Search Service

When you deploy the Search Engine as part of your building module solution, consider the following:

• In each building module, make sure only one Portal Server instance has the Search Engine database containing the Resource Descriptors (RDs). The remaining Portal Server instances have default empty Search Engine databases.

• Factors that influence whether to use a building module for the portal Search database include the intensity of search activities in a Portal Server deployment, the range of search hits, and the average number of search hits for all users, in addition to the number of concurrent searches. For example, the load generated on a server by the Search Engine can be both memory and CPU intensive for a large index and heavy query load.

• You can install Search on a machine separate from Portal Server, to keep the main server dedicated to portal activity. When you do so, you use the searchURL property of the Search provider to point to the second machine where Search is installed. The Search instance is a normal portal instance. You install the Search instance just as you do the portal instance, but use it just for Search functionality.