PDF Thumbnails Not Displaying Redux

We are using CSV import to upload collections and sub-collections as we go along. Most of our documents thus far are in PDF format. When we upload JPEGs using CSV import, there is no problem with the automatic creation of thumbnails for display in Omeka. When we first uploaded some PDFs, we were not getting thumbnails, and our web designer expected us to have to create them separately in some batch mode. Then, unexpectedly, the CSV import process began creating thumbnails automatically for PDF imports. Neither we nor our designer are sure why, but we continued that process. Recently, our ISP moved the site from one server to another. Everything seemed to transfer fine, and uploading JPEGs works fine, including the automatic creation of thumbnails in the CSV import process. Not so with PDFs. So, it didn't work, then it did for a long time, and now it doesn't again. We don't know why. We think it might be related to the server move, but we are not sure. Our designer proposed a workaround that involved identifying those files that do not have a thumbnail (works), creating a zip file and downloading it (works), batch creating the thumbnails in Photoshop (doesn't work with our current configuration or knowledge), then uploading the resulting thumbnails to Omeka (haven't gotten that far). Even if this workaround works, it is far more time-consuming and inconvenient than the automatic creation of thumbnails in the CSV import process.Our ISP reports that ImageMagick is updated on our server.

Error Messages:

Error Log 1:

2014-03-03T20:57:30-08:00 WARN (4): Error output from ImageMagick:
identify: Postscript delegate failed `/tmp/ac319e96d10bce6dc72ffa1b38fe6bb4.pdf': No such file or directory @ error/pdf.c/ReadPDFImage/679.

2014-03-03T20:57:31-08:00 WARN (4): Error output from ImageMagick:
identify: Postscript delegate failed `/tmp/98d128f514790076a209e79744e2c157.pdf': No such file or directory @ error/pdf.c/ReadPDFImage/679.

Error Log 2:
[03-Mar-2014 20:57:28 America/Los_Angeles] PHP Warning: Cannot open 'extra/browscap.ini' for reading in Unknown on line 0
[03-Mar-2014 20:57:28 America/Los_Angeles] PHP Warning: Cannot open 'extra/browscap.ini' for reading in Unknown on line 0
[03-Mar-2014 20:57:29 America/Los_Angeles] PHP Warning: Cannot open 'extra/browscap.ini' for reading in Unknown on line 0
[03-Mar-2014 20:57:34 America/Los_Angeles] PHP Warning: Cannot open 'extra/browscap.ini' for reading in Unknown on line 0

Odd. That seems like, even though the PDF is being uploaded, at some part of the process it can't be read. I'm still kinda guessing here, but maybe check the permissions on the server for imagemagick to read files in the tmp folder?

I think the problem is that your new server doesn't have Ghostscript installed, which ImageMagick uses to read PDF files.

The "No such file or directory" I think is referring to the ghostscript binary, not any problem with reading the actual original PDF file.

This is our latest response from InMotion Hosting:
"I have confirmed that Ghostscript is not installed and cannot be installed on shared hosting. We did indeed move you from your old server a month ago, because your disk usage was getting too large for that server. We can only install Ghostscript on a VPS 1000 plan or higher."

Does ImageMagick require GhostScript to create thumbnails from PDFs?

Yes.

The latest from InMotion Hosting:

"Thank you for contacting us. I apologize for the inconvenience that this has caused, but Ghostscript was installed on your old server and is not installed on your new server. If your developer could provide us with the specific modules or library that the software requires we will see if in fact we can install those individual items to get your software back up and running in perfect form. I again apologize for any delay and frustration that this has caused."

Can someone answer this question?

Ghostscript is the dependency of ImageMagick that's at issue here. Omeka just uses ImageMagick, there's nothing particular to our use that changes anything.

Put simply, ImageMagick can't read PDFs without Ghostscript. If they're willing to install it, that should fix the problem. If they're not, then I don't think you can get ImageMagick to read PDF files on that server.

I don't think we really have any more to add here.