Apache SOLR is an open source search platform built on Lucene that provides features like faceted search, filtering, geospatial search, and works with multiple languages. It is ideal for large datasets and is highly scalable and customizable. SOLR can be integrated with Drupal using modules like Apachesolr or Search API to index Drupal content and provide search capabilities. Configuring SOLR involves setting fields, filters, stopwords, and other options to optimize search relevance and performance.

1. Apache SOLR
Freeform Advance - Speedgeek

2. Background
• SOLR is open source
• Built on the Lucene search library
• Java-based
• REST-like XML or Json API

3. SOLR Features
• Faceted search and filtering
• Geospatial search (x,y pos)
• Spelling suggestions
• Works in multiple languages (CKJ tokenizer)
• Ideal for large data sets
• High performance, scalable
• Very customizable

4. Installation
• Latest SOLR version - 4.2.1
• Supported by Drupal modules - 3.6.2
• Make sure java installed
• Download sever
• Replace config files for module ones
• Backend: http://localhost:8983/solr/admin
• Securing! Make sure your ports are secure

5. Modules - ApacheSolr
• Apachesolr was the first module to integrate
SOLR into drupal, and has big names behind it
• Acquia sponsored
• Only supports one index
• Lots of contrib modules
• Only support SOLR 3.x

6. Modules – Search API
• Again, lots of community support and contrib
modules
• Data source is not restricted to just solr, but
support for many
• Very views-focused
• Only support for SOLR 3.x

7. SOLR – Configuring
• Setting fields
– Relevance weights - Full Text?
– Taxonomy hierarchy
• Adding filter blocks
using Facet API

8. SOLR – Config (cont.)
• HTML tags to boost (more relevance for h1)
• Stopwords (what to ignore)
• Ignore characters (a dash in-between)
• Index alt attribute
• What node types to index
• Node access