How do I fix a degraded SharePoint 2013 index partition when there is only one of them?

Question

We have a test environment that is no longer able to successfully crawl content. The crawl logs show successful URLs, but I can't search for that content. It has worked in the past, but stopped working for some unknown reason.

This is a single SharePoint 2013 server that is crawling SharePoint 2010 farms. When looking at the search topology in the Search Service Application, I see:

I can also look at it with PowerShell and see that it is "degraded":

I tried resetting the index, but that did not help. Looking at the ULS log, I see lots of errors. Here are 3 examples:

CSSFeedersManager::session_CallbackReceived: Document 55747 processing failed. Error messages: Failed to create session with indexer; Aborting insert of item in Link Database because it was not inserted to the Search Index.; , errorID = 2147749241 hostName = EATIFSPS2013A nodeName = ContentProcessingComponent1

Component and System=Content1-a9f229cd-e4ce-43b6-88c3-fab1cc9b6d45, Correlation ID=d57ff765-1ffc-4fc9-bb65-7e0f11e9abfb, Tenant ID=0c37852b-34d0-418e-91c6-2ac25af4be5b Error code=800000, Flow Name=Microsoft.CrawlerFlow, Operator Name=InjectedOpForExceptionHandling/EventHybrid_Indexing, Message=The processing of item fails with error Failed to create session with indexer

Microsoft.Ceres.ContentEngine.Processing.Mars.MarsWriterProducer: Failed to create session for index system: SPb0bb381ca970: Microsoft.Ceres.SearchCore.Services.ContentRouter.ContentException: Unable to connect to index system SPb0bb381ca970
at Microsoft.Ceres.SearchCore.ContentRouter.ContentRouter.VerifyIndexSystem(String indexSystem)
at Microsoft.Ceres.SearchCore.ContentRouter.ContentRouter.OpenSession(String indexSystem, Action1 callback, IDictionary2 defaultPolicy)
at Microsoft.Ceres.ContentEngine.Processing.Mars.MarsWriterProducer.GetSession(String indexSystem)

I have seen where I you have multiple index partitions you can remove one and add another. If you only have one, I have read that you have to create a new search service application (as you cannot remove all index partitions). Maybe I could add one and then remove the original/bad one.

I have also seen on this blog where maybe I should open up TCP 808 ports inbound into my SharePoint 2010 sites (the content I am crawling). We didn't close these on purpose, but maybe that did happen (I'm looking into it).

EDIT: I tried resetting the index and only crawling content on the single SharePoint 2013 machine and still have the problem. I don't think it has anything to do with firewall ports (TCP 808 or other).

Any recommendations?

Answer 1

Index reset + full crawl of all content sources.

http://www.thesysadminhimself.com/2013/08/sharepoint-search-index-partition-degraded.html

Answer 2

You don't have to rebuild the SSA, just create a new topology as shufler mentioned. Here's a script that I just ran with my environment info, and it resolved the problem for me :)

#set Search Service Application
$ssa = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication

#recreate search topology with new index component
#reset the index if the bad component is the index

#grab component name of faulty topology component and it's respective server name
Get-SPEnterpriseSearchStatus -SearchApplication $ssa -Text

#put server name where [SERVER] is.. remove the []
$hosta = get-spenterprisesearchserviceinstance -identity [SERVER]

#get the existing topology
$active = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchTopology -SearchApplication $ssa -Active

#copy the existing topology
$clone = New-SPEnterpriseSearchTopology -SearchApplication $ssa -Clone -SearchTopology $active

#remove the bad component, placing the name where [BAD COMPONENT NAME] is... remove the []
$ComponentID = (Get-SPEnterpriseSearchComponent -SearchTopology $clone -Identity [BAD COMPONENT NAME]).componentID
Remove-SPEnterpriseSearchComponent -Identity $ComponentID.GUID -SearchTopology $clone -confirm:$false

#create the new component, the example below is for the index specifically - create a new folder for the index so it's empty!
New-SPEnterpriseSearchIndexComponent -SearchTopology $clone -SearchServiceInstance $hostA -IndexPartition 0 -RootDirectory F:\SPIndex 

#Set this copy as the active topology
Set-SPEnterpriseSearchTopology -identity $clone

Answer 3

Seems like you can’t add a new index partition component when the existing one is failing:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/peter_dempsey/archive/2013/04/11/sharepoint-2013-unable-to-change-topology-when-generation-controller-is-not-active.aspx

So this is my steps to delete and create a new search service application with the excisting databases:

Find database name

Run powershell:

get-spdatabase | select name

And locate the name of your search database. For me, it is: SP_2013_EnterpriseSearch02

Remove excisting search application

• Go to central admin --> Application Management --> Manage Service Applications
• Mark your search searvice application and press delete.
• Leave "Delete data ..." UNTICKED (you don´t want to remove the database)

Or powerhshell:

$spapp = Get-SPServiceApplication -Name "<Service application display name>"
Remove-SPServiceApplication $spapp

If you cant delete it, try clean the cash http://www.jeremytaylor.net/2013/10/12/clear-sharepoint-cache/

Create new search application

run following powershell

$applicationPool = Get-SPServiceApplicationPool -Identity 'SharePoint - Search'
$searchInst = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceInstance –local
Restore-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication -Name 'Search Service Application' -applicationpool $applicationPool -databasename 'SP_2013_EnterpriseSearch02' -databaseserver SQL01 -AdminSearchServiceInstance $searchInst
$ssa = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplication
New-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplicationProxy -Name 'Search Service Application Proxy' -SearchApplication $ssa
$ssap = Get-SPEnterpriseSearchServiceApplicationProxy 

Add-SPServiceApplicationProxyGroupMember –member $ssap -identity " "

Reset index and start a crawl

1. central admin --> manage service application --> search service --> Index Reset (left navigation under Crawling) --> reset Now

2. Still in Search Administration --> Content Sources --> on a content source drop down, click "Start full crawl".

Answer 4

In a single server farm your options are really limited. The easiest method would be to recreate the Search SSA. I do this from a script and it should just take a few minutes on a decent machine.

I don't think (though I have not tried) removing and recreating the Index Component alone, but if killing the SSA is not an option you may want to try this first.

Answer 5

Check index partition status in SharePoint search application if it show error (yellow colour) then try this solution

https://mysolutioncafe.blogspot.in/#!/2016/11/sharepoint-2013-search-not-workingnot.html