How to setup an Active Directory search index for an attribute

How to setup an Active Directory search index for an attribute

Problem:  Active Directory slowness issues in various parts of the webNetwork product - login, webStorage, webAdmin, etc...



Cause:  Different Active Directory environments may require indexing of attributes to improve performance.  For example, slowness may be attributed to lots of groups and index for "member" attribute may greatly improve search times.  IMPORTANT - make sure to read "What to consider before adding an Active Directory search index for an attribute?" helpdesk article before proceeding.  



Solution(s):  Indexing an attribute helps queries find objects that have that attribute more quickly and efficiently than if the attribute had no index.  Ideally, indexed attributes are single value with highly unique values that are evenly distributed across the set of instances. Multivalue attributes can be indexed, but the cost to build the index is larger in terms of storage and updating. Even with single-value attributes, keep in mind that the more indexed attributes a class has, the longer it takes to modify or create instances of the class.

Install the Schema snap-in:
  1. Open Command Prompt on DC
  2. Type: regsvr32 schmmgmt.dll (this command will register Schmmgmt.dll on your computer. For more information about using regsvr32)
  3. Click Start, click Run, type mmc /a, and then click OK.
  4. On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in, and then click Add.
  5. Under Available Standalone Snap-ins, double-click Active Directory Schema, click Close, and then click OK.
  6. To save this console, on the File menu, click Save.

To index an attribute:
  1. Open the Active Directory Schema snap-in.
  2. In the left-hand pane, click Attributes.
  3. In the right-hand pane, right-click the attribute that you want to index, and then click Properties.
  4. Click Index this attribute in the Active Directory and click OK to save the change.
  5. Close the Active Directory Schema snap-in.


References:
Active Directory Schema Tools and Settings
Install the Active Directory Schema snap-in
Index an attribute in Active Directory
attributeSchema Objects


Keywords: AD, Active Directory, Search Index