Splunk SPLK-2002 - Splunk Enterprise Certified Architect

To expand the search head cluster by adding a new member, node2, the first step is to initialize the cluster configuration on node2 using the splunk init shcluster-config command. This command sets the required parameters for the cluster member, such as the management URI, the replication port, and the shared secret key. The management URI must be unique for each cluster member and must match the URI that the deployer uses to communicate with the member. The replication port must be the same for all cluster members and must be different from the management port. The secret key must be the same for all cluster members and must be encrypted using the splunk _encrypt command. The master_uri parameter is optional and specifies the URI of the cluster captain. If not specified, the cluster member will use the captain election process to determine the captain. Option C shows the correct syntax and parameters for the splunk init shcluster-config command. Option A is incorrect because the splunk bootstrap shcluster-config command is used to bring up the first cluster member as the initial captain, not to add a new member. Option B is incorrect because the master_uri parameter is not required and the mgmt_uri parameter is missing. Option D is incorrect because the splunk add shcluster-member command is used to add an existing search head to the cluster, not to initialize a new member12

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/9.1.2/DistSearch/SHCdeploymentoverview#Initialize_cluster_members  2: https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/9.1.2/DistSearch/SHCconfigurationdetails#Configure_the_cluster_members

 Changing the limits.conf value for max_searches_per_cpu to a higher value is the best option to increase scheduled search capacity on the search head cluster when a large number of searches are skipped across time. This value determines how many concurrent scheduled searches can run on each CPU core of the search head. Increasing this value will allow more scheduled searches to run at the same time, which will reduce the number of skipped searches. Creating a job server on the cluster, running the server.conf captain_is_adhoc_searchhead = true command, or adding another search head to the cluster are not the best options to increase scheduled search capacity on the search head cluster. For more information, see [Configure limits.conf] in the Splunk documentation.

 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.

Indexed extraction configurations are processed in the indexing phase of the Splunk Enterprise data pipeline. The data pipeline is the process that Splunk uses to ingest, parse, index, and search data. Indexed extraction configurations are settings that determine how Splunk extracts fields from data at index time, rather than at search time. Indexed extraction can improve search performance, but it also increases the size of the index. Indexed extraction configurations are applied in the indexing phase, which is the phase where Splunk writes the data and the .tsidx files to the index. The input phase is the phase where Splunk receives data from various sources and formats. The parsing phase is the phase where Splunk breaks the data into events, timestamps, and hosts. The search phase is the phase where Splunk executes search commands and returns results.

When adding or decommissioning a member from a Search Head Cluster (SHC), the proper order of operations is:

Delete Splunk Enterprise, if it exists.

Install and initialize the instance.

Join the SHC.

This order of operations ensures that the member has a clean and consistent Splunk installation before joining the SHC. Deleting Splunk Enterprise removes any existing configurations and data from the instance. Installing and initializing the instance sets up the Splunk software and the required roles and settings for the SHC. Joining the SHC adds the instance to the cluster and synchronizes the configurations and apps with the other members. The other order of operations are not correct, because they either skip a step or perform the steps in the wrong order.

The correct answer is C. 100 GB per day. This is the expected minimum amount of storage required for data across an indexer cluster with the given input and parameters. The storage requirement can be calculated by adding the raw data size and the index files size, and then multiplying by the Replication Factor and the Search Factor1. In this case, the calculation is:

(15 GB + 35 GB) x 2 x 2 = 100 GB

The Replication Factor is the number of copies of each bucket that the cluster maintains across the set of peer nodes2. The Search Factor is the number of searchable copies of each bucket that the cluster maintains across the set of peer nodes3. Both factors affect the storage requirement, as they determine how many copies of the data are stored and searchable on the indexers. The other options are not correct, as they do not match the result of the calculation. Therefore, option C is the correct answer, and options A, B, and D are incorrect.

1: Estimate storage requirements 2: About indexer clusters and index replication 3: Configure the search factor

A monitored log file is changing on the forwarder, but Splunk searches are not finding any new data that has been added. This could be caused by two possible reasons: B. An admin has removed the Splunk fishbucket on the forwarder. C. The last 256 bytes of the monitored file are not changing. Option B is correct because the Splunk fishbucket is a directory that stores information about the files that have been monitored by Splunk, such as the file name, size, modification time, and CRC checksum. If an admin removes the fishbucket, Splunk will lose track of the files that have been previously indexed and will not index any new data from those files. Option C is correct because Splunk uses the CRC checksum of the last 256 bytes of a monitored file to determine if the file has changed since the last time it was read. If the last 256 bytes of the file are not changing, Splunk will assume that the file is unchanged and will not index any new data from it. Option A is incorrect because running the splunk clean eventdata -index  command on the indexer will delete all the data from the specified index, but it will not affect the forwarder’s ability to send new data to the indexer. Option D is incorrect because Splunk does not use the first 256 bytes of a monitored file to determine if the file has changed12

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/9.1.2/Data/Monitorfilesanddirectories  2: https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/9.1.2/Troubleshooting/Didyouloseyourfishbucket

When building a deployment plan, the architect should perform the following tasks:

Use case checklist. A use case checklist is a document that lists the use cases that the deployment will support, along with the data sources, the data volume, the data retention, the data model, the dashboards, the reports, the alerts, and the roles and permissions for each use case. A use case checklist helps to define the scope and the functionality of the deployment, and to identify the dependencies and the requirements for each use case1

Inventory data sources. An inventory of data sources is a document that lists the data sources that the deployment will ingest, along with the data type, the data format, the data location, the data collection method, the data volume, the data frequency, and the data owner for each data source. An inventory of data sources helps to determine the data ingestion strategy, the data parsing and enrichment, the data storage and retention, and the data security and compliance for the deployment1

Review network topology. A review of network topology is a process that examines the network infrastructure and the network connectivity of the deployment, along with the network bandwidth, the network latency, the network security, and the network monitoring for the deployment. A review of network topology helps to optimize the network performance and reliability, and to identify the network risks and mitigations for the deployment1

Installing Splunk apps is not a task that the architect should perform when building a deployment plan, as it is a task that the administrator should perform when implementing the deployment plan. Installing Splunk apps is a technical activity that requires access to the Splunk instances and the Splunk configurations, which are not available at the planning stage