No Search Results with the event: The server did not provide a meaningful reply

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NOTE: This is for MS Search Server, not Solr.

Searching the Workarea returns no results, and the Windows Application event log contains the following error:

Message: Ektron.Cms.Search.SearchException --- System.ServiceModel.CommunicationException: 
The server did not provide a meaningful reply; this might be caused by a contract mismatch, 
a premature session shutdown or an internal server error.

Although there are many potential causes, likely causes include:

  • Check the Search Server EktronWebService web.config ProviderAdmin key value. The file is typically located at  C:\inetpub\EktronSearchSite\EktronWebService\web.config . The value should contain the URL and port of the Central Administration page, for example:

<add key="ProviderAdmin" value="http://svm-example:40262/"/>
.

  • On the Search Server, the identities (Log On As) for the Ektron Search Server Service and the SharePoint Server Search 14 service may not be compatible. For example, if a domain account is used for the SharePoint Server Search 14 service, try changing the Log On As for the Ektron Search Server Service to the same account. Also, ensure that the following identity for the Application Pools on the Search Server match the same Log On As domain as the SharePoint Server Search 14: 
    EktronSearchSite   
2 GUI strings   
SharePoint - 80   
SharePoint Central Administration v4   
SecurityTokenServiceApplicationPool