HTTP2 Delivery of Content FAQ

Adobe is excited to announce the availability of HTTP/2 delivery of content. When using HTTP/2, an overall performance increase is experienced.

What is HTTP/2?

HTTP/2 improves the way browsers and servers communicate, allowing for faster transfer of information while reducing the amount of processing power that is needed.

The following website describes HTTP/2 and its benefits in a brief and simple manner:

https://www.engadget.com/2015/02/24/what-you-need-to-know-about-http-2/

What are the key benefits of moving to HTTP/2 for content delivery?

Performance improvement varies widely because it is based on various factors. For example, your website’s code, how you use Dynamic Media, the consumer’s device, screen, and location.

Adobe’s own testing yielded the following results:

• For images, response time improved 7%-28% depending on device and browser. The most notable performance gains were on iOS devices.
• For viewers, load time performance improved up 15%.

The following demonstration illustrates the difference between HTTP/1 versus HTTP/2 loading:

https://http2.akamai.com/demo

Am I eligible to switch over to HTTP/2?

To use HTTP/2, you must meet the following requirements:

• Use secure HTTPS for your rich media requests.

• Use the Adobe-bundled CDN (Content Delivery Network) as part of your Dynamic Media Classic license.

• Use a dedicated domain (that is, images.company.com or mycompany.scene7.com), not a generic Dynamic Media domain (that is, s7d1.scene7.com, s7d2.scene7.com, or s7d13.scene7.com).

  To find your domains, open the Dynamic Media Classic desktop application, then sign in to your account.

  Click Setup > Application Setup > General Settings. Look for the field labeled Published Server Name. If you are currently using a generic Dynamic Media domain, you can request moving over to your own custom domain as part of this transition.

What is the process for enabling HTTP/2 for my Dynamic Media account?

Use the Admin Console to create a support case and request to switch over to HTTP/2; it is not automatically done for you.

1. Provide the following information in your support case:

   • Primary contact name, email, and phone number.
   • All domains to be transitioned over to HTTP2. That is, images.company.com or mycompany.scene7.com.

   To find your domains, open the Dynamic Media Classic desktop application, then sign in to your account.

   Click Setup > Application Setup > General Settings. Look for the field labeled Published Server Name.

   • Verify that you use secure HTTPS for rich media requests.
   • Verify you are using the CDN through Adobe and not managed with a direct relationship.
   • Verify you are using a dedicated domain. That is, images.company.com or mycompany.scene7.com, not a generic Dynamic Media domain such as s7d1.scene7.com, s7d2.scene7.com, s7d13.scene7.com.

   To find your domains, Open the Dynamic Media Classic desktop application, then sign in to your account.

   Click Setup > Application Setup > General Settings. Look for the field labeled Published Server Name. If you are currently using a generic Dynamic Media domain, you can request moving over to your own custom domain as part of this transition.

   1. Technical Support adds you to the HTTP/2 customer waitlist based on the order in which requests were submitted.
   2. When Adobe is ready to handle your request, Customer Care contacts you to coordinate the transition and set a target date.
   3. You will be notified after completion and can verify a successful transition over to HTTP2.

When can I expect to be transitioned over to HTTP/2?

Requests are processed in the order that they are received by Technical Support.

What are the risks with moving to HTTP/2?

The transition to HTTP/2 clears out your cache at the CDN because it involves moving to a new CDN configuration.

The non-cached content directly hits Adobe’s origin servers until the cache is rebuilt again. Because of this action, Adobe plans to handle a few customer transitions at a time. This method ensures that acceptable performance is maintained when pulling requests from the origin.

How can you verify whether a URL or website is activated with HTTP/2?

Download an extension to use with your Web browser. For Firefox and Chrome, there is an extension called HTTP/2 and SPDY Indicator. Browsers only support HTTP/2 securely, so it is necessary to call a URL with HTTPS to verify. If HTTP/2 is supported, it is indicated by the extension in the form of a blue Flash symbol, and a header “X-Firefox-Spdy” : “h2”.