Free Splunk SPLK-3003 Practice Exam with Questions & Answers

The data retention controls that must be configured to ensure that at least one year of logs are retained for both Windows and Firewall events are maxTotalDataSizeMB and frozenTimePeriodInSecs. These settings are defined in the indexes.conf file, which specifies the index settings and data retention policies for Splunk. The maxTotalDataSizeMB setting determines the maximum size of an index, in megabytes. When the index reaches this size, the oldest data is frozen (deleted or archived). The frozenTimePeriodInSecs setting determines the maximum age of the data in an index, in seconds. When the data exceeds this age, it is frozen. Therefore, by setting these values appropriately for the Windows and Firewall indexes, the customer can ensure that at least one year of logs are retained. References:

• Splunk Core Certified Consultant Test Blueprint
• Splunk Documentation: Set up multiple indexes
• Splunk Documentation: Configure index size and data retention

 This configuration item determines whether Splunk software merges multiple lines into single events. By default, it is set to true, which means that Splunk software attempts to merge lines that do not start with a timestamp into the previous line that has a timestamp. This can improve the accuracy of event breaking, but it can also degrade the performance of data ingestion, as it requires more processing and memory resources. Setting SHOULD_LINEMERGE to false can significantly improve data ingestion performance, especially for data sources that have consistent event boundaries and do not need line merging. However, this can also result in incorrect event breaking for some data sources that have multi-line events or variable formats.

The other options are incorrect because they do not have a significant impact on data ingestion performance. Option A is incorrect because AUTO_KV_JSON is a configuration item that enables automatic key-value extraction for JSON data. It does not affect data ingestion performance, as it only applies to search-time processing. Option B is incorrect because BREAK_ONLY_BEFORE_DATE is a configuration item that controls how Splunk software breaks events based on timestamps. It does not affect data ingestion performance, as it only applies to search-time processing. Option D is incorrect because ANNOTATE_PUNCT is a configuration item that adds punctuation metadata to events for faster field extraction. It does not affect data ingestion performance, as it only applies to search-time processing. References:

• Splunk Core Consultant knowledge source documents or study guide: https://www.splunk.com/en_us/resources/splunk-certification-exam-study-guide.html
• Splunk Test Blueprint Consultant: https://www.splunk.com/en_us/pdfs/training/splunk-test-blueprint-consultant.pdf
• Configure event line merging1
• How Splunk software breaks event data into events

The input type that would be most appropriate to use in order to ensure files are ingested and then deleted afterwards is batch. The batch input type monitors a directory for files, reads each file once, and then deletes or archives the file. The batch input type is useful when the files are not continuously updated, but rather created and moved to a directory for Splunk to process. The batch input type requires that the Universal Forwarder has read/write access to the directory structure, which is the case for the customer. Therefore, the correct answer is B. Batch. References:

• Splunk Core Certified Consultant Test Blueprint
• Splunk Documentation: Monitor files and directories with inputs.conf
• Splunk Documentation: Use batch input

This is because the bucket freezing process in a clustered indexer is controlled by the cluster master, which ensures that all copies of the bucket are frozen at the same time. This way, the cluster master can maintain the consistency and availability of the data across the cluster, and avoid any conflicts or errors due to mismatched bucket states.

The other options are incorrect because they do not reflect what happens when a bucket rolls from cold to frozen on a clustered indexer. Option A is incorrect because all replicated copies will not be rolled to frozen, while original copies will remain. This would violate the replication factor and search factor settings of the cluster, and cause data loss or unavailability. Option B is incorrect because replicated copies of the bucket will not remain on all other indexers, and the cluster master will not assign a new primary bucket. This would create duplicate and outdated data in the cluster, and cause search inefficiency or inconsistency. Option D is incorrect because nothing will not happen, and replicated copies of the bucket will not remain on all other indexers until a local retention rule causes it to roll. This would create different retention policies for different copies of the same bucket, and cause data fragmentation or corruption. References:

• Splunk Core Consultant knowledge source documents or study guide: https://www.splunk.com/en_us/resources/splunk-certification-exam-study-guide.html
• Splunk Test Blueprint Consultant: https://www.splunk.com/en_us/pdfs/training/splunk-test-blueprint-consultant.pdf
• How indexer clusters handle frozen data1
• How Splunk Enterprise handles frozen data2

 The Splunk Validated Architectures (SVAs) are proven reference architectures for stable, efficient and repeatable Splunk deployments. They offer topology options that consider a wide array of organizational requirements, so the customer can easily understand and find a topology that is right for their needs. The SVAs also provide design principles and best practices to help the customer build an environment that is easier to maintain and troubleshoot. The SVAs are available on the Splunk website and can be customized using the Interactive Splunk Validated Architecture (iSVA) tool.

The other options are incorrect because they do not provide the customer with a reliable and tailored resource to help them design their new architecture. Option A is too vague and does not point the customer to a specific document or section. Option B is irrelevant and does not address the customer’s architectural needs. Option C is unreliable and does not guarantee that the customer will find a suitable solution for their requirements.

The next step after the customer provides the name of the license master is to update the Splunk PS base config license app and copy it to each indexer. The Splunk PS base config license app is a Splunk app that contains the configuration files for licensing, such as server.conf and licenses.conf. The app needs to be updated with the name of the license master in the server.conf file under the [license] stanza. Then, the app needs to be copied to each indexer in the cluster under $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps directory. This will enable the indexers to communicate with the license master and join the license pool. Therefore, the correct answer is C, update the Splunk PS base config license app and copy it to each indexer. References :=

• Configure a license manager
• Configure a license slave

This is because the Splunk App for AWS is a prebuilt app that is installed on the deployer and pushed to the search head cluster members. When a power user modifies a dashboard in the app on one of the search head cluster members, the changes are stored in the local directory of that member. When the app is upgraded to the latest version by following the instructions via the deployer, the changes in the default directory of the app are overwritten, but the changes in the local directory are preserved. Therefore, the power user will still see their modified version of the dashboard, while other users will see the updated version of the dashboard.

The other options are incorrect because they do not reflect what happens when a prebuilt app is upgraded in a search head cluster. Option A is incorrect because the updated dashboard will be deployed globally to all users, except for the power user who modified it. Option B is incorrect because applying the search head cluster bundle will not fail due to the conflict, as the local changes are not pushed back to the deployer. Option C is incorrect because the updated dashboard will not be available to the power user, as their local changes will take precedence over the default changes. References:

• Splunk Core Consultant knowledge source documents or study guide: https://www.splunk.com/en_us/resources/splunk-certification-exam-study-guide.html
• Splunk Test Blueprint Consultant: https://www.splunk.com/en_us/pdfs/training/splunk-test-blueprint-consultant.pdf
• Install a prebuilt app on a search head cluster1
• How configuration file precedence works2

 The internal Splunk authentication will take precedence over any external schemes, such as LDAP. This means that if a username exists in both $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/passwd and LDAP, the Splunk platform will attempt to log in the user using the native authentication first. If the authentication fails, and the failure is not due to a nonexistent local account, then the platform will not attempt to use LDAP to log in. If the failure is due to a nonexistent local account, then the Splunk platform will attempt a login using the LDAP authentication scheme. References:

• https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/9.1.1/Security/SetupuserauthenticationwithLDAP#Precedence_of_Splunk_authentication_schemes1
• https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/9.1.1/Security/SetupuserauthenticationwithLDAP#Precedence_of_Splunk_authentication_schemes2

The steps to ensure that the Monitoring Console (MC) is aware of the additional indexers are to use the MC setup UI, review and apply the changes. The MC setup UI is a graphical interface that allows you to configure and manage the MC instance and its data sources. When new indexers are added to an indexer cluster, the MC setup UI can detect them automatically and prompt you to review and apply the changes. This will update the MC data sources and enable the MC to monitor the new indexers. References:

• https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/9.1.1/DMC/ConfiguretheMonitoringConsole
• https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/9.1.1/DMC/Addinstances

When using SAML, user authentication occurs at the Identity Provider (IDP). The IDP is a system that verifies the user’s identity and provides a SAML assertion to the Service Provider (SP). The SP is a system that trusts the IDP and grants access to the user based on the SAML assertion. The SAML assertion contains information about the user’s identity, attributes, and authorization level. References:

• https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/products/security/what-is-saml.html6
• https://www.cloudflare.com/learning/access-management/what-is-saml/3