Shared Link AEM/ Assets 6.5 Managed Service

Hi @fabianaba ,

Getting Shared Links configured in a Managed Service environment is a standard process, but it often requires one key configuration that's easy to miss. Here’s a practical guide based on what usually needs to be adjusted.

The Main Thing to Check: The Externalizer Configuration

The most common reason shared links don’t work is a misconfigured OSGi setting that tells AEM how to generate the public URL for the link.

1. Navigate to your AEM Web Console (OSGi Configuration Manager):
http://<your-aem-author-instance>/system/console/configMgr

2. Search for the "Day CQ Link Externalizer" configuration.

3. Look at the Default field.

  - The Problem: If this field contains a local hostname like http://localhost:4503, all your shared links will point to that invalid, internal address.

  - The Fix: Update this field to the public, external URL of your publish environment (e.g., https://assets.yourcompany.com).

This is the official Adobe documentation that explains this critical configuration:
Configuring the Externalizer in AEM 6.5

Other Common Issues and Checks

Asset is Not Published: A shared link provides public access, so the asset must be replicated to the publish instance first. If the asset hasn't been published, the link will return a 404 error. Always ensure your asset is activated before sharing.

The user guide for sharing assets is here:
Share Assets as a Link (AEM 6.5)

Dispatcher Configuration: Sometimes, the Dispatcher on your publish instance might have rules that block access to the shared link URLs. If you are confident the Externalizer is correct and assets are published, this is the next thing to investigate. Since this is a Managed Service, you will need to work with Adobe Support for this.

Your Action Plan:

1. First, check the Externalizer configuration as described above. This fixes the issue 90% of the time.

2. Always publish your assets before generating and sharing the link.

3. Test the link in an incognito browser window to simulate an external user.

4. If it still fails, open a support ticket with Adobe Managed Services (AMS). Provide them with the details of what you've already checked. They can investigate server logs and Dispatcher configurations on your behalf.

Thanks,
Amit