In Splunk, what is the main role of a License Master?

The primary role of a License Master in Splunk is to control license consumption. This function is crucial because it ensures that all Splunk components in the environment adhere to the licensing agreements set by the organization. The License Master is responsible for monitoring the volume of data being indexed across the various Splunk instances, managing the overall license usage, and distributing licensing information to the indexers in the deployment.

In a Splunk environment, if the data volume exceeds the licensed limit, the License Master raises alerts and can also help prevent indexing from continuing beyond the license capacity, thereby ensuring compliance with licensing terms. This central management of license compliance helps organizations avoid issues such as overage charges or being unable to index data due to reaching license limits.

The other roles mentioned, such as indexing data, managing user authentication, and distributing apps, are not functions assigned to the License Master. Indexing data is handled by indexers, user authentication is typically managed by a separate authentication mechanism within Splunk or integrated with directory services, and app distribution is the responsibility of deployment server roles or similar mechanisms within Splunk.