4.5 Changing Your Search Index Configuration

4.5.1 Understanding Indexing

The search index is responsible for indexing all data on the Filr site so that Filr users can easily use the Search feature to retrieve the information that they need. Text posted in file metadata (such as a file description) is easy to index, because the formatting is simple. However, text within a file itself arrives in many different file formats, many of which require conversion before the text in the files can be indexed. Therefore, the search index is dependent on the available file conversion technology in order to perform its indexing function. For information about the file viewers that Filr uses, see Section 1.3.6, File Viewer Information.

The search index provides additional services on your Filr site in addition to indexing. In fact, you cannot access your Filr site if the search index is not running. For this reason, Novell Filr provides multi-server configuration options.

4.5.2 Changing Search Index Configuration Settings

  1. Follow the steps in Section 4.1, Changing Configuration Options for the Filr Appliance.

    You can modify the following configuration options:

    • Configuration Type: For a small installation, the default is Local.

      For a large installation with only one separate Lucene index server appliance, the default is Server.

      For a large installation with multiple Lucene index server appliances, you must change the configuration type from the default of Server to High Availability, then click Add to add the information for each Lucene index appliance.

      1. Change the configuration type from the default of Server to High Availability.

      2. Click Add, specify the information for the first Lucene index appliance, then click OK.

      3. Click Add, specify the information for the second Lucene index appliance, then click OK.

    • Description: (This option is visible only when Configuration Type is set to High Availability.) Specify a short description for the Lucene appliance.

    • Host Name or IP Address: This is localhost if your Configuration Type is Local. If your Configuration Type is Server or High Availability, use this field to specify the host name or IP address of the appliance where the search indexes are running. (If your Configuration Type is High Availability, click Add to configure multiple search indexes.)

    • RMI Port: When the search index is running as its own appliance, it communicates with Filr by using the RMI (Remote Method Invocation) port. (Default 1199). In a clustered environment where you are running multiple search index servers, ensure that each Lucene index server is running on the same ports. Novell recommends that you do not change this port from the default of 1199.

    • Lucene User Name: This option must be set under the Server configuration for both server and high availability Lucene configurations. In the Configuration Type field, select Server, then specify the password in the Lucene User Password field. Specify Lucene Service in the User Name field.

    • Lucene User Password: This option must be set under the Server configuration for both server and high availability Lucene configurations. In the Configuration Type field, select Server, then specify the password in the Lucene User Password field.

  2. Click OK.

  3. Click Reconfigure Filr Server for your changes to take effect.

    NOTE:This stops and restarts your Filr server. Because this results in server downtime, you should restart the server at off-peak hours.

If your Filr site is configured for a large installation (your search index is a stand-alone appliance), you can make additional configuration settings for your Lucene search index appliance as described in Section 5.0, Configuring and Maintaining the Search Index Appliance.

4.5.3 Running the Search Index As Its Own Appliance

If the search index requires more memory, disk space, or CPU resources than are available on the Novell Filr appliance, you can move it to a remote appliance. For instructions, see Section 2.2, Installing Separate Appliances for a Large Installation.

4.5.4 Running Multiple Search Indexes

Because the availability of the index is critical to the functioning of the Novell Filr site, you can install multiple search indexes as multiple appliances to provide high availability. For instructions, see Section 2.2.1, Installing the Search Index Appliance.