Search backends #

This page is for product managers and system administrators at a hosting company who decide whether Exponential sites get the built-in search only or an optional Solr search server, and who run either. It answers: how the built-in search works and what it needs, when indexing happens, how to rebuild the index, and what Solr through the eZ Find extension involves. Sources: chapter 10.8, settings/site.ini [SearchSettings], settings/solr.ini and Server control commands.

Contents #

1. The two options
2. The built-in search
3. Delayed indexing and cron
4. Rebuilding the index
5. Solr through eZ Find
6. The exp:solr command
7. Offering search in a plan
8. Checklist
9. Related pages

The two options #

The built-in search #

The built-in engine keeps its index in the database, so it needs nothing beyond the site itself. Its limits, from settings/site.ini [SearchSettings]:

Delayed indexing and cron #

Content is indexed when it is published, unless [SearchSettings] DelayedIndexing is enabled (or classbased with DelayedIndexingClassList[]): then publishing only queues the object in the table ezpending_actions, and the default cron part's indexcontent.php indexes it later. Publishing large objects is faster that way.

For a host this means: a site with delayed indexing depends on cron. Without the cronjobs, new content never appears in search. Make sure the default cron part runs for every such site (Cron jobs).

Rebuilding the index #

After an import, a database move, or when search results are wrong:

php bin/php/updatesearchindex.php --clean --allow-root-user      # --clean removes the old index first

Run it as the site's user, and on a large site in a quiet hour. With eZ Find, reindex with the extension's own tools (chapter 14).

Solr through eZ Find #

eZ Find is "a Solr based advanced search engine for Exponential with a lot more features than the built in search" (composer.json suggest). Adding it to a site:

composer require se7enxweb/ezfind:~3.0.7
php bin/php/ezpgenerateautoloads.php -e

then ActiveExtensions[]=ezfind in settings/override/site.ini.append.php, clear the INI cache and restart Velocity if it serves the site (chapter 3.5). This repository does not state which Solr versions eZ Find needs; take that from the extension's own repository before offering Solr, rather than assuming it.

settings/solr.ini tells the installation where Solr is. Solr is off until switched on:

# settings/override/solr.ini.append.php
[SolrSettings]
Enabled=true
# a running Solr, local or remote, base URL with scheme and port
Url=http://127.0.0.1:8983
# or, for a Solr installed on this machine and managed by exp:solr:
#BinaryPath=/opt/solr/bin/solr
#Host=127.0.0.1
#Port=8983
#DataDir=

The exp:solr command #

php bin/php/console exp:solr status --allow-root-user
php bin/php/console exp:solr ping --allow-root-user
php bin/php/console exp:solr start --allow-root-user      # local instance only

Until Solr is configured, every verb says so and start exits non-zero, so a monitoring check never mistakes "not configured" for "running" (Server control commands).

Offering search in a plan #

Options a host can choose from:

• Built-in search only. Nothing extra to run; suits most sites.
• Solr as an add-on, on a Solr server the host runs for several customers (Url set) or on the customer's dedicated server (BinaryPath). Plan its memory and disk separately from PHP, and back up or be able to rebuild its index.
• Customer-provided Solr. Url points at it; exp:solr status and ping check it, start and stop are the customer's.

Checklist #

• To do: Every site knows its engine: SearchEngine and, for eZ Find, [SolrSettings] Enabled.
• To do: Cron runs the default part where DelayedIndexing is on.
• To do: LogSearchStats off unless a customer asked for it.
• To do: Solr's memory, disk and backups planned when offered.
• To do: exp:solr status in monitoring for Solr sites.

Related pages #

• Chapter 10.8: Search indexing and image handling
• Searching (for editors)
• Cron jobs and Health checks and uptime
• Server control commands
• Composer and Git on servers
• Free documentation: this page is free to copy, translate and improve under the GNU FDL 1.3.