ADTS local user or domain user: Which user should I choose as the installation owner? This question is important if you are installing a new Advanced Document Transformation Services (ADTS).  You can opt for a domain user in order to have one user for several ADTS installations with less AD management. Or you may want to opt for local users to separate the installations, but you will have to manage all users independently. In fact, we will see that you don’t really have the choice.

As you may know, the ADTS server is a bunch of software interacting between each other. You have:

  • Microsoft Office products (Word, Excel, PowerPoint …)
  • EMC Software
  • Adlib for EMC Software

And most of these software work thanks to Windows Services and some of these services need a user to run:

 Service  Log On As
 Start Order  Stop Order
 Adlib Exponent Connector  ADTS Install Owner  auto  6
 Adlib Exponent Manager  ADTS Install Owner  3  5
 Adlib FMR  Local System  2  4
 Adlib Process Manager  Local System  1  3
 Documentum Content Transformation Monitor Service  Local System  4  auto
 Documentum Content Transformation Service  ADTS Install Owner  auto  1
 Documentum CTS Admin Agent  Local System  5  2

As you can see in the previous table I put ‘ADTS Install Owner’ into the table as ‘Log On As’. That means a local user must be created for these services. Why can’t we use AD user?

That is simple, the services are sessions-related. They are started under the specific user. But an AD user cannot be connected for ever on the system, maybe due to policies. In fact, the session is disabled and the services are stopped or cannot be started properly. Thus, the renditions are not created anymore.

Also note that if you are using Remote Desktop Connection and login with the installation owner, do not forget to unmap the printer as it can cause issues with the Adlib printer which is normally set as the default printer. Edit your .RDP file, go to tab Local Resources and untick Printers. The Adlib printer can be replaced by your own one as default, preventing the ADTS to use the correct printer.

A good practice is to use a different user than the installation owner for basic administration tasks.