Engine Setup preferences

Background

Settings

• Tasks handled by:
  Select how Connect jobs are to be processed. The choices are between:
  • Engines (separate processes): Select to have a number of separate engines (for Merging and Weaver, as appropriate) to process jobs.
    
    This is the best choice for production environments.
  • Connect Server (uses less memory): Select to have single Connect Sever handle processing.
    
    This option should only really be used for low memory non-production (test) environments.
• Number of engines. This group is only available if Engines were selected as the processing architecture.
  • Merge Engines selection: Select the desired amount of Merge Engines.
    

    Generally, launching a relatively high number of Merge engines results in better performance, as Merge engines are involved in the creation of output of all kinds (Print, Email and Web) and because content creation is relatively time-consuming.

  • Weaver Engines selection: This option is read-only in PrintShop Mail Connect Designer Preferences.
    Select the desired amount of Weaver (Output) Engines.
    Adding extra Weaver (Output) engine(s) might be useful when large Print jobs are to be run simultaneously with smaller Print jobs.
  
  
• Memory. This group is only available if Engines were selected as the processing architecture.
  Memory per engine (mb): Specify the maximum amount of random access memory (RAM) in megabytes that will be used per engine in order to make optimal use of the machine's memory.
  The selections made here will apply to all Engines of that type.
  
  These setting only control the maximum size of the Java heap memory that an engine can use; the total amount of memory that will used by an engine is actually a bit higher.
  
  Also keep in mind that the Connect Server and the operating system itself will need memory to keep running.

• Merge Engines (MB) selection: Select the desired amount of Merge Engine memory.
  For complex templates with a lot of pages per document, there is a chance that Merge engines will run better with more memory.
• Weaver Engine (MB) selection:
  Select the desired amount of Weaver (Output) Engine memory.
  When running really large jobs, it often pays to increase Weaver memory allocation, even if only for the duration of the production job(s).
  The maximum memory usage of a Weaver engine can be relevant for jobs with heavy graphics; or for jobs that use Cut & Stack impositioning; or for jobs using particular variables that entail page buffering (see Content variables).