Final answer:
To establish a TCP connection in Splunk Cloud, one needs to set up data input for TCP, ensure the TCP port is open and reachable, configure appropriate firewall rules, potentially adjust NAT and port forwarding settings, and set up a forwarder with the correct IP and port, with possible SSL configurations.
Step-by-step explanation:
For a TCP connection to work in Splunk Cloud, specific requirements must be fulfilled. Firstly, an organization must set up a data input to receive logs over TCP. The configured TCP port on the Splunk Cloud instance must be open and reachable from the source of the data. Furthermore, appropriate firewall rules should be in place to allow traffic on that port. Network Address Translation (NAT) and port forwarding rules may also be required if the Splunk Cloud instance is behind a NAT.
On the sending side, a forwarder, which could be a Splunk Universal Forwarder or Heavy Forwarder, needs to be configured with the correct IP address or hostname of the Splunk Cloud instance, along with the designated TCP port number. The forwarder must also be set with the correct source types for data parsing. Lastly, a secure connection using SSL could also be required, which would mandate proper SSL certificates and configurations.