Server name mappings are used to alter the way that search results derived from websites and file share content are displayed to users when they search. This feature allows a specific server name or hostname to map to any other name. The substitute name is presented as the valid address to the documents or pages.
For an example of a server name mapping, assume that users access content though a proprietary web login at the address https://forms.synergy.com, and that SharePoint cannot authenticate to this address. A separate URL is exposed for SharePoint to crawl the content via Windows authentication at the address http://ntlm.synergy.com. Since users need to see search results that direct them to their normal web address, server name mapping can be configured to replace the http://ntlm.synergy.com address with the https://forms.synergy.com address in search results.
To create a new server name mapping, do the following:
1. From the Search Administration page, click Server Name Mappings.
2. Click New Mapping.
3. In the Address In Index text box, enter the address to replace, including the protocol prefix.
4. In the Address In Search Results text box, enter the substitute address, including the protocol prefix.
5. Click OK.
After adding a new mapping, you will need to perform a full crawl of the content to apply the changes. Be careful not to apply server name mappings that may conflict with alternate access mappings (AAMs). (see Chapter 2, “Creating and Managing Web Applications”) defined elsewhere, because the server name mappings might overwrite the AAMs.