Overview

This article provides an answer to the below queries:

• Is it possible to shrink the search index by limiting how far back the search index indexes the content?
• Can we delete folders on the search server to free up space?

Environment

Jive On-Premise

Solution

Information about Search Index Folders:

The search service builds and stores index files for content search within folders beginning with /dedupIndex-xxxxx

• This folder will be under a path similar to: /usr/local/jive/services/search-service/var/data/contentSearch/contentSwappingSearch/1cb63754-bba9-41b9-ac2f-694933b04be2 
• In this path, cb63754-bba9-41b9-ac2f-694933b04be2 is the ID of the Jive Tenant.
• The size of this folder is directly related to the volume of content, and it will grow over time as new content is added or published.
• Files in this folder must not be modified or deleted as it would directly impact the search service for the community

If your Binstore size is large, then the search indexes are also going to be large, as the search service would index the objects in Binstore, including document type attachments. This is particularly true if there is a large number of documents (vs a small number of large-sized files like multimedia or binaries).

Check for Duplicate or Obsolete Folders:

If you find duplicate index folders you may be able to delete them - it is best to backup any folders before deleting them. 

Verify there are no additional folders within the path: /usr/local/jive/services/search-service/var/data/contentSearch/contentSwappingSearch/ 

1. 1. There should be only one tenantId subfolder under this
   2. If there are more folders, then some of those might be obsolete or duplicate.
   3. You can check the size of these folders by using the command du --max-depth=1 -h

Check for Errors and Inconsistent Search Results:

If you are facing any of the below, then there might be issues with the search index, and the instance could require a Clean Context Index Search Rebuild.

• Any errors or issues like Inconsistent Search Results reported by users.
• Any bulk removal activities, like deleting outdated or obsolete content.

Conclusion

If you find no errors, inconsistencies, duplicates, or obsolete folders, then your search indexes are working as expected.

• It is not possible for the search index to limit how far back it indexes the content. 
• If the increase in size has been gradual (no sudden spikes), then this is natural and the recommended solution is to add more disk space for this node.