Can't create search service application in powershell

Question

I'm working on creating a SP2013 search service application based on Todd Klindt's work (http://www.toddklindt.com/blog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?ID=378). It worked down to the line New-SPEnterpriseSearchAdminComponent –SearchTopology $clone -SearchServiceInstance $searchServiceInstance. I've modified the $clone and $searchserviceinstance from what he has to:

$ssa = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication
$active = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchTopology -SearchApplication $ssa -Active
$clone = New-SPEnterpriseSearchTopology -SearchApplication $ssa -Clone -SearchTopology $active
write-host "we have a clone"
$searchServiceInstance = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceInstance
write-host "we have a search service instance"

The two write-host commands print out fine, but when I get to the next line, New-SPEnterpriseSearchAdminComponent –SearchTopology $clone -SearchServiceInstance $searchServiceInstance, I get an error:

New-SPEnterpriseSearchAdminComponent : A positional parameter cannot be found that 
accepts argument 'â?SearchTopology TopologyId:
61b33981-a905-44f7-8000-eaa40e7b4676, CreationDate: 12/19/2014 2:18:35 PM,
State: Inactive, Components:  -SearchServiceInstance SearchServiceInstance

Answer 1

Before you create the service components you have to start the service instance on your server(s).

$hostA = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceInstance -Identity “server-name”

Start-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceInstance -Identity $hostA

then go on with your code. example below

$ssa = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication
$newTopology = New-SPEnterpriseSearchTopology -SearchApplication $ssa

- Wait until the services become online (about 5 minutes)

New-SPEnterpriseSearchAdminComponent -SearchTopology $newTopology -SearchServiceInstance $hostA

Hope this helps.

Answer 2

1. Your specific error was due to $clone not getting populated when you called the New-SPEnterpriseSearchTopology command. I think the command will add the topology to the $ssa.Topology list, but not necessarily return a copy of the SPEnterpiseSearchTopology object.

Instead of:

$clone = New-SPEnterpriseSearchTopology -SearchApplication $ssa -Clone -SearchTopology $active

Use:

$clone = $ssa.ActiveTopology.Clone()

Todd's original code included below for reference:

# Based on scripts at http://www.harbar.net/articles/sp2013mt.aspx
# Thanks Spence!

# Get App Pool
$saAppPoolName = "Default SharePoint Service App Pool"

# Search Specifics, we are single server farm
$searchServerName = (Get-ChildItem env:computername).value
$serviceAppName = "Search Service Application"
$searchDBName = "SearchService_DB"


# Grab the Appplication Pool for Service Application Endpoint
$saAppPool = Get-SPServiceApplicationPool $saAppPoolName

# Start Search Service Instances
Write-Host "Starting Search Service Instances..."
Start-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceInstance $searchServerName
Start-SPEnterpriseSearchQueryAndSiteSettingsServiceInstance $searchServerName

# Create the Search Service Application and Proxy
Write-Host "Creating Search Service Application and Proxy..."
$searchServiceApp = New-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication -Name $serviceAppName -ApplicationPool $saAppPoolName -DatabaseName $searchDBName
$searchProxy = New-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplicationProxy -Name "$serviceAppName Proxy" -SearchApplication $searchServiceApp

# Clone the default Topology (which is empty) and create a new one and then activate it
Write-Host "Configuring Search Component Topology..."
$clone = $searchServiceApp.ActiveTopology.Clone()
$searchServiceInstance = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceInstance
New-SPEnterpriseSearchAdminComponent –SearchTopology $clone -SearchServiceInstance $searchServiceInstance
New-SPEnterpriseSearchContentProcessingComponent –SearchTopology $clone -SearchServiceInstance $searchServiceInstance
New-SPEnterpriseSearchAnalyticsProcessingComponent –SearchTopology $clone -SearchServiceInstance $searchServiceInstance 
New-SPEnterpriseSearchCrawlComponent –SearchTopology $clone -SearchServiceInstance $searchServiceInstance 
New-SPEnterpriseSearchIndexComponent –SearchTopology $clone -SearchServiceInstance $searchServiceInstance
New-SPEnterpriseSearchQueryProcessingComponent –SearchTopology $clone -SearchServiceInstance $searchServiceInstance
$clone.Activate()