Getting Data In

Splunk learned app should stop learning / too_small / dispatch.evaluate

FRoth
Contributor

I defined a new input folder that receives gzipped server logs from a scp copy job on our servers.

inputs.conf

[monitor://F:\ssh_incoming\Logs]
disabled = false
recursive = false
host_regex = pl\-([^_]+)_
index = plserver
sourcetype = syslog

The problem is that the props.conf of the learned app grows and grows until dispatching of new searches takes longer and longer until no searches start at all. (Inspect Job shows that dispatch.evaluate takes more than ten minutes to complete)

/learned/local/props.conf

[pl-www1_20160303053001_sudo-too_small]
PREFIX_SOURCETYPE = True
SHOULD_LINEMERGE = False
is_valid = True
maxDist = 9999

[pl-www1_20160303053001_system-too_small]
PREFIX_SOURCETYPE = True
SHOULD_LINEMERGE = False
is_valid = True
maxDist = 9999

[pl-www1_20160303060001_crond-too_small]
PREFIX_SOURCETYPE = True
SHOULD_LINEMERGE = False
is_valid = True
maxDist = 9999

[pl-www1_20160303060001_sshd-too_small]
PREFIX_SOURCETYPE = True
SHOULD_LINEMERGE = False
is_valid = True
maxDist = 9999

So as long as logs keep incoming in that folder, the props.conf grows and grows. I even disabled the "learned" App but that didn't solve the problem. The file keeps growing.

I have also tried to set LEARN_SOURCETYPE to false in the props.conf definition for the "syslog" sourcetype.

[syslog]
CHARSET = latin-1
LEARN_SOURCETYPE = false

I am using Splunk 6.2.2 with Enterprise License.

risgupta_splunk
Splunk Employee
Splunk Employee

If all the sourcetypes are marked as {{-too_small}}.

For small files Splunk is unable to determine the type. This can be controlled by:

{noformat:title=props.conf}
[too_small]
PREFIX_SOURCETYPE = false
{noformat}

Could you please try to add a new entry in props.conf with below configuration and restart splunk:

[too_small]
PREFIX_SOURCETYPE = false

This above configuration will not grow the sourcetypes in learned app and .gz file will also read and forwarded by the splunk.

ncsantucci
Path Finder

If you want to disable to learned app see this post:

https://answers.splunk.com/answers/77271/make-splunk-stop-learning-sourcetypes.html

Here is the relevant part of the post:

If you really would like to disable learning, edit $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/learned/local/app.conf and make sure it says this:

[install]
state = disabled

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!

[Puzzles] Solve, Learn, Repeat: Tiling

This puzzle (first published here) is based on finding groups of tessellated tiles (inspired by floor tiles I ...

SOK it to Me: Top 3 Benefits of Using Splunk Operator on Kubernetes that’ll Make ...

    Thursday, July 9, 2026  |  11:00AM–12:00PM PDT Duration: 1 hour (includes Q&A) Managing can feel like a ...

Upgrade Prep for 10.4, Network Observability Deep Dives, and More from Splunk Lantern

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