Google Search Appliance (Models GB-7007 and GB-9009) software version 6.0
Posted June 2009
Revised, September 2009: Added information about LDAP authentication for administrative users
This guide contains the information you need to install the Google Search Appliance (models GB-7007 and GB-9009) on your network and perform the initial software configuration on the search appliance. The guide also tells you how to set up the first crawl of the content on a web site or intranet.
For installation information for other software versions and search appliance models, see the Archive page, which contains links to previous versions of the search appliance documentation.
This document is for you if you are a network administrator or if you need to install the Google Search Appliance. You need some knowledge of networking and web concepts before you install. If you are not a network administrator, work with your network administrator to ensure that all the requirements described in Planning for Search Appliance Installation are met.
The Google Search Appliance is a one-stop search and index solution for organizations of all sizes. Using a search appliance, you can quickly deploy search on a web site or intranet. The search appliance comes with Google software installed on powerful hardware, simplifying the planning process because you do not need to choose a hardware platform or go through a complicated software configuration process.
Mount the Google Search Appliance on a rack in a location that meets the temperature and electricity requirements. For complete information on those technical requirements, read the section called Electrical and Other Technical Requirements in Planning for Search Appliance Installation.
Before you install a search appliance, read the installation planning document, Planning for Search Appliance Installation. You may have received the planning document as an attachment to the Welcome email you received after purchasing the search appliance. If not, read the planning document at http://code.google.com/apis/searchappliance/documentation/planning.html. If you have read the planning document and collected the information described in the preinstallation checklists, you can proceed to install the Google Search Appliance.
You need a computer that is physically close to the search appliance and can be attached to the search appliance with an Ethernet cable. The computer should run a supported web browser. For a list of supported browsers, see the release notes for the software version that is running on the search appliance.
Google provides technical support through a web application at the Enterprise Technical Support portal. The Google Enterprise Support Information web page has information on how to connect to the Support portal.
You can also find useful information in the user forums on Google Groups for the Google Search Appliance and Google Mini and Google Enterprise Developers.
The Enterprise Technical Support web site provides the following information and services for all models of the Google Search Appliance:
Under the terms of the Technical Support Agreements for the Google Search Appliance, Enterprise Technical Support requires direct access to your search appliance to provide some types of support. For example, technical support engineers require direct access to determine whether a search appliance that is experiencing problems is eligible to be returned to Google and exchanged for a new search appliance. Different access methods have different requirements. The requirements for remote access are discussed in Remote Access for Technical Support.
After you create a technical support account, review the terms of the Technical Support Guidelines for your search appliance. From the Google Enterprise Technical Support Terms page, click the link for the Google Search Appliance.
This section contains instructions for connecting the Google Search Appliance to the network and performing the initial software configuration. Before you connect the search appliance, complete the preinstallation checklists, which are in Planning for Search Appliance Installation.
Installing the Google Search Appliance has two phases:
When you configure the software, you set network parameters so that the search appliance can communicate with the network and other computers on the network. After you configure the software, set up the initial crawl of the content. When the crawl and index processes are completed, the search appliance can begin serving content to end users.
The Welcome letter that is in the box with the Google Search Appliance also contains instructions for connecting the search appliance to the network and starting the search appliance. If you have already connected the search appliance to the network, you can skip to Configuring the Network Settings and continue configuring the software.
The installation process begins by connecting the search appliance to your network. Ensure that you have a laptop computer or desktop computer available that is located near the search appliance.
A Google Search Appliance has either two or four Ethernet ports:
All search appliances are shipped with two Ethernet cables and a power cable. One Ethernet cable is yellow and the other is orange. The orange cable is considerably shorter than the yellow cable. In addition, the storage unit for the model GB-9009 is shipped with a purple SAS cable, which is used to connect the processing unit with the storage unit, and with a power cable.
The required network configuration parameters, such as the IP address assigned to the search appliance, can be changed only from a computer that has physical access to the search appliance. Network access is insufficient for changing these parameters.
The
following diagram illustrates
the connections between a search appliance, the network, and the computer used for configuring the search appliance:
The diagram does not include the processing unit of the GB-9009. Note that the Google Search Appliance is provided with two power supplies and two power cables. Ensure that the search appliance is connected to an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to ensure that the power source is clean and the search appliance has continuing power during a power failure.
You can optionally attach a monitor directly to the search appliance. The search appliance displays messages on the monitor indicating the progress of the start-up process and when the process is complete.
To connect the Google Search Appliance to the network:
The indicator light changes color and the search appliance starts. The search appliance typically takes approximately 10 minutes to load the software, but the process can take up to 20 minutes. If a monitor is directly attached to the search appliance, you see a message on the monitor indicating that the start-up process is complete.
The search appliance assigns the IP address 192.168.255.254 and subnet mask 255.255.255.0 to the computer connected to the search appliance. Most computers use dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) to obtain IP addresses. If your computer does not use DHCP to obtain IP addresses, you must manually assign the computer’s static IP address and subnet mask to these values, or temporarily change your computer’s network setting to allow use of DHCP to get IP addresses. For more information on enabling DHCP or manually setting IP addresses, see the help system or other documentation for your computer.
Continue to the next section, Configuring the Network Settings, and proceed with the instructions there.
This section provides instructions for configuring the search appliance software so that the Google Search Appliance can connect to your network and communicate with the other computers located on the network. To configure the search appliance, you need the values described in the preinstallation checklists that are in Planning for Search Appliance Installation.
When you perform these steps, you run the Network and System Settings wizard from the computer that you connected to the search appliance. If the web browser on the computer uses a proxy to connect to the Internet, disable the proxy, which prevents access to the search appliance.
You can use these instructions after you initially configure the search appliance to change the search appliance's network settings. When you change any network settings, only those settings are affected. The index is not reset or otherwise affected by the changes. You do not need to have the search appliance recrawl the content after changing the network settings.
To configure the search appliance software:
Use a version of Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, or Firefox that is supported for the software version running on your search appliance.
http://192.168.255.1:1111/
The Network and System Settings wizard starts. It may take a few minutes before the wizard appears.
If the field contains a value, the search appliance obtained the value using DHCP.
If the field contains a value, the search appliance obtained the value using DHCP.
By default, the search appliance autonegotiates network speed and the duplex setting with your network.
The DNS and Mail Settings page is displayed.
For example:
products.example.com,
mydivision.example.com,
support.example.com
The default value is nobody@localhost.
The Time Settings page is displayed.
It is crucial to list at least one NTP server in this field. Google recommends that you list three. For more information, see Required Values in Planning for Search Appliance Installation.
The Admin Account page is displayed.
The admin account is the default administration account for the search appliance. The password is case-sensitive. Record the information in a safe place.
Note that Version Manager uses local athentication only. You must use the admin account for access to Version Manager.
The Check Access to Web Servers page is displayed.
Use a trailing slash on each URL. For example:
http://corp.example.com/
http://www.example.com/products/
The search appliance attempts to crawl the content files. If the search appliance cannot reach any of the locations, error messages appear in the configuration wizard interface.
The last page of the configuration wizard displays a summary of the values that you set for the search appliance. The values are not editable on this page.
You see a message saying the following:
Congratulations! You have configured the appliance. If no warnings or errors have been displayed, you can now disconnect your laptop and use the appliance. Use the Admin Console application for day-to-day administration.
The configuration values are listed and there is a Return to Step 1 button. You can disconnect the local computer or make further changes to the settings.
The next section, Setting Up the Crawl, contains instructions for connecting to the Admin Console and configuring the initial crawl of your content.
Crawl is the process by which the Google Search Appliance locates content to be indexed. You define the start URLs to be crawled, URLs that are crawled or excluded from the crawl, and file types to include or exclude.
When you complete the process described in Configuring the Network Settings, the crawl is not started. This section contains instructions for connecting to the Admin Console, entering start URLs and URL patterns, starting the crawl process, and confirming that the crawl is proceeding normally. For complete information on crawl, start URLs, and URL patterns, see Administering Crawl for Web and File Share Content.
To obtain context-sensitive help from any page in the Admin Console, click the Help link. You can also view help pages when you click the Help Center link in the horizontal blue bar in the upper right of the screen.
The high-level steps for setting up the initial crawl are:
The Admin Console is a application accessed with a web browser that provides the user interface for administering the Google Search Appliance.
You can log in to the Admin Console using HTTP or HTTPS:
Using HTTPS provides better protection for passwords and other information.
Using HTTP increase the risk of exposing passwords and other information to users on the network who are not authorized to see such information.
It's best to use HTTPS on port 8443.
To retain changes you make on any Admin Console page, click the Save button. If you navigate to another page without clicking Save, your changes are lost.
To log in to the Admin Console:
|
https://hostname:8443/ or https://IP_address:8443/, where hostname is
the host name assigned to the search appliance or IP_address is
the IP address assigned to the search appliance. http://hostname:8000/ or https://IP_address:8000/, where hostname is
the host name assigned to the search appliance or IP_address is
the IP address assigned to the search appliance.
If you
did not change the password during configuration, the default password
is
After you log in to the Admin Console, you can configure crawling or perform other administrative tasks. If you cannot log in to the Admin Console, refer to Troubleshooting in the Technical Addendum section or search the Enterprise Technical Support site (https://support.google.com/enterprise/) for additional troubleshooting information.
The next section, Setting Up and Starting the Crawl, discusses how to configure the initial crawl of your content files. For more information on crawl and configuring crawl, see Administering Crawl for Web and File Share Content.
To set up and start the crawl:
In the Start Crawling from the Following URLs field, type one or
more start URLs.
For the initial
setup and testing, it is best to enter a start URL that does
not require a login or user authentication.
Start URLs must be fully qualified URLs, in the following format:
protocol://host[:port]/[path]/
For example, http://dracula:2346/content. The information in the square brackets
is optional.
If you enter the URL pattern for a directory, the URL must terminate in a forward slash (/). Use only the server part of the URL. If a URL refers to a specific page, only that page is crawled. For more information on URL patterns, click the Help link or see Administering Crawl for Web and File Share Content.
Many file formats are excluded from the crawl by default, including common graphic formats such as .jpg. If you want a particular format crawled, remove the format from the list or comment the format out using the comment symbol (#). If you do not want a particular document type to be crawled, remove the comment symbol from the corresponding pattern. For example, if you do not want any Microsoft Word files (.doc) crawled, remove the # sign that is in front of “.doc$” and no .doc files will be crawled. You can also add specific URL patterns to this area to prevent the URLs that match the patterns from being crawled.
The search appliance starts to crawl the URLs according to the URL patterns you entered. When the search appliance software is crawling content, the graphic on the page shows multicolored balls in motion. You do not have to pause the crawl before making changes on the Crawl URLs page.
You can check the progress of the crawl from the Home page.
To check the crawl status:
The Home page is displayed, showing the Crawl Status graph. The graph automatically refreshes to show crawling activity. If the page does not refresh automatically, click any link, and then return to this page. You can also click the browser's Refresh button.
The Crawl Status page shows:
The Crawl Status page does not show:
The Status and Reports > Serving Status page reports on search results serving. The graph shows a summary of queries per second by the half hour. If the crawl has just begun, there is a delay before the Serving Status page shows any activity.
After the installation process is finished, perform the following tasks:
After you complete the installation process, record the identification number of the search appliance, which is useful in troubleshooting if the search appliance experiences any problems. You can find the appliance ID in the following locations:
Run test queries in these circumstances:
To run test queries:
A new browser window opens.
After the index is created and tested, your users need a search page for access to the index. There are two ways to do this:
Both techniques are discussed in Creating the Search Experience: Customizing the User Interface.
The Google Search Appliance saves configuration information internally. To back up this information, you can export it to a file. After a failure, or to revert your configuration, you can import the file back into the search appliance. It's best to export the search appliance configuration on a regular basis, as well as any time you change the configuration.
To export the search appliance configuration information:
If you need to import the configuration information, you must also provide the password at import time.
Use the instructions below to start or shut down the search appliance.
This section contains instructions for starting the Google Search Appliance.
To start the search appliance:
The indicator light next to the power button changes color.
The search appliance typically takes about ten minutes to initialize and run system checks, but this can take as much as twenty to thirty minutes.
If the search appliance was shut down improperly, the next initialization takes longer because the process includes disk verification and repair.
See the instructions in Shutting Down the Search Appliance for information on shutting down the search appliance safely.
This section contains instructions for safely shutting down the Google Search Appliance. You must perform a safe shut down before you unplug the power cord.
You can safely shut down a search appliance in three ways:
If the search appliance is in use, tell your users that search will be off line before you shut down the search appliance. For more details about shutdown, see the Admin Console’s online help system.
To shut the search appliance when you have physical access:
The shut-down process typically takes one to two minutes, but the process can take up to ten minutes.
When you press the power button, do not hold it down. Depressing the power button for four (4) seconds starts a hard shutdown, which can cause data loss and require a long period of system checks when the search appliance restarts.
To shut down the search appliance from a physical or virtual keyboard:
To shut the search appliance down when you have network access:
After the indicator light next to the power button turns off, you can unplug the search appliance.
Note: Do not shut down a running search appliance by unplugging it. Use one of the methods described in this section.
This section contains information on the following topics:
If you encounter any difficulties or technical problems while installing the Google Search Appliance, follow these steps:
See Contacting Technical Support for complete information about how to contact Technical Support.
In some circumstances, your technical support provider may ask you to attach a keyboard and monitor directly to the search appliance so that you can manually restart the search appliance. The following table describes the requirements for the keyboard.
| Search Appliance | ID Number Starting With | Keyboard Required |
|---|---|---|
| Google Search Appliance | GIX, GEX, or C4 | PS/2 |
| Google Search Appliance | S5, C5, T1, T2, U1 | USB |
The appliance ID (also known as the serial number) is on a tag on the back of the chassis and can also be found on the Admin Console on the Administration > License page.
The following table contains information on how to fix problems you might encounter during installation or configuration.
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| The search appliance starts and you connect a computer to the search appliance. The computer is not assigned the IP address 192.168.255.254. | 1. Restart the computer and recheck the IP address of the computer. 2. Ensure that the search appliance is running and that its lights are green. 3. Ensure that the cables between the computer, the search appliance, and your network are properly connected. 4. Ensure that the computer uses DHCP to obtain an IP address. 5. If the computer does not use DHCP, manually assign the correct IP address to the computer. 4. Try a different computer. |
| You start a browser on the computer connected to the search appliance. You cannot connect to the Network and System Settings wizard at http://192.168.255.1:1111/ | 1. If the browser is using a proxy, disable the proxy and any personal
firewall software running on the computer. Wait two minutes and then
try to connect to the Network and System Settings wizard. 4. If ICMP is enabled on your network, try using the ping command to contact localhost. If the ping succeeds, you have a TCP/IP connection and ping is working. ping 127.0.0.1
|
| You type a URL in the Test URLs box in the configuration wizard and you see the error message URLs to Test: connection refused appears. | The server located at the test URL is not running a web server. |
| You type a URL in the Test URLs box in the configuration wizard and you see the error message URLs to Test: not a valid URL appears . | The URL does not include the protocol, the domain name, or additional path information. For example, http://www.google.com/ is a valid URL, but http://www.google.com is not valid because it does not include path information (the final slash "/"). |
| You type a URL in the URLS to Test box and you see the error message URLs to Test: connection timed out appears. | The server that you identified might have an access control list (ACL) that is blocking access. |
| On the DNS Settings page, you see the message DNS: connection refused: server down when you click Continue and attempt to navigate to the next page. | The server that you identified does not run the DNS service. The server cannot respond to a DNS request from the search appliance. |
This table lists common errors in network configurations that might cause the setup to fail. You might need to ask a system administrator for help.
| Error Message | Description | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Gateway unpingable | This typically means that the gateway or IP or netmask values were entered incorrectly during the initial software configuration for the search appliance. | Ensure that the correct values are entered on the configuration screens. Consult your system administrators to verify the correct values. |
| Cannot ping the DNS, NTP, mail, or content server. | The message is displayed on the configuration screen
and indicates which type of server is unpingable. The message can apply to
a DNS server, NTP server, content server, or mail server. You are encountering
one of these problems:
You specified the wrong hostname or IP address The server is down The server is protected by a router policy or a firewall. |
Ensure that the hostname or IP address is correct. Ensure that the DNS, NTP, mail, or content server is running and start the server if it is not running.. Ensure that the network or router policies allow the search appliance access to the server. |
| DNS: connection timed out | The search appliance established a connection to the DNS server, but the connection timed out. The DNS server is busy or network traffic is interfering with the connection. | Increase the capacity of the DNS server and monitor network traffic to correct any traffic problems. |
| Cannot resolve server (SMTP, SYSLOG, NTP servers, test URLs) | The hostname you specified is not known to the DNS servers. | Ensure that you entered the server name correctly and correct any typographical errors. |
| Unable to contact NTP server | The search appliance cannot contact the NTP server. | Ensure that you correctly identify an NTP server on the configuration screens and that the NTP server is running . Review the network configuration and any firewalls to ensure that they do not block network traffic to and from the search appliance. Do not attempt to operate the search appliance without identifying at least one NTP server. |
| Mail: connection refused | The search appliance cannot contact the SMTP server. | Ensure that you correctly identify an SMTP mail server on the configuration screens and that the SMTP server is running . Review the network configuration and any firewalls to ensure that they do not block network traffic to and from the search appliance. |
|
URLs to Test: returns code nnn instead of 200, where n=any numeral |
The web server specified responded, but returned an error code. Common error codes: 401: user authentication required. 403: forbidden. 404: document not found. |
The URLs to Test section is to establish that the connectivity functions of
the search appliance are working correctly. Use URLs to content that the
search appliance can access without presenting credentials for authentication
or authorization. . |
Note: A complete list of HTTP error codes is available from http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2616.txt, on pages 39 and 40.
This section contains safety and other notices.
Read and follow all instructions marked on the product and in the documentation before you operate the search appliance.
Retain all safety and operating instructions for future use.
The product should be operated only from the type of power source indicated on the rating label.
If your computer has a voltage selector switch, make sure that the switch is in the proper position for your area. The voltage selector switch is set at the factory to the correct voltage.
The plug-socket combination must be accessible at all times because it serves as the main disconnecting device.
This product is shipped with a three-wire electrical grounding-type plug that fits only into a grounding-type power outlet. This is a safety feature. The equipment grounding should be in accordance with local and national electrical codes. The equipment operates safely when it is used in accordance with its marked electrical ratings and product usage instructions.
Do not use this product near water or a heat source.
Set up the system on a stable work surface so as to ensure stability of the system.
Openings in the case are provided for ventilation. Do not block or cover these openings. Make sure you provide adequate space around the system for ventilation when you set up your work area.
Never insert objects of any kind into the ventilation openings.
To avoid electrical shock, never attempt to remove the covers of the Google Search Appliance.
Always shut down the Google Search Appliance from the Admin Console before powering down the hardware.
If you are working with the modem or local area network:
Do not connect or use a modem or telephone during a lightning storm. There may be a risk of electrical shock from lightning.
To reduce the risk of fire, only use No. 26 AQG or larger telecommunications line cord.
Do not plug a modem or telephone cable into the network interface controller receptacle (NIC).
The device should be plugged into an uninterruptible power supply to make sure that the power source is clean and that the Google Search Appliance is powered in case of a power outage.
Never disconnect the power cord while the search appliance is running. Shut the search appliance down from the System Shutdown page (in the Admin Console's Main page) before disconnecting the power cord. Last, to remove all power from the unit, disconnect the power cord.
All services within the Google Search Appliance sit behind a firewall. The firewall is the main source of security for the device against malicious hackers. No communication can connect to or connect from these servers without first going through the firewall. The firewall allows only a small set of ports to pass into the system: ports 8000 or 8443 for access to the console, port 443 for serving secure queries, and port 80 or 7800 for serving queries. On the Google Search Appliance, you access Version Manager on port 9941 with the http protocol or on port 9942 with the https protocol when you update the appliance. Port 1111 is reserved for a configuration manager for network parameter setup. Outgoing traffic is limited to mail, crawling, NTP, DNS, and serving.
The Google Search Appliance is locked and can only be accessed by a Google field technician. The key to the bezel is not supplied with the search appliance. Do not attempt to open the case.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful Interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not Installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his own expense.
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