Vista-to-Vista WDS Not Querying Remote Index

Windows Desktop Search Help

JoeOnSunset

I have two systems on a LAN, one running Vista Ultimate and a laptop runing Home Premium. I have an entire data drive on the main (Ultimate) system indexed, and shared. However, on the laptop, when opening that share from Network Places and running a search, search is brutally slow and notes "Network locations and connected devices are indexed more slowly..."

I thought that Desktop Search would query the remote index when doing Vista-to-Vista searches. However, this appears not to be happening here (although I don't know how I'd know for sure... except for the incredible slowness and that notice.)

I'd rather not use the UNC path add-in if I can avoid it. Does anyone know:

  • That Vista Home Premium - to - Vista Ultimate desktop searches will query remote indexes
  • What the requirements are for this to happen successfully

I have file sharing on and have full control with the account I'm using. I've tried turning off Windows Firewall in case it was blocking a necessary port.


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Re: Windows Desktop Search Help Vista-to-Vista WDS Not Querying Remote Index

Ari Polsky - MSFT

Try modifying the permission on the root of the shared drive to give read access to Everyone. At least this way we can rule out a permissions issue. Also, are you accessing the shared drive through the adminstrative share (e.g. \\server\c$\path) or a regular UNC share path (e.g. \\server\share\) Remote querying will not work if you are using the admin share path.


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Re: Windows Desktop Search Help Vista-to-Vista WDS Not Querying Remote Index

JoeOnSunset

I am using a regular UNC share path (not administrative). I gave Everyone read access, but this did not make a difference.

But, I did notice that I was initiating the search having drilled into a subfolder of the share, and this was a problem. When I run the search from the very root of the share, it's quick and there is no notice---it appears to use the remote index.

I knew that remote indexes weren't queried when you ran a search on a store on your local computer, but assumed of course that WDS would do a remote query when starting in a subfolder of a UNC share. I'm assuming that's not officially not supported, then

Thanks for the help!


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Re: Windows Desktop Search Help Vista-to-Vista WDS Not Querying Remote Index

Ari Polsky - MSFT

It shouldn't make a difference whether you are searching in the share root or a subfolder. As long as the folder is indexed it should be able to remote query it. Are you sure the folder in question is actually in the index When you search over the same folder contents locally from the machine where the files are actually located do the results come back fast, and without the "gold bar" that comes up when querying over non-indexed locations Can you check the indexing options control panel on the same machine and double check that all subfolders of the share that you are trying to search over are checked to be included in the index Make sure to drill down to all subfolders to make sure all are checked.




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Re: Windows Desktop Search Help Vista-to-Vista WDS Not Querying Remote Index

JoeOnSunset

Oh. Odd.

To answer your question, yes, the subfolder in question is indexed on the main machine. It can be fast searched on the main machine, and it's a subfolder of a whole drive (K:\) that's been added in Indexing Options. In Indexed Locations I'm able to verify that it's there and checked, along with all the other subfolders.

The only non-standard thing I can think of about this index is that I did move it from its default location to K:\Data\Windows Search Index. But, that's not negatively affecting search on the main machine.


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Re: Windows Desktop Search Help Vista-to-Vista WDS Not Querying Remote Index

Ari Polsky - MSFT

I did some testing and it turns out that there is indeed a bug here. If you share your entire drive you can only do remote queries from the root share, not subfolders. This only affects the scenario where the root of the drive is the share.

So one workaround would be to create separate shares for the folders you want to be remotely queryable. Another possibility would be to move those folders under a new folder under the drive's root, and then share that new folder.

So you have K:\folder1, K:\folder2 that you want to query remotely. Move folder1 and folder2 under a new folder, Dummy, so you'd have K:\Dummy\folder1, K:\Dummy\folder2. Then you can share out Dummy and still access all files at the same share.

The benefit is that you would only have to create one share and could access and query everything remotely through it the same way as before, but the downside is you'd have to move all those files.

We will fix this in the next release. Thanks for reporting this issue!


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Re: Windows Desktop Search Help Vista-to-Vista WDS Not Querying Remote Index

JoeOnSunset

Thanks! Great to know I'm not just crazy.

Also, I appreciate the workaround suggestion. I might try it, but, I have a lot of dependencies, and also moving a user folder is just no fun. I think I may just stick with searching from the root of the UNC share and using the "folder:" keyword.

One day I'll get Vista Business on the laptop and use offline files and search that way.

Thanks again.




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Re: Windows Desktop Search Help Vista-to-Vista WDS Not Querying Remote Index

timcb

Hi,

I'm trying to get remote querying to work as well, but I can't seem to get a vista box to query another vista's index. I've searched the web and tried many different solutions from the different forums, but the Vista client always presents me with the yellow bar ("Network locations and devices search more slowely...") when I try to search another Vista's share (that is indexed).

My setup is two Vista Enterprise systems (called server and client) with the latest updates; both running as virtual machines in Parallels on a macbook pro. I've created a new hdd and file system on the server. It shows up as "New Volume E:" under Computer. In its properties I enabled sharing for this drive under "Advanced Sharing", and under Security I added a user "Everyone" with permissions "Allow" checked for each row.

On both the server and client, in the "Network and Sharing Center" I have Network Discovery and File Sharing on. I'm also the administrative user on both systems. On the client when I go to Network, and to the server machine, the volume "e" shows up, as well as its files.

On the server, in indexing options, "New Volume E": shows up under the list of Indexed Locations. When I go into Modify, "New Volume E": is checked. I only have a few files and no directories in this drive so there are no subfolder to check except for .Trashes, which is checked too. When I add a new file to this volume, the number of indexed items is incremented. A local content search on the server for a file under "e:" returns immediatelly with the right filename, so I assume the search is using the index.

My process for searching the server from the client is: click on search -> advanced search -> Indexed Locations -> choose search locations. Then I click on Network, then the name of server machine and "e" shows up, which is the volume shared by the server. I've tried checking both the machine name which includes "e", but also just "e" and not the machine name.

Now when I try to do a content search for the remote file, the yellow bar always shows up and the search doesn't return the file. A filename search works, but the yellow bar shows up as well. Also, I've tried this from multiple locations: Computer, Network, Server, and Server's share to no avail.

I've also tried setting up a mapped network drive on the client (\\server\\e), and just pointing the client to a UNC path \\sever\share (with the "Connect to a Web site..." link), but that also results in the yellow bar when I perform a search from the client.

I'd appreciate any suggestions to get remote index querying to work.

Thanks,
Tim


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