10 Splunk VMware Best Practices

Splunk VMware is a powerful tool for monitoring and analyzing virtualized environments. It provides a comprehensive view of the performance and health of your virtual infrastructure, allowing you to quickly identify and address any issues.

However, to get the most out of Splunk VMware, it’s important to follow best practices. In this article, we’ll discuss 10 Splunk VMware best practices that will help you get the most out of your Splunk VMware deployment.

1. Use a dedicated Splunk instance for VMware

Using a dedicated Splunk instance for VMware allows you to monitor and analyze your virtual environment more effectively. It also helps ensure that the data collected from your VMware environment is not mixed with other types of data, which can lead to inaccurate results or missed insights. Additionally, having a dedicated Splunk instance for VMware makes it easier to manage and maintain your Splunk environment since all of the related components are in one place.

2. Configure your vCenter server to send data directly to the indexer

By sending data directly to the indexer, you can ensure that all of your VMware-related events are collected and indexed in a timely manner. This will help you quickly identify any issues or anomalies with your virtual environment.

To configure your vCenter server to send data directly to the indexer, you’ll need to set up an input on the Splunk instance. You can do this by navigating to Settings > Data Inputs > Add New. From there, select the type of data you want to collect (e.g., syslog) and enter the IP address of the vCenter server. Once you’ve saved the configuration, the vCenter server should start sending data directly to the indexer.

3. Create an app in Splunk that contains all of your customizations

Creating an app in Splunk allows you to easily manage and deploy your customizations across multiple environments. This makes it easier to keep track of changes, as well as roll back any unwanted modifications. Additionally, having all of your customizations in one place helps ensure that they are consistent across different environments.

Finally, creating an app also makes it easier for other users to understand what has been done and how the environment is configured. This can be especially helpful when troubleshooting issues or making changes to existing configurations.

4. Set up inputs and outputs on the forwarder

The forwarder is the component of Splunk that collects data from sources and sends it to the indexers. Without properly configured inputs and outputs, the forwarder won’t be able to collect or send any data.

To set up inputs and outputs on the forwarder, you’ll need to configure a few things in the Splunk Web interface. You’ll need to create an input for each source of data you want to collect (e.g., VMware logs), and then configure an output for where you want the data to go (e.g., your indexers). Once these are configured, the forwarder will start collecting and sending data as expected.

5. Enable SSL encryption between the forwarder and the indexer

SSL encryption ensures that the data being sent between the forwarder and indexer is secure. Without SSL, any malicious actors on the same network as the Splunk instance could intercept the data in transit and use it for nefarious purposes. By enabling SSL encryption, you can be sure that your data is safe from prying eyes.

To enable SSL encryption, you’ll need to generate a certificate on the indexer side and then configure the forwarder to use that certificate when sending data. This process may vary depending on your specific setup, so make sure to consult the official Splunk documentation for more information.

6. Monitor the health of your forwarders

Forwarders are the agents that collect data from your environment and send it to Splunk. If a forwarder is not working properly, then you won’t be able to get any data into Splunk.

To ensure that your forwarders are running smoothly, you should monitor their performance on an ongoing basis. This includes checking for errors in the logs, monitoring CPU and memory usage, and ensuring that they are sending data at the expected rate. You can also use Splunk’s built-in health checks to quickly identify any issues with your forwarders.

7. Send logs from ESXi hosts to syslog servers

By sending logs from ESXi hosts to syslog servers, you can ensure that all of the data is collected in one place. This makes it easier for Splunk administrators to search and analyze the data quickly and accurately.

Additionally, by sending logs from ESXi hosts to syslog servers, you can also reduce the amount of storage space needed on the ESXi host itself. This helps keep your system running more efficiently and reduces the risk of performance issues due to a lack of available disk space.

Finally, sending logs from ESXi hosts to syslog servers allows Splunk administrators to easily monitor and troubleshoot any potential problems with their VMware environment. By having all of the data in one place, they can quickly identify any issues and take corrective action as soon as possible.

8. Collect performance metrics from ESXi hosts

Performance metrics provide valuable insight into the health and performance of your virtual environment. They can help you identify potential issues before they become major problems, as well as track trends over time to ensure that your environment is running optimally.

To collect performance metrics from ESXi hosts, you’ll need to install a Splunk forwarder on each host. This will allow you to send data directly from the host to Splunk for analysis. You can also use VMware’s vSphere APIs to collect performance metrics from multiple hosts at once. Once the data is in Splunk, you can create dashboards and alerts to monitor your environment and be notified when something isn’t right.

9. Capture virtual machine events

Virtual machines are the foundation of any cloud-based infrastructure, and they can be a source of valuable data. By capturing events from virtual machines, you can gain insight into how your environment is performing, identify potential issues before they become problems, and even detect security threats.

To capture virtual machine events in Splunk, you’ll need to install an agent on each VM. This agent will collect system logs, performance metrics, and other data points that can then be analyzed with Splunk. You can also use Splunk’s VMware App for additional visibility into your virtualized environment. With this app, you can monitor resource utilization, track changes to VMs, and more.

10. Collect virtual machine performance metrics

Performance metrics are essential for understanding how your virtual machines are performing. They provide insight into resource utilization, such as CPU and memory usage, disk I/O, network throughput, and more. This data can be used to identify potential bottlenecks or areas of improvement in the environment.

Splunk VMware provides a number of performance metrics that can be collected from vCenter Server. These include host-level metrics, such as CPU and memory utilization, as well as VM-level metrics, such as disk I/O and network throughput. Collecting these metrics will help you gain visibility into the health and performance of your virtual machines.