Installing Splunk via the GUI

For the installation example we'll cover here, we'll install Splunk as a local system user, using the GUI instead of the command line since that's the easiest way to do it. You can get Splunk Enterprise for Windows on the Splunk website starting at this URL: https://www.splunk.com/en_us/download/splunk-enterprise.html.

Create a free account with Splunk from this page, or log in if you already have one. On the Choose Your Download page, click the tab for the operating system (Windows, in this example), and click the Download Now button to select the 64-bit .msi package. You can save the .msi file on the desktop or other location of preference, then just double-click it to start the installation process.

You will need to check a box to accept the license agreement, and then click Customize Options. The first customization step gives you the chance to change the installation directory to C:\Splunk instead of C:\Program Files\Splunk, as we discussed previously. Clicking Next gives you the option of changing the user Splunk will run under—leave this at local system unless you have made other preparations to join a domain. The next screen prompts you for a password – you must provide the Splunk admin password at this step if the installation is going to be successful – then click Install. When the installation is complete, you can click Finish with the option checked to Launch browser with Splunk Enterprise; the browser will start and you can login with the admin user and the password you provided during the installation. You may be presented with a Help us improve Splunk software window; you can check or uncheck those options as you choose or skip them. When the page loads, click the Search and Reporting icon on the left-hand side; you will be prompted to Take a quick tour alternatively, you can Skip that as well.

Congratulations!! You have a fully operational installation of Splunk Enterprise on Windows.