objects 
  • Creating Knowledge Objects 
  • Creating Field Extractions 

Students should also understand the following module:

Course objectives

  • Understand sourcetypes
  • Manage and deploy forwarders
  • Configure data inputs
  • File monitors
  • Network inputs (TCP/UDP)
  • Scripted inputs
  • HTTP inputs (via the HTTP Event Collector)
  • Customize the input phase parsing process
  • Define transformations to modify data before indexing
  • Define search time knowledge object configurations

Course content

Topic 1 – Getting Data Into Splunk

  • Provide an overview of Splunk
  • Describe the four phases of the distributed model
  • Describe data input types and metadata settings
  • Configure initial input testing with Splunk Web
  • Testing Indexes with Input Staging

Topic 2 – Configuration Files

  • Identify Splunk configuration files and directories
  • Describe index-time and search-time precedence
  • Validate and update configuration files

Topic 3 – Forwarder Configuration

  • Identify the role of production indexers and forwarders
  • Understand and configure Universal Forwarders
  • Understand and configure Heavy Forwarders
  • Understand and configure intermediate forwarders
  • Identify additional forwarder options

Topic 4 – Forwarder Management

  • Describe Splunk Deployment Server (DS)
  • Manage forwarders using deployment apps
  • Configure deployment clients and client groups
  • Monitor forwarder management activities

Topic 5 – Monitor Inputs

  • Create file and directory monitor inputs
  • Use optional settings for monitor inputs
  • Deploy a remote monitor input

Topic 6 – Network Inputs

  • Create network (TCP and UDP) inputs
  • Describe optional settings for network inputs

Topic 7 – Scripted Inputs

  • Create a basic scripted input

Topic 8 – Agentless Inputs

  • Configure Splunk HTTP Event Collector (HEC) agentless input
  • Describe Splunk App for Stream

Topic 9 – Operating System Inputs

  • Identify Linux-specific inputs
  • Identify Windows-specific inputs

Topic 10 – Fine-tuning Inputs

  • Understand the default processing that occurs during input phase
  • Configure input phase options, such as source type fine-tuning and character set encoding

Topic 11 – Parsing Phase and Data Preview

  • Understand the default processing that occurs during parsing
  • Optimize and configure event line breaking
  • Explain how timestamps and time zones are extracted or assigned to events
  • Use Data Preview to validate event creation during parsing phase

Topic 12 – Manipulating Raw Data

  • Explain how data transformations are defined and invoked
  • Use transformations with props.conf and transforms.conf to:
    • Mask or delete raw data as it is being indexed
    • Override sourcetype or host based upon event values
    • Route events to specific indexes based on event content
    • Prevent unwanted events from being indexed
  • Use SEDCMD to modify raw data

Topic 13 – Supporting Knowledge Objects

  • Define default and custom search time field extractions
  • Identify the pros and cons of indexed time field extractions
  • Configure indexed field extractions
  • Describe default search time extractions
  • Manage orphaned knowledge objects