4.1 Installing the Search Index Appliance

4.1.1 Downloading the Search Index Appliance and Configuring the Virtual Environment

You need to download the search index appliance and configure the virtual environment where you plan to run the appliance. This includes configuring system resources and so forth.

The process of downloading the search index appliance and configuring the virtual environment differs depending on which virtual environment you plan to use to run the search index appliance.

VMware Configuration

  1. Download the search appliance software (Filrsearch-version.ovf.zip) to your management workstation.

    You can access the software from the Novell Customer Center (NCC). Or, you can access an evaluation version of the software from this location on the Novell Downloads page.

  2. Extract the Filrsearch.x86-64-version.ovf.zip file on your management workstation until the Filrsearch-version file folder appears.

  3. In the vSphere client, click File > Deploy OVF Template.

  4. Browse to and select the .ovf file in the Filrsearch.x86-64-version file folder.

  5. Click Next.

  6. Click Next again.

  7. In the Name field, rename the Filr appliance to a name of your choosing, then click Next.

  8. Select the datastore where you want to store the virtual machine files, then click Next.

  9. Click Next to accept the default for the disk format.

  10. Click Finish.

  11. Create a separate VMware hard disk (Hard Disk 2) for the appliance. This hard disk is used to store configuration files that are used for appliance upgrades.

    IMPORTANT:If you do not create a separate VMware hard disk as described here, you cannot upgrade to a new version of the appliance.

    1. In the vSphere client, right-click the virtual machine that you just created, and for which you want to create secondary storage, then click Edit Settings.

      The Virtual Machine Properties page is displayed.

    2. On the Hardware tab, click Add.

      The Add Hardware dialog box is displayed.

    3. Select Hard Disk, then click Next.

    4. Leave Create a new virtual disk selected, then click Next.

    5. Specify the amount of hard disk space that you want to allocate. The recommended minimum differs depending on the nature of your Filr environment.

      To see a formula to calculate the storage requirement for your environment, see Search Index Appliance Storage.

    6. In the Disk Provisioning section, select either Thick Provision Eager Zeroed or Support clustering features such as Fault Tolerance, depending on the VMware version that you are running.

    7. In the Location section, select Specify a datastore or datastore cluster, then click Browse.

    8. Select a datastore, then click OK.

    9. Click Next.

    10. In the Virtual Device Node section, select SCSI (1:0) from the drop-down list.

      IMPORTANT:Do not change the controller to VMware Paravirtual at this point of the installation process.

      If you want to change the SCSI controller to VMware Paravirtual:

      1. Finish the installation and power on the Filr system.

      2. Ensure that the Filr system is running. (Log in as the Filr administrator, create a user, and log in as that user.)

      3. Shut down each appliance in the Filr system. (For information about how to safely shut down an appliance, see Shutting Down and Restarting the Novell Appliance in the Filr 2.0: Administration Guide.)

      4. In VMware, change the controller to VMware Paravirtual.

      5. Power on each appliance in the Filr system.

    11. In the Mode section, select Independent, select Persistent, then click Next.

    12. Click Finish.

  12. Create a separate VMware hard disk (Hard Disk 3) for the appliance. This hard disk is used to store the /var directory for the appliance. (The /var directory is where system events for the Novell appliances are logged.)

    1. In the Virtual Machine Properties window, on the Hardware tab, click Add.

    2. Select Hard Disk, then click Next.

    3. Leave Create a new virtual disk selected, then click Next.

    4. In the Disk Size field, specify the amount of hard disk space that you want to allocate. The recommended minimum is 20 GB.

      For more detailed information about the type of information that is stored here, see Filr Appliance Storage.

    5. In the Disk Provisioning section, select either Thick Provision Eager Zeroed or Support clustering features such as Fault Tolerance, depending on the VMware version that you are running.

    6. In the Location section, select Specify a datastore or datastore cluster, then click Browse.

    7. Select a datastore, then click OK.

    8. Click Next.

    9. In the Virtual Device Node section, select SCSI (2:0) from the drop-down list.

      IMPORTANT:Do not change the controller to VMware Paravirtual at this point of the installation process.

      If you want to change the SCSI controller to VMware Paravirtual:

      1. Finish the installation and power on the Filr system.

      2. Ensure that the Filr system is running. (Log in as the Filr administrator, create a user, and log in as that user.)

      3. Shut down each appliance in the Filr system. (For information about how to safely shut down an appliance, see Shutting Down and Restarting the Novell Appliance in the Filr 2.0: Administration Guide.)

      4. In VMware, change the controller to VMware Paravirtual.

      5. Power on each appliance in the Filr system.

    10. Leave the Mode section blank, then click Next.

      You do not need to select anything in this section, because unlike Hard Disk 2, this hard disk does not need to be carried over on an upgrade.

    11. Click Finish.

  13. (Optional) Add an additional Network Interface Controller (NIC).

    1. In the Virtual Machine Properties window, on the Hardware tab, click Add.

      The Add Hardware dialog box is displayed.

    2. Select Ethernet Adapter, then click Next.

    3. In the Network Connection section, select the secondary network associated with the Filr installation.

    4. Click Next > Finish.

  14. Increase the amount of memory that VMware allocates for the appliance.

    The default is 8 GB. Novell also recommends 2 CPUs.

    IMPORTANT:When you increase or decrease server memory for the Filr appliance or the search index appliance, you should also modify the Java heap size, as described in Changing the JVM Configuration Settings in the Filr 2.0: Administration Guide.

    At least half of the memory should be dedicated to the Java heap. You cannot adjust the Java heap until after the appliance is installed.

    1. In the Virtual Machine Properties window, select Memory, then increase the setting to a suitable size for your environment.

    2. Click OK to exit the Virtual Machine Properties window.

  15. Power on the appliance (virtual machine).

    IMPORTANT:If you are planning to use a separate VMware hard disk to store your Filr files, do not power on the appliance until you have created the hard disk, as described in Step 11.

  16. Continue with Installing the Search Index Appliance.

Hyper-V Configuration

  1. Log in to the host server either locally or from a remote workstation.

    You can use Windows Remote Desktop to log in to the host server from a remote workstation.

  2. Create a new directory in the location where you want each virtual machine to reside (for example, C:\Users\Public\Documents\Hyper-V\Virtual Hard Disks). In a later step, you will download the Filr software to this directory.

    As a best practice, give this directory the same name as the name that you plan to use for your Filr virtual appliance. For example, if you plan to name the Filr appliance FilrSearch1, the name of this new directory should also be FilrSearch1.

  3. Download the Filr software (Filrsearch.x86-64-version.vhd.zip) to the directory on the host server that you created in Step 2.

    You can access the software from the Novell Customer Center (NCC). Or, you can access an evaluation version of the software from this location on the Novell Downloads page.

  4. Extract the Filrsearch.x86-64-version.vhd.zip file to the directory on the host server that you created in Step 2.

  5. Open the Hyper-V Manager.

  6. In Hyper-V Manager, right-click the disk name in the Action Pane where you want to create the new virtual machine, then click New > Virtual Machine.

    The New Virtual Machine Wizard is displayed.

  7. Click Next after you have reviewed the Before You Begin page.

  8. In the Name field, specify a name for the new virtual machine. For example, FilrSearch1.

  9. Click Next.

  10. In the Startup memory field, specify the amount of memory (in MB) to allocate to the virtual machine. The default is 8 GB. Novell also recommends 2 CPUs.

    IMPORTANT:When you increase or decrease server memory for the Filr appliance or the search index appliance, you should also modify the Java heap size, as described in Changing the JVM Configuration Settings in the Filr 2.0: Administration Guide.

    At least half of the memory should be dedicated to the Java heap. You cannot adjust the Java heap until after the appliance is installed.

  11. Click Next.

  12. On the Configure Networking page, select the networking card of your choice, then click Next.

  13. Configure the bootable disk image:

    1. On the Connect Virtual Hard Disk page, select Use an existing virtual hard disk, then browse to the .vhd file that was in the downloaded .zip file that you extracted in Step 4.

    2. Click Open to select the file, then click Next.

  14. Click Finish.

  15. Create a separate Hyper-V hard disk (Hard Disk 2) for the appliance. This hard disk is used to store configuration files that are used for appliance upgrades.

    IMPORTANT:If you do not create a separate Hyper-V hard disk as described here, you cannot upgrade to a new version of Filr.

    1. In Hyper-V Manager, right-click the disk that you just created, then click Settings.

    2. In the Hardware section, select IDE Controller 1, select Hard Drive, then click Add.

    3. Select Virtual hard disk, then click New.

    4. Review the Before You Begin page, then click Next.

    5. On the Choose Disk Format page, select VHD, then click Next.

    6. On the Choose Disk Type page, select Fixed size, then click Next.

    7. On the Specify Name and Location page, specify the following information, then click Next:

      Name: Specify a name for the hard disk. For example, FilrDisk2.

      Location: Specify the location where you want the hard drive to be located.

    8. On the Configure Disk page, select Create a new blank virtual hard disk, then specify the amount of hard disk space that you want to allocate. The recommended minimum differs depending on the nature of your Filr environment.

      To see a formula to calculate the storage requirement for your environment, see Search Index Appliance Storage.

    9. Click Next.

    10. Review the summary information, then click Finish > OK.

  16. Create a separate Hyper-V hard disk (Hard Disk 3) for the appliance. This hard disk is used to store the /var directory for the appliance. (The /var directory is where system events for the Novell appliances are logged.)

    1. In Hyper-V Manager, right-click the virtual machine for which you want to create a new hard disk, then click Settings.

    2. In the Hardware section, select IDE Controller 1, select Hard Drive, then click Add.

    3. Select Virtual hard disk, then click New.

    4. Review the Before You Begin page, then click Next.

    5. On the Choose Disk Format page, select VHD, then click Next.

    6. On the Choose Disk Type page, select Fixed size, then click Next.

    7. On the Specify Name and Location page, specify the following information, then click Next:

      Name: Specify a name for the hard disk. For example, FilrDisk3.

      Location: Specify the location where you want the hard drive to be located.

    8. On the Configure Disk page, select Create a new blank virtual hard disk, then specify a size for the hard disk. The recommended minimum is 25 GB.

      For more detailed information about the type of information that is stored here, see Filr Appliance Storage.

    9. Click Next.

    10. Review the summary information, then click Finish > OK.

  17. (Optional) Add an additional Network Interface Controller (NIC).

    IMPORTANT:An additional NIC should be used only if you have multiple networks associated with the Filr site for one or more of the following purposes:

    • Appliance administration

    • An NFS mount or CIFS share for the /vashare mount point

    • Security of memcached in a Filr-clustered deployment

    Bonding or teaming NICs is not supported with Filr.

    1. In Hyper-V Manager, right-click the virtual machine for which you want to create an additional NIC, then click Settings.

    2. In the Hardware section, select Add Hardware, select Network Adapter, then click Add.

    3. Specify the desired settings for the new network adapter.

      Select the secondary network associated with the Filr installation.

    4. Click OK.

  18. Right-click the virtual machine, then click Start.

    IMPORTANT:Do not start the appliance until you have created a separate Hyper-V hard disk for the appliance, as described in Step 15.

  19. Right-click the virtual machine, then click Connect.

  20. Continue with Installing the Search Index Appliance.

Xen Configuration

  1. Log in to the host server either locally or from a remote workstation.

    You can use the following command to log in to the host server from a remote workstation on Linux:

    ssh -X root@host_ip_address

    You must use the -X in the command in order to display the GUI installation program. The steps in this section use the GUI installation program to configure the server.

  2. Navigate to the /var/lib/xen/images directory on the host server.

  3. Create a new directory inside the images directory where you can download the Filr software.

    The name of this directory must be the same as the name that you plan to use for your Filr virtual appliance. For example, if you plan to name the Filr appliance FilrSearch1, the name of this new directory must also be FilrSearch1.

  4. Change to the directory that you just created. For example, /var/lib/xen/images/FilrSearch1.

  5. Download the Filr software (Filrsearch.x86-64-version.xen.tar.gz) to the following directory on the host server:

    /var/lib/xen/images

    You can access the software from the Novell Customer Center (NCC). Or, you can access an evaluation version of the software from this location on the Novell Downloads page.

  6. Untar the Filrsearch-version.xen.tar.gz file in the directory where you downloaded the file, as described in Step 5.

    You can use the following command to untar the file:

    tar -Sxvzf Filrsearch.x86-64-version.xen.tar.gz

    A filr -version directory is created; it contains a .raw file that you will use to run the virtual image.

  7. From the host server, run the following command to launch the GUI configuration menu:

    vm-install

    The Create a Virtual Machine wizard is displayed.

  8. Click Forward.

  9. Select I have a disk or disk image with an installed operating system, then click Forward.

  10. Leave SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 selected, then click Forward.

  11. Rename the virtual machine by clicking Name of Virtual Machine and specifying a new name in the Name field. Then click Apply. For example, FilrSearch1.

  12. Configure the amount of memory that Xen allocates for the Filr appliance.

    1. On the Summary page, click Hardware, then specify the following information:

      Available Memory: Displays the amount of memory that is available on the host server.

      Maximum Memory: The default is 8 GB. Novell also recommends 2 CPUs.

      IMPORTANT:When you increase or decrease server memory for the Filr appliance or the search index appliance, you should also modify the Java heap size, as described in Changing the JVM Configuration Settings in the Filr 2.0: Administration Guide.

      At least half of the memory should be dedicated to the Java heap. You cannot adjust the Java heap until after the appliance is installed.

      Virtual Processors: Specify 2 CPUs. At least half of the memory should be dedicated to the Java heap.

    2. Click Apply.

  13. Configure the bootable disk image:

    1. On the Summary page, click Disks.

    2. Click Harddisk.

    3. On the Virtual Disk page, specify the following information:

      Source: Click Browse, then browse to the .raw file that you untared in Step 6.

      Protocol: Select file:.

      Size (GB): The default size is 20 GB. This cannot be changed.

      Create Sparse Image File: This option is not available.

      Read-Only Access: Do not select this option.

    4. Click OK.

  14. Create a separate Xen hard disk (Hard Disk 2) for the appliance. This hard disk is used to store configuration files that are used for appliance upgrades.

    IMPORTANT:If you do not create a separate Xen hard disk as described here, you cannot upgrade to a new version of Filr.

    1. On the Summary page, click Disks.

    2. Click Harddisk.

    3. On the Virtual Disk page, specify the following information:

      Source: Click Browse, then browse to the location of a datastore where you want Filr files to be stored.

      Protocol: Select file:.

      Size (GB): Specify the amount of hard disk space that you want to allocate. The recommended minimum differs depending on the nature of your Filr environment.

      To see a formula to calculate the storage requirement for your environment, see Search Index Appliance Storage.

      For more detailed information about the type of information that is stored here, see Search Index Appliance Storage.

      Create Sparse Image File: Select this option.

      Read-Only Access: Do not select this option.

    4. Click OK.

  15. Create a separate Xen hard disk (Hard Disk 3) for the appliance. This hard disk is used to store the /var directory for the appliance. (The /var directory is where system events for the Novell appliances are logged.)

    1. On the Disks page, click Harddisk.

    2. On the Virtual Disk page, specify the following information:

      Source: This field should already contain the path to the .raw file that will be created when the virtual machine is created. If desired, you can rename the disk in the source field from disk0 to a name of your choosing.

      Protocol: Select file:.

      Size (GB): Specify the amount of hard disk space that you want to allocate. The recommended minimum is 25 GB.

      For more detailed information about the type of information that is stored here, see Filr Appliance Storage.

      Create Sparse Image File: Select this option.

      Read-Only Access: Do not select this option.

  16. Click OK > Apply.

  17. (Optional) Add an additional Network Interface Controller (NIC).

    IMPORTANT:An additional NIC should be used only if you have multiple networks associated with the Filr site for one or more of the following purposes:

    • Appliance administration

    • An NFS mount or CIFS share for the /vashare mount point

    • Security of memcached in a Filr-clustered deployment

    Bonding or teaming NICs is not supported with Filr.

    1. On the Summary page, click Network Adapters.

    2. Click New, then specify the desired settings for the new network adapter.

      Select the secondary network associated with the Filr installation.

    3. Click Apply > Apply.

  18. Click OK to save your changes and to create the virtual machine.

  19. Power on the appliance (virtual machine).

    IMPORTANT:Do not power on the appliance until you have created a separate Xen hard disk for the appliance, as described in Step 14.

  20. Continue with Installing the Search Index Appliance.

Citrix Xen Configuration

Do the following in order.

  1. Expand the .xva.tar.gz file.

  2. From the Citrix XenCenter, connect to a Citrix 6.5 or 6.5 SP1 XenServer.

  3. Import the .xva file.

  4. Assign two disks to the imported virtual appliance.

  5. Modify the CPU and memory settings as required for your environment.

  6. Start the VA.

  7. Install the xs-tools and optimize according to the needs of your environment.

  8. Continue with Installing the Search Index Appliance.

4.1.2 Installing the Search Index Appliance

Configuring and Starting the Search Appliance

  1. After you have downloaded the search index appliance, configured the virtual environment, and powered on the appliance, click the Console tab.

  2. After the appliance starts, select your preferred keyboard layout in the Keyboard Language drop-down, then accept the license agreement. (You can change the language that the license agreement is displayed in from the License Language drop-down.)

  3. Specify the following information:

    Root password and confirmation: The root password for your search index appliance. 

    Vaadmin password and confirmation: The password for the vaadmin user.

    NTP Server: The IP address or DNS name of the reliable external Network Time Protocol (NTP) server your OES server uses. For example, time.example.com.

    Region: Your local region.

    Time Zone: Your local time zone.

    After installation, if you are not able to access the appliance through a browser and you need to change any of these settings, you can use the VACONFIG utility from the command prompt. For more information, see Using VACONFIG to Modify Network Information in the Filr 2.0: Administration Guide.

  4. Click Next.

  5. Specify the following network information:

    Hostname: The fully qualified DNS host name associated with the appliance’s IP address. For example, myFilr.mynetwork.example.com.

    IP Address: The static IP address for the appliance. For example, 172.17.2.3.

    Network Mask: The network mask associated with the appliance’s IP address. For example, 255.255.255.0.

    Gateway: The IP address of the gateway on the subnet where your Filr virtual appliance is located. For example, 172.17.2.254.

    DNS Servers: The IP address of a primary DNS server for your network. For example, 172.17.1.1.

    Domain Search: The domain that is associated with the Filr host name.

  6. Click Next.

  7. (Conditional) If you configured multiple NICs (as described in Section 4.1.1, Downloading the Search Index Appliance and Configuring the Virtual Environment), select from the following options, then click Next:

    • Do Not Configure: Select this option to configure this network at a later time. If you do not currently know your network information, you can configure the network after installation, as described in Changing Network Settings in the Filr 2.0: Administration Guide.

    • DHCP Dynamic Address: Select this option to dynamically assign an IP address.

    • Statically Assigned IP Address: Select this option to assign a static IP address to this appliance, then specify the IP address, network mask, and host name.

  8. The secondary hard disk for /vastorage that you created for this appliance is automatically detected and sdb is displayed as the hard drive. Accept the defaults for the other options on this page, then click Next.

    This is the location (/vastorage) where information specific to the appliance is stored and is used when the appliance is upgraded. Each appliance has its own /vastorage location.

    If you have not already assigned a second hard disk to the virtual machine (as described in Downloading the Search Index Appliance and Configuring the Virtual Environment), click Power Off Virtual Machine, modify the virtual machine settings to add a hard disk, then power on the virtual machine.

    For more information about the type of data that is stored here, see Data Storage for the Appliance.

  9. The third hard disk for /var that you created for this appliance is automatically detected and sdc is displayed as the hard drive. Accept the defaults for the other options on this page, then click Configure.

    This is the location where the /var directory for the appliance is stored. (The /var directory is where system events for the Novell appliances are logged.)

    If you have not already assigned a third hard disk to the virtual machine (as described in Downloading the Search Index Appliance and Configuring the Virtual Environment), click Power Off Virtual Machine, modify the virtual machine settings to add a hard disk, then power on the virtual machine.

    For more information about the type of data that is stored here, see Data Storage for the Appliance.

    The appliance might take a few minutes to install. When the installation is complete, you see a message indicating that the appliance is now ready to configure.

Creating a Search Appliance Cluster (Recommended)

  1. Create a two-node cluster of Search appliances (no more than two is recommended). Having two Search appliances provides fault tolerance or backup in the event that one index server fails.

    Install another search appliance, as described in Section 4.1, Installing the Search Index Appliance).

Setting a Password on Each Search Appliance

Set a password for each search appliance. You can also change other configuration settings if desired.

  1. After installing the search index appliance, open a browser and navigate to the following URL:

    https://ip_address:9443

    Replace ip_address with the IP address of your search index appliance.

  2. Sign in to the search index appliance using the vaadmin user and the password that you set during installation.

    The Novell Filr Search Appliance landing page is displayed.

  3. Click the Filr Search Configuration icon.

    The Filr Search Configuration Wizard is displayed.

  4. (Conditional) If this is the first time you have accessed the Filr search appliance, you must do the following:

    1. Select New or Upgrade, depending on whether this is a new installation or an upgrade from a previous installation, then click Next.

    2. Create a password for the default search appliance user.

      IMPORTANT:In an environment where you are running multiple search index appliances, ensure that the password is the same for each search index appliance.

      It is recommended that you have two search index appliances in a large or clustered Filr environment.

    3. Click Finish.

      The password for the search appliance user is now set.

      The Search Settings page is displayed.

  5. On the Search Settings page, refer to the on-screen instructions for information about the fields that you can modify.

    NOTE:You can change the Username from lucene service at this point if you want to. The only requirement is that you specify exactly the same name across the Filr deployment you are creating or updating.

  6. Click Submit after you have made the desired modifications for your search settings.

  7. After both search appliances are configured, continue with installing the database appliance, as described in Section 4.2, Installing the MySQL Database Appliance.