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According to the Splunk documentation1, a bucket within a clustered index contains two key types of files: the raw data in compressed form (rawdata) and the indexes that point to the raw data (tsidx files). A bucket can be either replicated or searchable, depending on whether it has both types of files or only the rawdata file. A replicated bucket is a bucket that has been copied from one peer node to another for the purpose of data replication. A searchable bucket is a bucket that has both the rawdata and the tsidx files, and can be searched by the search heads. The types of files that exist in a bucket within a clustered index are:

Inside a searchable bucket, there is tsidx and rawdata. This is true because a searchable bucket contains both the data and the index files, and can be searched by the search heads1.

Inside a replicated bucket, there is both tsidx and rawdata. This is true because a replicated bucket can also be a searchable bucket, if it has both the data and the index files. However, not all replicated buckets are searchable, as some of them might only have the rawdata file, depending on the replication factor and the search factor settings1.

The other options are false because:

Inside a replicated bucket, there is only rawdata. This is false because a replicated bucket can also have the tsidx file, if it is a searchable bucket. A replicated bucket only has the rawdata file if it is a non-searchable bucket, which means that it cannot be searched by the search heads until it gets the tsidx file from another peer node1.

Inside a searchable bucket, there is only tsidx. This is false because a searchable bucket always has both the tsidx and the rawdata files, as they are both required for searching the data. A searchable bucket cannot exist without the rawdata file, as it contains the actual data that the tsidx file points to1.

The following may explain the problem of why a colleague cannot see the src_ip field in their search results: The field was extracted as a private knowledge object, and the colleague did not explicitly use the field in the search and the search was set to Fast Mode. A knowledge object is a Splunk entity that applies some knowledge or intelligence to the data, such as a field extraction, a lookup, or a macro. A knowledge object can have different permissions, such as private, app, or global. A private knowledge object is only visible to the user who created it, and it cannot be shared with other users. A field extraction is a type of knowledge object that extracts fields from the raw data at index time or search time. If a field extraction is created as a private knowledge object, then only the user who created it can see the extracted field in their search results. A search mode is a setting that determines how Splunk processes and displays the search results, such as Fast, Smart, or Verbose. Fast mode is the fastest and most efficient search mode, but it also limits the number of fields and events that are displayed. Fast mode only shows the default fields, such as _time, host, source, sourcetype, and _raw, and any fields that are explicitly used in the search. If a field is not used in the search and it is not a default field, then it will not be shown in Fast mode. The events are tagged as communicate, but are missing the network tag, and the Typing Queue, which does regular expression replacements, is blocked, are not valid explanations for the problem. Tags are labels that can be applied to fields or field values to make them easier to search. Tags do not affect the visibility of fields, unless they are used as filters in the search. The Typing Queue is a component of the Splunk data pipeline that performs regular expression replacements on the data, such as replacing IP addresses with host names. The Typing Queue does not affect the field extraction process, unless it is configured to do so

 The index-time props.conf attributes that impact indexing performance are LINE_BREAKER and SHOULD_LINEMERGE. These attributes determine how Splunk breaks the incoming data into events and whether it merges multiple events into one. These operations can affect the indexing speed and the disk space consumption. The REPORT attribute does not impact indexing performance, as it is used to apply transforms at search time. The ANNOTATE_PUNCT attribute does not impact indexing performance, as it is used to add punctuation metadata to events at search time. For more information, see [About props.conf and transforms.conf] in the Splunk documentation.

 The AggregatorMiningProcessor component in the splunkd.log file will log information related to bad event breaking. The AggregatorMiningProcessor is responsible for breaking the incoming data into events and applying the props.conf settings. If there is a problem with the event breaking, such as incorrect timestamps, missing events, or merged events, the AggregatorMiningProcessor will log the error or warning messages in the splunkd.log file. The Audittrail component logs information about the audit events, such as user actions, configuration changes, and search activity. The EventBreaking component logs information about the event breaking rules, such as the LINE_BREAKER and SHOULD_LINEMERGE settings. The IndexingPipeline component logs information about the indexing pipeline, such as the parsing, routing, and indexing phases. For more information, see About Splunk Enterprise logging and [Configure event line breaking] in the Splunk documentation.

According to the Splunk documentation1, the Search Job Inspector is a tool that you can use to troubleshoot search performance and understand the behavior of knowledge objects, such as event types, tags, lookups, and so on, within the search. You can inspect search jobs that are currently running or that have finished recently. The Search Job Inspector can help you investigate error messages that appear underneath the search bar in Splunk Web, as it can show you the details of the search job, such as the search string, the search mode, the search timeline, the search log, the search profile, and the search properties. You can use this information to identify the cause of the error and fix it2. The other options are false because:

Dashboard panels showing “Waiting for queued job to start” on page load is not a problem that can be investigated using the Search Job Inspector, as it indicates that the search job has not started yet. This could be due to the search scheduler being busy or the search priority being low. You can use the Jobs page or the Monitoring Console to monitor the status of the search jobs and adjust the priority or concurrency settings if needed3.

Different users seeing different extracted fields from the same search is not a problem that can be investigated using the Search Job Inspector, as it is related to the user permissions and the knowledge object sharing settings. You can use the Access Controls page or the Knowledge Manager to manage the user roles and the knowledge object visibility4.

Events not being sorted in reverse chronological order is not a problem that can be investigated using the Search Job Inspector, as it is related to the search syntax and the sort command. You can use the Search Manual or the Search Reference to learn how to use the sort command and its options to sort the events by any field or criteria.

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

Splunk provides various methods to change the internal logging levels in a Splunk environment to troubleshoot an issue. All of the options are valid ways to do so. Option A is correct because the Monitoring Console (MC) allows the administrator to view and modify the logging levels of various Splunk components through a graphical interface. Option B is correct because the Splunk command line provides the splunk set log-level command to change the logging levels of specific components or categories. Option C is correct because the Splunk Web provides the Settings > Server settings > Server logging page to change the logging levels of various components through a web interface. Option D is correct because the log-local.cfg file allows the administrator to manually edit the logging levels of various components by overriding the default settings in the log.cfg file123

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/9.1.2/Troubleshooting/Enabledebuglogging 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/9.1.2/Admin/Serverlogging 3: https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/9.1.2/Admin/Loglocalcfg

 Syslog is a standard protocol for sending log messages from various devices and applications to a central server. Syslog can use either UDP or TCP as the transport layer protocol. UDP is faster but less reliable, as it does not guarantee delivery or order of the messages. TCP is slower but more reliable, as it ensures delivery and order of the messages. Therefore, to improve the reliability of syslog delivery to Splunk, it is recommended to use TCP syslog.

Another option to improve the reliability of syslog delivery to Splunk is to use one or more syslog servers to persist data with a Universal Forwarder to send the data to Splunk indexers. This way, the syslog servers can act as a buffer and store the data in case of network or Splunk outages. The Universal Forwarder can then forward the data to Splunk indexers when they are available.

Using a network load balancer to direct syslog traffic to active backend syslog listeners is not a reliable option, as it does not address the possibility of data loss or duplication due to network failures or Splunk outages. Configuring UDP inputs on each Splunk indexer to receive data directly is also not a reliable option, as it exposes the indexers to the network and increases the risk of data loss or duplication due to UDP limitations.

The TailingProcessor channel in the splunkd.log file would help troubleshoot this issue, because it contains information about the files that Splunk monitors and indexes, such as the file path, size, modification time, and CRC checksum. It also logs any errors or warnings that occur during the file monitoring process, such as permission issues, file rotation, or file truncation. The TailingProcessor channel can help identify if Splunk is reading the new data from the monitor input file or not, and what might be causing the problem. Option B is the correct answer. Option A is incorrect because the ModularInputs channel logs information about the modular inputs that Splunk uses to collect data from external sources, such as scripts, APIs, or custom applications. It does not log information about the monitor input file. Option C is incorrect because the ChunkedLBProcessor channel logs information about the load balancing process that Splunk uses to distribute data among multiple indexers. It does not log information about the monitor input file. Option D is incorrect because the ArchiveProcessor channel logs information about the archive process that Splunk uses to move data from the hot/warm buckets to the cold/frozen buckets. It does not log information about the monitor input file12

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/9.1.2/Troubleshooting/WhatSplunklogsaboutitself#splunkd.log 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/9.1.2/Troubleshooting/Didyouloseyourfishbucket#Check_the_splunkd.log_file

The deployer is a Splunk Enterprise instance that distributes apps and other configurations to the members of a search head cluster1.

The deployer cannot share functionality with any other Splunk Enterprise instance, including the license master, the master node, or the monitoring console2.

However, the search head cluster members can share functionality with the master node and the monitoring console, as long as they are not designated as the captain of the cluster3.

Therefore, the correct answer is B. License master, as it is the only instance that cannot share functionality with the deployer under any circumstances.