# Splunk Enterprise Host Setup

> Use when the user asks to bootstrap a Splunk host, install a heavy forwarder, build a search/index/forwarder tier, or configure clustered Splunk Enterprise nodes. Install Splunk Enterprise packages on Linux hosts and configure them as a search-tier, indexer, heavy-forwarder, cluster manager, indexer peer, search head cluster deployer, or search head cluster member. Supports local or SSH execution, official URL or local package sources, role-aware forwarding, and single-site clustered topologies.

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

---


# Splunk Enterprise Host 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

- Bootstrap a Splunk host, install a heavy forwarder, build a search/index/forwarder tier, or configure clustered
  Splunk Enterprise nodes.
- Preview and review the splunk enterprise host 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-enterprise-host-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-enterprise-host-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 |

Bootstraps Linux hosts that should run **full Splunk Enterprise**.

## Architecture First

- A **heavy forwarder is not a separate package**. It is a full Splunk
  Enterprise install with forwarder-style configuration.
- This skill is for **self-managed Splunk Enterprise** hosts only.
- The CLI takes the canonical role names below via `--host-bootstrap-role`:
  - `standalone-search-tier`
  - `standalone-indexer`
  - `heavy-forwarder`
  - `cluster-manager`
  - `indexer-peer`
  - `shc-deployer`
  - `shc-member`
- The "standalone-" prefix marks single-instance roles; clustered indexer and
  search-head-cluster control-plane roles use the unprefixed names above.

## Agent Behavior — Credentials

**Never ask for passwords or shared secrets in chat.**

- Use `skills/splunk-enterprise-host-setup/template.example` as the intake
  worksheet for non-secret values.
- Keep secrets in temporary files only, for example:

```bash
bash skills/shared/scripts/write_secret_file.sh /tmp/splunk_admin_password
bash skills/shared/scripts/write_secret_file.sh /tmp/splunk_idxc_secret
bash skills/shared/scripts/write_secret_file.sh /tmp/splunk_shc_secret
```

- Reuse the project `credentials` file or `~/.splunk/credentials` for SSH and
  REST defaults when possible. SSH execution additionally requires either an
  operator-reviewed `SPLUNK_SSH_KNOWN_HOSTS_FILE` or a verified
  `SPLUNK_SSH_HOST_KEY_FINGERPRINT`. The warned
  `SPLUNK_SSH_ALLOW_TOFU=true` escape hatch is for disposable labs only.

## Package Model

Supported package sources:

1. `--source splunk-auth` for official Splunk download URLs that should use the
   stored Splunk.com credentials
2. `--source remote` for public or internal direct download URLs
3. `--source local` for packages already present on disk

If `--url` is omitted, or set to `latest`, remote and authenticated download
flows resolve the latest official Linux package URL from Splunk's Enterprise
download page at runtime. When `--package-type auto` is left in place for
latest resolution, the skill prefers `.deb` or `.rpm` based on the target OS
family and falls back to `.tgz`. Latest official downloads also require
successful verification against Splunk's official SHA512 checksum. If live
latest resolution fails, rerun with `--allow-stale-latest` to use the most
recent cached official metadata when it is younger than 30 days.

Supported package formats:

- `.tgz` / `.tar.gz`
- `.rpm`
- `.deb`

The skill caches downloaded packages in the repo-local `splunk-ta/` directory.

Install behavior:

- If the target host does not already have `SPLUNK_HOME/bin/splunk`, `install`
  performs a fresh install.
- If Splunk is already present and the package version differs, `install`
  performs an in-place upgrade for `.rpm`, `.deb`, or `.tgz`.
- If the installed version already matches the requested package version,
  `install` succeeds as a no-op and skips package replacement.
- Install-only upgrades do not require `--admin-password-file`. Password-based
  auth is still required for later `configure` or `cluster` work that uses
  authenticated Splunk CLI commands.

## Scripts

### setup.sh

Main bootstrap entrypoint:

```bash
bash skills/splunk-enterprise-host-setup/scripts/setup.sh \
  --phase all \
  --execution ssh \
  --host-bootstrap-role heavy-forwarder \
  --source remote \
  --package-type tgz \
  --admin-password-file /tmp/splunk_admin_password \
  --cluster-manager-uri https://cm01.example.com:8089 \
  --discovery-secret-file /tmp/splunk_idxc_secret
```

Useful phases:

- `download` — fetch and checksum-verify the package into `splunk-ta/`
- `install` — fresh-install, upgrade, or same-version no-op; fresh installs
  seed the admin user, upgrades stop Splunk before package replacement, and all
  successful install paths start Splunk and can enable boot-start
- `configure` — apply role-local configuration such as receiving or forwarding
- `cluster` — apply clustered settings such as manager, peer, or SHC membership
- `all` — run the full workflow

Clustered-role upgrades still execute through the per-host `setup.sh` path, but
the skill can now render a rolling plan with one host per wave, pre/post
validation commands, and cluster health gates:

```bash
python3 skills/splunk-enterprise-host-setup/scripts/rolling_upgrade_plan.py \
  --role indexer-peer \
  --hosts idx01.example.com,idx02.example.com,idx03.example.com \
  --cluster-manager-host cm01.example.com \
  --cluster-manager-uri https://cm01.example.com:8089 \
  --admin-password-file /tmp/splunk_admin_password
```

The planner is render-only. It does not SSH, restart Splunk, or modify hosts;
operators still run the generated per-host commands after each health gate is
green.

### validate.sh

Checks package install state, service health, role-specific config, and
clustered status where relevant.

```bash
bash skills/splunk-enterprise-host-setup/scripts/validate.sh \
  --execution ssh \
  --host-bootstrap-role indexer-peer \
  --admin-password-file /tmp/splunk_admin_password
```

### smoke_latest_resolution.sh

Quick live smoke for the latest official package resolver without downloading
the full package payload:

```bash
bash skills/splunk-enterprise-host-setup/scripts/smoke_latest_resolution.sh \
  --package-type auto
```

## Key Defaults

- `SPLUNK_HOME=/opt/splunk`
- Linux + systemd only
- single-site clustering only
- heavy forwarders default to `indexAndForward=false`
- clustered heavy forwarders default to **indexer discovery**
- standalone-search-tier roles enable Splunk Web by default
- SHC member adds require `--current-shc-member-uri` unless `--bootstrap-shc`
  is used to create a brand-new cluster

## Enterprise upgrade ladder (10.4)

Splunk Enterprise has **no 10.3 release train**. Supported paths to **10.4**
include **10.2 → 10.4**, **10.0 → 10.2 → 10.4**, and fresh installs on
**10.4.1** (default in this repo).

Invalid or high-risk jumps this skill should warn about during planning:

- **9.x → 10.4** without an intermediate **10.0** or **10.2** stop (KV Store
  MongoDB 7+ prerequisite).
- Any upgrade target below the SVD floor for the selected train (see
  `splunk-enterprise-public-exposure-hardening` or
  `skills/shared/references/splunk_platform_versions.json`).

Enterprise **10.4** also removes TLS **1.0/1.1** negotiation and applies KV
Store MongoDB **8** automatically when upgrading from **10.x**. Route PKI and
KV Store preflight work to `splunk-platform-pki-setup` and
`splunk-kvstore-admin-setup` before executing host upgrades.

## References

- [reference.md](reference.md) for role placement, ports, and topology notes
- [template.example](template.example) for the non-secret intake worksheet