Splunk .conf Partner Rate: Deploying LDAP Configuration for Search Heads

When integrating search heads with an external Active Directory server using Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), it's essential to understand the correct method for deploying the configuration to the servers. In this scenario, the most appropriate approach is to use 'splunk .conf partner rate'.

The reason for this lies in the fundamental difference between universal forwarders (UF) and heavy forwarders (HF). Unlike HF, which sends individual events with their own metadata fields attached, UF sends a stream of data containing one set of metadata fields to represent the entire stream. This results in a larger payload when using HF.

To illustrate this concept, consider a scenario where you have an indexer layer receiving Splunk2Splunk payload traffic from both UF and HF. When monitoring and forwarding events collected from a file containing unstructured textual events, the UF sends individual events with their own metadata fields attached, whereas the HF sends a stream of 64K TCP chunks with one set of metadata fields attached to represent the entire stream.

In this context, the payload size is not identical, as UF's payload is generally larger due to the individual event approach. However, when EVENT_BREAKER_ENABLE is set to true and the sourcetype is specified in the nf, the UF will send the payload in the same format as HF, resulting in a smaller payload.

It's also important to note that working search head clusters can be set up using native/local Splunk user authentication methods. In this case, the configuration deployment process remains the same.

In conclusion, when deploying LDAP configurations for search heads, it's crucial to understand the differences between UF and HF in terms of payload size and format. By choosing the appropriate method based on your specific requirements, you can ensure seamless integration with your external Active Directory server using LDAP.

Splunk .conf partner rate