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licence and any additional Performance Packs you might have (see "Speed quota: PPM and
speed units" on page109).
To get an indication of the actual Print output speed, output a Print template to a PDF, PS file,
using one single Weaver engine and the maximum number of speed units per job (see
"Weaver engine scheduling" on page124).
Next, open the log file of the Weaver engine. By default, the log files are located in this folder:
C:\Users\[username]\Connect\logs\WeaverEngine, where [username] needs to be replaced
with your own Windows username. Search the log file for "PPM" (pages per minute). Repeat
this a few times to determine the average output speed.
Likewise, the output speed for an Email or Web template can be found by running it with one
Merge engine and maximum speed units; in the Merge engine's log file, search for "PPM".
If your jobs are not running at the licensed speed, there may be several ways to improve
performance, as described below. Make sure to address all issues mentioned in this topic
before deciding that you need to invest. Note however that it is not guaranteed that the licensed
speed can be achieved with any job. Creating output for templates with very complex scripts or
complex graphics resources will take a certain amount of time, even on high-end hardware.
Improving performance beyond what can possibly be reached by using the methods described
below requires purchasing either a Performance Pack or upgrading to PreS Connect (see
Performance Packs). For advice please contact your local sales office (see Objectif Lune's
Contact page).
Engine configuration
As explained in another topic ("Connect: a peek under the hood" on page143) the Connect
Server cooperates with different engines to handle specific tasks.
A DataMapper engine extracts data from a data file. A Merge engine merges the template and
the data to create Email and Web output, or to create an intermediary file for Printed output. The
intermediary file is in turn used by a Weaver engine to prepare the Print output.
Configuring these engines to match both the hardware configuration and the typical usage
situation is probably the most effective way to improve Connect's performance.
Particularly launching a higher number of Merge engines can have a great, immediate impact
on performance. When first installed, PlanetPress Connect is configured to use 2 Merge
engines. An engine will run mostly single-threaded. To benefit from modern multi-core systems
it is recommended to run more engines in parallel.
The number of engines is one of the "Scheduling Preferences" that let the Connect Server
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