How to fix Sharepoint Foundation 2010 Search returns no results

SharePoint Foundation 2010 includes basic searching features. Despite all rumors and recommendations to upgrade to higher level searching packages, the basic SharePoint search works quite well … and it’s very useful.

If your SharePoint server is not returning search results, the following may help you resolve the issue. It’s important to create the right accounts, enable the right services, assign the accounts to these services and finally attach the search server to your web applications.

Let’s begin …

1. You need to create domain accounts for Searching and Crawling. Using the Farm Account (or default accounts) is not recommended. In our example we will use “spSearch” and “spCrawl”. Use complex passwords! These domains accounts should only be standard users, no administrative privileges should be applied.
2. Log into the SharePoint Central Administration Page
3. CA > Security > General Security > Configure Managed Accounts > Register Managed Account.
• Enter in “domain\spSearch” and the password you chose
• Click “OK”.
• You should now see this account in the Managed Account list
4. CA > System Settings > Servers > Manage Services on Server > SharePoint Foundation Search > Start.
• Service Account -> “Domain\spSearch”
• Content Access Account (Crawl) -> “Domain\spCrawl” and the password you chose
• Leave everything else as defaults (you can change the Database Name if you are having issues)
5. CA > Security > General Security > Configure service accounts
• Choose “Windows Service -> SharePoint Foundation Service”
• Choose “Domain\spSearch” for the account selection
• Click “OK”
6. CA > Application Management > Manage Content Databases
• This is important! For each site you want automatically crawled, you must assign the search server.
• In the top right corner under “Web Application”, choose the web applications to be crawled, one at a time followed by a click on the “database name” column once they are loaded.
• In the profile page, change the “Search Server” and “Preferred Server for Timer Jobs” to your server.
• Click “OK”
• Repeat for any other Website Applications you wish crawled
7. CA > Monitoring > Timer Jobs > Review Timer Jobs > SharePoint Foundation Search Refresh
• Choose “Run Now” to begin indexing your web applications (sites)
• This can take several hours depending on the size of your database(s). Please be patient.
8. If you’re feeling eager and have a background in SQL, you can use the SQL Management Studio to check the progress. If you are not familiar with SQL, don’t be a hero … this can cause major damage.

• Load the SQL Management Studio
• Expand the search database created in the earlier steps (typically WSS_Search_%hostname%)
• Right click the database -> new query
• Enter in the following Query:select * from msscrawlhostlist (execute)

You will be presented with a table of results including a column for Hostname and SuccessCount.
SuccessCount increases as it indexes each page.

• You can also lookup the crawl summary with:select * from MSSCrawlURLLog
• And should there be any error codes in the MSSCrawlURLog, they can be referenced with:select * from MSSCrawlErrorList where ErrorID = ‘<ERRORID>’

If you run into issues where things are still not being crawled, i would suggest deleting the spCrawl and spSearch from SharePoint and Active Directory, re-creating them from scratch, repeating this entire process, and changing the “database” value in step “3″. This will re-create the crawling database from scratch.

I hope it helpful to you!

Add multiple SharePoint and Exchange calendars to a SharePoint calendar

Add multiple SharePoint and Exchange calendars to a SharePoint calendar

Use the following procedure to create a view of multiple SharePoint 2010 and Exchange 2010 calendars for a SharePoint calendar. A view for a calendar can display a maximum of ten calendars.

 NOTE: To change calendar settings, you must have at least the design permission level for the site.

1. In a SharePoint calendar, in the ribbon, on the Calendar tab, click Calendar Overlays.
2. In the Calendar Overlay Settings page, click New Calendar.

• To add a SharePoint calendar
• Name and Type section, type the Calendar Name and then select SharePoint.
• In the Calendar Overlay Settings section, type a Description for the calendar (optional), and change the Color theme for the calendar (optional).

TIP: Selecting different colors for different calendars makes it easier to distinguish which calendar an event is from.

• Type the Web URL for the SharePoint site that the calendar is in and then click Resolve. If the calendar is in the same site as the group calendar, Web URL will already be populated accurately.
• List drop-down arrow and select the calendar that you want to add to the calendar.
• Click the List View drop-down arrow and select the view that you want to use for the calendar.
• If you want this SharePoint calendar to always display in the SharePoint group calendar, select Always Show.

• To add an Exchange calendar
• In the Name and Type section, type the Calendar Name and select Exchange.
• In the Calendar Overlay Settings section, type a Description for the calendar (optional), and change the default Color theme for the calendar (optional).

TIP: Selecting different colors for different calendars makes it easier to distinguish which calendar an event is from.

• Click Find. Outlook Web Access URL and Exchange Web Service URL will be filled in automatically. If Find does not work in your environment, type the URLs manually
• If you want this Exchange calendar to always display with the SharePoint group calendar, select Always Show.

3. Click OK and then click OK again.

How to synchronize a SharePoint 2010 with Outlook 2010 (Exchange 2010). Part 3

Part 3. Synchronize a SharePoint task list with Outlook 2010

Please do next simple steps to sync a SharePoint 2010 task list with Outlook 2010 tasks.

1. In your browser, navigate to the SharePoint site containing the Task list or Project task list you want to synchronize.
2. Click the name of the task or project task list on the Quick Launch, or click Site Actions, click View All Site Content, and then in the appropriate list section, click the name of the task or project list.

NOTE: A SharePoint site can be significantly modified in appearance and navigation. If you cannot locate an option, such as a command, button, or link, contact your SharePoint administrator.

1. In the ribbon, on the List tab, in the Connect & Export group, click Open in Outlook.
2. When prompted to connect the SharePoint Contacts list to Outlook, click OK.

In Outlook 2010 the tasks are added under Other Tasks in the Navigation Pane, and in the To-Do Bar.

NOTE: You can work with your tasks from your SharePoint site similar to the way you work with your Outlook tasks. You can drag or copy tasks back and forth between the folders for Outlook and the SharePoint site. However, recurring tasks and task requests from Outlook are converted to regular tasks on the SharePoint site.TIP: After you connect a Task list or Project Task list to Outlook, you can send a sharing message to other team members that invite them to connect to the tasks. Right-click the list name in Outlook, and then click Share tasks list name. This creates an e-mail message that contains a link and a command to connect to the list.

How to synchronize a SharePoint 2010 with Outlook 2010 (Exchange 2010). Part 2

Part 2. Synchronize a SharePoint contact list with Outlook 2010 contacts

Please do next simple steps to sync a SharePoint 2010 contact list with Outlook 2010 contacts.

1. In your browser, navigate to the SharePoint site containing the contact list that you want to synchronize.
2. Click the name of the contact list on the Quick Launch, or click Site Actions, click View All Site Content, and then in the appropriate list section, click the name of the contact list.

NOTE: A SharePoint site can be significantly modified in appearance and navigation. If you cannot locate an option, such as a command, button, or link, contact your SharePoint administrator.

1. In the ribbon, on the List tab, in the Connect & Export group, click Open in Outlook.
2. When prompted to connect the SharePoint contacts to Outlook, click OK.

In  Outlook 2010 the contacts are added under Contacts in the Navigation Pane.

How to synchronize a SharePoint 2010 with Outlook 2010 (Exchange 2010). Part 1

Part 1. Synchronize a SharePoint library with Outlook 2010

Please do next simple steps to sync a SharePoint 2010 library with Outlook 2010.

1. In your browser, navigate to the SharePoint site containing the library that you want to synchronize.
2. Click the name of the library on the Quick Launch, or click Site Actions, click View All Site Content, and then in the appropriate library section, click the name of the library.

NOTE: A SharePoint site can be significantly modified in appearance and navigation. If you cannot locate an option, such as a command, button, or link, contact your SharePoint administrator.

1. Library tab, in the Connect & Export group, click Connect to Outlook.
2. When prompted to open a program on your computer, click Allow.
3. If you are prompted to confirm the operation, click Yes.

In Outlook, the library is added to the Navigation Pane under SharePoint Lists. The files in the library behave similar to e-mail messages. For Office files, click to preview the file in the Reading Pane or double-click the file to open it. Right-click the file for more options.

NOTES:

• If the library has subfolders and you want to have access to all of the files in Outlook, view the library at its top level and then connect it to Outlook. By default, if you are in a subfolder of a library, and then connect the library to Outlook, only the contents of that folder are connected.
• To access only the contents of a single folder in Outlook, there are two options. If the folder that contains files that you want to access in Outlook is not open, point to the folder, click the Open Menu arrow that appears, and then click Connect to Outlook. If the folder that you want to connect is already open, follow the steps to connect a library.
• After you connect a library to Outlook, you can invite other team members to connect to the library. Right-click the library name in Outlook, and then click Share This Folder.

How to configure SharePoint Foundation Search

This is a guide which will help you to configure SharePoint Foundation Search.

Firstly you need to turn on the Foundation Search Service.  You do that with the following:

1. Open Central Administration
2. Go to System Settings -> Manage services on server
3. Click on SharePoint Foundation Search
4. Assign a service account to start the service (this is a managed account, so select on or add a new one)
5. Assign a content access account (more on that below)
6. Enter a database server and database name (or accept the defaults)
7. Choose an indexing schedule
8. Click Ok
9. When you return to the Manage services on server page, click Start next to SharePoint Foundation Search

That’s only the first part, however.  You’ve got the Search service running and the indexer on a schedule, but you actually have not yet identified what to index. The next thing that you need to do grant the content access account (that you entered above) read access to your applications.  Do next steps:

1. Go to Central Administration
2. Go to Application Management -> Manage web applications
3. Highlight the web application that you want foundation search to index
4. Click User Policy in the ribbon
5. In the Policy for Web Application box that appears, click Add Users
6. Leave the Zone selection at (All zones), click Next
7. In the Choose Users box, enter the username of the Content Access Account you used above when you configured SharePoint Foundation Search
8. Check Full Read for permissions
9. Click Finish

Now you have the indexer running and the content access account has privileges to read all of the content in your web application.  But you still haven’t identified the content to crawl.  That’s done at the content database level. Do this:

1. Go to Central Administration
2. Go to Application Management -> Manage Content Database Settings
3. Click on the content database that contains the site(s)/site collection(s) that you want to index
4. In the settings for that content database, in the section Search Server, use the drop down list to select the server with SharePoint Foundation Search service running
5. Click OK.

You have turned on and set a schedule for indexing, granted permissions for the crawl account, and identified content to crawl.  More than likely for configure SharePoint Foundation Search, you’re done.  Based on the schedule that you created in the first part, and the amount of data that you need to crawl, you may need to wait a little while to check to see if everything is working.