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Adopting workload management with cgroups v2

 

Splunk Enterprise 9.4.0 introduces Workload Management compatibility with cgroups version 2 (v2). This update enables Splunk Enterprise customers and administrators to transition to operating systems using cgroups v2 without compromising resource management or operational stability.

Splunk Enterprise 9.2 or below does not support workload management in Linux systems that use cgroups version 2. Please refer to this article to learn how to manually revert your cgroups version from v2 to v1.

Updates in workload management

With Splunk Enterprise 9.4.0, workload management is now compatible with cgroups v2 and its unified hierarchy model. This means you can manage your workloads more efficiently while leveraging the enhanced features of cgroups v2. Some of the most noticeable improvements in cgroups v2 compared to cgroups v1 are: 

  • Improved resource isolation: More granular control over CPU and memory.
  • Streamlined configuration: Simplified resource allocation hierarchies, reducing complexity for administrators.

This enhancement ensures that organizations using Splunk Enterprise can continue to deliver high-performing and stable search and indexing operations in modernized infrastructure environments.

Preparing for the transition

To ensure a smooth transition to cgroups v2, it’s essential to verify your system’s readiness. If you’re running Splunk Enterprise 9.4.0+, workload management will adjust automatically to your system’s cgroups version. For customers running Splunk 9.3.x, please refer to our official Splunk documentation here.

If you are running one of the Linux distributions that enables cgroups v2 by default, and have already manually downgraded your cgroups version to v1 before to accommodate for workload management, you can refer to our 9.4.0 documentation here.

Benefits of upgrading

Adopting this new version of workload management will help your organization efficiently while leveraging the enhanced features of cgroups v2, such as:

  • Future-proof deployments: Stay aligned with modern Linux kernel standards as cgroups v2 becomes the default in most Linux distributions.
  • Maintain operational stability: Avoid issues resulted from incompatibilities between older versions of Workload Management and the newer visions of operating systems defaulted to cgroups v2.

Splunk remains committed to evolving our platform to meet the needs of modern infrastructure and ensure seamless operation across all environments. The transition to cgroups v2 compatibility is an important milestone in achieving this goal.

Please check out the official Splunk documentation mentioned above for more details. If you have any questions or need further assistance, reach out to Splunk Support.

Next steps

These resources might help you understand and implement this guidance:

Splunk OnDemand Services: Use these credit-based services for direct access to Splunk technical consultants with a variety of technical services from a pre-defined catalog. Most customers have OnDemand Services per their license support plan. Engage the ODS team at ondemand@splunk.com if you would like assistance.