Setting up the PDF processing service

The PDF processing service (JOD server) is a helper service that converts Word documents into PDFs and makes it possible to merge various document types into a single PDF. You can run it on the same server that projectfacts/teamspace runs on.

For the PDF function you need the file jod-server.jar. We will provide it to you on request. If you do not use the service, no changes to the web.xml are required.

Linux

1. Install LibreOffice:

   apt install libreoffice

2. Copy the jod-server.jar to /opt/jod-server/.
3. Create /opt/jod-server/config.properties:

   port=3902
   threads=2
   whitelist=*

   port is your choice. To allow an IP address, specify it under whitelist as a regex.
4. Create the user and group:

   groupadd -r jod
   useradd -r -s /bin/false -g jod jod
   chown jod: /opt/jod-server

5. Create /etc/systemd/system/jod.service:

   [Unit]
   Description=JOD-Server
   
   [Service]
   WorkingDirectory=/opt/jod-server
   ExecStart=/bin/java -jar jod-server.jar
   User=jod
   Type=simple
   Restart=on-failure
   RestartSec=15
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target

6. Enable the service:

   systemctl daemon-reload
   systemctl enable jod.service

7. Add the following entry to the projectfacts web.xml (or adjust it):

   <context-param>
      <param-name>pdfConvertService.url</param-name>
      <param-value>127.0.0.1:3902</param-value>
   </context-param>

Windows

1. Under C:\projectfacts\, create the folder jod-server (C:\projectfacts\jod-server) and copy the jod-server.jar into it.
2. Create the file jod-server-start.bat:

   java -Dserver.port=3902 -jar jod-server.jar

3. Create a scheduled task so that the batch file is run automatically after the server starts.
4. Add the pdfConvertService.url entry to the web.xml (see Linux step 7).

Common problems

Why aren’t Word documents converted to PDF? Without a running JOD server, the conversion is missing. Set up the service and enter pdfConvertService.url in the web.xml (e.g. 127.0.0.1:3902). If the value is empty, the feature is off.

Why doesn’t the service start by itself after a server restart? On Linux, enable it with systemctl enable jod.service; on Windows, create a scheduled task for the jod-server-start.bat.

Why doesn’t the configured port take effect? The port in config.properties (Linux) or the .bat (Windows) and the value in pdfConvertService.url in the web.xml have to match.

Common questions & needs

Related topics

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