try Searchable ... Re: Index location for multiple servers

Craig Jolicoeur wrote:
> I have a rails app that is going to be deployed across several servers.
> 
> In my understanding of acts_as_ferret, the index files are kept in the
> index folder in the root of the rails app.  This won't work for multiple
> servers, of course, since all the servers will have their own directory
> tree.
> 
> How are people using ferret for apps deployed on multiple servers?
> Could I run the index files through the database much like I do with
> session info to prevent this problem?  Or is there a completely
> different work around that I am just not thinking of?

As others have already mentioned, you need to make sure the index writer
is a singleton instance with all other servers as clients.

It is a fun problem if you want to write it yourself and are familiar 
with
DRb (quick to learn) and threading/locking issues.

However if you don't want to spend the time to do that yourself I would 
highly
suggest looking into the Searchable plugin which uses Ferret or Solr as
search backends.  It integrates nicely into your models using 
ActiveRecord
hooks - much like aaf.

The key feature in your case is that it also provides a DRb backend
which you can turn on by a simple config switch, allowing you to
have a central indexing server.  more about this plugin at RubyForge:

  http://searchable.rubyforge.org/

It has been mentioned once before on this list but I think it deserves
more exposure - especially as more people try to use Ferret for larger
projects which require a multiple-server deployment.  My company wrote
our own DRb ferret implementation in house -- but that was before I saw
the Searchable rails plugin  ;)

Good Luck,
-damian


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