Apple Shake Qmaster Setup Guide

Apple QmasterDistributed Processing Setup Guide

Computers that submit batches to the Apple Qmaster distributed processing system arecalled clients. A job is a processing task such as a Compressor pr

• Cluster controller: The software, enabled on a computer by means of theApple Qmaster pane of System Preferences, that divides up batches, determines

ClustersWhen a client sends batches to the Apple Qmaster distributed processing system, all theprocessing and subsequent moving of any output files is

You make a computer available as a cluster controller by turning on the cluster–controllingservice in the Apple Qmaster pane of System Preferences.Qui

Rather than actually moving segments, Apple Qmaster tells the service nodes whichsegments to read via the network, where to find them, and what to do

The Apple Qmaster distributed processing system has default settings that allow you touse distributed processing immediately.This chapter covers the f

However, in most standard distributed processing networks, you need to installApple Qmaster software on every computer in the network. You can use the

Stage 2: Configuring a QuickClusterUse the Apple Qmaster pane of System Preferences to configure the cluster controllerand service node computers.To c

2 Click the Apple Qmaster button, located in the Other section.The Apple Qmaster pane appears.3 If the pane is locked, unlock it by clicking the padlo

• If you are using Apple Qmaster: In the Apple Qmaster window, choose the cluster youcreated in stage 2 from the Submit To pop-up menu.2 Click Submit.

Copyright © 2009 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.Your rights to the software are governed by theaccompanying software license agreement. The owner orau

A distributed processing network can consist of as few as one or two computers, whereasa high-volume network may include many computers, an Xserve sys

For information about a very basic setup, see Example of a Minimal Distributed ProcessingNetwork.Example of a Minimal Distributed Processing NetworkA

Using Compressor AutoClustersThe AutoCluster feature in Compressor gives you an easy way to take advantage of thedistributed processing capabilities o

You can change any of these settings at a later time in the Apple Qmaster pane of SystemPreferences. For more information, see Apple Qmaster Pane of S

• Multiple clusters: Depending on how extensive your network is and how many clientsit needs to serve, you may want to divide up available computers a

Example of an Expanded Distributed Processing NetworkFor rendering, a network might include a number of client computers on a LAN, connectedto a clust

This setup is for an environment that uses desktop computers. It is called “part-time”processing because each computer acts as someone’s workstation,

• All the computers in the setup need read-and-write access to any volumes that will bespecified as the source location or output destination for file

Setting Up for Part-Time Distributed Processing with ShakeIf you cannot consolidate all of the necessary source files (Shake scripts, media files, and

Welcome to Distributed Processing5PrefaceAbout the Apple Qmaster Distributed Processing System5About the Distributed Processing Documentation6Addition

To mount the media storage volumes1 On each computer, log in as the administrator. (The first user account you create whenyou set up Mac OS X is an ad

Specifying Shake Script Locations in Apple QmasterAs you follow the steps in Setting Up for Part-Time Distributed Processing with Shake, allthe Shake

Instead of one individual interface, the Apple Qmaster distributed processing systemincludes up to four different applications and utilities for confi

In general, you use the Apple Qmaster pane of System Preferences to configure servicenodes and cluster controllers and to create simple clusters. Syst

Apple Qmaster Pane of System PreferencesUse the Apple Qmaster pane of System Preferences to activate, create, or make changesto Apple Qmaster cluster-

The Apple Qmaster pane appears.36 Chapter 4 The Interfaces

About Basic Settings in the Apple Qmaster Preferences PaneYou can use the Setup pane within the Apple Qmaster preferences pane to configureyour distri

• “Options for selected service” button: Click this button to open a dialog in which you canyou can adjust the number of instances of a processing ser

About Advanced Settings in the Apple Qmaster Preferences PaneYou can use the Advanced pane within the Apple Qmaster preferences pane to furtherconfigu

Creating Clusters47Chapter 5An Overview of Configuring a Cluster47Configuring Service Nodes and Cluster Controllers48Creating Clusters with Apple Qadm

• Cluster Storage button: Enter a local folder directory to change the scratch location forthe cluster’s temporary process files. See Using Cluster St

Apple QadministratorUse the Apple Qadministrator application to create and modify Apple Qmaster clusters.Apple Qadministrator can be used on any compu

The Apple Qadministrator window appears. If a password was created for the currentlyselected cluster, you will not be able to see or modify the cluste

Compressor and Apple Qmaster as Client InterfacesClient computer users use either Compressor or Apple Qmaster to submit batches forprocessing.Batch Ba

The Compressor default window layout appears.Using Apple QmasterThe Apple Qmaster application is the application that you use to submit distributedpro

The Apple Qmaster window appears.Batch MonitorAs an administrator, you can use Batch Monitor to track the progress of all the batchactivity for all th

Batch Monitor opens.46 Chapter 4 The Interfaces

Once your network is set up and you have installed the necessary components, you areready to create distributed processing clusters.If you have questi

Stage 3: Creating a ClusterYou can create a simple QuickCluster in the Apple Qmaster pane of System Preferences,or you can create a managed cluster fr

• Services and cluster controller: Select this option to build a cluster inApple Qadministrator. (See Creating Clusters with Apple Qadministrator for

Transcoding or processing a series of large files on one desktop computer is processorintensive and time-consuming. You can increase speed and product

Setting the NameBy default, a computer is identified on the network by its computer name (as it is enteredin the Sharing pane in System Preferences).

• Red: Connection failureClick the icon to reveal additional information, including the service node’s IP address,port number, and capture status, as

Unmanaged ServicesUnmanaged services automatically assign themselves to the first available QuickClusterwith enabled unmanaged service support. QuickC

Note: If processing services are enabled, you must turn them off before you can adjustthe processing service type.To set managed processing services1

3 In the “Share this computer as” section, select one of the following buttons:• QuickCluster with services: Select this option to create an “instant”

4 In the dialog that appears, choose the number of instances from the pop-up menu.Choose the numberof instances fromthe pop-up menu.5 Click OK.6 In th

b Select Untitled Cluster and rename it. (The cluster name you create will also appear inthe cluster pop-up menus in Batch Monitor and Apple Qmaster.)

To add a service node to a cluster1 If the Qmaster Service Browser is not already displayed, click the disclosure triangle tosee it.Click this disclos

Note: Although Apple Qadministrator currently allows you to create a cluster withunmanaged services, valid clusters require at least one managed servi

Note: It’s easiest to do this now because you can’t configure these settings whenprocessing services are enabled. To configure these settings after se

About the Distributed Processing DocumentationThe Apple Qmaster distributed processing system is included with every copy ofFinal Cut Studio and Shake

As the administrator of your distributed processing network, you can set a number ofcluster options and security controls. You may also want to know a

Note: Unless Apple Qadministrator and the QuickCluster are on the same computer,QuickClusters are not visible in Apple Qadministrator. Only managed cl

2 Type a new name, then press Return.To delete a cluster in Apple Qadministrator1 In the Cluster list, select the cluster you want to delete.2 Click t

3 Click Preferences.Click Preferencesto display thePreferences tab.4 Set any of the preferences listed in About the Apple Qadministrator Preferences T

• Email notification for service down after: Set how much time should pass, after a servicebecomes inaccessible, before the cluster controller sends a

Remote Computer Address DialogThis dialog is displayed when you click the Add/Remove button in the main Preferencesdialog. Use this dialog to enter IP

The hosts or host ranges appear in the Host table in the main Preferences dialog.Setting PasswordsYou can create several types of passwords for the Ap

Note: A service password can be stored in a user’s keychain.To set a service password1 On the computer designated as the service node or cluster contr

About the Work Schedule DialogThe calendar interface of the work schedule dialog contains several useful features.You can use the following controls t

Final Cut Studio WebsiteFor general information and updates, as well as the latest news on Final Cut Studio, goto:• http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudi

2 To constrain the availability of the services, choose one of the options from the pop-upmenu next to a particular day of the week. See About the Wor

4 Click the Set button next to the Cluster Storage field.Click Set to open adialog for choosinga new storage folder.5 Navigate to the folder in the di

To change cluster storage settings1 On the cluster controller, open the Apple Qmaster pane of System Preferences.2 If any Apple Qmaster services are e

QuickTime Reference MoviesIf you submit a reference movie for distributed processing, the Apple Qmaster distributedprocessing system will automaticall

If a Batch Is InterruptedWhen a service stops suddenly while in the middle of processing an Apple Qmaster batch,the cluster controller resubmits the i

Notification labelProcessing service typeservicecontroller:com.apple.qmaster.executorDistributed Apple Qmasterservice75Chapter 6 Administering Cluster

If you are accustomed to doing your work from Terminal shells, and you need or preferto run the distributed processing system from the command line wi

4 Repeat these steps for each computer in your distributed processing network.Tip: You can also install Apple Qmaster using Apple Remote Desktop. Just

DescriptionPreference command optionAutomatically launches content agent at startup.-launchContentAgent <on | off>Sets logging level. Default is

To start sharingµEnter the following:qmasterprefs -startSharingTo change the cluster storage path to an Xsan volumeµEnter the following:qmasterprefs -

Note: Not all the options are necessary. For example, you can specify the cluster eitherby its -clustername or by its -clusterid. You do not need to s

DescriptionSubmission command optionUse to specify the number of seconds before Compressor can quitwhen looking for a cluster. The default value is 0,

Once the job is submitted successfully, this command displays the batch ID (identifier)and job ID (identifier) in the shell.Command OptionsThis table

/Applications/Apple\ Qmaster.app/Contents/MacOS/Apple\ Qmaster -clustername elvis -command "Shake" -options "<command executable=&qu

DescriptionMonitoring command optionUse to specify the job you want to monitor.When you use the -jobid option, you must also specify the-batchid, in t

Compressor Script Example#!/bin/csh -f # # set env var, COMPRESSOR_LOCATION if not set # if ${?COMPRESSOR_LOCATION} == 0 then pushd `dirname $0` >

If you are having trouble with your Apple Qmaster distributed processing system, lookhere for answers to your questions.This appendix covers the follo

Exporting from Final Cut Pro and Distributed ProcessingYou can use Compressor to transcode sequences or clips from within other applications,such as F

Important: The hard disk you use to store the media files may not be a startup disk forany computer in the cluster.3 In Final Cut Pro, set the scratch

This section introduces most of the basic concepts and terms related to using theApple Qmaster distributed processing system.This chapter covers the f

4 In the Batch window, assign settings and destinations to the selected file as necessary.5 Click the Submit button.The submit dialog appears.6 Do one

9 Double-click the file in the Batch window and play it in the Preview window to verify theintegrity of the clip.10 In the Batch window, assign settin

Apple Qmaster Distributed Processing and XsanHere are some tips on using the Apple Qmaster distributed processing system with Xsansystems.Restarting A

Note: The 11-digit Support ID number is different from the product serial number usedto install Final Cut Studio.• The version of Mac OS X you have in