Splunk Enterprise Certified Architect Practice Test

What is the minimum reference server specification required for a Splunk indexer?

1. 12 CPU cores, 12GB RAM, 800 IOPS

2. 16 CPU cores, 16GB RAM, 800 IOPS

3. 24 CPU cores, 16GB RAM, 1200 IOPS

4. 28 CPU cores, 32GB RAM, 1200 IOPS

The correct answer is: 12 CPU cores, 12GB RAM, 800 IOPS

The minimum reference server specification for a Splunk indexer is designed to ensure that it can effectively handle data indexing and searching activities with adequate resource allocation. The minimum requirement of 12 CPU cores provides enough processing power to manage indexing tasks and search queries concurrently, making it suitable for environments with moderate data ingestion rates. Having 12GB of RAM ensures there is sufficient memory available to cache data, which significantly enhances performance during searches and indexing tasks. The specification of 800 IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) is also critical as it denotes the necessary storage performance to handle data reads and writes effectively during the indexing process. These criteria help maintain a stable and high-performing Splunk indexing environment, especially for smaller deployments or proof-of-concept scenarios, where less intensive data workloads are expected. In understanding these specifications, it's important to note that as data volume increases or if more complex queries are run, higher specifications would be required. The other options provided all recommend more resources, which may be appropriate for larger deployments or heavy workloads but would not be considered the minimum needed for a basic indexer instance.