Q: Unable to search network drives with Lion...

I am pretty sure that I will not rush for M.Lion. After the experience with Lion, I will wait couple of updates after the release. The only thing tha attracts me to ML so far is that "Save as" will be back :-)

Hi

My situation:

Xserve with Lion Server 10.7.4

15 clients (only Macs) with Mac Os 10.5.8 or 10.6.8

All users have network home folders.

After reading and trying all the different suggestion to fix the Spotlight bug, after Pepa_u suggestion the macs with mac os 10.6 are able to search into their home folders.

The strange thing is that a couple of users working from a 10.5 computer can also use spotlight correctly, other users receive the empty window - nothing found.

Any clue about where I can search to find the difference between the users who can search and the users who can't?

Obviously all the users have been created in the same way, with Workgroup Manager, the home is assigned in the standard way for everybody... the only thing I don't see anymore is the _Spotlight user when opening the Info window to check permissions.

In the next few days I will try to upgrade one of the clients from 10.5 to 10.6 and see what happens.

Anyway is a BIG problem...

Thanks to everybody

I finally gave something a try and it seems to stick - so far but it was not ideal. The unideal part I will explain.

Some background.

I work with a number of remote FTP servers and some local SMB SAN devices.

I connected to one of the FTP servers and disclosed every folder while in list view. I waited for all the folders to list their contents.

I restarted the mac. After a restart, I remounted the said FTP server and searched, voila things came up. I restarted again and it continues to work. Disclosing the contents appears to work fine.

Foreseeable caveat. If things are added to the FTP server, I think they won't get indexed.

Non-ideal, I have to disclose once before things get indexed and in the same vein, the Finder window provides no feedback that a search is going on, aka no spinning cog wheel in one of the corners of a Finder window, like Snow Leopard.

Not ideal.

Does anyone have the developer preview of 10.8 to see if this is fixed? I can download it myself but don't want to be testing this, if someone can volunteer this information it would be nice. Then again, this issue appears to affect only some Lion users.

Best regards

On another thread discussing the same problem I found that you could install a program called EasyFind that searches any share without indexing. It works really nice, but in no way is it a fix, unless there is a way to make it "take over" all searches by Lion. I'm not a programmer, so I have no idea how to look at that. Here is the link to the program: http://www.macupdate.com/app/mac/11076/easyfind

Update.

Both kind of clients with os 10.5 or 10.6 are not able to perform any search in their home folders.

The only way I found which is working is to make the user connect to the user's home share point. In this way the search works...

The strange thing is that the share point is on a network volume (on the server, in my situation) and is the home folder of the user, but spotlight is not searching if I select the home, but only in the corresponding share point...

Strange...

But now we can at least search in our archives...

Hope this can help

I think I found the answer to this issue (caveat: You may have to follow the previous steps I supplied in the last steps - my last post)

In Lion open a Finder window and navigate, as the last poster suggested, to your computer (You should see all your sharepoints)

1) to do this, use command-shift-c from the Finder

OR

2) Finder>Go>Computer

I am using list view, so just follow along.

3) Do a command-2 from the Finder to go into list view.

4) Now collapse a sharepoint or directory, this sort of tells the Finder that this is where you want to start searching from.

5) Make sure you have your Toolbar up, use command-alt-T to bring it up quickly.

6) Enter a search term

7) From "This Mac" and "Share" make sure you select Share.

Boom! It finds stuff as fast as you can say abc. It is rocket fast.

Regards

I beg your pardon, in step 4 I meant disclose not collapse

4) Now disclose a sharepoint or directory, this sort of tells the Finder that this is where you want to start searching from.

Argg…posting again

After further testing, I ejected the remote FTP server and back to square one. I give up on this issue. This is broken, Apple needs to fix it or the Mac will look a fool in a circle of Linux and PC users.

And after all the times Tim Cook said at the latest D-Conference that he wants Apple to make the best products. They let us down on this point, I don't know why.

Sadly yours.

This is broken, Apple needs to fix it or the Mac will look a fool in a circle of Linux and PC users.

 

 

 

I think the ship sailed on this one a long time ago!

 

And after all the times Tim Cook said at the latest D-Conference that he wants Apple to make the best products. They let us down on this point, I don't know why.

 

Sadly yours.

I think its the definition of "best" that is a little subjective here. Apples best it would appear to be by the reponse to this issue is to state that thier (apples) method is best, and only things using their (apples) method and thier (apples) hardware and only a select set of thier hardware at that, as not all apple hardware works for this issue, is the "best" and everyone else, the entire pc industry is plain wrong.

What really annoys about this issue is more apple thinking that putting there head in the sand and hoping users will just accept it or f off is what really gets me. As much as I like the products apple delivers (for the most part) the company I like less and less as I cant see a future out of this attitude and approach. At least not one where apple isnt an island which talks to nothing but apple.

Apple was in serious troubles before and it can happen again. It's probably just matter of time . Maybe, being too selfconfident is just the beggining of the end... It's a pity.

Dear last two posters

I feel your frustration. I am going to do something about this. I will report this on Apple bugs report page. I will send feedback on this issue and mention this article link at apple.com/feedback.

It's outrageous that Apple can't impement a simple method of trawling a few FTP and SMB directories…and I absolutely love Apple products! Used them since '87. I am as diehard as one can get but by golly Apple!

I don't see the logic behind your statement.

Stocks and sales are through the roof. Lots of new exciting products.

Yes this needs to be fixed. My IT department did something and now my lion searches the server... Through AFP. I don T care that one server connects SMB and one AFP.

I don't know why it works

Why do you say they are in serious trouble?

Confused.

Hi Chaz

I thought I would chime in. Serious trouble is probably an overstatement, I agree wth you. It is an inconvenience for some of us. Many users in professional environments, as I am sure you are a part of, must be referring to remote servers and they can be SMB, FTP, AFP and other protocols.

I am kind of inconvenienced by this. I can and do use the free EasyFind as a remedy but it is somewhat of a shock that Apple seemingly pulled the ability to search remote servers from under our feet.

I would venture to say that AFP probably works more smoothly because it is an Apple protocol, so no surprises there really.

Anyway, I wish Apple would bring this back or support this feature. It might be in the realm of Apple stating that if it works then great and if not they don't support it anyway, I don't know and there is little point in speculating.

Best Regards

ChazThePhoenix: I suspect he was refering to Apples time without jobs for a while, and its true that they were in serious trouble. Not so now, for sure. My comments where of course about the possible future under such an isolationist approach (ringe fencing) and lack of respect for customers. My perspective is based off how I respond to such an attittude of course and everyone else is free to respond how they choose.

I can't disagree with you, we all have our opinions which is nice. I agree that Apple fix this. I have as promised to send a bug report to Apple because the source of the problem at this rate, can only be one of two things. If it is intermittent it may be a bug, if it is not a bug then it is poor implementation or the 'feature' is not expected to work because they removed it or otherwise.

We should all send feedback.