1. Launch Adobe InDesign

2. Log In to the server/domain that you want to test

3. Choose BLOX Total CMS > Development > Activate Development Mode...

• If you don't see that option, enable it with the last option in the User Interface (UI) tab of BLOX Total CMS > Settings and Support...

4. Enter the correct passphrase and click the OK button.

5. Choose BLOX Total CMS > Development > Check Distributed Production Preparedness...

6A. If your site was ready for Distributed Production, you should see a dialog similar to these:

6B. If, as is more likely the case, your domain isn't ready for Distributed Production, you may get a dialog similar to this one listing both the successes and failures, similar to these:

6Bb. If any of the tests failed, proceed to correct those. Each is outlined below. 

"Phase I" Preparedness Tests

The following items are checked during the preparedness tests:

1. Page Tracker Version. It needs to be at version 1.16. We don't have an ETA on that version yet in both non-appliance (who will get it first) and appliance-based BLOX Total CMS. It is expected, however, to be included in Appliance OS version 2.31. 
2. No .enabled/.disabled Files. These files should not exist for the Normal users because they can't exist for the Remote users. All those files have had their functionality replaced with Applications Settings in Page Tracker. 
3. Page Content Types. Page Content Types provide not only information about what goes on a page, but also automates the application of Page Design snippets as the Edition file is created. This is very important as in “Phase I,” the Remote users don't have access to the Page Design Snippets to place for themselves. Thus, Page Content Types to the rescue.
4. Templates. Templates must be uploaded to Page Tracker. This is done to make sure that everybody uses the current copy of the template and that no pages get created using outdated versions. 
5. Jump Items. While support for automatic jumps are not supported in the first version, the jump items (turnlines, continued from, and heads) can still be placed manually if they exist. 
6. Design Element Snippets. Referred to as Geometry Items with respect to Distributed Production, these are the same Design Element Snippets that automate the page layout for many sites. For Normal users, they are accessed from the file server. But the Remote users need them installed on the local workstations until some additional features are added to Distributed Production. Initially, a site has to upload at least one snippet, thought there isn't a nice way to download them for remote users.
7. Output Preferences. The Preparedness Test only checks to see that the domain has one uploaded, but you also need to consider what other changes you might want to make to those preferences to facilitate output for remote users. More details can be found at: Output and Distributed Production Remote Users
8. Image Toning Preferences. As above, the Preparedness Test only checks to see that the domain has one uploaded, but the site should consider how it actually wants to manage image toning. Distributed Production adds several great features that are discussed at: Image Toning for Remote Distributed Production Users
9. Local and Remote options in Servers.jsx. In order for 'Remote' users to have access to pages, the servers.jsx file that is used to provide log in options must include a 'Local' option for the “In Office” users to use. This enables those users to produce and Check In pages for Remote users. 
10. No Cutout Preferences. Page Tracker version 1.15 moved the preferences for establishing cutouts to Page Tracker's Application Settings in the Output and Segmenting accordion – specifically, the BLOX Live e-Editions area. Since Remote users cannot see the “In Office” file, that file needs to be removed so that the segments are the same regardless of where the segments are created.
11. No Hard-Coded Paths. The browser-based Path Configurations options supports listing any of its sub-paths as fully identified paths that start with \\ and either specify a DNS name or an IP address. But this would not work for Remote users. Prior to Distributed Production, this type of configuration was frequently done at Windows-based sites that didn't have a Domain Name server or when an IT staff didn't want to visit each workstation to add the appropriate edits to the Windows' 'host' file. In addition, prior to the 5.53 version of the BLOX Total CMS client for Adobe InDesign, you couldn't successfully use an IP address in the Windows Base Path field. Client 5.53.14 changed that.
12. No Add-Ons or Folio Property Scripts. Client 5.53.19 added support for automating most folio properties and future functions will take care of the rest. Client 5.63 added the ability to upload all Add-Ons and have the remote users automatically get them installed.