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Working with federation (Search Server 2008)

Applies To: Microsoft Search Server 2008

 

Topic Last Modified: 2008-08-13

Note

Unless otherwise noted, the information in this article applies to both Microsoft Search Server 2008 and Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express.

In Search Server, federation enables end users to issue a query that searches multiple sources and displays results in separate Web Parts on a single search results page. These sources can be enterprise content repositories, other search engines, or portions of your Search Server index. Using federation enables you to provide more extensive query results for your users without devoting your server resources to crawling and indexing content.

The following articles provide information to help you understand and use federation.

Getting started

The following articles provide an introduction to federation.

Building or customizing a federated connector

The following technical articles on MSDN discuss common federation customizations and guide the technical administrator or developer in creating more complex federated connectors. A complex connector is required when the source is not the local search index and does not natively provide a searchable feed.

Connector examples and code samples

The following technical articles on MSDN provide examples of federated connectors to sources that do not have searchable feeds. The articles include code samples and walkthroughs.

Troubleshooting

The following articles address issues that you may encounter while you are configuring federated locations.