Muhimbi PDF Converter Services — New Setup Experience

Our range of server-side PDF conversion and automation products, including Muhimbi PDF Converter for SharePoint and Muhimbi PDF Converter Services (for Java, .NET, PHP, and Ruby), have been available for nearly 15 years. While our setup process has always been adequate, we aim for excellence. By reviewing historical support tickets, we’ve identified and addressed key pain points to enhance the installation experience.

Deploying the full product requires some preparation. Specifically, you’ll need to set up a proper Windows account, assign privileges, and install prerequisites.

This post will walk through a typical deployment and highlight some key decision points. The steps below are based on PDF Converter for SharePoint, but PDF Converter Services setup is similar, minus some SharePoint-specific screens — the installer for the latter uses a yellow background.

Step 1: Downloading the Free Trial

Begin by downloading the free trial version and running setup.exe. Select Open the Administration Guide in your PDF Reader to read the manual, beginning with Chapter 2. Although this might seem tedious, it’ll save you time later. Then click Next.

Step 2: Accepting the License Agreement

Read and accept the license agreement terms, and then click Next.

Step 3: Specifying the Installation Path

Choose the installation path for PDF Converter Services. It’s best to use the default path or change only the drive letter. This will make any necessary troubleshooting easier. Then click Next.

Step 4: Setting Up the Service Account

Specify the Windows account under which the conversion service will run. This account should be a member of the local administrators group. The installer will automatically grant Log on as a Service rights unless otherwise specified. Click Next.

Step 5: Checking Prerequisites

The installer will check for required prerequisites and highlight any issues with a red X. This is where it (finally) gets interesting. As stated earlier, there are certain prerequisites that need to be addressed, which are detailed in Chapter 2 of the Administration Guide. If there are warnings, you can choose to address them after installation or — for the best experience — resolve them before continuing. Then click Next.

Step 6: Configuring Additional Settings

Depending on your needs, you may need to adjust settings, such as opening TCP port 41734 on the Windows firewall, disabling the loopback check, or installing Ghostscript. These configurations are necessary for specific functionalities and environments.

1. Open TCP Port 41734 on the Windows Firewall — In a multi-server farm, it’s essential for the frontend servers to communicate with the conversion server. The installer can open the correct port automatically, but if you’re using a different firewall setup, you may need to open this port manually.

2. Disable the Loopback Check — In certain cases, a security feature in Windows makes it difficult to connect to a server by machine name. This is known as the loopback check. If this option is enabled (which is the default setting in Windows), the installer can disable the check. However, if the option has already been disabled by an administrator or another process, the Muhimbi installer won’t be able to alter it. This prevents interoperability problems with other software. If you want to change this setting manually, check out this blog post.

3. Download and install Ghostscript — Some functionalities of Muhimbi PDF Converter require Ghostscript. If you need conversions to PDF/A or between PDF versions, or if you use the high-fidelity InfoPath converter, select this option. The installer will download and install Ghostscript automatically, but if the server lacks internet connectivity, you can download and install Ghostscript manually.

Once you’ve checked the necessary boxes, click Next.

Step 7: InfoPath Converter

Our range of PDF converters supports less common file formats, including Microsoft InfoPath, which Microsoft has discontinued. If you’re running a newer version of Windows or Internet Explorer, you may encounter issues with InfoPath PDF output. For better results, enable our new converter. The legacy converter is only recommended if it’s already working well in your environment. Then click Next.

To use the new InfoPath converter on 64-bit systems, install the 64-bit version of Office/InfoPath. 32-bit Windows versions work fine with the 32-bit version of Office/InfoPath.

Step 8: Adding the License Key

If you already have a license key, enter its location on the following screen. For the trial version, you don’t need to provide a license file. If you have the PDF Converter Professional add-on license, place the file in the deployment path. After the conversion service is deployed, you’ll find a convenient shortcut to this folder in the Windows Start menu.

Click Install. The installer will now deploy the selected components and configure the local system in line with the specified settings. This may take a couple of minutes.

Step 9: Completing Installation

If you downloaded and installed Ghostscript, then look out for its manual installation popup window and follow the instructions there. The installation of Muhimbi PDF Converter Services will only continue after finishing the installation of Ghostscript.

Final Step: Successful Installation

If everything goes smoothly, you’ll see a confirmation screen. Click Close. Congratulations on completing the installation!