The ability to use PPD in a PDF input file for indexing is available on iSeries - although as you said you were indexing on Windows platform, that is where you will be using the function. And btw, 9.5.0.8 is available for OD for i with the latest group PTF SF99250.
I'm still working on the bonus question - an initial 'yes' seems reasonable. But those .xxx files would be temporary while indexing and loading takes place. The impact of version may come into play if you consider patches that have come along as versions of CMOD move forward.
Hope this helps.
another Greg
After checking with a teammate:
Doesn't the PDF indexer just create an index(.ind), resource(.res) and output(.out) files for the loaded PDF,
Yes, that is correct.
a. If so why does it matter what version of CMOD a user is using?
It matters because of APAR fixes that have been applied to the PDF indexer and the Adobe libraries. These fixes may or may not affect a particular customer.
i. Does the format of the .ind,.out and .res change in newer versions of CMOD?
The format of the .ind, .out and .res does not change, but there can be changes in the load protocol. Our end user clients (32/64 windows client, ODWEK, etc...) can be a different version than the server but we always recommend that our admin clients to be at the same level as the server.
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Hope this helps answer your Bonus question.