Indexing Service
Template:Infobox Windows component
Indexing Service (originally called Index server) is a desktop search service included with Windows NT 4.0 Option Pack[1] as well as Windows 2000 and later.[2][3][4] It is an operating system level service that maintains an index of most of the files on a computer to improve searching performance on PCs and corporate computer networks. It updates indexes without user intervention. It is predecessor to Windows Search.
History
The first incarnation of the indexing service was shipped in August 1996[1] as a content search system for Microsoft's web server software, Internet Information Services.[citation needed] Its origins, however, date further back to Microsoft's Cairo operating system project, with the component serving as the Content Indexer for the Object File System. Cairo was eventually shelved, but the content indexing capabilities would go on to be included as a standard component of later Windows desktop and server operating systems, starting with Windows 2000, which includes Indexing Service 3.0.[citation needed]
In Windows Vista, the content indexer was replaced with the Windows Search indexer which is enabled by default. Indexing Service is still included with Windows Server 2008 but is not installed or running by default.[5]
Search interfaces
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Comprehensive searching is available after initial building of the index, which can take up to hours or days, depending on the size of the specified directories, the speed of the hard drive, user activity, indexer settings and other factors. Searching using Indexing service works also on UNC paths and/or mapped network drives if the sharing server indexes appropriate directory and is aware of its sharing.
Once the indexing service has been turned on and has built its index it can be searched in three ways. The search option available from the Start Menu[clarification needed "of which operating system"] will use the indexing service if it is enabled and will even accept complex queries. Queries can also be performed using either the Indexing Service Query Form in the Computer Management snap-in of Microsoft Management Console or alternatively using third-party applications such as 'Aim at File' or 'Grokker Desktop'.
Restrictions
The following restriction applies to version 2.0 of Index Server. When running Indexing Service, Index Server does not detect changes to a catalog if the data is located on a mounted partition. Indexing Service does not support mounted volumes because of limitations in the underlying file system notification systems.[6]
References
- ^ a b Nareddy, Krishna (15 October 1997). "Introduction to Microsoft Index Server". Microsoft Developer Network. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ Danseglio, Mike; Dillard, Kurt; Maldonado, José; Robichaux, Paul (2005). Bannecker, Reid; Cobb, John; Tobey, Jon; Wacker, Steve (eds.). Threats and Countermeasures: Security Settings in Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP (Microsoft Word) (2.0 ed.). Microsoft Corporation. p. 144.
{{cite book}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ "Indexing Service Version 3.0". Microsoft Developer Network. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ "What is Indexing Service?". Microsoft Developer Network. Microsoft Corporation. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ "How to install and configure the Indexing Service on a Windows Server 2008-based computer (Revision: 3.0)". Microsoft Support. Microsoft Corporation. 3 May 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2011.
- ^ "INFO: Index Server Does Not Support Mounted Volumes (Revision: 1.0)". Microsoft Support. 10 May 2002. Retrieved 1 February 2011.