Getting Data In

Not able to sourcetype

pmr
Explorer

I'm unable to force sourcetype from props.conf. Relatively new to splunk, am trying to setup logging of solaris /var/adm/messages. Am extracting ftp from the message and trying to sourcetype it as ftp. what's happening is if i try to set sourcetype to Solaris_Messages under inputs.conf for all /var/adm/messages it works. However if i try to extract "ftp" with props.conf and transforms.conf it sourcetypes it as "Syslog". I'm wondering if some default or learned sourcetypes is being enforced. Below are outputs of each files :

/opt/splunk/etc/apps/SplunkForwarder/local/props.conf :

[source::.../adm/messages]
TRANSFORMS-sourcetype_for_ftpd = sourcetype_for_ftpd

/opt/splunk/etc/apps/SplunkForwarder/local/transforms.conf :

[sourcetype_for_ftpd]
DEST_KEY = MetaData:SourceType
REGEX = ftpd\[\d+\]\:
FORMAT = sourcetype::ftp

when i set props and transforms to the above and restart, all ftp messages are sourcetype'd as Syslog. But when i simply set inputs.conf like below :

/opt/splunk/etc/apps/SplunkForwarder/local/inputs.conf :

[monitor:///var/adm/messages]
sourcetype = Solaris_Messages

all /var/adm/messages are sourcetype'd as Solaris_Messages which is good. I'm wondering why my props and transforms isn't working as expected, i tried using btool and show config but couldn't exactly figure out from which file sourcetype=Syslog is getting applied. This is in a forwarder config on solaris. Basically sourcetype seems to be working under inputs.conf whereas its not for props and transforms.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

thanks pmr

Tags (1)
0 Karma

Stephen_Sorkin
Splunk Employee
Splunk Employee

In transforms.conf, DEST_KEY is case sensitive and should be MetaData:Sourcetype as specified in transforms.conf.spec.

pmr
Explorer

Thanks Stephen.. it works now. what i did was not only correct SourceType to Sourcetype in transforms.conf but also move props and transforms.conf to /etc/system/local directory from /etc/apps/SplunkForwarder/local.

so my new question is should i always have props and transforms under /etc/system/local as supposed to under an App (/etc/apps/app-name/local) for index time transformations ? If we have different applications with its own props and transforms, should we always combine that under /etc/system/local ?

thanks
pmr

0 Karma
Got questions? Get answers!

Join the Splunk Community Slack to learn, troubleshoot, and make connections with fellow Splunk practitioners in real time!

Meet up IRL or virtually!

Join Splunk User Groups to connect and learn in-person by region or remotely by topic or industry.

Get Updates on the Splunk Community!

Cisco Data Fabric from Architecture to Investigation, Better SOC Visibility, and More ...

Splunk Lantern is Splunk’s customer success center that provides practical guidance from Splunk experts on key ...

The Trust Gap: Why a Data Foundation is Fundamental to an Agentic Enterprise

The Trust Gap: Why a data foundation is fundamental to an  Agentic Enterprise.   Agentic AI is transforming ...

Data Management Digest – September 2026

    Welcome to the September 2026 edition of Data Management Digest! September brought a fresh wave of ...