Change the password for the content access account (Search Server 2008)
Applies To: Microsoft Search Server 2008
Topic Last Modified: 2009-05-21
Note
Unless otherwise noted, the information in this article applies to both Microsoft Search Server 2008 and Microsoft Search Server 2008 Express.
Use this procedure to change the password for the content access account. The content access account is used by the Windows SharePoint Services Search service to crawl content. If the Office SharePoint Server Search service is running, then the Windows SharePoint Services Search service is used only to crawl the product’s built-in Help content, not SharePoint content or content external to SharePoint, such as file shares. This account must have read permission for the content that the account is crawling. It is a best practice to limit the account's content access to read-only. If the account password expires and is not updated, this search service will not be able to crawl content.
Note
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These procedures can be performed successfully only after the password has been changed on the domain controller. The credentials entered are checked against those on the domain controller. If you enter the new password before the password has been changed on the domain controller, an error will result and the settings will not be changed.
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This procedure needs to be performed only on the server that is running the Central Administration Web site.
Important
Memberships in the Search Server Farm Administrators group and in the Administrators group on the local computer are required to complete each procedure in this article.
To change the password for the content access account
Change the password for the content access account by using the user interface
On the Central Administration Web site, on the Operations tab, in the Topology and Services section, click Services on server.
On the Services on server page, next to Windows SharePoint Services Search or Windows SharePoint Services Help Search, an entry in the Status column indicates whether the Windows SharePoint Services Search service is Started or Stopped.
Do one of the following, depending on your goal:
To change the content access account password when the Windows SharePoint Services Search service is started:
On the Services on Server page, click Windows SharePoint Services Help Search.
On the Configure Windows SharePoint Services Search Services settings page, in the Content Access Account section, do the following:
Optional: In the User name box, type a different user name in the form domain_name\user_name. This user name must not be a built-in account such as Local Service or Network Service.
In the Password box, type a new password.
Click OK.
To change the content access account password when the Windows SharePoint Services Search service is stopped and you want it to remain stopped:
On the Services on Server page, click Windows SharePoint Services Search.
On the Configure Windows SharePoint Services Search Services settings page, in the Content Access Account section, do the following:
Optional: In the User name box, type a different user name in the form domain_name\user_name. This user name must not be a built-in account such as Local Service or Network Service.
In the Password box, type a new password.
If this is the first time the password has been change since the service was stopped, specify the search database for the Windows SharePoint Services Search service by doing one of the following:
Ensure that the search database in use is empty by deleting all associated tables, stored procedures, and other database components.
On the Configure Windows SharePoint Services Search Services settings page, in the Search Database section, type the name of an empty database. If the database does not already exist, it is created automatically.
Click OK.
To change the content access account password when the Windows SharePoint Services Search service is stopped and you want it to start it:
On the Services on Server page, next to Windows SharePoint Services Search click Start.
On the Configure Windows SharePoint Services Search Services settings page, in the Content Access Account section, do the following:
Optional: In the User name box, type a different user name in the form domain_name\user_name. This user name must not be a built-in account such as Local Service or Network Service.
In the Password box, type a new password.
If this is the first time the password has been change since the service was stopped, specify the search database for the Windows SharePoint Services Search service by doing one of the following:
Ensure that the search database in use is empty by deleting all associated tables, stored procedures, and other database components.
On the Configure Windows SharePoint Services Search Services settings page, in the Search Database section, type the name of an empty database. If the database does not already exist, it is created automatically.
Click Start.
Change the password for the content access account by using the Stsadm command-line tool
On the computer that is running the Central Administration Web site, open a command prompt and change to the following directory: %COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft shared\Web server extensions\12\Bin.
Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
stsadm -o spsearch -farmcontentaccessaccount <domain\username> -farmcontentaccesspassword <password>
Note
farmcontentaccessaccount is the content access user account.
See Also
Concepts
Change passwords for administration accounts and service accounts (Search Server 2008)
Change passwords for SQL Server services (Search Server 2008)
Change passwords for Central Administration and the Timer service (Search Server 2008)
Change passwords for the Search service accounts (Search Server 2008)
Change the password for the Shared Services Provider (Search Server 2008)
Change the password for an application pool identity (Search Server 2008)