Quick Start

Creator Server Quickstart

Copyright © 2009, MultiAd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Introduction

Thank you for your interest in Creator Server. This document is intended to serve as the starting point to get you up and running.

Platforms and Installation

Creator Server runs on a number of different platforms. All platforms support running from the "console" (DOS shell on Windows, Terminal on Mac OS X, your favorite shell on Linux or Solaris). On server-class Windows operating systems (NT/2000/XP), Creator Server can be installed and run as a Windows Service, and on Mac OS X it can be installed as a Startup Item.

Although disk space can be a factor if you intend on generating large amounts of documents, system memory is the critical factor for Creator Server performance, followed by network connectivity if you intend on using Server as a networked service. We suggest a minimum of 512 MB of system memory for reasonable multi-user loads, but as they say, your mileage may vary. System-intensive tasks such as frequent complex PDF exports can be more expensive than simple ad generation and JPEG previews.

Creator Server does not support Classic Mac OS (9.x and prior) or Windows 3.x. It will run on non-server-class Windows operating systems such as Windows 98 or Windows ME, but they are not recommended platforms and you cannot take advantage of Windows Services on them.

Preparing to Start Creator Server

Several things need to happen before you can make use of Creator Server. First, populate the Fonts directory, found inside Resources, with the fonts that you intend to use with the documents processed by Creator Server. The fonts may be PC-format (ie. data-fork only) TrueType (.ttf), Type 1 (.pfm + .pfb + .afm) or OpenType (.otf). If you attempt to convert documents using fonts you do not have in the Fonts directory, they may not look correct after the conversion (unless, for instance, the fonts are encoded in the source file). Creator Server will generate error messages when it opens documents using fonts not available to it.

Next, set up your preferences file. Upon startup, Creator Server looks for an XML file named "Preferences.xml" in the Resources directory. A default preferences file comes with Creator Server Resources. Refer to the server preferences documentation for how to configure your Server install via the preferences file. Note that if you change information in the preferences file, Creator Server must be restarted in order to read the new data.

Finally, there is a third thing you might want to do. Without a license file, Creator Server will run in evaluation mode, which prevents you from saving Creator documents and places a "watermark" of sorts on all image exports (the text "Creator Server Evaluation Only" will appear across the middle of the image). If you have received a license file ("CreatorLicense"), place it into the Resources directory to fully enable Server (to the limits of your licensing agreement). Keep a copy of your license file in a safe place.

Starting Creator Server

On most platforms, Creator Server is invoked from the command line. Mac OS X and Windows NT/2000/XP can also run Server as a Startup Item (Mac) or Service (Windows). Every platform shares a number of command line options:

Mode (only one option allowed)

-c, --console	Start in console mode.
-n <port>	Start in network mode, listening on port <port>.
-d <port>	UNIX only (Linux/Solaris/Mac OS X). Start in daemon mode, listening on port <port>.
-f <file>	Start in file mode, using file at the path <file>. Creator Server will open the file, interpret the commands within, and then exit.
-license	Show license information and exit.
-fonts	Show font information (from Resources/Fonts) and exit.
-v	Show application version information and exit.
-h	Show command line options and exit.

Other options

-timeout <secs>	Set disconnect / reconnect time to <secs> seconds. After a session issues a `disconnect` command, this is how long that session remains alive for reconnect.
-maxfiles <num>	Mac OS X only. Set the maximum number of open file descriptors for the Creator Server process. Creator Server automatically sets the descriptor limit to 4096, and in general processes on Mac OS X default to 256. Sometimes needed for large numbers of fonts, and can also be accomplished by using the shell commands ulimit or unlimit (see the man pages for your shell for more info).

Starting on Windows

On server-class Windows operating systems (NT, 2000, XP), Creator Server can be set up as a Service, which can invoke Server on system startup. Due to how the Windows Service Control Manager operates, running Creator Server with no command line arguments on Windows is interpreted as starting the Service, which should only be done by the Service Manager. This means that executing Creator Server manually (ie. from the command line) on Windows should always explicitly choose the mode:

"Creator Server.exe -c" or
"Creator Server.exe -n 4000"

To install Creator Server as a Windows Service, use the "-i" command line option:
"Creator Server.exe -i"

To uninstall Creator Server as a Windows Service, use the "-u" command line option:
"Creator Server.exe -u"

The version option "-v" on Windows will also tell you if it is currently installed as a Service.

Starting on Mac OS X

Mac OS X can run Server in two ways, from the command line or as a Startup Item. All of the standard command line options outlined above work with Creator Server on Mac OS X. If you do not specify a mode, Creator Server will default to whatever startup mode it finds in the preferences file.

Starting Creator Server as a Startup Item is a little more complicated, but much like a Windows Service, it can then run every time the system starts. You need to have a basic understanding of UNIX shell scripting to set it up. In the Creator Server archive for Mac OS X you will find a directory called "Mac OS X Autostartup". The following steps will get Server going as a Startup Item:

1. Make /Library/StartupItems/
If this directory doesn't exist yet you'll have to make it. There is no space between Startup and Items.

2. Place CreatorServer/ inside
Then you'll need to copy the "CreatorServer" directory located in the "Mac OS X AutoStartup" directory into the "/Library/StartupItems/" folder. Do not copy the Creator Server executable.

3. Edit the shell script
The file "/Library/StartupItems/CreatorServer/CreatorServer" is a shell script that runs at boot time. It must be in UNIX line endings and set to executable. You'll need to edit the script so the variable "CSBIN" is set to the name of the Creator Server executable and "CSINSTALLDIR" is set to the directory where Creator Server is installed. Please note that Creator Server will be running as root unless you edit the script to run it as a different user. This could pose a security risk, so make sure you consider carefully whether Server should have root privileges.

4. Reboot and test
After rebooting, Creator Server should be visible and running in the process list (in the Console type "ps -auwx"). You should also see the message "Starting Creator Server" in your boot panel briefly as Mac OS X is starting up. The most common causes for failure to start are the CreatorServer file containing non-UNIX line endings and not being set executable. This setup is very basic, you will probably want to write your own script to do things like monitor Creator Server and restart it if it crashes.

Starting on Linux and Solaris

Once installed on Linux or Solaris, you can run Creator Server from the command line just as on other platforms. In addition, Server can be run as a daemon by the system's init state change mechanism. In the Creator Server archive for Linux and Solaris you will find a directory called "init". Inside are two scripts, "createlinks" and "creatorserver". Edit the "creatorserver" script so that CSBIN and CSINSTALLDIR point to the installation location you've chosen for Creator Server. Then run the "createlinks" script as root, which will copy the "creatorserver" script to the proper init.d location and generate start and stop links in the rc hierarchy. Creator Server will now start as a daemon every time your system boots. Please note that Creator Server will be running as root unless you edit the script to run it as a different user. This could pose a security risk, so make sure you consider carefully whether Server should have root privileges.

Testing Your Install

When you are ready to test your install out, first try to run Creator Server in console mode -- use the "-c" command line option. If successful, Server will now wait until you type a command to it and hit "return". Try "version", which should print the version of Server you have installed. The "exit" command will shut down your session, and since you are running in single-user console mode, it will also shut down the server.

When you are ready to test it in network mode, start Server with the "-n <port>" option, substituting an actual port number for <port>. Port numbers 1024 through 65535 are known as reserved ports and can be used by any network service; 4000 is a good choice, but you can use any port that isn't already in use on your server. Once started in this fashion, you can use a program like telnet to connect to Server and send commands to it like you did in console mode. Here, "exit" will only end your connection -- Creator Server will continue to run, serving other connections that come by.

Now would be a good time to take a look at the Creator Server scripting language documentation and try out some of the commands available for creating and editing documents. You might begin by creating a simple document and exporting it in a variety of formats. There are a few example scripts in the Documentation directory that will help you on your way to mastering Creator Server.