Registering file system paths

Registering a File System Path enables searching for files in a specified directory and is used for sources that are retrieved from an external file system. When you register this source type, you define the path to the folder that contains the files that you want to index for searching. The folder can be stored on the AR Server computer or on a remote computer to which you have access. BMC Knowledge Management stores and manages the metadata of this source.

File system path sequence

The Registration Wizard uses the following panel sequence when you register file system paths as knowledge sources:

Welcome > Source > Organization > Categorization > Accessibility > Completion

Prerequisites for file system path registration

Fulfill the following list of prerequisites before you register file system paths as knowledge sources.

• Before you register file system paths as knowledge sources, verify that the account, which runs the BMC Remedy AR System server process on the computer on which the BMC Remedy AR System server resides, has permission to the directory (remote or local) that contains the files that need to be indexed.
• If the file system folder resides on a Windows computer and BMC Remedy AR System resides on a UNIX computer, you must allow access to the folder. To allow access, install a product that allows file and print services to SMB/CIFS clients, such as Samba, on the UNIX system.
• Before you register knowledge sources that reside on a remote computer, verify that the BMC Remedy AR System server has been started with a special domain user, to enable access to the files. This user must have read permissions for the file system folder that contains the knowledge sources. If BMC Remedy AR System is installed on a UNIX computer, you must start the BMC Remedy AR System server process using the special domain user .

Limitation of file system path registration

Global search results might include external files that have been registered as knowledge base items. If the search conditions are fulfilled by XML or HTML files that have been registered in this way, the Global Search Results screen appears distorted due the tags that are used in XML and HTML files. Additionally, the Advanced search link on the search results screen becomes unresponsive.

To register a file system path

1. Open the Knowledge Management Console.
2. Under Functions, click Manage Knowledge Sources.
3. Click Add.
4. In the Welcome panel, select Knowledge Base Item > File System Path and click Next.
5. Enter the full path of the directory on a remote computer using Universal Naming Convention (UNC) name syntax, or enter a local path on the BMC Remedy AR System server computer.
6. Provide a name for this source.

7. Enter the file extensions that are to be indexed and managed by BMC Knowledge Management, (for example, pdf;doc;txt). You can also enter .ppt and .pptx file extensions, provided the files are not compressed, and .msg file extension. 

   Best practice
   We recommend you to not use the *.file extension format. For example, you must enter the file extension as pdf and not as *.pdf. This suggestion is applicable for all types of file extensions.
   For a list of more supported file formats, see How FTS indexing works for attachments from the BMC Remedy AR System online documentation.

8. Define whether to include sub-folders.
9. Enter the Owner and Owner Group.
10. Enter the Description and Language, as required.
11. In the Organization panel enter information in the appropriate fields.
    • To add visibility groups to the source, select a company and a visibility group from the lists and click Add.
       The visibility group is assigned to all the articles from that source.
    • You can add more than one visibility group for each source.
12. In the Categorization panel, select the appropriate Operational Categorization and Product Categorization values.
13. In the Accessibility panel, selects the Companies to which this source belongs.
14. Click Finish in the Completion panel.
15. (optional) Follow the registration status in the Status column of the Manage Knowledge Sources page.

To start the AR server service with a special domain user

1. Stop the BMC Remedy AR Systems service.
2. Right-click on the service and select Properties.
3. Open the Log On tab.
4. Select This Account and enter the name of the special domain user with the permissions for the remote directories and sub-directories.
5. Enter and confirm the user password.
6. Click OK.
7. Start the BMC Remedy AR System service.