Abstract

We describe data structures and an update strategy for the practical implementation of inverted indexes. The context of our discussion is the construction of a dedicated index engine for a distributed full-text information retrieval system, but the results have wider application. Retrieval operations require a single disk access per query term. The on-line update strategy guarantees the consistency of on-disk data structures. Index compression integrates smoothly. 1 Introduction 1.1 Environment Our general concern is the construction of a distributed full-text information retrieval system. The basic architecture consists of a group of LANconnected processors, each managing its own separate disk and memory. Individual processors act as either text servers, storing documents and servicing requests for portions of these documents, or as index engines, identifying the portions of documents that match client-generated search criteria. To external clients, the group of machines appears to ...

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