Reconfigure the farm deployment (FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint)

 

Applies to: FAST Search Server 2010

You can change the deployment of an existing Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint farm by reconfiguring the deployment.xml file. Deployment changes include adding or removing servers and assigning components to servers.

Note

This article contains generic procedures that are used when you reconfigure the farm topology. For information about topology operations, see Manage FAST Search Server farm topology.

In this article:

  • Manage configuration files

  • Reconfigure the farm deployment without adding new servers

  • Reconfigure the farm deployment including adding new servers

  • Remove servers from the farm deployment

  • Make the necessary changes on Microsoft SharePoint Server

  • About search rows and index columns in deployment.xml

Manage configuration files

FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint includes some configuration files that can be modified by developers or IT Professionals. For information about which configuration files that can be modified, see About configuration files (FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint). Changing other configuration files is not supported and could lead to system inconsistencies during re-configuration (Set-FASTSearchConfiguration cmdlet) and software updates.

Reconfigure the farm deployment without adding new servers

Follow these steps to make deployment changes for existing servers:

  1. On the administration server, open the deployment configuration file, <FASTSearchFolder>\etc\config_data\deployment\deployment.xml.

    Where <FASTSearchFolder> is the path of the folder where you have installed FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint, for example C:\FASTSearch.

    Make the necessary changes to the deployment configuration. For more information about the deployment configuration file syntax, see deployment.xml reference. For more information about index column and search row deployment configuration, see About search rows and index columns in deployment.xml.

  2. If you change the configuration of an indexer row or a search row, delete the following file on all servers in the row:

    <FASTSearchFolder>\etc\rtsplatformcache.xml

  3. On the administration server, follow these steps to reconfigure the servers in the deployment:

    1. Stop the FAST Search for SharePoint service.

    2. Stop the FAST Search for SharePoint Monitoring service.

    3. Open a Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint shell:

      1. Verify that you meet the following minimum requirements: You are a member of the FASTSearchAdministrators local group on the server where FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint is installed.

      2. On the Start menu, click All Programs.

      3. Click Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint.

      4. Click Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint shell.

      5. To re-create configuration files, at the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

        Set-FASTSearchConfiguration
        
      6. Start the FAST Search for SharePoint service.

        Note

        This will also start the FAST Search for SharePoint Monitoring service.

      7. To verify that all processes are running, at the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

        nctrl status
        
  4. When the administration server is started and running, repeat step 3 on all other servers in the FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint deployment.

Reconfigure the farm deployment including adding new servers

Follow these steps to make deployment changes that include adding or removing servers:

  1. On the administration server, open <FASTSearchFolder>\etc\config_data\deployment\deployment.xml and make the necessary changes.

    <FASTSearchFolder> is the path of the folder where you have installed FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint, for example C:\FASTSearch.

    For more information about the deployment configuration file (deployment.xml) syntax, see deployment.xml reference. For more information about index column and search row deployment configuration, see About search rows and index columns in deployment.xml.

  2. On the administration server, follow these steps to reconfigure the deployment:

    1. Stop the FAST Search for SharePoint service.

    2. Stop the FAST Search for SharePoint Monitoring service.

    3. Open a Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint shell as administrator:

      1. Verify that you meet the following minimum requirements: You are a member of the FASTSearchAdministrators local group on the server where FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint is installed.

      2. On the Start menu, click All Programs.

      3. Click Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint.

      4. Right click Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint shell and select Run as administrator.

      5. To configure Internet Protocol security (IPsec), at the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

        Set-FASTSearchIPSec -create
        

        Use the same user name and password that you used during installation.

      6. To re-create configuration files, at the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

        Set-FASTSearchConfiguration
        
      7. Start the FAST Search for SharePoint service.

        Note

        This will also start the FAST Search for SharePoint Monitoring service.

      8. To verify that all processes are running, at the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

        nctrl status
        
  3. When the administration server is started and running, repeat step 2 on all other servers in the FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint farm.

  4. Install and configure FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint on the new server(s). For each server, perform the following steps:

    1. Install FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint

    2. Configure the non-administration server(s) in a multiple server deployment.

Remove servers from the farm deployment

Follow these steps to make deployment changes that include removing servers:

  1. On the administration server, open <FASTSearchFolder>\etc\config_data\deployment\deployment.xml and make the necessary changes.

    <FASTSearchFolder> is the path of the folder where you have installed FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint, for example C:\FASTSearch.

    For more information about the deployment configuration file (deployment.xml) syntax, see deployment.xml reference. For more information about index column and search row deployment configuration, see About search rows and index columns in deployment.xml.

  2. On the administration server, follow these steps to reconfigure the deployment:

    1. Stop the FAST Search for SharePoint service.

    2. Stop the FAST Search for SharePoint Monitoring service.

    3. Open a Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint shell as administrator:

      1. Verify that you meet the following minimum requirements: You are a member of the FASTSearchAdministrators local group on the server where FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint is installed.

      2. On the Start menu, click All Programs.

      3. Click Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint.

      4. Right click Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint shell and select Run as administrator.

      5. To configure Internet Protocol security (IPsec), at the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

        Set-FASTSearchIPSec -create
        

        Use the same user name and password that you used during installation.

      6. To re-create configuration files, at the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

        Set-FASTSearchConfiguration
        
      7. Start the FAST Search for SharePoint service.

        Note

        This will also start the FAST Search for SharePoint Monitoring service.

      8. To verify that all processes are running, at the Windows PowerShell command prompt, type the following command:

        nctrl status
        
  3. When the administration server is started and running, repeat step 2 on all other servers in the FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint farm (not including the servers you shall remove).

  4. Uninstall FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint on the server(s) you shall remove. For each server, perform the steps in Uninstall FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint (FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint).

Make the necessary changes on Microsoft SharePoint Server

The FAST Search Content Search Service Application (Content SSA) and the FAST Search Query Search Service Application (Query SSA) on the Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 are configured to have information about the FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint farm. Therefore, when you change the deployment of FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint, you may also have to update the configuration of the Content SSA and the Query SSA.

Update Content SSA connection configuration

For the FAST Search Content SSA, you must update the Content Distributors field in the Content SSA configuration if you have added, removed, or moved content distributors (content-distributor element) in the deployment.xml file:

To update Content SSA connection configuration

  1. Verify that the user account that is performing this procedure is a service application administrator for the FAST Search Content Search Service Application.

  2. On SharePoint Server 2010, in Central Administration, in the Application Management section, click Manage service applications.

  3. On the Manage Service Applications page, highlight your FAST Search Content SSA and then click Properties in the ribbon.

  4. On the Edit Search Service page, update the Content Distributors field. Add each server that has the content distributor component to this field. Copy the information from the install_info.txt file, which is found directly under the installation directory on any FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint server. (The file is updated as part of reconfiguration and will therefore contain updated information after reconfiguration.)

Update Query SSA connection configuration

For the FAST Search Query SSA, you must update the Query Service Location field if you have added, removed, or moved query processing servers (query element) in the deployment configuration file deployment.xml.

To update the Query Service Location

  1. Verify that the user account that is performing this procedure is a service application administrator for the FAST Search Content Search Service Application.

  2. On SharePoint Server 2010, in Central Administration, in the Application Management section, click Manage service applications.

  3. On the Manage Service Applications page, highlight your FAST Search Query SSA and then click Properties in the ribbon.

  4. On the Edit Search Service page, update the Query Service Location field. Add each server that has the query role in deployment.xml to this field. Copy the information from the install_info.txt file, which is found directly under the installation directory on any FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint server. (The file is updated as part of reconfiguration and will therefore contain updated information after reconfiguration.)

  5. Follow the steps in Configure claims authentication to configure the connection between the query processing server and the Query SSA.

    Note

    This step is not required if you remove a query processing server.

About search rows and index columns in deployment.xml

You configure the search row and index column roles of the FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint topology in the deployment.xml configuration file.

The searchengine sub-element of the host element specifies the index column and the search/indexer row identity. The row attribute value refers to the corresponding row id in the searchcluster specification. The index attribute specifies the indexing role of the particular row:

  • primary: Primary indexer

  • secondary: Backup indexer

  • none: No indexer running on the servers in this row. This row acts as a stand-alone search row

The search attribute specifies the query matching role of the particular row:

  • true: Query matching is performed on this row. This row acts as a separate search row.

  • false: No query matching is running on the servers in this row. This row acts as a dedicated indexer row.

Example configuration without backup indexer

The following example shows an extract of a deployment.xml file that has the host definition for three indexer servers.

  • The first host element represents the administration server, which is also configured for query processing and the Web Analyzer.

  • The three following host elements represent the indexer server for index column 0, 1 and 2.

  • There are no backup indexer defined, and there are only one search row.

  <host name="fs4sp1.contoso.com">
    <admin />
    <query />
    <webanalyzer server="true" link-processing="true"
                 lookup-db="true" max-targets="4"/>
    <document-processor processes="12" />
  </host>
  <host name="fs4sp2.contoso.com">
    <content-distributor />
    <searchengine row="0" column="0" />
    <document-processor processes="12" />
  </host>
  <host name="fs4sp3.contoso.com">
    <content-distributor />
    <indexing-dispatcher />
    <searchengine row="0" column="1" />
    <document-processor processes="12" />
  </host>
  <host name="fs4sp4.contoso.com">
    <indexing-dispatcher />
    <searchengine row="0" column="2" />
    <document-processor processes="12" />
  </host>

  <searchcluster>
      <row id="0" index="primary" search="true" />
  </searchcluster>

Example configuration with backup indexer and two search rows

The following example shows an extract of a deployment.xml file that has the host definition for three indexer servers that have a backup indexer.

  • The first host element represents the administration server, which is also configured for query processing and the Web Analyzer.

  • The three following host elements represent the primary indexer server for index column 0, 1 and 2.

  • The three last host elements represent the backup indexer server for index column 0, 1 and 2.

  • Both rows are configured as search rows.

  <host name="fs4sp1.contoso.com">
    <admin />
    <query />
    <webanalyzer server="true" link-processing="true"
                          lookup-db="true" max-targets="4"/>
    <document-processor processes="12" />
  </host>
  <host name="fs4sp2.contoso.com">
    <content-distributor />
    <searchengine row="0" column="0" />
    <document-processor processes="12" />
  </host>
  <host name="fs4sp3.contoso.com">
    <content-distributor />
    <indexing-dispatcher />
    <searchengine row="0" column="1" />
    <document-processor processes="12" />
  </host>
  <host name="fs4sp4.contoso.com">
    <indexing-dispatcher />
    <searchengine row="0" column="2" />
    <document-processor processes="12" />
  </host>
  <host name="fs4sp5.contoso.com">
    <query />
    <searchengine row="1" column="0" />
  </host>
  <host name="fs4sp6.contoso.com">
    <query />
    <searchengine row="1" column="1" />
  </host>
  <host name="fs4sp7.contoso.com">
    <query />
    <searchengine row="1" column="2" />
  </host>

  <searchcluster>
      <row id="0" index="primary" search="true" />
      <row id="1" index="secondary" search="true" />
  </searchcluster>

See Also

Concepts

deployment.xml syntax reference
Plan FAST Search Server farm topology (FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint)
Plan search service applications (FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint)
Manage FAST Search Server farm topology (FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint)