Deprecated and removed in version 9.0

This page lists features, computing platforms, and browsers for which Splunk Inc. has deprecated or removed support in version 9.0 of the Splunk platform.

What does "deprecated" mean?

Deprecated features, platforms, and browsers continue to work and Splunk supports them until support is removed. However, customers need to begin planning now for the future removal of support.

What does "removed" mean?

When Splunk removes support for a feature, platform, or browser it means that the feature, platform, or browser no longer works with the Splunk platform and customers must find an alternative.

Deprecated features in version 9.0

The following table summarizes the features that are deprecated. These features continue to be supported, but Splunk reminds customers that deprecated features might be removed in a future release.

Newly deprecated in this version	What do I need to know?	First deprecated
Splunk-To-Splunk (S2S) Protocol V3 and lower	Splunk-To-Splunk (S2S) Protocol V3 and lower are deprecated. Splunk will remove support for these protocol versions in a future maintenance release of version 9.0. S2S V3 and lower are used in Splunk Forwarders versions 5.x and lower. These Forwarders must be upgraded. Splunk Forwarders version 6.x and higher use S2S V4 by default and and are not affected by this change.	Version 9.0.0
The audit command	The audit command is deprecated and disabled by default.	Version 9.0.0
The createrss command	The createrss command is deprecated and disabled by default.	Version 9.0.0
The file command	The file command is deprecated and disabled by default.	Version 9.0.0
The _reload action with the rest search command	Use of the _reload action with the rest command is deprecated. Do not use the _reload action with the rest command.	Version 9.0.0
Version 1 of Semantic Versioned endpoints for search	Select version 1.0 Rest API endpoints for search are deprecated. New Semantic Versioned Rest API endpoints for search are being introduced to improve platform contracts and resiliency to platform updates. Customers and app developers should update usage of these endpoints to the new API version, Search API version 2.0, and stop using Search API version 1 endpoints. See Semantic API versioning in the Splunk Enterprise REST API Reference Manual.	Version 9.0.1
Still deprecated in this version	What do I need to know?	First deprecated
The $SPLUNK_HOME/bin/srm (secure remove file) binary executable file	This binary executable, which removes files securely using a number of algorithms, was added in the version 6.0 release so that Splunk Enterprise could comply with Common Criteria requirements. Current Common Criteria guidelines preclude the need for the file, thus it has been deprecated and will likely be removed in a future release.	Version 8.2.0
Support of HTML dashboards	Support of HTML dashboards has been deprecated. Use Dashboard Studio to rebuild and configure dashboards.	Version 8.2.0
The msearch command	The msearch command is replaced with the mpreview command.	Version 8.1.0
The tscollect command	The tscollect command relies on time-series index (tsidx) files in namespaces that reside on individual search heads and are incompatible with search head clustering. This feature has been superseded by data models, which reside on the indexer and are more performant. Data models are accessible from any search head. See Accelerate data models in the Knowledge Manager Manual.	Version 7.3.0
literals.conf	Use of literals.conf has been deprecated. Use messages.conf to modify notifications that display in Splunk Web.	Version 7.2.2
The static/app-packages endpoint	This endpoint has been deprecated and might be removed entirely in a future release.	Version 6.6.x.
Element-level refresh interval	The element-level refresh interval option <option name="refresh.auto.interval"> has been replaced with more robust refresh controls to set both the interval/delay as well as the display type.	Version 6.5.x
HeaderView and FooterView in the Splunk Web Framework	HeaderView and FooterView are replaced by LayoutView.	Version 6.5.x
Dashboard Framework: Dual support for option height configuration	Splunk has deprecated dual support for option height configuration as "100px" and "100".	Version 6.4.x
Dashboard Framework: Selected attributes of <single>	Splunk has deprecated the following attributes of <single>: additionalClass classField beforeLabel afterLabel linkFields linkSearch linkView	Version 6.4.x
Simple XML <seed> tag	In Simple XML <form></form> code blocks, use <initialValue> instead of <seed>.	Version 6.3.x
Simple XML <option name = "previewResults"> tag	This tag has been deprecated and might be removed entirely in a future release.	Version 6.3.x
"Run a Script" alert action	Use the custom alert action framework introduced in Splunk platform 6.3.	Version 6.3.x
Simple XML charting.axisLabelsY.majorLabelVisibility and charting.axisLabelsY.majorTickSize attributes of the <chart> tag	These attributes have been deprecated and might be removed entirely in a future release.	Version 6.3.x
Search Head Pooling over the Network File System (NFS) protocol	As an alternative, configure search head clustering.	Version 6.2.x
Simple XML row grouping	Row grouping is replaced by the <panel> node in Simple XML.	Version 6.2.x
Simple XML <searchString>, <searchTemplate>, <searchName>, and <searchPostProcess> elements	These elements are replaced by the new <search> element.	Version 6.2.x
Simple XML <earliestTime> and <latestTime> elements	These elements are replaced by <earliest> and <latest> elements.	Version 6.2.x
Simple XML <populatingSearch> and <populatingSavedSearch> elements	These elements are replaced by the <search> element.	Version 6.2.x
Simple XML link attributes <link field="..."> and <link series="..."> used in drilldown to constrain an action to a certain field	These elements are replaced by the <condition field="..."> element.	Version 6.2.x
The datamodel/acceleration REST endpoint	This endpoint has been deprecated and might be removed entirely in a future release.	Version 6.1.x
license_audit.log	Use license_usage.log instead.	Version 6.0.x
The SplunkLightForwarder app	Use a universal forwarder instead. If you are using an app that still requires the light forwarder, see Deploy a light forwarder in the Forwarding Data manual.	Version 6.0.x
Pre-trained CSV and IIS sourcetypes using the CHECK_FOR_HEADER attribute	Use the INDEXED_EXTRACTIONS and associated attributes instead.	Version 6.0.x
The ability to deploy in multi-tenant environments using tenants.conf on a deployment server	This feature has been deprecated and might be removed in a future release.	Version 6.0.x
The capability for a deployment server to be a deployment client of itself	This feature was disabled in version 6.0.x. It is deprecated and might be removed in a future release.	Version 6.0.x
FSchange monitor	Use auditd and monitor the file output on *nix, or enable auditing of the Security Event Log and monitor file access events on Windows. See Monitor file system changes in Getting Data In.	Version 5.x
Saved searches used within event types	This feature has been deprecated and might be removed in a future release.	Version 5.x
Event type auto-discovery	This feature has been deprecated and might be removed in a future release.	Version 5.x
Distributed block signing and event hashing	This feature has been deprecated and might be removed in a future release.	Version 5.x
CHECK_FOR_HEADER props.conf attribute (for index-time field extractions)	This feature has been deprecated and might be removed in a future release.	Version 5.x
entity.setEntity Python SDK function	This feature has been deprecated and might be removed in a future release.	Version 5.x
The setfields command	The setfields command is deprecated.	Version 5.x
The folderize command	The folderize command is deprecated.	Version 4.2

Removed features in version 9.0

Splunk has removed the following features in version 9.0. Customers must immediately find alternatives.

Removed in this version	What do I need to know?	First deprecated
The etc/searchscripts directory	Support for the etc/searchscripts directory has been removed. All search commands must now be declared in the commands.conf file.	Version 5.x
Python 2	Python 2 is removed from Splunk Enterprise 9.0.0. force_python3 is now the default setting for python.version in server.conf. In Splunk Enterprise 9.0.0, force_python3 and python3 are the only valid settings.
Data Fabric Search	Data Fabric Search (DFS) and all associated server-side components are removed. Upgrading to Splunk Enterprise 9.0 removes DFS functionality.	DFS Version 1.1
The config_change_audit stanza that was added to server.conf in version 8.2 is removed.	Use the new config_change_tracker stanza that was added to server.conf in version 9.0.	n/a
The _configaudit index that was added in version 8.2 is removed.	Use the new _configtracker index that was added in version 9.0.	n/a

Platform support changes in version 9.0

The following tables summarize the deprecation and removal of support for specific operating systems and file systems in this version of Splunk Enterprise.

For complete information on supported platforms, see System requirements for use of Splunk Enterprise on-premises in the Splunk Enterprise Installation Manual.

Deprecated operating systems in version 9.0

The following table summarizes the deprecated operating systems in this version of Splunk Enterprise. A blank cell or an unlisted operating system indicates there is no change to support in this version.

Operating system	Splunk Enterprise with an Enterprise license	Splunk Enterprise with a Free or Trial license	Universal forwarder
Windows Server 2016	Deprecated	Deprecated
macOS 10.14		Deprecated
macOS 10.15		Deprecated

Removed operating systems in version 9.0

The following table summarizes the removal of support for specific operating systems in this version of Splunk Enterprise. A blank cell or an unlisted operating system indicates there is no change to support in this version.

Operating system	Splunk Enterprise with an Enterprise license	Splunk Enterprise with a Free or Trial license	Universal forwarder
Linux Kernel 2.6 x86-64	Removed	Removed	Removed
z/Linux, kernel version 2.6			Removed
PowerLinux, Little Endian kernel version 2.6			Removed
macOS 10.14			Removed

Deprecated file systems in version 9.0

None.

Removed file systems in version 9.0

None.

Browser support changes in version 9.0

The following sections summarize the deprecation and removal of support for specific browsers in this version of the Splunk platform.

Deprecated browser support in version 9.0

None.

Removed browser support in version 9.0

None.