Splunk Enterprise Certified Admin Practice Test

Which component is responsible for collecting and forwarding data to Splunk indexers?

1. Heavy Forwarder

2. Universal Forwarder

3. Search Head

4. Indexing Pipeline

The correct answer is: Universal Forwarder

The Universal Forwarder is the correct answer because it is specifically designed for data collection and forwarding in a Splunk environment. This lightweight agent is installed on the machines from which you want to collect data. Its primary role is to gather logs and other relevant data and then send that data to one or more Splunk indexers for indexing and storage. By using a Universal Forwarder, organizations can efficiently collect data from numerous sources, including servers and endpoints, and streamline the process of sending that data to the indexers without adding significant load to the source machine. This enables centralized data management and analysis in Splunk. In contrast, a Heavy Forwarder is more resource-intensive and is typically used when data needs to be pre-processed or modified before sending it to the indexers. This may not be necessary for all environments, making the Universal Forwarder a more common choice for simply collecting and forwarding data. The Search Head, on the other hand, is responsible for handling user queries and providing access to search capabilities rather than collecting data. Lastly, the Indexing Pipeline deals with the processing of incoming data within the indexers, but it does not play a role in data collection or forwarding. Thus, the Universal Forwarder is the most appropriate component for