When is the intermediate forwarder or parsing location's timezone used?

The use of the intermediate forwarder or parsing location's timezone comes into play in specific scenarios concerning time zone determination for incoming events. When no timezone is specified for the data being ingested, Splunk will default to using the timezone of the intermediate forwarder or the parsing location. This is crucial for ensuring that timestamp information is accurately interpreted, especially when processing logs from various sources that may not provide explicit timezone data.

Furthermore, when Splunk cannot determine a timezone from the source data or upstream configurations—such as when dealing with raw data inputs or when a forwarder does not specify any timezone settings—the system will again utilize the timezone of the intermediate forwarder or parsing location to maintain consistent time parsing across the data ingestion pipeline.

Hence, both situations where no timezone is defined and where upstream determination fails lead to the default use of the intermediate forwarder's timezone, making this understanding essential for effectively configuring time parsing behavior in Splunk.