How to get EPiServer Search to work on Windows Server 2008 R2

EPiServer uses the Microsoft Indexing Service to create the indexes for the built in EPiServer search control.

To get it to work with Windows Server 2008 you need to do a couple of setups.

Here’s my action list - hope I can save someone else’s time…

1. The MS Indexing Service is not installed by default on the 2008 Server, so we need to get this up and running: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/954822 (I run a reboot after this. Not sure if its needed)

2. Then we need to add a index catalog. Start with firing the CIADV.MSC

3. Right click, choose “New” and “Catalog”

4. Enter a name for your catalog (the default is “Web”) and browse to your web folder (typically the VPP folder)

5. Choose “Properties” for the catalog you just added and go to the folder “Tracking”. Make sure the “WWW Server” points to your    web site

6. After that, right click on the catalog you just added and choose “New” “Directory”.

7. Create directories to the folders you want to index – i.e the “PageFiles” and “Documents” folders

8. Restart the MS Indexing Service after the creation of the catalog

9. Edit the “EPiServer.IndexingService.exe.config” hidden under your EPiServer installation (…EPiServer\Shared\Services\Indexing Service). Make sure the  connectionstring (one for each item root index) has the correct database values. In addition, the “filePath” must lead to the right VPP folder (i.e. …\VPP\Global)

10. Edit the “episerver.config” – make sure you are using the “VirtualPathVersioningProvider”. Important: The “indexingServiceCatalog” is the one you created in step 4

<add showInFileManager="true" virtualName="Global Files" virtualPath="~/Global/" bypassAccessCheck="false" name="SiteGlobalFiles" type="EPiServer.Web.Hosting.VirtualPathVersioningProvider,EPiServer" indexingServiceCatalog="Web" physicalPath="[YOUR PATH]\VPP\Global" />

11. Delete any “index” folder under your VPP\Global, VPP\Documents, VPP\PageFiles (probably you don’t have any)

12. Restart the EPiServer CMS Indexing Service (runs under Administrative Tools ->Services)

13. Take a look at Mari’s blog on how to test if your CMS is ready for searching: http://labs.episerver.com/en/Blogs/Mari-Jorgensen/Dates/2009/11/Searching-for-files-in-EPiServer-CMS-5/

Good luck!