Getting Data In

Which inputs.conf do I edit for a universal forwarder on a Domain Controller?

sdorsey
New Member

I am new to Splunk to please excuse the noob question. I could not readily find the answer elsewhere.

In this test environment, I have one Universal Forwarder installed on a Domain Controller. I am wanting to tweak what it sends and know this is done via the inputs.conf file. My question is, which inputs.conf file do I need to edit? Within the Universal Forwarder folder on the host, there are several instances of an inputs.conf file. I do know the one under system/default is where it references default settings if not explicitly listed different elsewhere but I assume it is not best practice to readily edit this one.

Also, I see a mention in the Splunk documentation where you can create an ideal inputs.conf file on the Splunk server itself and push that out to your Universal Forwarders. Could you provide any documentation or a link on how to do this?

0 Karma

ppablo
Retired

Hi @sdorsey

Just following up with this post, but did @chanfoli's answer below help solve your question?

0 Karma

chanfoli
Builder

As a starting point, I would suggest that you create/edit an inputs.conf on your universal forwarder under SPLUNKHOME/etc/system/local/ . The conf files are put into effect according to precedence rules you can learn about here:

http://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/6.2.1/Admin/Wheretofindtheconfigurationfiles

The other option you are talking about is pushing out configs via deployment apps from a deployment server to deployment clients. You can learn about this optional feature here:

http://docs.splunk.com/Documentation/Splunk/6.2.1/Updating/Aboutdeploymentserver

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: Matching cron expressions

This puzzle (first published here) is based on matching timestamps to cron expressions.All the timestamps ...

Design, Compete, Win: Submit Your Best Splunk Dashboards for a .conf26 Pass

Hello Splunkers,  We’re excited to kick off a Splunk Dashboard contest! We know that dashboards are a primary ...

May 2026 Splunk Expert Sessions: Security & Observability

Level Up Your Operations: May 2026 Splunk Expert Sessions Whether you are refining your security posture or ...