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Search Appliance
Review: Google Mini 2.2
3/19/2007
A complete list of end-user features can be found here.
For administrators, the Google Mini provides a number of customization and reporting tools. Most of the administration features require little or no input on your end. For example, if new files or directories are added to site, they'll be crawled automatically, unless you specify they shouldn't be. Crawls run continuously or on set schedules. Search and event data are gathered automatically, and custom reports can be generated with the click of a few buttons in a minute or so.
The interface for developing custom front ends for your search results.
So, essentially, once you start the box crawling your servers (simply a matter of entering some URLs), there's little else that you need to do.
However, if you desire, you can get involved with some of the Mini's more advanced features, like creating content groups so that multiple types of users can have easy access to data collections. And you can create custom front ends, each of which can be saved for easy access down the road.
Version 2.2 adds several new features that you can implement for your users. These include:
- OneBox. Previously available only for the more expensive Google Search Appliance, OneBox provide access to data from collections on the Mini or from an external source, such as an application or database. For example, you can create a search for contacts from a database and display specific contact information. OneBox supports Business Objects, Cognos, Cisco, Employease, Microsoft Exchange, Netsuite, Oracle, Salesforce.com, SAP, SAS, and other systems, in addition to home-grown apps.
- Secure search. This new feature--sorely missed in the Google Mini 2.0 release--adds document- and user-level security support and integrates with existing security systems. It supports HTTP Basic; NTLM v1 and v2; and LDAP.
- Google Analytics. The new version integrates Google Analytics without forcing you to create any manual configurations. To take advantage of this feature, you just add your Analytics account to the "Global Attributes" settings in the Serving > Front Ends > Output Format of the EnterpriseController browser-based software.
- New reporting features. Google Mini 2.2 includes some additional information in its reports, including errors and search terms.
Integrated Google Analytics.
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