Installing and configuring document services
CAUTIONAEM Forms provides a set of OSGi services to accomplish different document level operations, for example, services to create, assemble, distribute, and archive PDF documents, add digital signatures to limit access to documents, and decode barcoded forms. These services are included in AEM Forms add-on package. Collectively, these services are known as document services. The list of available document services and their major capabilities is as below:
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Assembler service: Enables you to combine, rearrange, and augment PDF and XDP documents and obtain information about PDF documents. It also helps convert and validate PDF documents to PDF/A standard, transforms PDF forms, XML forms, and PDF forms to PDF/A-1b, PDF/A-2b, and PDFA/A-3b. For more information, see Assembler Service.
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ConvertPDF service: Enables you to convert PDF documents to PostScript or image files (JPEG, JPEG 2000, PNG, and TIFF). For more information, see ConvertPDF Service.
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Barcoded Forms service: Enables you to extract data from electronic images of barcodes. The service accepts TIFF and PDF files that include one or more barcodes as input and extracts the barcode data. For more information, see Barcoded Forms Service.
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DocAssurance service: Enables you to encrypt and decrypt documents, extend the functionality of Adobe Reader with additional usage rights, and add digital signatures to your documents. The Doc Assurance service contains three services: signature, encryption, and reader extension. For more information, see DocAssurance Service.
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Encryption service: Enables you to encrypt and decrypt documents. When a document is encrypted, its contents become unreadable. An authorized user can decrypt the document to obtain access to its contents. For more information, see Encryption Service.
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Forms service: Lets you create interactive data capture client applications that validate, process, transform, and deliver forms that are typically created in Forms Designer. The Forms service renders any form design that you develop to PDF documents. For more information, see Forms Service.
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Output service: Enables you to create documents in different formats, including PDF, laser printer formats, and label printer formats. Laser printer formats are PostScript and Printer Control Language (PCL). For more information, see Output Service.
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PDF Generator service: The PDF Generator service provides APIs to converts native file formats to PDF. It also converts PDF to other file formats and optimizes the size of PDF documents. For more information, see PDF Generator Service.
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Reader Extension service: Enables your organization to easily share interactive PDF documents by extending the functionality of Adobe Reader with additional usage rights. The service activates features that are not available when a PDF document is opened using Adobe Reader, such as adding comments to a document, filling forms, and saving the document. For more information, see Reader Extension Service.
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Signature service: Lets you work with digital signatures and documents on the AEM server. For example, the Signature service is typically used in the following situations:
- The AEM server certifies a form before it is sent to a user to open by using Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
- The AEM server validates a signature that was added to a form by using Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
- The AEM server signs a form on behalf of a public notary.
The signature service accesses certificates and credentials that are stored in the trust store. For more information, see Signature Service.
AEM Forms is a powerful enterprise-class platform and the document services is only one of the capability of AEM Forms. For the complete list of capabilities, see Introduction to AEM Forms.
Deployment Topology
AEM Forms add-on package is an application deployed onto AEM. Generally, you require only one AEM instance (author or publish) to run AEM Forms document services. The following topology is recommended to run AEM Forms document services. For detailed information about topologies, see Architecture and deployment topologies for AEM Forms.
NOTESystem Requirements
Before you begin to install and configure AEM Forms document services, ensure that:
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Hardware and software infrastructure is in place. For a detailed list of supported hardware and software, see technical requirements.
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Installation path of the AEM instance does not contain white-spaces.
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An AEM instance is up and running. In AEM terminology, an “instance” is a copy of AEM running on a server in the author or publish mode. Generally, you require only one AEM instance (author or publish) to run AEM Forms document services:
- Author: An AEM instance used to create, upload, and edit content and to administer the website. Once content is ready to go live, it is replicated to the publish instance.
- Publish: An AEM instance that serves the published content to the public over the internet or an internal network.
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Memory requirements are met. AEM Forms add-on package requires:
- 15 GB of temporary space for Microsoft Windows-based installations.
- 6 GB of temporary space for UNIX-based installations.
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Client software required for PDF generator to perform conversion on Microsoft Windows and Linux are installed:
- Microsoft Windows: Install Microsoft Officeor Apache OpenOffice
- Linux: Install Apache OpenOffice
NOTE- On Microsoft Windows, PDF Generator supports WebKit, Acrobat WebCapture, and PhantomJS conversion routes to convert HTML files to PDF documents.
- On UNIX-based operating systems, PDF Generator supports WebKit and PhantomJS conversion routes to convert HTML files to PDF documents.