Monitor FIFO queues

Monitor FIFO queues

This topic describes how to configure a FIFO input using inputs.conf. Defining FIFO inputs is not currently supported in Splunk Web/Manager.

Caution: Data sent via FIFO is not persisted in memory and can be an unreliable method for data sources. To ensure your data is not lost, use monitor instead.

Add a FIFO input to inputs.conf

To add a FIFO input, add a stanza for it to inputs.conf in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/system/local/, or your own custom application directory in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/apps/. If you have not worked with Splunk's configuration files before, read about configuration files before you begin.

You can set any number of attributes and values following an input type. If you do not specify a value for one or more attributes, Splunk uses the defaults that are preset in $SPLUNK_HOME/etc/system/default/ (noted below).

[fifo://<path>]

This input stanza type directs Splunk to read from a FIFO at the specified path.

host = <string>

• Set the host value of your input to a static value.
• host= is automatically prepended to the value when this shortcut is used.
• Defaults to the IP address of fully qualified domain name of the host where the data originated.
• For more information about the host field, read "About hosts" in the Knowledge Manager Manual.

index = <string>

• Set the index where events from this input will be stored.
• index= is automatically prepended to the value when this shortcut is used.
• Defaults to main (or whatever you have set as your default index).
• For more information about the index field, read "About fields" in the Knowledge Manager Manual.

sourcetype = <string>

• Set the sourcetype name of events from this input.
• sourcetype= is automatically prepended to the value when this shortcut is used.
• Splunk automatically picks a source type based on various aspects of your data. There is no hard-coded default.
• For more information about the sourcetype field, read"About source types" in the Knowledge Manager Manual.

source = <string>

• Set the source name of events from this input.
• Defaults to the file path.
• source= is automatically prepended to the value when this shortcut is used.

queue = <string> (parsingQueue, indexQueue, etc)

• Specify where the input processor should deposit the events that it reads.
• Can be any valid, existing queue in the pipeline.
• Defaults to parsingQueue.