Splunk SPLK-1005 Splunk Cloud Certified Admin Exam Practice Test

In Splunk Cloud, configuring indexes is one of the primary responsibilities of a Splunk Cloud administrator. This task includes setting up new indexes, managing retention policies, and configuring index settings as required by the organization's data retention and compliance policies. Other tasks like configuring deployer, cluster master, or indexers are typically handled by Splunk Enterprise administrators, not Splunk Cloud administrators.

Splunk Documentation Reference: Splunk Cloud Administrator Guide

When dealing with a directory containing a mix of file types, it's essential to fine-tune the sourcetypes for different files to ensure accurate data parsing and indexing.

B. On the forwarder collecting the data, leave sourcetype as automatic for the directory monitor. Then create a props.conf that assigns a specific sourcetype by source stanza: This is the correct answer. In this approach, the Universal Forwarder is set up with a directory monitor where the sourcetype is initially left as automatic. Then, a props.conf file is configured to specify different sourcetypes based on the source (filename or path). This ensures that as the data is collected, it is appropriately categorized by sourcetype according to the file type.

Splunk Documentation References:

Configuring Inputs and Sourcetypes

Fine-tuning sourcetypes

Splunk Cloud Support should be contacted when issues arise that cannot be resolved internally or when problem isolation has been unsuccessful.

C. When unable to resolve issues or perform problem isolation is the correct answer. Splunk Cloud Support is typically involved when internal troubleshooting has been exhausted, and the issue requires expert assistance or deeper investigation. While scripted input troubleshooting might be handled by internal teams, contacting support for unresolved issues is the appropriate step.

Splunk Documentation References:

When to Contact Splunk Support

A Universal Forwarder (UF) can indeed be configured as an Intermediate Forwarder. This means that the UF can receive data from other forwarders and then forward that data on to indexers or Splunk Cloud, effectively acting as a relay point in the data forwarding chain.

Option A is incorrect because a Universal Forwarder does not need to contact the license master; only indexers and search heads require this.

Option B is incorrect as Universal Forwarders can connect directly to Splunk Cloud or via other forwarders.

Option D is also incorrect because the default output bandwidth limit for a UF is typically much higher than 500KBps (default is 256KBps per pipeline, but can be configured).

Splunk Documentation Reference: Universal Forwarder

Explanation: The default port for HTTP Event Collector (HEC) in Splunk Cloud is 8088, which is used for data ingestion via HEC. [Reference: Splunk Docs on HTTP Event Collector settings]

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

In Splunk, SEDCMD (Stream Editing Commands) is applied during the Typing Pipeline of the data indexing process. The Typing Pipeline is responsible for various tasks, such as applying regular expressions for field extractions, replacements, and data transformation operations that occur after the initial parsing and aggregation steps.

Here’s how the indexing process works in more detail:

Parsing Pipeline: In this stage, Splunk breaks incoming data into events, identifies timestamps, and assigns metadata.

Merging Pipeline: This stage is responsible for merging events and handling time-based operations.

Typing Pipeline: The Typing Pipeline is where SEDCMD operations occur. It applies regular expressions and replacements, which is essential for modifying raw data before indexing. This pipeline is also responsible for field extraction and other similar operations.

Index Pipeline: Finally, the processed data is indexed and stored, where it becomes available for searching.

Splunk Cloud Reference: To verify this information, you can refer to the official Splunk documentation on the data pipeline and indexing process, specifically focusing on the stages of the indexing pipeline and the roles they play. Splunk Docs often discuss the exact sequence of operations within the pipeline, highlighting when and where commands like SEDCMD are applied during data processing.

Source:

Splunk Docs: Managing Indexers and Clusters of Indexers

Splunk Answers: Community discussions and expert responses frequently clarify where specific operations occur within the pipeline.

The correct attribute/value pair to successfully extract the timestamp from the provided events is TIME_FORMAT = %b %d %H:%M:%S. This format corresponds to the structure of the timestamps in the provided data:

%b represents the abbreviated month name (e.g., Sep).

%d represents the day of the month.

%H:%M:%S represents the time in hours, minutes, and seconds.

This format will correctly extract timestamps like "Sep 12 06:11:58".

Splunk Documentation Reference: Configure Timestamp Recognition

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]

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

When there are conflicting configurations in Splunk, the platform resolves them based on the configuration file precedence rules. These rules dictate which settings are applied based on the hierarchy of the configuration files.

In the provided configurations:

The first configuration in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/unix/local/inputs.conf sets the sourcetype to access_combined.

The second configuration in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/search/local/inputs.conf sets the sourcetype to linux_secure.

Configuration File Precedence:

In Splunk, configurations in local directories take precedence over those in default.

If two configurations are in local directories of different apps, the alphabetical order of the app names determines the precedence.

Since "search" comes after "unix" alphabetically, the configuration in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/search/local/inputs.conf will take precedence.

Therefore, the value of the sourcetype property for this stanza is linux_secure.

Splunk Documentation References:

Configuration File Precedence

Resolving Conflicts in Splunk Configurations

This confirms that the correct answer is C. linux_secure.

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

In Splunk Cloud, data is deleted from an index when the buckets roll to the frozen stage and no archive is defined. When data in a bucket reaches the frozen stage, it is deleted unless a frozen-to-archival script is configured to move the data elsewhere. This process is part of the index lifecycle management in Splunk.

Splunk Documentation Reference: Managing Indexes

Explanation: Splunk Cloud enables only a subset of REST API endpoints for customer use to ensure security and control over the environment, allowing essential functionality while maintaining a secure setup. [Reference: Splunk Docs on REST API access in Splunk Cloud]

Explanation: For setting up a deployment client, the correct stanza syntax in inputs.conf includes specifying targetUri with the port 8089, which is the management port for Splunk instances, not the data port 9997. [Reference: Splunk Docs on deployment server configurations]

The followTail attribute in inputs.conf controls how Splunk processes existing content in a monitored file.

D. Prevents pre-existing content in a file from being ingested: This is the correct answer. When followTail = true is set, Splunk will ignore any pre-existing content in a file and only start monitoring from the end of the file, capturing new data as it is added. This is useful when you want to start monitoring a log file but do not want to index the historical data that might be present in the file.

A. Pauses a file monitor if the queue is full: Incorrect, this is not related to the followTail attribute.

B. Only creates a tail checkpoint of the monitored file: Incorrect, while a tailing checkpoint is created for state tracking, followTail specifically refers to skipping the existing content.

C. Ingests a file starting with new content and then reading older events: Incorrect, followTail does not read older events; it skips them.

Splunk Documentation References:

followTail Attribute Documentation

Monitoring Files

These answers align with Splunk's best practices and available documentation on managing and configuring Splunk environments.

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

A private app in Splunk is one that is created and used within a specific organization, and is not publicly available in the Splunkbase app store.

C. An app that is created and used only by a specific organization is the correct answer. This type of app is developed internally and used by a particular organization, often tailored to meet specific internal needs. It is not shared with other organizations and remains private within that organization’s Splunk environment.

Splunk Documentation References:

Private Apps in Splunk

In Splunk, it's considered best practice to create small, single-purpose deployment apps rather than large, multi-purpose ones. This approach ensures better manageability, easier updates, and clearer version control. Option D, which suggests creating large, multi-purpose deployment apps, is not a best practice.

Splunk Documentation Reference: Deployment Server Best Practices

Explanation: Placing configuration overrides in the local folder within a custom app allows for easy maintenance and ensures that these overrides are preserved during upgrades, as files in default are overwritten. [Reference: Splunk Docs on configuration file precedence]

Explanation: In Splunk Cloud, expired events can be archived to customer-managed storage solutions, such as on-premises storage. This allows organizations to retain data beyond the standard retention period if needed. [Reference: Splunk Docs on data archiving in Splunk Cloud]

The default bandwidth limit in the Splunk Universal Forwarder is set to 256 KBps. This setting is in place to prevent the forwarder from overwhelming network resources, and it can be adjusted as necessary based on the deployment's specific needs.

Splunk Documentation Reference: Universal Forwarder Configuration

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

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 References:

Building Splunk Apps

Deployment Apps

This confirms that props.conf is not a required part of a deployment app, making it the correct answer.