Microsoft KB Archive/254319

= Index Server Fails When It Is Installed on Cluster Server =

Article ID: 254319

Article Last Modified on 11/1/2006

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Enterprise Edition
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 5
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6
 * Microsoft Windows NT version 4.0 Option Pack
 * Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6a

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This article was previously published under Q254319



SYMPTOMS
When you install the Windows NT 4.0 Option pack on a Cluster Server (MSCS), you must de-select Index Server as an installed component. Although Index Server can install correctly on MSCS, it does not fail over or function properly.



CAUSE
This issue occurs because Index Server is not a cluster-aware component and is not intended to run on a Cluster Server. If you attempt to install Index Server as a generic program, the catalog almost always become damaged when the service fails over. If you instead attempt to run Index Server locally on each node of the cluster, the catalog on the computer that owns the Web resources works and has data in it, but the catalog on the other computer will be empty. When the node that currently owns the Web site fails, the surviving node brings the Web site online and then begins to build the catalog. This causes a large amount of unnecessary disk activity and system resource usage to generate the catalog.



RESOLUTION
To resolve this issue if it is necessary to implement a searching solution for Web sites on a Cluster Server, configure Index Server on a third computer, and then have it build a catalog of the clustered Web sites.

