Thursday, May 9, 2013

The search request was unable to connect to the Search Service.

This is an error I faced trying to set up a fast search centre in an OOTB environment.

TechNet provides four common causes for this issue.

1: The communication channels are not cleaned up correctly
2: The FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint query processing services are not running
3: The SharePoint certificate is not present on one or more of the FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint query processing servers
4: SharePoint has not been configured to point to the FAST Search Server 2010 for SharePoint query processing node

Reference: Technet


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Getting a site collection backup in SharePoint 2010

Getting a site collection backup in SharePoint 2010 can be done in two methods.
  • Through the Central Admin  
 Go to Central Admin -> Backup and Restore -> Perform a Site Collection Backup -> Give a name and a file location for the backup and click ok.
  • Using PowerShell
Backup -SPSite -Identity <site collection host header> -Path <path of the backup file>

Reference: Technet

Search PDF files via Fast Search for SharePoint 2010

Fast Search for SharePoint 2010 searches PDF files by default(without any 3rd party plug-ins) given that they are not read protected or locked. When creating search scopes for Fast Search, the Document Library which contain the PDF files need to be in the included section of the search scope.

Mentioned below are some of the key points that come up when searching for the PDF search scenarios in Fast Search for SharePoint 2010.


  • List of file types supported by default in OOTB sites – SharePoint 2010 does include PDF by default as search file types
    • http://technet.microsoft.com/nb-no/library/gg471168.aspx
  • Enable advanced filter pack – This is a solution to view content of PDF files in Search of SharePoint 2010
    • http://technet.microsoft.com/nb-no/library/ff383314.aspx
  • Configure iFilter to enable viewing of PDF content in SharePoint search – This is the recommended method to view content of PDF files
    • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2293357
  • Adding searchable file types in SharePoint 2010 – Additional related info regarding adding searchable file types
    • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2518465
  • Additional iFilter products
    • http://blogs.msdn.com/b/opal/archive/2009/03/10/pdf-ifilter-battle-second-round.aspx
  •  Select what contents are to be displayed in search results – This can be used to limit access to certain libraries, but it will have to be manually specified with this method
    • http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint-server-help/enable-content-to-be-searchable-HA010379092.aspx

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

SP Dispose check

When coding a solution in Visual Studio memory leaks which occurs from object disposals which were not handled can be checked using the tool available here.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Add / remove options from an existing SQL database

When there is a need to change settings of an existing Ms SQL database you will need to add ASP.NET SQL Server Registration into windows registry.
It can be done using the following method.

Navigate to [drive:]\%windir%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\version folder on your Web server, and type aspnet_regsql on the command prompt.

E.g.: 
C:\>cd Windows
C:\Windows>cd Microsoft.NET
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET>cd Framework
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework>cd v2.0.50727
C:\Windows\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727>aspnet_regsql

After registering this functionality existing settings of existing databases can be altered after creation.
More information on the tool can be found on the following reference link.

Reference: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms229862%28v=vs.80%29.aspx

Sunday, March 18, 2012

How to get the build version of SharePoint 2010

Keeping track on SharePoint 2010 upgrades are critical for maintenance and development using SharePoint.
There are three methods from which the build version of SharePoint 2010 can be checked.

  • From the SharePoint 2010 Central Administration
Go to SharePoint 2010 Central Administration -> Upgrade and Migration -> Check Product and patch Installation Status
  • From PowerShell (registry entry)
 Go to SharePoint 2010 Management Shell and enter the following script to get the SharePoint 2010 version registered in the Windows registry
(Get-item "hklm:software\microsoft\shared tools\web server extensions\14.0").Getvalue("version")
  • From PowerShell (farm build version)
 Go to SharePoint 2010 Management Shell and enter the following script to get the SharePoint 2010 farm build version
(get-spfarm).buildversion

The newest updates on SharePoint 2010 Server can be checked from the following reference location.

References: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/ff800847