HOW TO: Configure a Web Site for Indexing in Windows 2000 (317585)

SUMMARY

This step-by-step article describes how to configure a Web site for indexing in Windows 2000.

Windows 2000 Indexing Service creates an index of document content and properties (such as file name, date created, date modified, author name, and number of characters) that can be searched quickly and easily. Index information is stored in catalogs.

If you install Indexing Service on the Web server, a default Web catalog is created in the Inetpub folder. This catalog contains an index of the default Web site. You can add and remove additional catalogs or configure existing catalogs to meet your requirements at any time. For example, you may want to create a catalog for each Web site that you want to index.

Use the Indexing Service snap-in to create catalogs and administer Indexing Service. After you create a new catalog, you must associate a Web site with the catalog, and then use the Internet Information Services (IIS) snap-in to configure the Web resources that you want to use for indexing. When you enable indexing for a Web resource, the content is included in the catalog and users can perform searches (usually by using a query form on a Web page) on that resource.

You can enable indexing at either the server, Web site, or folder level. Server level settings apply to indexable content on all Web sites on the server, site level settings apply to all indexable content within that site, and folder level settings apply to all indexable content within that folder and subfolders.

To create a catalog and configure a Web site for indexing:

1. Create a new catalog.
2. Associate a Web site with the catalog.
3. Configure Web resources for indexing.
4. Restart Indexing Service.

The following sections describe how to complete these tasks. back to the top

How to Create a New Catalog

1. Start Microsoft Windows Explorer, and then create a new folder on the local hard disk in which to store the new catalog.
2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
3. Double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.
4. Double-click Services and Applications, and then double-click Indexing Service.
5. Right-click Indexing Service, point to New, and then click Catalog.
6. In the Name box, type a name for your new catalog.
7. Click Browse, click the folder that you created in step 1, and then click OK twice.
8. When you receive the "Catalog will remain off-line until Indexing Service is restarted" message, click OK.

The new catalog is created and it is listed under Indexing Service in the console tree.

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How to Associate a Web Site with the Catalog

After you create a new catalog, you must associate a Web site with the catalog:

1. Under Indexing Service in the console tree of the Computer Management window, right-click the catalog that you want, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Tracking tab.
3. In the WWW Server box, click the Web site that you want to associate with the catalog, and then click OK.

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How to Configure Web Resources for Indexing

After you associate a Web site with a catalog, specify the Web resources that you want to index:

1. Start Internet Services Manager.
   
   Alternatively, start the IIS snap-in in Microsoft Management Console (MMC).
2. Click to expand * server name, where server name is the name of the server.
3. Right-click either the Web site or folder for which you want to enable indexing, and then click Properties.
4. Click one of the following tabs that is appropriate to your situation:
   • Home Directory
   • Virtual Directory
   • Directory
   
   
5. Click to select the Index this resource check box, and then click OK.
   
   NOTE: To turn off indexing for a Web site or folder, click to clear the Index this resource check box, and then click OK.
   
   After you change settings for a Web site or virtual folder, IIS checks the existing settings in use on the child nodes (virtual folders and files) that are contained in that Web site or virtual folder. If the settings at the lower levels are different, IIS displays an Inheritance Overrides dialog box. To specify which child nodes should inherit the settings that you set at the higher level, click the node or nodes in the Child Nodes list, and then click OK. The child node inherits the new indexing setting.
6. Quit the IIS snap-in.

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How to Restart the Indexing Service

To begin the indexing process, restart Indexing Service:

1. In the console tree of the Computer Management window, right-click Indexing Service, and then click Stop (if it is started).
2. Right-click Indexing Service, and then click Start.
   
   The catalog comes online and is populated with the index information that is extracted from the Web resources that you specified. By using a query form on a Web page, users can submit queries to search the index for documents that contain specific words, phrases, or properties.

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