Splunk Enterprise Certified Admin Practice Test

Where is props.conf configured during the input phase?

1. Indexer

2. Search Head

3. Heavy Forwarder

4. Forwarder

The correct answer is: Forwarder

The correct approach to configuring props.conf during the input phase is on the forwarder. This is because the forwarder is responsible for gathering and preparing the raw data before it is sent to the indexer. The props.conf configuration file on the forwarder is crucial for defining how incoming data should be parsed and structured as it enters the Splunk system. Specifically, the props.conf file on the forwarder can set characteristics for the data, such as sourcetypes, field extractions, timestamp recognition, and line breaking. This early-stage configuration ensures that when data is passed to the indexer, it is already in an appropriately parsed format, reducing the processing load on the indexer. While indexers, search heads, and heavy forwarders also utilize props.conf, their roles are different. Indexers handle the indexing and searching of data rather than the initial data parsing. Search heads are primarily focused on data retrieval, query execution, and display without being directly involved in the data's initial ingestion process. Heavy forwarders, while capable of performing data manipulation, are typically used for forwarding data to indexers and may not always process the data at the input phase in the same way that universal or light forwarders do. Therefore, for input-phase configuration