Process multiple copies of data using an Edge Processor

Use the branch command when you want to process or route the same initial set of data in multiple distinct ways.

The branch command does the following:

1. Creates 2 or more paths in the pipeline.
2. Copies all of the incoming data in the pipeline.
3. Sends the copied data to all of the newly created paths.

The following diagram shows how the branch command sends data to different paths in the pipeline.

Add the branch command to a pipeline

1. In the SPL2 editor, replace the | into $destination; command with the following:

   | branch 
       [<processing_commands> | into <destination1>],
       [<processing_commands> | into <destination2>],
       [<processing_commands> | into <destination3>];
   

   This syntax creates 3 pipeline paths, but you can include more or fewer paths as necessary. The placeholders are defined as follows:

   • <processing_commands> is one or more SPL2 commands for processing the data in the given pipeline path. Each command must be delimited by a pipe ( | ). If you don't want to make any changes to the data, you can leave this part empty.
   • <destination> is an SPL2 variable indicating the destination that you want to send the copied data to. SPL2 variables must begin with a dollar sign ( $ ) and can be composed of uppercase or lowercase letters, numbers, and the underscore ( _ ) character.

   For example:

   $pipeline = | from $source
   | branch 
       [ | eval index="buttercup" | into $first_destination],
       [ | eval index="splunk" | into $second_destination],
       [ | eval index="cisco" | into $third_destination];
   

2. For each <destination> variable in the pipeline, do the following:
   1. In the Actions section of the pipeline builder, select Send data to <destination>, where <destination> is the SPL2 variable that you specified.
   2. Select the destination that you want to send the data to, and then select Apply.
3. (Optional) Select the Preview Pipeline icon () to generate a preview that shows what your data looks like when it passes through the pipeline. In the preview results panel, use the drop-down list to select the pipeline path that you want to preview.

Example: Process and route the same logs in 3 different ways

In this example, your Edge Processor is receiving Cisco syslog data such as the following:

<13>Jan 09 01:54:40 10.10.232.91 : %ASA-3-505016: Module Sample_prod_id3 in slot 1 application changed from: sample_app2 version 1.1.0 state Sample_state1 to: Sample_server_name2 1.1.0 state Sample_state1.
<19>Jan 09 01:54:40 10.10.136.129 : %ASA-1-505015: Module Sample_prod_id2 in slot 1 , application up sample_app2 , version 1.1.0
<91>Jan 09 01:54:40 10.10.144.67 : %FTD-5-505012: Module Sample_prod_id1 in slot 1 , application stopped sample_app1 , version 2.2.1
<101>Jan 09 01:54:40 10.10.219.51 : %FTD-1-505011: Module 10.10.94.98 , data channel communication is UP.

Assume that you want to do the following:

1. Extract IP addresses to a dedicated field, and then obfuscate the values so that they aren't directly readable by humans.
2. Process and route 3 copies of this data in different ways, as follows:

   Pipeline path	Actions
   1	Mask the IP address in the _raw field. Send the data to Amazon S3 bucket.
   2	Extract the log message number to a field named msg_num. Drop the _raw field. Send the data to an index named cisco_msg_num in a Splunk Enterprise instance.
   3	Extract the severity level of the log to a field named severity. Drop the _raw field. Send the data to an index named cisco_severity in a Splunk Cloud Platform deployment.

You can achieve this by creating a pipeline that extracts and obfuscates the IP address, and then uses the branch command to create 3 pipeline paths. Then, in each path, add the necessary SPL2 commands to complete the data processing actions described in each table row. The following diagram shows the commands that this pipeline contains and how the data gets processed as it moves through the pipeline:

To create this pipeline, do the following:

1. On the Pipelines page, select New pipeline. Follow the on-screen instructions to define a partition and optionally enter sample data. Skip the step for selecting a data destination.
   After you complete the on-screen instructions, the pipeline builder displays the SPL2 statement for your pipeline.
2. Extract the IP addresses from the logs to a field named ip_address.
   1. In the Actions section, select the plus icon () and then select Extract fields from _raw.
   2. Select Insert from library, and then select IPv4WithOptionalPort.
   3. In the Regular expression field, change the name of the capture group from IPv4WithOptionalPort to ip_address. The updated regular expression looks like this:

      (?P<ip_address>(((?:2(?:5[0-5]|[0-4][0-9])|[0-1][0-9][0-9]|[0-9][0-9]?)(?:\.(?:2(?:5[0-5]|[0-4][0-9])|[0-1][0-9][0-9]|[0-9][0-9]?)){3}))(?::(?:[1-9][0-9]*))?)
      

   4. Select Apply.

   The pipeline builder adds the following rex command to your pipeline:

   | rex field=_raw /(?P<ip_address>(((?:2(?:5[0-5]|[0-4][0-9])|[0-1][0-9][0-9]|[0-9][0-9]?)(?:\.(?:2(?:5[0-5]|[0-4][0-9])|[0-1][0-9][0-9]|[0-9][0-9]?)){3}))(?::(?:[1-9][0-9]*))?)/
   

3. Obfuscate the IP addresses.
   • In the Actions section, select the plus icon () and then select Compute hash of.
   • In the Compute hash of a field dialog box, configure the following options and then select Apply.

     Option name	Enter or select the following
     Source field	ip_address
     Hashing algorithm	SHA-256
     Target field	ip_address

     The pipeline builder adds the following eval command to your pipeline:

     | eval ip_address = sha256(ip_address)
     

   The preview results panel shows data that looks like the following. Note that the original IP addresses are still visible in the _raw field.

   _raw	ip_address
   <13>Jan 09 01:54:40 10.10.232.91 : %ASA-3-505016: Module Sample_prod_id3 in slot 1 application changed from: sample_app2 version 1.1.0 state Sample_state1 to: Sample_server_name2 1.1.0 state Sample_state1.	646e8e63709c12d8217a18531e72c4d1d84df4f1766d982d312eb012ead1026b
   <19>Jan 09 01:54:40 10.10.136.129 : %ASA-1-505015: Module Sample_prod_id2 in slot 1 , application up sample_app2 , version 1.1.0	7c1fce7e82260857a7863778c573abc500e1859fce122c4556936fd6c0480eed
   <91>Jan 09 01:54:40 10.10.144.67 : %FTD-5-505012: Module Sample_prod_id1 in slot 1 , application stopped sample_app1 , version 2.2.1	e6736cc2f5f06144c16ad670e2e729a966aba3f1be84b9f21d17e06cfa42f99a
   <101>Jan 09 01:54:40 10.10.219.51 : %FTD-1-505011: Module 10.10.94.98 , data channel communication is UP.	be4b991dd91306c3a451154e81ff74e48508989af4c67fec2129b1c85bdb15c4

4. Use a branch command to process and route this set of data in 3 different ways. In the SPL2 editor, replace the | into $destination command with a branch command using this format:

   | branch 
       [<processing_commands> | into $destination1],
       [<processing_commands> | into $destination2],
       [<processing_commands> | into $destination3];
   

   Because each pipeline path is sending data to a different destination, each path ends with its own into command, and the | into $destination command that the pipeline builder included by default is no longer needed.

   To complete the 3 sets of data processing actions that were described at the beginning of this example, you would need to configure the following commands in each pipeline path:

   Pipeline path	Actions	SPL2 commands
   1	Mask the IP address in the _raw field.	| eval _raw=replace(_raw, /<(?P<priority>.*)>(?P<month>[A-z]{3})\s(?P<date>[0-9]{2}?)\s(?P<time>[0-9]+:[0-9]+:[0-9]+)\s(?P<hostname>(([0-9]|[1-9][0-9]|1[0-9]{2}|2[0-4][0-9]|25[0-5]).){3}([0-9]|[1-9][0-9]|1[0-9]{2}|2[0-4][0-9]|25[0-5]))\s:\s(?P<body>.*)/, "<\\1> \\2 \\3 \\4 x.x.x.x \\9")
   2	Extract the log message number to a field named msg_num. Drop the _raw field. Send the data to an index named cisco_msg_num.	| rex field=_raw /(?P<msg_num>(%ASA|%FTD)-\d+-\d+)/ | fields - _raw | eval index="cisco_msg_num"
   3	Extract the severity level of the log to a field named severity. Drop the _raw field. Send the data to an index named cisco_severity.	| rex field=_raw /(%ASA|%FTD)-(?P<severity>\d)/ | fields - _raw | eval index="cisco_severity"

   The completed branch command looks like this:

   | branch 
       [| eval _raw=replace(_raw, /<(?P<priority>.*)>(?P<month>[A-z]{3})\s(?P<date>[0-9]{2}?)\s(?P<time>[0-9]+:[0-9]+:[0-9]+)\s(?P<hostname>(([0-9]|[1-9][0-9]|1[0-9]{2}|2[0-4][0-9]|25[0-5]).){3}([0-9]|[1-9][0-9]|1[0-9]{2}|2[0-4][0-9]|25[0-5]))\s:\s(?P<body>.*)/, "<\\1> \\2 \\3 \\4 x.x.x.x \\9")
   | into $destination1
   ],
       [| rex field=_raw /(?P<msg_num>(%ASA|%FTD)-\d+-\d+)/
   | fields - _raw
   | eval index="cisco_msg_num"
   | into $destination2
   ],
       [| rex field=_raw /(%ASA|%FTD)-(?P<severity>\d)/
   | fields - _raw
   | eval index="cisco_severity"
   | into $destination3
   ];
   

5. In the Actions section of the pipeline builder, do the following:
   • Select Send data to $destination1. Select an Amazon S3 destination for the first set of processed data, and then select Apply.
   • Select Send data to $destination2. Select a Splunk Enterprise destination for the second set of processed data, and then select Apply.
   • Select Send data to $destination3. Select a Splunk Cloud Platform destination for the third set of processed data, and then select Apply.

You now have a pipeline that sends 3 differently processed sets of data to 3 different destinations. You can use the preview results panel to confirm the data that is sent to each destination.

Set the drop-down list to $destination1 to confirm that the following logs will be sent to Amazon S3:

_raw	ip_address
<13>Jan 09 01:54:40 x.x.x.x : %ASA-3-505016: Module Sample_prod_id3 in slot 1 application changed from: sample_app2 version 1.1.0 state Sample_state1 to: Sample_server_name2 1.1.0 state Sample_state1.	646e8e63709c12d8217a18531e72c4d1d84df4f1766d982d312eb012ead1026b
<19>Jan 09 01:54:40 x.x.x.x : %ASA-1-505015: Module Sample_prod_id2 in slot 1 , application up sample_app2 , version 1.1.0	7c1fce7e82260857a7863778c573abc500e1859fce122c4556936fd6c0480eed
<91>Jan 09 01:54:40 x.x.x.x : %FTD-5-505012: Module Sample_prod_id1 in slot 1 , application stopped sample_app1 , version 2.2.1	e6736cc2f5f06144c16ad670e2e729a966aba3f1be84b9f21d17e06cfa42f99a
<101>Jan 09 01:54:40 x.x.x.x : %FTD-1-505011: Module 10.10.94.98 , data channel communication is UP.	be4b991dd91306c3a451154e81ff74e48508989af4c67fec2129b1c85bdb15c4

Set the drop-down list to $destination2 to confirm that the following logs will be sent to Splunk Enterprise:

index	ip_address	msg_num
cisco_msg_num	646e8e63709c12d8217a18531e72c4d1d84df4f1766d982d312eb012ead1026b	%ASA-3-505016
cisco_msg_num	7c1fce7e82260857a7863778c573abc500e1859fce122c4556936fd6c0480eed	%ASA-1-505015
cisco_msg_num	e6736cc2f5f06144c16ad670e2e729a966aba3f1be84b9f21d17e06cfa42f99a	%FTD-5-505012
cisco_msg_num	be4b991dd91306c3a451154e81ff74e48508989af4c67fec2129b1c85bdb15c4	%FTD-1-505011

Set the drop-down list to $destination3 to confirm that the following logs will be sent to Splunk Cloud Platform:

index	ip_address	severity
cisco_severity	646e8e63709c12d8217a18531e72c4d1d84df4f1766d982d312eb012ead1026b	3
cisco_severity	7c1fce7e82260857a7863778c573abc500e1859fce122c4556936fd6c0480eed	1
cisco_severity	e6736cc2f5f06144c16ad670e2e729a966aba3f1be84b9f21d17e06cfa42f99a	5
cisco_severity	be4b991dd91306c3a451154e81ff74e48508989af4c67fec2129b1c85bdb15c4	1

The complete SPL2 statement of the pipeline looks like this:

$pipeline = | from $source | rex field=_raw /(?P<ip_address>(((?:2(?:5[0-5]|[0-4][0-9])|[0-1][0-9][0-9]|[0-9][0-9]?)(?:\.(?:2(?:5[0-5]|[0-4][0-9])|[0-1][0-9][0-9]|[0-9][0-9]?)){3}))(?::(?:[1-9][0-9]*))?)/
| eval ip_address = sha256(ip_address)
| branch 
    [| eval _raw=replace(_raw, /<(?P<priority>.*)>(?P<month>[A-z]{3})\s(?P<date>[0-9]{2}?)\s(?P<time>[0-9]+:[0-9]+:[0-9]+)\s(?P<hostname>(([0-9]|[1-9][0-9]|1[0-9]{2}|2[0-4][0-9]|25[0-5]).){3}([0-9]|[1-9][0-9]|1[0-9]{2}|2[0-4][0-9]|25[0-5]))\s:\s(?P<body>.*)/, "<\\1> \\2 \\3 \\4 x.x.x.x \\9")
| into $destination1
],
    [| rex field=_raw /(?P<msg_num>(%ASA|%FTD)-\d+-\d+)/
| fields - _raw
| eval index="cisco_msg_num"
| into $destination2
],
    [| rex field=_raw /(%ASA|%FTD)-(?P<severity>\d)/
| fields - _raw
| eval index="cisco_severity"
| into $destination3
];

See also

For information about other ways to route data, see Routing data in the same Edge Processor pipeline to different actions and destinations.