Distributed Processing Setup Guide
Table Of Contents
- Apple Qmaster Distributed Processing Setup Guide
- Contents
- Welcome to Distributed Processing
- Distributed Processing Basics
- Getting Started Quickly
- Preparing a Network for Distributed Processing
- The Minimum You Need to Know
- Example of a Minimal Distributed Processing Network
- Using Compressor AutoClusters
- Other Possible Components of a Distributed Processing Network
- Example of an Expanded Distributed Processing Network
- Sample Setup for Part-Time Processing on Desktop Computers
- Configuring Access for Part-Time Distributed Processing
- Setting Up for Part-Time Distributed Processing with Shake
- Additional Steps for Distributed Processing with Shake
- The Interfaces
- Creating Clusters
- An Overview of Configuring a Cluster
- Configuring Service Nodes and Cluster Controllers
- Creating Clusters with Apple Qadministrator
- About QuickClusters
- Administering Clusters
- Using the Command Line
- Installing Apple Qmaster from the Command Line
- Using the Command Line for Distributed Processing
- Using Scripts to Run Apple Qmaster, Compressor, and Batch Monitor
- Appendix
- Resources for Solving Problems
- Solutions to Common Problems
- Contacting AppleCare Support
To mount the media storage volumes
1 On each computer, log in as the administrator. (The first user account you create when
you set up Mac OS X is an administrator account.)
2 On each computer in the group, use the Connect to Server command in the Finder’s Go
menu to mount each media volume.
3 Enter another computer’s name in the Connect to Server dialog.
4 Choose the associated media volume as the volume you want to mount.
5 Repeat steps 1 through 4 until all the computers are mounting all the media volumes in
the cluster.
Additional Steps for Distributed Processing with Shake
The following additional steps may be necessary for Shake users.
Submitting Processing Jobs in the Sample Part-Time Distributed
Processing Setup
After you finish the final stage in Setting Up for Part-Time Distributed Processing with
Shake, each one of these computers can be used to submit jobs for distributed processing.
Because of the way access has been configured in Setting Up for Part-Time Distributed
Processing with Shake, all file pathnames are conveniently consistent and simple for the
purposes of specifying them in Compressor, in Shake scripts, and in Apple Qmaster,
assuming that:
• Users place the source media on a mounted media volume (one of the FireWire drives).
• Users place the Shake scripts on a mounted media volume.
• All folders and files on the shared media volumes have read-and-write access enabled
for everyone (for Owner, Group, and Others). You can configure this access setting by
selecting the folder or file and choosing File > Get Info.
These three assumptions are important because they ensure that all the computers have
read-and-write access to all the source files and output destinations.
Specifying Media File and Script Locations
The following additional configuration guidelines apply to anyone using Shake (or any
other UNIX-based rendering applications).
Specifying the Media File Locations in Shake Scripts
As you follow the steps in Setting Up for Part-Time Distributed Processing with Shake, all
the Shake render scripts should specify their source media (File In) locations and output
(File Out) destinations as /Volumes/MediaDiskName/ (for example, /Volumes/Media3/).
30 Chapter 3 Preparing a Network for Distributed Processing