Elasticsearch Service Account — Setup Guide

Overview Use this guide to create and configure an Elasticsearch service account in MinuteView Console. This service account is required to enable the Mesh module for powerful search and indexing capabilities including:

• Mesh search engine for document indexing and full-text search across all MinuteView content
• Real-time content indexing of files, emails, and structured data
• Advanced search features like faceted search, autocomplete, and fuzzy matching
• Analytics and reporting on search patterns and content usage
• Integration with AI services for semantic search and content analysis

When MinuteView is installed, Elasticsearch is automatically installed on the server with admin credentials saved in the installation directory. You can use these default credentials or create custom credentials for this service account.

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1) Locate MinuteView's Elasticsearch Installation

Default Installation

When MinuteView is installed, Elasticsearch is automatically deployed:

• Installation Location: C:\Program Files\MinuteView\Elasticsearch\ (or custom install path)
• Configuration Files: Located in config\ subdirectory
• Data Directory: data\ subdirectory contains indices and cluster state
• Logs Directory: logs\ subdirectory contains operation logs

Admin Credentials Location

The default admin credentials are saved during installation:

• Credentials File: Look for elasticsearch-credentials.txt or similar in the MinuteView installation directory
• Default Username: Usually elastic or admin
• Generated Password: Automatically generated during installation
• Service URL: Typically http://localhost:9200 or https://localhost:9200

Verify Elasticsearch is Running

1. Open Windows Services (services.msc)
2. Look for MinuteView Elasticsearch service
3. Ensure status is Running
4. If not running, start the service

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2) Choose Credentials for Service Account

Option 1: Use Default Admin Credentials (Recommended)

The simplest approach is to use the admin credentials created during MinuteView installation:

1. Locate the credentials file in your MinuteView installation directory
2. Use the default elastic username and generated password
3. Service URL: http://localhost:9200 (or https://localhost:9200 if SSL is enabled)

Option 2: Create Custom MinuteView Service User

If you prefer dedicated service credentials:

Using Elasticsearch APIs

# Create dedicated service user
curl -X POST "localhost:9200/_security/user/minuteview-mesh-service" \
-u "elastic:your-admin-password" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{
  "password": "your-secure-service-password",
  "roles": ["superuser"],
  "full_name": "MinuteView Mesh Service Account"
}'

Using Kibana (if installed)

1. Open Kibana at http://localhost:5601
2. Navigate to Stack Management → Security → Users
3. Click Create user:
   • Username: minuteview-mesh-service
   • Password: Generate secure password
   • Roles: superuser or custom role with necessary permissions

Required Permissions

The service account needs the following capabilities:

• Cluster privileges: monitor, manage_index_templates, manage_ilm
• Index privileges: all on MinuteView indices (e.g., minuteview-*)
• Application privileges: Access to Kibana for monitoring (optional)

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3) Create Service Account in MinuteView Console

1. Navigate to Console → Service Accounts
2. Click New to create a new service account
3. Configure the following settings:

Basic Configuration

• Name: Elasticsearch-Mesh-Service (descriptive naming for Mesh module)
• Service Account Type: Select Elasticsearch from the dropdown

Connection Configuration

• Service URL: Enter the Elasticsearch endpoint
  • Default: http://localhost:9200
  • With SSL: https://localhost:9200
  • Custom port: http://localhost:9201 (if modified during installation)
• Username: Enter the username
  • Default admin: elastic
  • Custom service user: minuteview-mesh-service
• Password: Enter the password
  • Default admin: Password from credentials file in installation directory
  • Custom service user: Password you created for the service user

Advanced Settings (Optional)

• Request Timeout: 30 seconds (default)
• Max Retries: 3 (default)
• Connection Pool Size: 10 (default)
• Enable SSL Verification: Check if using HTTPS
• Index Prefix: minuteview (creates indices like minuteview-documents-*)

4. Click Test Connection to verify connectivity and credentials
5. Click Save to create the service account

Note: This service account is specifically required for the Mesh module functionality.

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4) Index Templates and Mappings

MinuteView automatically creates optimized index templates, but you can customize:

Document Index Template

{
  "index_patterns": ["minuteview-documents-*"],
  "template": {
    "settings": {
      "number_of_shards": 1,
      "number_of_replicas": 1,
      "analysis": {
        "analyzer": {
          "minuteview_analyzer": {
            "type": "custom",
            "tokenizer": "standard",
            "filter": ["lowercase", "stop", "snowball"]
          }
        }
      }
    },
    "mappings": {
      "properties": {
        "title": {"type": "text", "analyzer": "minuteview_analyzer"},
        "content": {"type": "text", "analyzer": "minuteview_analyzer"},
        "file_type": {"type": "keyword"},
        "created_date": {"type": "date"},
        "modified_date": {"type": "date"},
        "author": {"type": "keyword"},
        "tags": {"type": "keyword"}
      }
    }
  }
}

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5) Enable Mesh Module in Global Settings

After creating the Elasticsearch service account, you must enable the Mesh module:

Configure Mesh in Global Settings

1. Navigate to Console → Global Settings
2. Find the Mesh Module section
3. Enable Mesh: Check the box to enable the module
4. Elasticsearch Service Account: Select the Elasticsearch service account you created
   • Choose Elasticsearch-Mesh-Service (or your chosen service account name)
5. Click Save to apply the settings

Important: The Mesh module will not function until you select an Elasticsearch service account in Global Settings.

Verify Mesh Module Activation

After saving Global Settings:

1. Check Module Status: Mesh should show as "Active" in the modules list
2. Test Search Interface: Navigate to Mesh to verify the search interface loads
3. Verify Index Creation: Check Elasticsearch for MinuteView indices being created
4. Monitor Logs: Review application logs for successful Elasticsearch connection

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6) Mesh Integration Configuration

Initial Index Setup

Once the Mesh module is enabled:

1. Navigate to Mesh → Configuration → Index Management
2. Initialize Indices: Click to create the initial search indices
3. Configure Data Sources: Set up what content to index:
   • File Systems: Local drives, network shares
   • Email Sources: Exchange, IMAP connections
   • Database Sources: SQL Server, other databases
   • Cloud Storage: SharePoint, Google Drive, etc.

Indexing Settings

Configure how content is processed:

• Index Schedule: Real-time or batch processing
• File Types: Select document types to include (PDF, DOCX, CAD files, etc.)
• Content Extraction: Enable OCR for images, metadata extraction
• Language Processing: Configure language detection and analysis

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7) Monitoring and Performance

Health Monitoring

Monitor cluster health through:

• Elasticsearch Dashboard: Check cluster status
• MinuteView Console: View indexing progress and errors
• Kibana: Advanced monitoring and visualization

Performance Optimization

Index Settings

{
  "index": {
    "refresh_interval": "30s",
    "number_of_replicas": 0,
    "translog": {
      "flush_threshold_size": "1gb",
      "sync_interval": "30s"
    }
  }
}

Search Performance

• Use appropriate field types (keyword vs text)
• Implement query caching
• Consider index lifecycle management
• Monitor slow query log

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8) Security Best Practices

Access Control

• Use dedicated service accounts with minimal required permissions
• Enable audit logging for security monitoring
• Implement IP restrictions where possible
• Regularly rotate passwords and API keys

Data Protection

• Enable encryption at rest and in transit
• Implement proper index access controls
• Use field-level security for sensitive data
• Consider data masking for development environments

Network Security

• Use private networks or VPNs when possible
• Configure firewall rules to restrict access
• Enable SSL/TLS for all connections
• Monitor for unauthorized access attempts

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9) Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Authentication Failed

• Verify username/password or API key
• Check user permissions and roles
• Ensure account is not locked or expired

Network Connectivity

• Test endpoint accessibility with curl or browser
• Verify firewall and network routing
• Check SSL certificate validity

Cluster Health Issues

• Monitor cluster status (red/yellow/green)
• Check disk space and memory usage
• Review Elasticsearch logs for errors

Performance Issues

Slow Indexing

• Increase bulk size and reduce refresh interval
• Check for resource constraints (CPU, memory, disk)
• Consider increasing thread pool sizes

Slow Search

• Analyze slow query log
• Optimize query structure and filters
• Consider query result caching
• Review index mapping and field types

Index Management

Index Size Issues

• Implement index lifecycle management (ILM)
• Set up index rollover policies
• Archive or delete old indices
• Monitor shard sizes and distribution

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10) Maintenance and Best Practices

Regular Maintenance

• Monitor cluster health and performance metrics
• Update Elasticsearch versions regularly
• Review and optimize index mappings
• Clean up old or unused indices

Backup and Recovery

• Configure snapshot repositories
• Schedule regular backups
• Test restore procedures
• Document recovery processes

Capacity Planning

• Monitor storage growth trends
• Plan for peak usage periods
• Scale cluster resources as needed
• Implement alerting for resource thresholds

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Appendix — Configuration Examples

Production Configuration

Name: Elasticsearch-Production-Main
Type: Elasticsearch
Connection Type: Cloud
Cloud ID: minuteview-search:dXMtZWFzdC0xLmF3cy5m...
Username: minuteview-service
Index Prefix: minuteview
Shards: 2
Replicas: 1

Development Configuration

Name: Elasticsearch-Development-Test
Type: Elasticsearch  
Connection Type: On-Premise
Endpoint: https://dev-elasticsearch:9200
Username: minuteview-dev
Index Prefix: minuteview-dev
Shards: 1
Replicas: 0

High-Performance Configuration

Name: Elasticsearch-HighPerf-Analytics
Type: Elasticsearch
Connection Type: Cloud
Bulk Size: 500
Request Timeout: 60s
Max Retries: 5
Refresh Interval: 5s

This configuration enables powerful search capabilities throughout MinuteView, from real-time content indexing to advanced analytics and AI-enhanced search experiences.