Users Guide

Modify Index File Locations in an Existing SharePoint Farm
If you already have a SharePoint farm deployment and can modify its topology, you can change the query and crawl component
index locations using the Central Administration interface after installation.
In an existing farm, by default all three types of search components are on the C:\ drive. You must move these onto PS Series
volumes. However, if you create a new SSA or change the topology of your existing SSA, the components will be placed on the
C:\ drive, again by default, and ASM will ignore those components.
To resolve this problem:
● Specify the file location during a new SharePoint installation (see Specify Index File Locations When Installing SharePoint).
● Uninstall and then reinstall SharePoint with the new default file location.
NOTE: Make sure your farm can handle the temporary loss of a host, such as by setting up a redundant service
application.
● Change the location of the different search files. See the following sections:
○ Change the Default Index Location Using PowerShell cmdlets
○ Change Index Locations Using Central Administration
○ Change Administration Component Index File Location
○ Change the SPSearch Index File Location
Change the Default Index File Location Using PowerShell cmdlets
To change the default index file location using Powershell cmdlets whenever a new host is provisioned for search:
1. Open Office Search.
2. Open the SharePoint PowerShell shortcut.
3. Enter the following cmdlet to see the current index location:
Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceInstance
4. Enter the following cmdlet to change the default search index location (in this example, to E:\SharePoint Indexes):
Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceInstance | Set-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceInstance –
DefaultIndexLocation "E:\SharePoint Indexes"
NOTE:
If the default has not been changed during installation, you can repeat this procedure whenever a new host is
provisioned for search.
Change Index File Locations Using Central Administration
1. In Central Administration, select Application Management → Manage Service Applications → Search Service
Application → Search Application Topology.
2. Select Modify from the drop-down menu.
3. Under Index Partition, click Query Component.
4. Select Edit Properties from the drop-down menu.
5. Change the search index file location for each query component.
6. In Crawl Component, select Edit Properties from the drop-down menu.
7. Change the index location for each crawl component.
8. Click OK to apply the topology changes.
Change Administration Component Index File Location
No direct method is available in Central Administration to change the administration component index file location. Instead, you
can temporarily change the Administration Component server to a different server, then immediately change it back to the
original server. This process forces the administration component index file location to change.
Before you begin, complete the steps in Change the Default Index Location Using PowerShell cmdlets.
Installation
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