BMD NTCS: Full-text search in the archive with Windows search

Minimum requirements

• Windows Server 2016
• Windows Server 2019
• Windows Server 2022
• Windows Server 2025

EXPLANATION

The difference between a regular full-text search and the search via the operating system is that whenever you create or change a document, the indexing catalogue is simultaneously built in the background. The full-text search via the operating system can access this catalogue. 

Thus, both types of full-text search have the same result but a full-text search via the operating system is considerably faster.

Please note!

The indexing catalogue is built automatically in the background and only if the server has enough resources. It is therefore possible that documents that have recently been scanned or archived cannot immediately be found in the full-text search. It might take some time.

A) Installing Windows Search

Install Windows search by selecting Server Manager → Manage → Add roles and features.  

Afterwards, you have to start the service “Wsearch” and set the startup type to “Automatic”.

B) INSTALLING THE IFilters

To fully index PDF documents or Office documents, it is required to install so-called iFilters on the server which runs Windows Search.

A free-of-charge IFilter for PDF files is automatically installed with the Adobe Acrobat Reader. For this filter, please install the 64-bit version of the Adobe Reader directly on the server.

https://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/otherversions/ 

Alternatively, you can purchase other versions under: 

http://www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/ifilter

http://www.pdflib.com/de/produkte/tet-pdf-ifilter

Microsoft offers separate IFilters for Office documents which are based on Office 2010:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17062

You can check which file types are indexed by which filter in the Control Panel in the “Indexing Options” under “Advanced settings”.

C) BMD NTCS SETTINGS FOR THE SERVICE 

BMD NTCS → TOOLS → Settings → TOOLS parameters → Overall system → General settings:

Adjust the following settings in section 3 - BMD NTCS service:

Storage process:

1 – Store via server 

Server name/IP address:

IP address or server name where the service is installed.

Port number:

You can choose the port number freely. The default port number is 81.

Full text search via index service:

1 – Yes 

Type of index search:

0 – Windows search

Please note! 

When Windows Firewall is active, the service (BMDNtcsSvc.exe) has to be added to the exceptions (TCP)!

Please note!
Whenever settings are changed in BMD NTCS, you have to restart BMDNtcsSvc in the services!
 

D) COMPILING THE SEARCH CATALOGUE

First check the archive paths:
Enter "Paths" in the search field in the top-right corner and click on Paths.

Update the catalogue under Functions → Update search catalogue.

Continue by clicking on “Yes” when the following message appears:

If the process has been carried out successfully, you will get a confirmation:

E) CHECKING THE SEARCH CATALOGUE

Control Panel → Indexing options 
 

F) SPECIAL CASE: ARCHIVE IS ON A SEPARATE SERVER 

In this case, the service BMDNTCSSvc must be installed on a different server and access to it has to be set in the BMD NTCS parameters.

To do this, copy the files BMDNtcsSvc.exe – libeay32.dll – ssleay32.dll – msvcr71.dll from the directory \\BMDSRV\BMDNTCS_PGM (e.g. C:\BMDService).

Create a BMDSERVICE.INI file in the same directory with the following content:

[BMDUPDATESERVICE]
UpdateClient=3
Host=BMDSRV
Port=81
NoUpdateSQL=1
NoUpdateNLS=1
NoUpdateDATA=1

The host refers to the server where the BMD NTCS program is installed. The server then automatically gets newer files from the main server when an update or a patch was installed.

Additionally, create a BMD.INI file in the same directory according to the pattern below:

[BMD]
BIN=\\BMDSRV\BMDNTCS_PGM\BIN 
NLS=\\BMDSRV\BMDNTCS_PGM\NLS 
DATA=\\BMDSRV\BMDNTCS_PGM\DATEN
LOG=C:\BMDService\LOG

[BMD\ALIASNAMES]
ALIAS0=BMDSRV\BMD:BMD
 

Now, you can create and start the service using the parameter /INSTALL.

Example:
C:\BMDService\BMDNtcsSvc.exe /INSTALL