Splunk Enterprise Certified Admin Practice Test

Which Splunk component manages requests from users?

1. Search Head

2. Indexer

3. Forwarder

4. Deployer

The correct answer is: Search Head

The Search Head is the Splunk component responsible for managing user requests. It serves as the interface through which users run searches and interact with the data stored in Splunk. When users submit search queries, the Search Head processes these requests and distributes them appropriately for execution. It aggregates the results from the underlying data sources and presents them to the user through the Splunk Web interface or other means, enabling data exploration, visualization, and reporting. In contrast, the Indexer primarily handles the ingestion and storage of data, indexing it for efficient searching and retrieval. The Forwarder is used to collect and send data to the Indexer or Search Head, and it does not directly manage user interactions or queries. The Deployer is meant for managing the distribution of apps and configurations across multiple Search Heads in a cluster but does not handle user requests itself. Thus, the role of the Search Head is crucial in facilitating a seamless interaction between users and the analytics capabilities of Splunk.