SPLK-4001 Splunk O11y Cloud Certified Metrics User Exam Questions and Answers

The correct answer is C. Info, Warning, Minor, Major, and Critical.

When creating a standalone detector, you can define one or more rules that specify the alert conditions and the severity level for each rule. The severity level indicates how urgent or important the alert is, and it can also affect the notification settings and the escalation policy for the alert1

Splunk Observability Cloud provides five predefined severity levels that you can choose from when creating a rule: Info, Warning, Minor, Major, and Critical. Each severity level has a different color and icon to help you identify the alert status at a glance. You can also customize the severity levels by changing their names, colors, or icons2

To learn more about how to create standalone detectors and use severity levels in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to these documentations12.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/alerts-detectors-notifications/detectors.html#Create-a-standalone-detector 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/alerts-detectors-notifications/detector-options.html#Severity-levels

According to the web search results, ephemeral infrastructure is a term that describes instances that are auto-scaled up or down, or are brought up with new code versions and discarded or recycled when the next code version is deployed1. Splunk Observability Cloud has a feature that allows you to create detectors for ephemeral infrastructure without sending false notifications of instances being down2. To use this feature, you need to do the following steps:

Create the detector as usual, by selecting the metric or dimension that you want to monitor and alert on, and choosing the alert condition and severity level.

Select Alert settings, then select Ephemeral Infrastructure. This will enable a special mode for the detector that will automatically clear alerts for instances that are expected to be terminated.

Enter the expected lifetime of an instance in minutes. This is the maximum amount of time that an instance is expected to live before being replaced by a new one. For example, if your instances are replaced every hour, you can enter 60 minutes as the expected lifetime.

Save the detector and activate it.

With this feature, the detector will only trigger alerts when an instance stops reporting a metric unexpectedly, based on its expected lifetime. If an instance stops reporting a metric within its expected lifetime, the detector will assume that it was terminated on purpose and will not trigger an alert. Therefore, option B is correct.

The correct answer is B. /etc/otel/collector/

According to the web search results, the Splunk distribution of the OpenTelemetry Collector stores the configuration files on Linux machines in the /etc/otel/collector/ directory by default. You can verify this by looking at the first result1, which explains how to install the Collector for Linux manually. It also provides the locations of the default configuration file, the agent configuration file, and the gateway configuration file.

To learn more about how to install and configure the Splunk distribution of the OpenTelemetry Collector, you can refer to this documentation2.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/opentelemetry/install-linux-manual.html 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/opentelemetry.html

The correct answers are A and D.

According to the Splunk Test Blueprint - O11y Cloud Metrics User document1, one of the alerting concepts that is covered in the exam is detectors and alerts. Detectors are the objects that define the conditions for generating alerts, and alerts are the notifications that are sent when those conditions are met.

The Splunk O11y Cloud Certified Metrics User Track document2 states that one of the recommended courses for preparing for the exam is Alerting with Detectors, which covers how to create, modify, and manage detectors and alerts.

In the Alerting with Detectors course, there is a section on Cloning Detectors, which explains that cloning a detector creates a copy of the detector with all its settings, rules, and alert recipients. The document also provides some reasons why you might want to clone a detector, such as:

To modify the rules without affecting the existing detector. This can be useful if you want to test different thresholds or conditions before applying them to the original detector.

To explore how a detector was created without risk of changing it. This can be helpful if you want to learn from an existing detector or use it as a template for creating a new one.

Therefore, based on these documents, we can conclude that A and D are accurate reasons to clone a detector. B and C are not valid reasons because:

Cloning a detector does not reduce the amount of billed TAPM for the detector. TAPM stands for Tracked Active Problem Metric, which is a metric that has been alerted on by a detector. Cloning a detector does not change the number of TAPM that are generated by the original detector or the clone.

Cloning a detector does not add an additional recipient to the detector’s alerts. Cloning a detector copies the alert recipients from the original detector, but it does not add any new ones. To add an additional recipient to a detector’s alerts, you need to edit the alert settings of the detector.

The correct answer is A. Only metrics with a dimension of host and a value beginning with test-.

This filter returns the metrics that have a host dimension that matches the pattern test-. For example, test-01, test-abc, test-xyz, etc. The asterisk () is a wildcard character that can match any string of characters1

To learn more about how to filter metrics in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to this documentation2.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/search.html#Filter-metrics 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/search.html

The correct answer is D. The detector is automatically linked to the chart.

When you create a detector from a chart on a custom dashboard, the detector is automatically linked to the chart. This means that you can see the detector status and alerts on the chart, and you can access the detector settings from the chart menu. You can also unlink the detector from the chart if you want to1

Changes made to the chart do not affect the detector, and changes made to the detector do not affect the chart. The detector and the chart are independent entities that have their own settings and parameters. However, if you change the metric or dimension of the chart, you might lose the link to the detector1

The alerts generated by the detector will show up in the Alerts page, where you can view, manage, and acknowledge them. You can also see them on the team landing page if you assign the detector to a team2

To learn more about how to create and link detectors from charts on custom dashboards, you can refer to this documentation1.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/observability/alerts-detectors-notifications/link-detectors-to-charts.html 2: https://docs.splunk.com/observability/alerts-detectors-notifications/view-manage-alerts.html

The correct answer is A. Dimensions.

Dimensions are metadata in the form of key-value pairs that are sent along with the metrics at the time of ingest. They provide additional information about the metric, such as the name of the host that sent the metric, or the location of the server. Along with the metric name, they uniquely identify a metric time series (MTS)1

Changes to dimensions result in a new MTS, because they create a different combination of metric name and dimensions. For example, if you change the hostname dimension from host1 to host2, you will create a new MTS for the same metric name1

Properties, sources, and tags are other types of metadata that can be applied to existing MTSes after ingest. They do not contribute to uniquely identify an MTS, and they do not create a new MTS when changed2

To learn more about how to use metadata in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to this documentation2.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/metrics-and-metadata/metrics.html#Dimensions 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/metrics-and-metadata/metrics-dimensions-mts.html

According to the Splunk O11y Cloud Certified Metrics User Track document1, Observability Cloud has the following rollup functions: Sum: (default for counter metrics): Returns the sum of all data points in the MTS reporting interval. Average (default for gauge metrics): Returns the average value of all data points in the MTS reporting interval. Min: Returns the minimum data point value seen in the MTS reporting interval. Max: Returns the maximum data point value seen in the MTS reporting interval. Latest: Returns the most recent data point value seen in the MTS reporting interval. Lag: Returns the difference between the most recent and the previous data point values seen in the MTS reporting interval. Rate: Returns the rate of change of data points in the MTS reporting interval. Therefore, option A is correct.

The best practices for creating detectors are:

View data at highest resolution. This helps to avoid missing important signals or patterns in the data that could indicate anomalies or issues1

Have a consistent value. This means that the metric or dimension used for detection should have a clear and stable meaning across different sources, contexts, and time periods. For example, avoid using metrics that are affected by changes in configuration, sampling, or aggregation2

View detector in a chart. This helps to visualize the data and the detector logic, as well as to identify any false positives or negatives. It also allows to adjust the detector parameters and thresholds based on the data distribution and behavior3

Have a consistent type of measurement. This means that the metric or dimension used for detection should have the same unit and scale across different sources, contexts, and time periods. For example, avoid mixing bytes and bits, or seconds and milliseconds.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/detectors.html#Best-practices-for-detectors 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/detectors.html#Best-practices-for-detectors 3: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/detectors.html#View- detector-in-a-chart : https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/detectors.html#Best-practices-for-detectors

The possible ways to add a link to an existing dashboard from an alert are:

Build a global data link. A global data link is a feature that allows you to create a link from any dimension value in any chart or table to a dashboard of your choice. You can specify the source and target dashboards, the dimension name and value, and the query parameters to pass along. When you click on the dimension value in the alert message, you will be taken to the dashboard with the context preserved1

Add a link to the field. A field link is a feature that allows you to create a link from any field value in any search result or alert message to a dashboard of your choice. You can specify the field name and value, the dashboard name and ID, and the query parameters to pass along. When you click on the field value in the alert message, you will be taken to the dashboard with the context preserved2

Therefore, the correct answer is A and C.

To learn more about how to use global data links and field links in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to these documentations12.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/charts.html#Global-data-links 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/search.html#Field-links

The chart visualization types that are unaffected by changing the time picker on a dashboard are:

Single Value: A single value chart shows the current value of a metric or an expression. It does not depend on the time range of the dashboard, but only on the data resolution and rollup function of the chart1

List: A list chart shows the values of a metric or an expression for each dimension value in a table format. It does not depend on the time range of the dashboard, but only on the data resolution and rollup function of the chart2

Therefore, the correct answer is A and D.

To learn more about how to use different chart visualization types in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to this documentation3.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/charts.html#Single-value 2: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/charts.html#List 3: https://docs.splunk.com/Observability/gdi/metrics/charts.html

The correct answer is D. Map, Nodes, Workloads, Node Detail, Workload Detail, Pod Detail, Container Detail.

The built-in Kubernetes Navigator is a feature of Splunk Observability Cloud that provides a comprehensive and intuitive way to monitor the performance and health of Kubernetes environments. It includes the following views:

Map: A graphical representation of the Kubernetes cluster topology, showing the relationships and dependencies among nodes, pods, containers, and services. You can use the map to quickly identify and troubleshoot issues in your cluster1

Nodes: A tabular view of all the nodes in your cluster, showing key metrics such as CPU utilization, memory usage, disk usage, and network traffic. You can use the nodes view to compare and analyze the performance of different nodes1

Workloads: A tabular view of all the workloads in your cluster, showing key metrics such as CPU utilization, memory usage, network traffic, and error rate. You can use the workloads view to compare and analyze the performance of different workloads, such as deployments, stateful sets, daemon sets, or jobs1

Node Detail: A detailed view of a specific node in your cluster, showing key metrics and charts for CPU utilization, memory usage, disk usage, network traffic, and pod count. You can also see the list of pods running on the node and their status. You can use the node detail view to drill down into the performance of a single node2

Workload Detail: A detailed view of a specific workload in your cluster, showing key metrics and charts for CPU utilization, memory usage, network traffic, error rate, and pod count. You can also see the list of pods belonging to the workload and their status. You can use the workload detail view to drill down into the performance of a single workload2

Pod Detail: A detailed view of a specific pod in your cluster, showing key metrics and charts for CPU utilization, memory usage, network traffic, error rate, and container count. You can also see the list of containers within the pod and their status. You can use the pod detail view to drill down into the performance of a single pod2

Container Detail: A detailed view of a specific container in your cluster, showing key metrics and charts for CPU utilization, memory usage, network traffic, error rate, and log events. You can use the container detail view to drill down into the performance of a single container2

To learn more about how to use Kubernetes Navigator in Splunk Observability Cloud, you can refer to this documentation3.

1: https://docs.splunk.com/observability/infrastructure/monitor/k8s-nav.html#Kubernetes-Navigator 2: https://docs.splunk.com/observability/infrastructure/monitor/k8s-nav.html#Detail-pages 3: https://docs.splunk.com/observability/infrastructure/monitor/k8s-nav.html