# Splunk Edge Processor Setup

> Use when installing Edge Processor, managing EP pipelines, routing forwarders, or handling Cisco Data Fabric / telemetry pipeline management requests that need Splunk Platform edge routing and transformation. Render Cisco Data Fabric edge-routing workflows and the full Splunk Edge Processor lifecycle for Splunk Cloud Platform tenants and Splunk Enterprise 10.0+ data management control planes. Covers EP objects, TLS / mTLS, Linux or Docker instances, multi-instance scale-out, source types, destinations, SPL2 pipelines with splunk-spl2-pipeline-kit linting, apply handoffs, default destination guardrails, ACS allowlist stubs, and AI-powered data management readiness handoffs.

- Skill: `chambear2809/splunk-edge-processor-setup` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 8 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add chambear2809/splunk-edge-processor-setup`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/chambear2809/splunk-edge-processor-setup/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: DevOps & Infra
- Author: chambear2809 (https://skillmd.com/u/chambear2809)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/chambear2809/splunk-edge-processor-setup

---


# Splunk Edge Processor Setup

## Prerequisites

| Tool or access | Purpose | Verify |
|---|---|---|
| Bash and Python 3 | Run bundled setup and validation helpers | `bash --version && python3 --version` |
| Required product/platform access | Inspect or configure the selected target | Complete the documented preflight |
| Credential files for live modes | Keep secrets out of chat | Verify paths only |

## Workflow Overview

```text
┌───────────┐   ┌───────────────┐   ┌───────────────┐   ┌─────────────────┐
│ Preflight │ → │ Render/review │ → │ Apply/handoff │ → │ Validate evidence │
└───────────┘   └───────────────┘   └───────────────┘   └─────────────────┘
```

## When to Activate

- Installing Edge Processor, managing EP pipelines, routing forwarders, or handling Cisco Data Fabric / telemetry
  pipeline management requests that need Splunk Platform edge routing and transformation.
- Preview and review the splunk edge processor setup workflow before any live apply phase.
- Diagnose failed prerequisites, generated assets, configuration, or validation evidence.

## Scope

Follow the documented read-only or render-first path whenever it is available.
This skill does not imply permission to mutate live systems. Require explicit
apply flags, protected credentials, and operator review for state changes.

## Examples

Inspect the supported setup modes before selecting one:

```bash
bash skills/splunk-edge-processor-setup/scripts/setup.sh --help
```

Expected output: usage, supported modes, and required arguments are displayed
without changing the target environment.

Inspect validation modes before running completion checks:

```bash
bash skills/splunk-edge-processor-setup/scripts/validate.sh --help
```

Expected output: offline, live, and completion options are displayed when the
skill supports them; help exits without mutation.

## Troubleshooting

| Issue | Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Preflight fails | A required tool or access path is missing | Resolve it before rendering or applying |
| Rendered assets are incomplete | Required non-secret inputs are absent | Complete intake and render again |
| Apply is blocked | Review, credentials, or explicit acceptance is missing | Use the documented handoff |
| Validation is incomplete | Live evidence is unavailable | Record the gap and keep completion open |

This skill covers the full Edge Processor surface: control-plane object
management plus Linux instance install plus pipeline / destination /
source-type lifecycle, all from one render-first workflow.

For newer Cisco Data Fabric wording, this is the Splunk Platform edge-routing
and data-shaping route. Keep native Observability Metrics Pipeline Management
requests in `splunk-observability-deep-native-workflows` unless the user needs
log/event pipelines, forwarder routing, or edge transformation.

Treat AI-powered data management recommendations as UI/operator handoffs until
Splunk publishes a stable public API for accepting generated schema, field
extraction, or pipeline changes. Review generated SPL2 through
`splunk-spl2-pipeline-kit` before promoting it into Edge Processor pipelines.

## Architecture First

- **Two control planes**: Splunk Cloud Platform tenant
  (`<tenant>.scs.splunk.com`) AND Splunk Enterprise 10.0+ data management
  node. Choose with `--ep-control-plane cloud|enterprise`.
- **Control-plane API base is operator-supplied**: Splunk has not published
  a stable public REST API base path for EP control-plane objects (source
  types, destinations, pipelines). The skill renders the JSON payloads as a
  source of truth and provides an `apply-objects.sh` that applies them via
  REST when `EP_API_BASE` is set. Without that operator-supplied transport it
  prints the manual UI checklist and exits nonzero so `--phase apply` cannot
  report a mutation that never happened. Offline validation remains available.
- **Default destination is critical** — without one, unprocessed data is
  silently dropped. The renderer refuses to render a plan with destinations
  but no default destination, and `validate.sh` re-checks at runtime.
- **EP instance install command is operator-supplied** — Splunk's Manage
  instances UI generates a one-shot install command containing a join token.
  Stage it via `write_secret_file.sh` and reference it through
  `EP_INSTALL_CMD_FILE`; the rendered host scripts execute it under the
  service user without ever placing the token in argv.
- **Multi-instance** — multiple EP instances behind a DNS record let
  forwarders route via a single hostname.
- **Shared SPL2 kit** — use `splunk-spl2-pipeline-kit` for complex SPL2
  authoring, SPL-to-SPL2 review, and PCRE2 migration lint before previewing
  pipelines in the Edge Processor UI.
- **FIPS mode** — pass `--ep-fips-mode enabled` only for non-containerized EP
  instances. FIPS mode is not supported for Docker/containerized EP.

## Agent Behavior — Credentials

Never paste EP API tokens, install command bodies, or HEC tokens into chat.

```bash
bash skills/shared/scripts/write_secret_file.sh /tmp/ep_api_token
bash skills/shared/scripts/write_secret_file.sh /tmp/ep_install_cmd.sh
bash skills/shared/scripts/write_secret_file.sh /tmp/ep_hec_token
```

The rendered scripts read tokens via `--*-token-file` flags and never embed
the value in rendered output.

## Quick Start

Render a single-instance Edge Processor in a Splunk Cloud tenant with one
S2S destination and one filtering pipeline:

```bash
bash skills/splunk-edge-processor-setup/scripts/setup.sh \
  --phase render \
  --ep-control-plane cloud \
  --ep-tenant-url https://example.scs.splunk.com \
  --ep-name prod-ep \
  --ep-instances "ep01.example.com=systemd" \
  --ep-target-daily-gb 50 \
  --ep-source-types "syslog_router" \
  --ep-destinations "primary=type=s2s;host=idx-cluster.example.com;port=9997;index_routing=specify_for_no_index:summary" \
  --ep-default-destination primary \
  --ep-pipelines "filter_dev=partition=Keep;sourcetype=app:dev;spl2_file=pipelines/filter_dev.spl2;destination=primary"
```

Apply to the control plane (requires `EP_API_BASE`; without it the command
emits a manual UI checklist and exits nonzero):

```bash
EP_API_BASE=https://<tenant-api-base> EP_API_TOKEN_FILE=/tmp/ep_api_token \
bash skills/splunk-edge-processor-setup/scripts/setup.sh --phase apply --ep-tenant-url https://example.scs.splunk.com
```

Install an instance on Linux (systemd):

```bash
EP_INSTALL_CMD_FILE=/tmp/ep_install_cmd.sh \
bash skills/splunk-edge-processor-setup/scripts/setup.sh --phase install-instance \
  --ep-tenant-url https://example.scs.splunk.com --ep-instances "ep01.example.com=systemd"
```

Validate rendered assets (structural check only — fast, no network):

```bash
bash skills/splunk-edge-processor-setup/scripts/validate.sh
```

Validate live against the control plane REST (requires `--ep-api-base`,
`--ep-api-token-file`, and `--ep-name`; `--ep-tenant-url` is used for handoff
messages):

```bash
bash skills/splunk-edge-processor-setup/scripts/validate.sh \
  --live \
  --ep-tenant-url https://example.scs.splunk.com \
  --ep-name prod-ep \
  --ep-api-base https://api.us-east-1.splunkcloud.com/<tenant>/edge-processor/v1 \
  --ep-api-token-file /tmp/ep_api_token
```

## What It Renders

Under `splunk-edge-processor-rendered/`:

- `control-plane/edge-processors/<name>.json` — EP control-plane object
  (TLS settings).
- `control-plane/source-types/<name>.json`.
- `control-plane/destinations/<name>.json`.
- `control-plane/pipelines/<name>.spl2` (SPL2 source-of-truth) and
  `pipelines/<name>.json` (API payload).
- `control-plane/apply-objects.sh` — orchestrates POST/PUT/DELETE in
  dependency order when `EP_API_BASE` is set; otherwise prints a manual UI
  checklist and fails closed without mutation.
- `host/<host>/install-with-systemd.sh` — `cgroup` + service user, splunk-edge service unit; consumes the operator-supplied install command via `EP_INSTALL_CMD_FILE`.
- `host/<host>/install-without-systemd.sh` — direct nohup install.
- `host/<host>/install-docker.sh` — Docker compose skeleton (image + env are operator-supplied from the tenant install command).
- `host/<host>/uninstall.sh`.
- `forwarder-templates/outputs.conf` — DNS-driven forwarder outputs.
- `pipelines/templates/*.spl2` — shared SPL2 starters from
  `splunk-spl2-pipeline-kit` for the `edgeProcessor` profile.
- `validate.sh` — control-plane health and default-destination guard.
- `handoffs/acs-allowlist.json` — ACS allowlist plan stub for `s2s` + `hec` features.

## Out of Scope

- Live automated SPL→SPL2 conversion (use Splunk's in-product tool; this repo
  renders compatibility lint and review guidance only).
- Automatic acceptance of AI-powered data management recommendations.
- Multi-tenant org management on Splunk Cloud.
- Destinations not yet documented in Splunk's public EP destination catalog
  (Kafka, Azure Event Hubs).
- RBAC management on the EP control plane.
- Automatic resolution of the EP control-plane REST API base — the operator
  supplies `EP_API_BASE` when applying via REST.
- Containerized FIPS mode.

## References

- [reference.md](reference.md) for full source-type / destination /
  pipeline syntax, the systemd unit template,
  and the ACS allowlist hand-off contract.
- [template.example](template.example) for the non-secret intake worksheet.