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Topic: Byte Serving
Conf: (P-PDF) Developers, Msg: 52064
From: williams1
Date: 5/29/2002 04:49 PM
Below is something I did for work. Interested if people here see things wrong with it before I present it. Thanks. -- Chuck Williams, www.sme.org
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Byteserving: Moving PDFs Quicker
Rather than use a proprietary web server to move PDFs quicker, Adobe
(http://www.adobe.com/supportservice/custsupport/TECHGUIDE/ACRBT/BYTESRV/byteserv_main.html) tapped into an
existing technology known as "Byte Serving" or "Byte Range". Basically, once enough bytes have downloaded to present one
page, it appears on-screen. The remaining pages (over 50 in this test) continue to download in the background.
What are the components?
MS Users
The browser must feature the Acrobat Reader as a plug-in. See
http://www.adobe.com/supportservice/custsupport/TECHGUIDE/ACRBT/BYTESRV/byteserv_01.html if configuration
problems arise.
The easiest way to set up Acrobat Reader as a plug-in is to install Acrobat Reader after you install your browser. (Ref.:
http://www.pdfzone.com/resources/tips/tip0041.html)
Apache Web Server
The Apache Web Server uses this technology, as well as major servers from other vendors.
http://www.adobe.com/supportservice/custsupport/TECHGUIDE/ACRBT/BYTESRV/byteserv_03.html details web server
requirements.
Acrobat Creators
Adobe recommends some steps to ensure the PDF you create is optimized for Byte Serving. See the
http://www.adobe.com/supportservice/custsupport/TECHGUIDE/ACRBT/BYTESRV/byteserv_02.html technical guide for
instructions. Essentially, do a "Save As" and check "Optimized".
Test
I've set up this PDF as a "Byteserve" test. The first hyperlink has this feature turned off and the second has it turned on.
http://www.sme.org/test/1999/1999cat_not-optimized.pdf
http://www.sme.org/test/1999/1999cat_optimized.pdf
Once your browser features Acrobat Reader as a plug-in, you may want to perform this test yourself.
On my computer (P3, 128 Mb RAM, 500 Mhz, 56.6 dial-up modem), the not-optimized, 1.3 Mb 1999 catalog took 4.75
minutes between double-click and the color cover's appearance on-screen. The optimized PDF took only twenty seconds.
Conclusion
All the pieces are in place to produce optimized PDFs for Byte Serving. Unfortunately, there is no way to control the user's
computer to guarantee Acrobat is installed as a plug-in.
