4.2+ how to enable an indexer as a license client via config file or cli (not GUI)

[tpsplunk]

Hi all, I recently upgraded to 4.2 from 4.1.6 and I'm trying to set my indexers to use a license pool that i've configured on my search head. The documentation that I can find only references how to do this via the splunk web GUI on each indexer. I don't have the GUI enabled and plus would like to push the change out with a change management system (chef/puppet/etc).

what config files do i need to update on my indexers to have them become a license slave to my search head? or what splunk CLI commands can i use?

[gkanapathy · Accepted solution]

You can use the CLI commmand:

./splunk edit licenser-localslave -master_uri https://licensemaster:8089

Or you can send out a server.conf file with:

[license]
master_uri = https://mylicensemasterserver:8089

Preferably this is in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/SplunkLicenseSettings/local/server.conf and not in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/local/server.conf.

[gkanapathy]

yeah, well then it goes into etc/local/server.conf

[tpsplunk]

@gkanapathy- do you have a suggestion for where the server.conf file should live if you are using searchhead pooling and one of your searchheads is the master license server (and thus shouldn't get the SplunkLicenseSettings app)?

[Jason]

I just found out on my own by making the change in the GUI then looking at any file in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc with a very recent modified time.

[tpsplunk]

I tried the server.conf as suggested and it worked like a charm, thanks! is this hinted at in a manual somewhere or do you just have to know it lives in server.conf?

[tpsplunk]

do i need to delete/move the old license file from its location on the indexer? this is the license i migrated to the license master