Manage service on Linux
Configure conversion settings, workflows, and profiles through Configurator Web. Use the commands and paths on this page to control the service and locate its files at the operating-system level.
Service control
To inspect or manage the running services, use these commands:
# Status of all services
systemctl status pdftools-conversion.target
# Restart (for example, after editing a configuration file)
sudo systemctl restart pdftools-conversion-service
# Stop all services (preserves on-disk state)
sudo systemctl stop pdftools-conversion.target
# Disable boot-time start
sudo systemctl disable pdftools-conversion-service pdftools-connector-service pdftools-xvfb
The pdftools-conversion.target unit groups all services, so you can manage them together.
Data directories
The services keep persistent state under /var/lib/:
| Path | Contents |
|---|---|
/var/lib/convsrv/ | Conversion Service database |
/var/lib/connsrv/ | Connector Service watched-folder root |
Temporary files
The services write temporary files to /tmp/convsrv. The systemd units set HOME and TMPDIR to this directory, which HTML rendering requires. If you customize the units, keep these settings. For the best performance, place temporary files on a local drive with fast read and write access.
Logs
The services write to the systemd journal and to log files under /var/log/. For log locations and how to read them, refer to Service log.
Ports
The following list provides an overview of the ports that Conversion Service uses:
- 13033: Conversion Service REST API (Advanced API), including the health endpoint
- 13034: Connector Service REST API (Simple API)
- 13035: Configurator Web
- 9999: License Gateway Service
Troubleshooting
The service fails to start, or /conversion/v1.0/rest returns HTTP 500
The license is misconfigured. If you configured a full license key through the License Gateway Service (LGS), confirm that LICENSE__USELGS=true, LICENSEKEY, and LICENSINGSERVICE are set in /etc/pdftools/conversion-service/env, that the LGS is running, and that sudo licgwy.ptl status reports a successful sync. Refer to Set up licensing.
Fresh installations of version 6.12.0+ and later start with the built-in trial license, so this error doesn’t occur until you configure a full license key. In versions earlier than 6.12.0, the service doesn’t start without a configured license key.
libPdfToolsSdk.so: version 'GLIBC_2.35' not found
The host’s glibc is older than the required version 2.35. For example, the EL9 family (RHEL, Rocky, AlmaLinux, and Oracle Linux 9) ships glibc 2.34. Use an EL10 distribution, or deploy Conversion Service in Docker. Refer to the Linux subsection of Compatible operating systems.
The RPM install fails with an unresolved dependency
The libheif, libbsd, libunwind, or libXScrnSaver dependency comes from EPEL, which isn’t enabled. Enable the EPEL repository, and then retry the install. Refer to Install Conversion Service.
HTML-to-PDF conversion crashes
HTML rendering uses the bundled Xvfb and a Chromium engine, which need a writable temporary directory. The systemd units set HOME and TMPDIR to /tmp/convsrv for this reason. If you customize the units, keep those settings. Confirm that pdftools-xvfb is running with systemctl status pdftools-xvfb.
Gather logs for a support ticket
Conversion Service writes to the systemd journal and to log files under /var/log/. For log locations and how to read them, refer to Service log.
Create a support bundle in Configurator Web, or collect the journal and log files manually:
sudo journalctl -u pdftools-conversion-service -u pdftools-connector-service --no-pager -n 500 > pdftools-support-bundle.txt
sudo tail -n 500 /var/log/convsrv/*.log /var/log/connsrv/*.log >> pdftools-support-bundle.txt
cat /etc/os-release >> pdftools-support-bundle.txt