Add Input Configurations

Add Input Configurations

These parameters add or reconfigure input sources from which the Splunk Server will access and index data.

Filename

• inputs.conf (within any subdirectory of $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/bundles/)

Format

[<inputtype>:<path>]
attribute1 = val1
attribute2 = val2
...

Any attributes not specified will be set to the values for the [default] entry.

Input Types

Tail File

This directs splunk to use the tail file input module to watch all files in the <path>, or just <path> if it represents a single file.

Batch File

Same as tail file, except Splunk uses the batch file input module.

FIFO

This directs splunk to read from the fifo at the specified path.

TCP

This configures splunk to listen on the specified port. If a connection is made from <remote server>, this stanza is used to configure the input. If <remote server> is blank, this stanza matches all connections on the specified port.

UDP

Similar to TCP, except that it listens on a UDP port.

Splunk-2-Splunk

This is the same as TCP, except the remote server is assumed to be a splunk server. For splunktcp, the host or connection_host will be used if the remote splunk server does not set a host, or if the host is set to host::localhost.

ODBC

This will run the SQL command "SELECT * FROM " on a regular basis. For each returned row, a new event will be created with the raw text being a comma separated list of column name=column value.

Attributes

Every input type has these possible options:

• host = <string>

This is a shortcut for MetaData:Host = <string>. It sets the host of events from this input to be the specified string. "host::" is automatically prepended to the value when this shortcut is used.

• index = <string>

This is a shortcut for _MetaData:Index = <string>. It sets the index where events from this input will be stored.

• source = <string>

This is a shortcut for MetaData:Source = <string>. It sets the source name of events from this input to be the specified string. "source::" is automatically prepended to the value when this shortcut is used.

• sourcetype = <string>

This is a shortcut for MetaData:Sourcetype = <string>. It sets the source type name of events from this input to be the specified string. "sourcetype::" is automatically prepended to the value when this shortcut is used.

• reportinghost = <string>

This is a shortcut for Reportinghost = <string>. It sets the reporting host name of events from this input to be the specified string. "reportinghost::" is automatically prepended to the value when this shortcut is used.

• <KEY> = <string>

This generically associates <string> with <KEY> for all events from this input.

Additional Attributes

Each input type has additional attributes specific to the type:

Tail

• host_regex = <regular expression>

If specified, the tail file input module will use the specified regualar expression to extract the host from the filename of each input. Specifically the first group of the regex is used as the host. If the regex fails to match, the "host =" attribute is used as the host.

• host_segment = <integer>

If specified, the tail file input module will use the specified '/' separated segment of the path as the host of each input. If the value is not an integer, or is less than 1, the "host =" attribute is used as the host.

• _whitelist = <regular expression>

If specified, files from this path will be tailed only if they match the specified regular expression.

• _blacklist = <regular expression>

If specified, files from this path will not be tailed if they match the specified regular expression. If a file is inadvertently specified for both _whitelist and _blacklist, _blacklist prevails and the file will not be tailed.

Batch

• move_policy = {passive_symlink, passive_copy, sinkhole} (passive_symlink)

This specifies the policy to be used to handle the files. The "sinkhole" policy will delete the files as they are read, while the other two methods will link or copy the files into a separate directory.

• host_regex (see Tail)
• host_segment (see Tail)

Batch input ignores these parameters.

• source
• <KEY>

UDP

• connection_host = {ip,dns,<string>} (ip)

The UDP input processor will rewrite the host with the ip address of the remote server if "ip" is set, the DNS name of the remote server if "dns" is set, and will do nothing to the host for any other string.

Splunk-2-Splunk

• queue = <string> (parsingQueue)

This specifies where the TCP input processor should deposit the events that it reads.

ODBC

• dsn = <string>

This specifies the DSN in which to find the table. It is required.

Examples

The following are example UDP input configurations. To use one of these configurations, copy the configuration block into inputs.conf in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/bundles/local/inputs.conf

This configuration directs the server to listen on UDP port 514 for raw data from ANY remote server. The "host" of the data will be set as the IP address of the remote server.

[udp::514]

This configuration directs the server to listen on UDP port 9995 for raw data from ANY remote server. The "host" of the data will be set as the host name of the remote server. All data will also be assigned the sourcetype "log4j" and the source "UDP:9995"

[udp::9995]
connection_host = dns
sourcetype = log4j
source = udp:9995

This configuration directs the server to listen on UDP port 9994 for raw data from 10.1.1.10. All data will be assigned the

host "webhead-1", the sourcetype "access_common" and the the source "10.1.1.10/var/log/apache/access.log"

[udp:10.1.1.10:9994]
host = webhead-1
sourcetype = access_common
source = 10.1.1.10/var/log/apache/access.log

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