HEC Configuration Certificate required?

[agallegos]

We have a commercial appliance that requires a HEC configuration in Splunk to ingest data.  I have configuration the TA and App and the HEC configuration on the search head.  But I get no data being ingested.   I was told that it requires a valid certificate on the search head in order for this to work.  Is this true?  In the HEC configuration there is a check box for not using SSL.  I've also have run the curl -k command with success using the generated token. 

[isoutamo]

Hi

it depends on client if it can use self signed certificates or work without ssl. If valid cert is required you have basically two options to manage it.

1. Buy it and start to use it in all splunk nodes
2. Use LB before HEC and install valid cert there and then you forward traffic with or without ssl to real hec nodes
3. If appliance support additional CAs then add your own there with possible needed intermediate certificates 

Probably the 2nd one is the easiest and quickest solution for you?

r. Ismo

[agallegos]

Thanks for the information.   What is LB?  

[isoutamo · Accepted solution]

LB is a load balancer. It could be a hardware based e.g. F5 or software based like AWS NLB or ALB.

[agallegos]

Thanks for the solution.