These 50+ Splunk Interview Questions and Answers are specially shortlisted by SV Trainings. All these 50+ Interview FAQs are for beginners and experts as well.
Splunk Interview Questions and Answers
1. Define Splunk
It is a software technology that is used for searching, visualizing, and monitoring machine-generated big data. It monitors and different types of log files and stores data in Indexers.
2. Explain Splunk components
The fundamental components of Splunk are:
- Universal forward: It is a lightweight component which inserts data to Splunk forwarder.
- Heavy forward: It is a heavy component that allows you to filter the required data.
- Search head: This component is used to gain intelligence and perform reporting.
- License manager: The license is based on volume & usage. It allows you to use 50 GB per day. Splunk regular checks the licensing details.
- Load Balancer: In addition to the functionality of default Splunk loader, it also enables you to use your personalized load balancer.
3. What are the disadvantages of using Splunk?
Some disadvantages of using Splunk tool are:
- Splunk can prove expensive for large data volumes.
- Dashboards are functional but not as effective as some other monitoring tools.
- Its learning curve is stiff, and you need Splunk training as it’s a multi-tier architecture. So, you need to spend lots of time to learn this tool.
- Searches are difficult to understand, especially regular expressions and search syntax.
4. What is the importance of license master in Splunk?
License master in Splunk ensures that the right amount of data gets indexed. It ensures that the environment remains within the limits of the purchased volume as Splunk license depends on the data volume, which comes to the platform within a 24-hour window.
5. Explain license violation in Splunk.
It is a warning error that occurs when you exceed the data limit. This warning error will persist for 14 days. In a commercial license, you may have 5 warnings within a 1-month rolling window before which your Indexer search results and reports stop triggering.
However, in a free version, license violation warning shows only 3 counts of warning.
6. Explain map-reduce algorithm
Map-reduce algorithm is a technique used by Splunk to increase data searching speed. It is inspired by two functional programming functions 1) reduce () 2) map().
Here map() function is associated with Mapper class and reduce() function is associated with a Reducer class.
7. How Splunk avoids duplicate log indexing?
Splunk allows you to keeps track of indexed events in a fish buckets directory. It contains CRCs and seeks pointers for the files you are indexing, so Splunk can’t if it has read them already.
8. Explain search factor and replication factor?
Search factor determines the number of data maintained by the indexer cluster. It determines the number of searchable copies available in the bucket.
Replication factor determines the number of copies maintained by the cluster as well as the number of copies that each site maintains.
9. Explain default fields for an event in Splunk
There are 5 default fields which are barcoded with every event into Splunk. They are: 1) host, 2) source, 3) source type, 4) index, and 5) timestamp.
10. What do you mean by summary index?
A summary index is a special index that stores that result calculated by Splunk. It is a fast and cheap way to run a query over a longer period of time.
11. Define Splunk DB connect
It is a SQL database plugin which enables to import tables, rows, and columns from a database add the database. Splunk DB connect helps in providing reliable and scalable integration between databases and Splunk Enterprises.
12. What is the function of Alert Manager?
The alert manager adds workflow to Splunk. The purpose of alert manager o provides a common app with dashboards to search for alerts or events.
13. What is the difference between Index time and Search time?
Index time is a period when the data is consumed and the point when it is written to disk. Search time take place while the search is run as events are composed by the search.
14. Name the command which is used to the “filtering results” category
The command which is used to the “filtering results” category is: “where,” “Sort,” “rex,” and “search.”
15. List out the number of categories of the SPL commands.
The SPL commands are classified into five categories:
1) Filtering Results, 2) Sorting Results, 3) Filtering Grouping Results, 4) Adding Fields, and 5) Reporting Results
16. Name commands which are included in the reporting results category
Following are the commands which are included in the reporting results category:
- Rare
- Chart
- time chart
- Top
- Stats
17. What is a replace command?
This command searches and replaces specified field values with replacement values.
18. What is a null queue?
A null queue is an approach to filter out unwanted incoming events sent by Splunk enterprise.
19. What is the main difference between source & source type?
The source identifies as a source of the event which a particular event originates, while the sourcetype determines how Splunk processes the incoming data stream into events according to its nature.
20. How to start and stop Splunk service?
To start and stop Splunk serives use can use following commands:
./splunk start
./splunk stop
21. What is the difference between stats and timechart command?
| Parameter | Stats | Timechart |
| Purpose | They are used to represent numerical data in tabular format. | Timechart is used to represent search result in a graphical view. |
| Fields usage | Stats can use more than one field. | It uses _time as default field in the graph. |
22. What is Time Zone property in Splunk?
Time zone property provides the output for a specific time zone. Splunk takes the default time zone from browser settings. The browser takes the current time zone from the computer system, which is currently in use. Splunk takes that time zone when users are searching and correlating bulk data coming from other sources.
23. How to install forwarder remotely?
You can make use of a bash script in order to install forwarder remotely.
24. How to monitor forwarders?
Use the forwarder tab available on the DMC (Distributed Management Console) to monitor the status of forwarders and the deployment server to manage them.
25. Name Splunk alternatives
Some Splunk alternatives are:
- Sumo logic
- Loglogic
- Loggy
- Logstash
26. What do you mean by deployer in Splunk?
Deployer is a Splunk enterprise instant which is used to deploy apps to the cluster head. It can also be used to configure information for app and user.
27. What is a stat command?
It is a Splunk command that is used to arrange report data in tabular format.
28. What is input lookup command?
This Splunk command returns lookup table in the search result.
29. List out various stages of bucket lifecycle
Stages of bucket lifecycle are as follows:
- Hot
- Warm
- Cold
- Frozen
- Thawed
30. Explain the distinction between Splunk and Spark
| Parameter | Splunk | Spark |
| Purpose | Collect a large amount of computer-generated data. | Used for big data processing |
| Preference | Can be integrated easily with Hadoop | It is more preferred and can be used with apache projects. |
| Mode | Streaming mode | Streaming as well as batch mode |
31. What are three versions if Splunk?
Splunk is available in three different versions. These versions are 1) Splunk enterprise, 2) Splunk light, 3) Splunk cloud.
- Splunk enterprise: Splunk Enterprise edition is used by many IT organizations. It helps you to analyze the data from various websites and applications.
- Splunk cloud: Splunk Cloud is a SaaS (Software as a Service) It offers almost similar features as the enterprise version, including APIs, SDKs, and apps.
- Splunk light: Splunk light is a free version which allows, to make a report, search and edit your log data. Splunk light version has limited functionalities and features compared to other versions.
32. What is SLP?
Search Processing Language or SLP is a language which contains functions, commands, and arguments. It is used to get the desired output from the database.
33. Name the domain in which knowledge objects can be used
Following are a few domains in which knowledge objects can be used:
- Application Monitoring
- Employee Management
- Physical Security
- Network Security
34. Are search terms in Splunk case sensitive?
No, Search terms in Splunk are not case sensitive.
35. List out layout options for search results.
Following are a few layout options for search result:
- List
- Table
- Raw
36. Explain types of Boolean operators in Splunk
Splunk supports three types of Boolean operators; they are:
- AND: It is implied between two terms, so you do not need to write it.
- OR: It determines that either one of the two arguments should be true.
- NOT: used to filter out events having a specific word.
37. What is the use of stats command?
It calculates aggregate statistics over a dataset, such as count, sum, and average.
38. List various types of Splunk dashboards.
- Dynamic form-based dashboards
- Dashboards as scheduled reports
- Real time dashboards
39. How to increase the size of Splunk data storage?
In order to increase the size of data storage, you can either add more space to index or add more indexers.
40. Define dispatch directory in Splunk?
Dispatch directory stores status like running or completed.
41. What do you mean by source type in Splunk?
Source field is a default field that finds the data structure of an event. It determines how Splunk formats the data while indexing.
42. List out some Splunk search commands
Following are some search commands available in Splunk:
- Abstract
- Erex
- Addtotals
- Accum
- Filldown
- Typer
- Rename
- Anomalies
43. What is the use of spath command?
spath command is used to extract fields from structured data formats like JSON and XML.
44. Where to create knowledge objects, dashboards, and reports?
You can create knowledge, objects, reports, and dashboards in reporting and search app.
45. How to remove duplicate events having common values?
Use dedup command to remove duplicate events having common values.
46. Define reports in Splunk
They are results saved from a search action that shows the visualization and statistic of a particular event.
47. What is the use of instant pivot in Splunk?
It is used to work with data without creating any data model.
Instant pivot is available to all users.
48. What is the full form of LDAP?
LDAP stands for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol
49. Define search head clustering
It is a group of Splunk enterprise search heads that serves as a central resource for searching.
50. Explain Splunk SDKs
Splunk SDKs are written on the base of Splunk REST APIs. Various languages supported by SDKs are: 1) Java, 2) Python, 3) JavaScript, and 4) C#.
51. What is security accelerate data model in Splunk?
Splunk Enterprise Security accelerates data model provides a panel, dashboard, and correlation search results. It uses the indexers for processing and storage. The accelerated data is stored within each index by default.
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