Introduction

When you want to use multiple management systems, you will probably need to keep a single search collection. To Scale out the search collection, the preferred option is to create an application proxy for the search objects. This HowTo describes the steps to get an installer for an application proxy for the search objects. The screenshots and steps are describing the situation in Windows 2003 Server, but similar steps and screens are available in Windows 2000.

Prerequisites

Multiple Content manager Installations
Shared storage

1. Goto COM+ Applications

1. Open Component Services from the Administrative Tools
2. Browse to COM+ Applications

2. Create a Search Application

This step is only required if you are using Tridion 5.1 Sp1 or earlier. If You have 5.1 SP2 or higher, there will be a separate Search Application present already.
3. Right-mouse click and choose "New->Application"
The following screen will appear:

Choose "Next"
4. In the following screen choose "Create an empty application"

5. Enter the name for the application and select "Server application"

6. Run the application with the same credentials as the Tridion Content Manager Application. (Example here is MTSUser)

7. Click next in the next two screens:

8. The application is created successfully.

3. Install the Search component in the Application

9. In component services, locate the new application and right-click on the "components" folder.
Click New.

10. When the following screen appears. Click "Next"  

Choose "Install new component(s)"

Click "Add" and locate the file cm_srch.dll (default in C:\Program Files\Tridion\bin)

Click "Finish" in the following screen:

4. Export the Application

15. To create the application proxy, right-mouseclick on the Search application and choose "Export":
 
.
16. Click "Next" on the following screen:
 
17. Enter a filename for the installer that will be created and select "Application proxy":
 
18. The installer is successfully created.

Result

Run the installer on all other management servers. If the Search application already exists on the machine, delete the application first (or an error will occur during the installation of the proxy).
Follow the instructions on the screens.
No configuration changes are necessary on the proxy client machines for this to work.

Notes

Remember to disable or uninstall the Search service on all proxy clients, since there can only be one Search Service running for a single collection.