Making the most of your knowledgebase search
Within our knowledgebase, you can search the entire database of technical information documents (TIDs), product documentation, articles and tips, readmes and patches, and support forums.
Quick Tips for Searching
- Use Advanced Search. Clicking on Advanced Search opens a window that provides more search options.
- Other Content Types By default, only Support TIDs are searched when performing a basic search. Try selecting other content types in the Advanced Search window.
- Search syntax. By default, two or more search terms separated by spaces are treated as though they are separated by Boolean 'OR' operators. In other words search results will be returned if one or more of the search terms are found in documents in the Knowledgebase. For example, if the string update SLES were used for the query, those documents containing either update or SLES or both would be returned. However, the search also takes into account how close the terms are to each other—the closer they are to each other the higher the weighting. Other search operators such as Boolean 'AND' and 'NOT' are also available. Search terms may also be grouped into "as is" phrases by surrounding them with double quotes (""). Get more information about the operators available and the search syntax here.
- Specify a product. When searching for information about specific product(s), we recommend selecting one or more products from the product drop down instead of specifying the product name in the search query string (keywords).
- Include archived documents. Documents are considered archived when they were last modified over 7 years ago. Documents can also be specifically marked as archived. To include these documents in the search, check the Include Archived Documents checkbox in the search area.
- Error codes. When searching for error code messages, be sure to enter the entire error code. For example, if you receive error code 0x0000190c, instead of entering just 190c, enter the complete string.
- How to reset your search. If you have selected various filters or other options from the Advanced Search window, you can reset the search parameters by clicking the "Clear" link above the search results. This will reset all filters and selections and allow you to start over with the default settings.
- How to return to the main Knowledgebase from a Support by Product page. If you are on a Support by Product page for a specific product, all of the searches results will automatically be filtered for that product. If you wish to go back to the main search page which includes all products, simply click on the "Knowledgebase" link above the page title.
Content Types
Because the knowledgebase covers a wide range of content sources, the information has been divided into "content types". The default search results will display Support TIDs, however, you can search on other content types by selecting the appropriate tab in the search results area. These are the content types and what is included in each:
Articles and tips: Articles from AppNotes, Cool Solutions, and Novell Connection Magazine, along with white papers and other useful technical information.
Forums: Information from support forums.
Patches / Security: Patch readmes and CVE security notices.
Documentation: Product and developer documentation.
Support TID: Knowledgebase articles / Technical information documents (TIDs).
Refining Search Results
Use the following methods to increase the number of quality results for your search:
- After you have executed a search, you may use the Find in Results area to add more search terms to refine your original query.
- You can use the Advanced Search window to select a handful of products, content types, and designate a timeframe in which the document was published.
- Use the Filter Results section in the right column to quickly update the content types and date range of your search.
Basic Search or Advanced Search
You can perform new searches or modify existing search results using the Basic Search and Advanced Search features.
Basic Search
The Basic Search is shown by default and allows you to enter your query and select a specific product to limit the search results. You can also search for a specific TID by entering the TID number into the search box. By default, only TIDs will be returned in the search results. You can include other content types by using the filters in the right column or by using Advanced Search.
Advanced Search
To view more search options, click the Advanced Search link in the search window. Advanced Search offers all the capabilities of Basic Search with additional options. See the table below for information on each option and for which type of search they are available.
To deselect a product, simply control+click (or command+click on Mac OS).
| Search Option | Available In | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Search | Advanced Search | ||
| Search box | ✅ | ✅ | Enter your search query into the search box. Learn more about the search syntax below. |
| Products | ✅ | ✅ | The product field limits the search results to documents for the product you have selected. Advanced Search allows you to select multiple products by holding the CTRL key while selecting the product(s). |
| Search in | ✅ | The "Search in" feature searches for the text entered in the following ways:
|
|
| Content types | ✅ | When using the Basic Search, only TIDs are included in the search results by default. You can use Advanced Search or the filters in the right column of the search results to include other content types. | |
| Include archived documents | ✅ | ✅ | Documents are considered archived when they were last modified over 7 years ago. Documents can also be specifically marked as archived. To include these documents in the search, check the Include Archived Documents checkbox in the search area. |
| Published from | ✅ | This selection limits the search results to documents created within the specified time period. | |
Including NetIQ and Novell Products in Your Search
By default, the knowledgebase search allows you to search technical content for SUSE products. This includes Linux products that were part of the Novell product portfolio, but were reclassified under the SUSE portfolio in 2011.
In the redesigned knowledgebase search, you also have the option to extend your search to product lines that are now under the NetIQ® or Novell® portfolios. To include (or exclude) NetIQ or Novell products in your search, just select (or unselect) the corresponding checkbox in the search box.
Search Syntax
The following search syntax can be used to narrow your search results. Enclose exact words or phrases in double quotes.
| Operator | Example | Description |
|---|---|---|
| " " | "Update SLES to the latest version" | If a word or phrase is enclosed in quotation marks, documents are returned by the search if they contain the entire string "as is". In this case only documents with "Update SLES to the latest version" will be returned. |
| OR | SLES OR update | This is the default operation if none is specified. One of the words on either side of the 'OR' operator need to be in the document. This query would return documents which contain either "SLES" or "update" or both. (Note that the 'OR' must be all uppercase). |
| AND | SLES AND update | The words on either side of the 'AND' operator must be present in the document for it to be returned. In this example, the query would only return documents which contain both SLES and update. (Note that the 'AND' must be all uppercase) |
| NOT | SLES NOT update | If a search term is immediately preceded by the 'NOT' operator, only documents that do not contain that term will be returned. This example query would return documents which contain "SLES" but not "update". (Note that the 'NOT' must be all uppercase) |
| * | SUSE Linux Enterprise* | An asterisk following all or part of a word outside quotation marks acts as a wildcard. This is helpful if searching for a filename where you might not know the file type extension. An asterisk is needed for all partial word searches. |
Other Resources
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