Reset the content index (FAST Search Web crawler)

  • Article

 

Applies to: FAST Search Server 2010

This topic explains how to completely remove content from the index that was previously crawled by the FAST Search Web crawler.

You can choose to remove all current crawl configurations and reset the content index. In that case, building an index afterward requires a full crawl. Follow the procedure Reset the content index and remove a FAST Search Web crawler configuration if you want to completely remove previously crawled FAST Search Web crawler content and rebuild the index from scratch.

Or, you can choose to delete the content index and then re-feed previously crawled content to the index. You can use this procedure if you have to rebuild the index because you are adding an index column, for example. Follow the procedure Reset the content index and re-feed content.

Reset the content index and remove a FAST Search Web crawler configuration

Remove a configuration

This procedure removes a particular FAST Search Web crawler crawl configuration from all servers that run one or more FAST Search Web crawler components. The FAST Search Web crawler configuration file(s) will not be deleted in this process and can be reused or removed later.

  1. At the command prompt, navigate to <FASTSearchFolder>\bin, where <FASTSearchFolder> is the path of the folder where you have installed FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint, for example C:\FASTSearch.

  2. At the command prompt, type the following command:

    crawleradmin –d <MyCollection>

    Where <MyCollection> is the file name of the crawler configuration that you want to remove.

  3. Double check that you have entered the correct name of the crawl configuration that you are about to remove and press ENTER. Press ENTER again when you are prompted to confirm that you want to delete the configuration.

  4. Wait for the command to finish. This may take some time.

Clear the content collection

You are now ready to reset the content index by clearing the contents of the content collection that you were feeding to.

Warning

This procedure will delete all items in the content collection. Any other content from other content sources that was fed to the same content collection is also cleared.

  1. Verify that you meet the following minimum requirements: You are a member of the FASTSearchAdministrators local group on the computer 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 the Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint shell.

  5. At the Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint shell command prompt, type the following command:

    Clear-FASTSearchContentCollection -Name <collection name>

    Where:

    • <collection name> is the content collection you are about to clear.

  6. Wait for the command to finish. This may take some time.

    Important

    After clearing the content collection, all the relevant content will have been removed from the search engine. It will not be searchable until the content from the FAST Search Web crawler is (re)crawled by creating a new FAST Search Web crawler collection.

Reset the content index and re-feed content

  1. Stop the FAST Search Web crawler. See Start, suspend, resume, or stop a crawl process (FAST Search Web crawler).

  2. Clear the content collection.

    Warning

    This procedure will delete all items in the content collection. Any other content from other content sources that was fed to the same content collection is also cleared.

    1. Verify that you meet the following minimum requirements: You are a member of the FASTSearchAdministrators local group on the computer 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 the Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint shell.

    5. At the Microsoft FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint shell command prompt, type the following command:

      Clear-FASTSearchContentCollection -Name <collection name>

      Where:

      • <collection name> is the content collection you are about to clear.

    6. Wait for the command to finish. This may take some time.

      Important

      After clearing the content collection, all the relevant content will have been removed from the search engine. It will not be searchable until the content from the FAST Search Web crawler is re-fed.

  3. Re-feed FAST Search Web crawler content by using the postprocess.exe command-line tool.

    In a single server deployment, use the postprocess.exe command-line tool on the server that runs the FAST Search Web crawler.

    In a multi-server FAST Search Web crawler deployment, use the postprocess.exe command-line tool on each server that has a nodescheduler.

    1. At the command prompt, navigate to <FASTSearchFolder>\bin, where <FASTSearchFolder> is the path of the folder where you have installed FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint, for example C:\FASTSearch.

    2. At the command prompt, type the following command:

      postprocess –R <crawl_collections>

      Where:

      • <crawl_collections> specifies a single collection or a comma-separated list of collections (without any white spaces).

  4. Restart the FAST Search Web crawler. See Start, suspend, resume, or stop a crawl process (FAST Search Web crawler).