Managing Rendering Nodes



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A Backburner Distributed Queueing System requires very little management once it is running. However, you may occasionally need to manually manage your Render Nodes. For example, you may want to shift nodes to a higher priority job when its deadline is approaching.

You can manage the Render Nodes on your system in the following ways:

Use the following procedures to manage nodes using Backburner Monitor or Backburner Web Monitor. You must have access to system management tools before you can manage Render Nodes using the Backburner Web Monitor or Backburner Monitor; see Accessing Backburner System Management Tools.

Shifting Nodes Between Jobs in the Queue

Shift Render Nodes between jobs to accommodate changing priorities and deadlines using the following procedures. Before you start shifting nodes manually using the Backburner Monitor or Web Monitor, note the following rules that control how nodes are assigned to submitted jobs:

  • Rendering nodes are assigned to a job until it is completed. The Backburner Manager does not shift nodes 'on-the-fly' between jobs.

  • If a Render Node is shifted from one job to another, it remains assigned to its new job until this job is completed. There is no way to temporarily assign a node to a job.

  • Only available Render Nodes (those with no job assignments) can be assigned to another job. If a node is currently busy, it must end its current task (or job) before it can become available. See Finding and Monitoring Jobs and Monitoring Rendering Nodes.

  • Jobs for Backburner transcoding and background Backburner transfers are always assigned to single Render Node. You cannot add Render Nodes to these types of jobs, although you can transfer a Backburner jobs between nodes. However, if you want to transfer a node that is processing a Backburner job to another job, the Render Node must complete the Backburner job before becoming available for other jobs.

To shift a Render Node between two jobs using Backburner Web Monitor:

  1. In a Backburner Web Monitor with access to system management tools, click Servers.

    The list of Render Nodes for the system appear.

  2. Locate the node to be shifted and then click its Settings button.

    Settings for the Render Node appear. The Assigned Jobs list in the Jobs area shows jobs currently assigned to the node. The Available Jobs list also in this area shows all jobs currently on the system.

    Before you can manually assign a job to the node, remove all jobs that were assigned to the node previously, including the job that the node is currently processing.

  3. Select all jobs in the Assigned Jobs list and click Remove.

    All jobs currently assigned to the Render Node are removed. Next, shift the node to a specific job by manually assigning it to the node.

  4. From the Available jobs list, select the job to which you want to shift the node and click Assign.

  5. Click Apply to save the job reassignments for the node.

    The selected job is assigned to the Render Node. When the node ends its current task, it begins working on the newly assigned job.

  6. Click Servers.

  7. Repeat steps 2 to 5 to shift other Render Nodes on the system to the job.

    Note: You can also shift a node between two jobs using the Assigned Servers list and Available Servers list that appear with the job settings in the Backburner Web Monitor. See Modifying Job Settings.

To shift a Render Node between two jobs using Backburner Monitor:

  1. In a Backburner Monitor with access to system management tools, highlight the node(s) in the Server list and then click the Remove Server icon on the toolbar.

    The node ends its current processing task and becomes available for other jobs.

  2. Select the job in the Job list to which you want to shift the node(s).

  3. Assign the Render Node(s) to the job by doing one of the following:

    • Highlight the unassigned node(s) in the Server list and then choose Servers | Assign To Selected Jobs.

    • Right-click the node name(s) in the list and choose Assign To Selected Jobs.

    The Render Nodes are assigned to the new job and begin working on it. The nodes remain assigned to the new job until it is complete.

Deleting Offline Rendering Nodes

Delete offline nodes to keep the list of Render Nodes organized.  However, Render Nodes may temporarily go offline for a number of reasons, including:

  • Problems processing a job, such as when network problems prevent access of source material.

  • Preventative maintenance, such as the installation of software patches or new drivers.

  • Hardware or software issues, such as the failure of a crucial component or driver.

  • Scheduling sets the node as unavailable during certain times, such as when a Render Node is used as an artist workstation or regular office PC during working hours. See Setting the Availability for Rendering Nodes.

As a general rule, only delete Render Nodes that you are certain will remain offline in the long-term, such as those experiencing hardware problems. When you delete a Render Node, the history of all jobs on which the node worked is affected. This revision may make it harder to troubleshoot job problems, such as identifying nodes responsible for corrupt renders. If possible, archive jobs to which the node was assigned before deleting it.

Delete any nodes that are offline from the list of Render Nodes in the Backburner Monitor or Web Monitor using the following procedures.

To delete an offline Render Node in the Backburner Web Monitor:

  1. In a Backburner Web Monitor with access to system management tools, click Servers.

    The list of Render Nodes appear.

  2. Locate offline Render Nodes in the list that meet all of the following conditions:

    A Delete button appears for Render Nodes that meet the first three conditions, such as the node caen in the following example.

    Because a node can go offline temporarily due to job errors or network problems, ensure that all conditions are satisfied before continuing to the next step.

  3. Locate the Render Node to be removed and click the Delete button.

    You are prompted to confirm the deletion of the node from the list.

  4. When prompted, click OK to delete the node.

    The offline node is removed from the list.

  5. (Optional) Repeat steps 2 to 4 to delete other Render Nodes that are offline from the list.

To delete a Render Node from the Server list using Backburner Monitor:

  1. In a Backburner Monitor with access to system management tools, highlight the Render Node(s) in the list that meet all of the following conditions:

    The Delete option becomes available for all Render Nodes that meet the first three conditions. Because a node can go offline temporarily due a job errors or network problems, however, ensure that all conditions are satisfied before continuing to the next step.

  2. Do one of the following to delete the selected Render Nodes from the list:

    • Choose Servers | Delete Server.

    • Right-click one of the selected nodes and choose Server | Delete Server.

    The nodes are deleted and are removed from the list.

Setting the Availability for Rendering Nodes

Set times when a Render Node is available using the following procedures for the Backburner Monitor or Web Monitor.

By default, nodes are available to process jobs at all times. You can restrict availability of Render Nodes if these workstations are used for other functions (such as artist workstations or as regular office PCs) during business hours. For example, you can restrict certain workstations from processing jobs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. while they are being used as office PCs. From 6 p.m. to 9 a.m., these workstations act as Render Nodes to work on jobs overnight.

To schedule the availability of a Render Node using the Backburner Web Monitor:

  1. In a Backburner Web Monitor with access to system management tools, click Servers.

    The list of Render Nodes appear.

  2. Locate the node whose availability is to be changed and click its Settings button.

    Settings for the Render Node appear. The Schedule area shows when the node is available to process jobs.

  3. Navigate to the Schedule area in the Web Monitor.

  4. Set the time(s) when the node is available or unavailable for processing using one of the following methods:

    • Select a one-hour period on a specific day by filling or clearing its respective checkbox.

    • Select a one-hour period on all days by clicking the button for the hour along the top.

    • Select an entire day by clicking the button for its name.

    Filled checkboxes in the Schedule area show when the node is available to process jobs. By default, a node is set to be available at all times.

    The following example shows the schedule for a Render Node that is available only at night during weekdays and all the time on weekends, such as for artist workstations or office PCs that are also used as Render Nodes afterhours.

  5. Click Apply to update the schedule for the node.

To schedule the availability of a Render Node using Backburner Monitor:

  1. In a Backburner Monitor with system management tools available, select one or more Render Nodes in the Server list, and then do one of the following:

    • Right-click a Server and choose Week Schedule.

    • Choose Servers | Week Schedule.

    The schedule for the Render Node appears.

    Time periods marked in green show when the node is available for processing jobs. By default, a node is set to be available at all times.

  2. Set the time(s) when the node is available or unavailable for processing using one of the following methods:

    • Select a one-hour period by clicking one of the top buttons.

    • Select an entire day by clicking the button for its name.

    • Select the entire week by clicking the button at the top left.

      The time selection is shown in white.

  3. Do one of the following to set the availability of the node during the selected time:

    • Click Allow to make the node available for processing jobs during the selected time period.

    • Click Disallow to make the node unavailable for processing jobs during the selected time period.

    The selection turns green (available) or red (unavailable) to indicate the node availability during this time period.

    The following example shows a schedule for a Render Node that is available only at night during weekdays and all the time on weekends, such as for artist workstations or office PCs that are also used as Render Nodes afterhours.

  4. Click OK to update the schedule for the node.

Grouping Rendering Nodes in Server Groups

Create groups of Render Nodes (called Server groups) in Backburner Monitor or Backburner Web Monitor to help you organize your Distributed Queueing System. A Server group is a shortcut to multiple Render Nodes that can be treated like an individual Render Node. For example, you can use a Server group for processing jobs to accommodate shifting priorities and deadlines in your facility.

You can configure certain Autodesk applications to submit jobs only to a particular Server group. This can improve the overall efficiency of the Distributed Queueing System as jobs are assigned to the nodes that can best process them. For example, assume you create a Server group consisting of high-end Render Nodes to quickly process Burn jobs submitted from Autodesk Effects and Editing applications. You configure your application to only submit its jobs to this group and then submit a Burn job for processing. When Backburner Manager receives this job, it immediately assigns the job to the Render Nodes in this Server group, rather than to other lower-end nodes that may process the job more slowly.

Depending on the Backburner application used in your facility for system management, refer to one of the following sections for relevant procedures:

Grouping Nodes using the Backburner Web Monitor

Use the following procedures to use the Backburner Web Monitor to create or delete a Server group from the Render Nodes on your system, as well as shift it between jobs as needed.

To create a Server group:

  1. In a Backburner Web Monitor with access to system management tools, click Server Groups.

    A list of server groups for the system appears, if any groups are currently defined.

  2. In the Group Name field, enter the name for the Server group and then click Add.

    The Backburner Web Monitor displays settings to configure the group and assign Render Nodes to it.

  3. Configure the behavior for the new Server group. See Configuring Server Groups.

  4. Select one or more Render Nodes in the Available Servers list and then click Add Server.

    The Render Nodes are added to the group.

  5. Click Apply.

    The Server group is created and appears in the list.

    Note: Any server groups created using the Backburner Web Monitor appears as a Global Group in a Windows-based Backburner Monitor.

To assign a Server group to a job:

  1. In a Backburner Web Monitor with access to system management tools, click Jobs.

    The Job list for the system appears.

  2. From the Job list, locate the job to be assigned to the Server group and click its Settings button.

    Settings for the job appear in the Backburner Web Monitor. The Assigned Servers list in the Server area shows any Render Nodes that can be assigned to the job. In the following example, four server groups are assigned to the job.

    If you want to reassign the job exclusively to the Server group, continue to the next step. Otherwise, go to step 4 to add the server group as additional Render Nodes for the job.

  3. (Optional) Remove all currently assigned nodes from the job by selecting all Render Nodes in the Assigned Servers list, and then click Remove.

  4. In the Job Properties area, select the Server group to be assigned to the job from the Server Group list.

  5. Click Apply (or Apply & Restart) to assign the job to the Server group.

    The job is assigned to the Server group and one of the following occurs:

    • If nodes in the group are busy, they complete their currently-assigned jobs before working on the job assigned to the group. Otherwise, the job is processed immediately by the Server group.

    • If the “Suspend current non-group jobs” option is enabled, all nodes in the Server group drop their current rendering job and begin processing the assigned job immediately.

    Note: Server groups are subject to the same job assignment and completion rules, and restrictions as individual Render Nodes unless the “Suspend current non-group jobs” option is enabled. See Shifting Nodes Between Jobs in the Queue.

To delete a Server group:

  1. In a Backburner Web Monitor with access to system management tools, click Server Groups.

    The list of Server groups appears.

  2. Locate the Server group to be deleted and then click the Delete button.

  3. When prompted, click OK.

    The group is deleted from the Server list. The Render Nodes remain available and can be assigned to other groups, if necessary.

Grouping Nodes using Backburner Monitor

Use the following procedures to use Backburner Monitor to create or delete a Server group from the Render Nodes on your system, as well as shift it between jobs as needed.

To create a Server group:

  1. In a Backburner Monitor with access to system management tools, right-click All Servers in the Server list.

    A menu appears for creating a global or local Server group from the Render Nodes on your system. Global groups are managed by Backburner Manager and are available to any Backburner Monitor connected to the network. Local groups are available only to the Backburner Monitor that creates the group.

  2. From the menu that appears, select one of the following:

    • Create Global Group

    • Create Local Group

    Tip: Creating global groups is recommended to simplify Render Node group management across the entire Distributed Queueing System.

    The Server Group dialog appears. Use this dialog to create the group and add Render Nodes to it.

    Note: If you are not connected to a Backburner Manager, the Create Global Group option is unavailable.

  3. Use the Server Group dialog to name and configure the behavior for the group. See Configuring Server Groups.

    Next, add Render Nodes to the group.

  4. Select one or more Render Nodes in the Available list and then click Add.

    The Render Nodes are added to the group.

    Tip: You can also add Render Nodes in the Server list area to a group by dragging and dropping them on a group.

  5. Click OK.

    The Render Node group is added to the Global Groups or the Local Groups area, depending on the type of group you created in step 2.

To assign a Server group to a job:

  1. Select the job in the Job list to be assigned to the Server group.

  2. In the Server list, right-click the Server group and choose Assign Group to Selected Jobs.

    The job is assigned to the Server group and one of the following occurs:

    • If nodes in the group are busy, they complete their currently-assigned jobs before working on the job assigned to the group. Otherwise, the job is processed immediately by the Server group.

    • If the “Suspend current non-group jobs” option is enabled, all nodes in the Server group drop their current rendering job and begin processing the assigned job immediately.

To shift a Server group between two jobs:

  1. Select all jobs in the Job list.

  2. In the Server list, right-click the Render Node group to be reassigned and choose Remove Group From Selected Jobs.

    The Render Nodes in the group all end their current jobs and the group becomes available for other jobs. If you are using a global group and the “Suspend current non-group jobs” option is enabled, all Render Nodes in the group drop their current rendering job immediately.

    Note: Server groups are subject to the same job assignment and completion rules and restrictions as individual Render Nodes. See Shifting Nodes Between Jobs in the Queue.

  3. Select the job in the Job list to which you want to shift the group.

  4. In the Server list, right-click the Server group and choose Assign Group to Selected Jobs:

    The Render Node group is assigned to the new job and begins rendering. If you are using a global group and the “Can use idle non-group servers” option is enabled, Backburner Manager adds Render Nodes to the group temporarily as nodes become available from other jobs.

To delete a Server group:

  1. In the Server list, right-click the Server group and choose Delete Group.

    You are prompted to confirm the deletion of the group.

  2. When prompted, click Yes.

    The group is deleted from the Server list. The Render Nodes remain available and can be assigned to other groups, if necessary.

Configuring Server Groups

Use the Server Groups dialog in the Backburner Monitor or the Server Groups Web page in the Backburner Web Monitor to configure a global or local Render Node group for the Distributed Queueing System. You can use this dialog or Web page to do the following:

  • Add Render Nodes to or remove Render Nodes from the group.

  • Configure the weight (priority) for a Render Node group.

  • Configure the behavior of a global group when a new job is assigned.

General Options

Use the options at the top to set the name, priority, and default behaviors for the rendering group.

Name field—Identifies the name of the Server group.

Weight list —Adjusts the priority of jobs assigned to a global Server group. For example, a job assigned to a Server group with a high weight is given a higher priority than a job assigned to a group marked with medium or low weight. Depending on the state of the job queue, the job assigned to a group with a high weight may be rendered ahead of higher priority jobs that are not assigned to Render Node groups.

Note: This list is available only for global groups in Backburner Monitor.

Can Use Idle Non-group Servers —When enabled, allows Backburner Manager to temporarily add Render Nodes to the group as nodes outside the group become idle. Enabling this option temporarily increases the rendering power of the group.

Note: This option is available only for global groups in Backburner Monitor.

Suspend Non-Current Group Jobs —When enabled, allows Backburner Manager to suspend the processing jobs of all group members when a new job is assigned to the group. Enabling this option allows a Render Node group to quickly switch from one job to another.

Note: This option is available only for global groups in Backburner Monitor.

Servers Area

Use the lists in the Servers area to manage Render Nodes in the group. The Add (Server) and Remove (Server) buttons allow you to add nodes to or remove nodes from the group.

List Name in Backburner Web Monitor List Name in Backburner Monitor Description
Servers in Group Current Lists the names of nodes currently in the group.
Available Servers Available Lists all nodes on the system that can be added to the group.

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