Content in search results use an unexpected URL or multiple URLs are listed for the same content in SharePoint Portal Server 2003

When you search for content that is stored on a Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 portal site, you experience one of the following symptoms:

• Documents and list items are listed multiple times in the search results. Each instance of the document or the list item uses a different URL. When you click the URL for the document or list item, you cannot access it.
• Document and list items that are returned in the search results are listed by using an unexpected URL. For example, you connect to the server by using the fully qualified domain name (FQDN), and then you search for content on the portal site. The URL of the documents and the list items that are returned in the search results appear as http://ServerName instead of a URL that contains the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the server. Therefore, when you click the URL to access the document or list item, you cannot access it.

This issue may occur if multiple Domain Name System (DNS) names are defined for the server, but alternative access setting entries are not configured for the server.

To resolve this issue, specify an alternative access setting entry for each DNS name that is configured for the server, and then update the content index. To do this:

• Specify an alternative access setting entry. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Start SharePoint Portal Server Central Administration.
  2. Under Portal Site and Virtual Server Configuration, click Configure alternative portal site URLs for intranet, extranet, and custom access.
  3. On the Configure Alternate Portal Access Settings page, click New Access Setting.
  4. In the Mapping name box on the Add Alternative Access Setting page, type the mapping name that you want to use for an alternative access to the server.
  5. Type the default URL in the Default URL box.
  6. If you want, specify the following optional settings:
     • Type an intranet URL in the Intranet URL box.
     • Type an extranet URL in the Extranet URL box.
     • Type a custom URL in the Custom URL box.
  7. Click OK.
• Update the content index. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Connect to the portal site, and then click Site Settings.
  2. In the Search Settings and Indexed Content area of the Site Settings page, click Configure search and indexing.
  3. In the Content Indexes area of the Configure Search and Indexing page, click Manage content indexes.
  4. On the Manage Content Indexes page, click the down arrow next to the name of the content index that you want to update, and then click Start Full Update.

For more information about alternative portal access settings, see the "Managing Alternate Access Mappings" topic in the "Administration" chapter of the Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Administrator's Guide. The Microsoft Office SharePoint Portal Server 2003 Administrator's Guide (Administrator's Help.chm) is located in the Docs folder in the root folder of the SharePoint Portal Server 2003 CD.