Monitoring Render Nodes
 
 
 

Monitoring allows you to view the overall health of each render node on the Backburner network. Node status—idle, busy, etc.—is also displayed, as well as details on any job the node is currently processing. Render nodes that have previously connected with the Backburner Manager, but are no longer seen by it, are easily identified, and can be removed, if desired.

To view render node status:

  1. Launch a web browser, log in to the Backburner Web Monitor, and connect to a Backburner Manager. See Backburner Web Monitor.
  2. Click the Servers tab.

    The Server list appears, showing all render nodes on the system.

    NoteIf a server that is already known to the Backburner Manager subsequently fails to re-connect to it, the manager marks it as absent. See Deleting Offline Render Nodes.

    This following table describes the contents of the tab.

    Column Description
    Name Server name (host name).
    Description A short description of the server.
    Status Current server activity:
    • absent: Server is no longer seen by the manager, possibly down.
    • active: Currently working on a job.
    • suspended: On hold.
    • idle: Inactive.
    • error: Problem on the server.
    Perf. Index A value in the range [0–1] indicating the performance level of the render node, relative to the other servers on the same job. A score of 1 indicates this is the best-performing server.
    Adapters The adapters installed on the server, for example:
    • Burn: The Burn renderer.
    • Command Line Tool: The Backburner cmdjob command-line plug-in allows you to submit batch, executable, or script files to Backburner as “custom” jobs. See Submitting Jobs from a Command Line or Script.
    • mio: The MIO adapter engine is responsible for transcoding some streaming media formats (such as R3D and OpenEXR).
    • Wire: Installed with Stone and Wire. Can be used to import/export media, perform Wire transfers, etc. Used internally by Autodesk Visual Effects and Finishing applications.
  3. Double-click on a render node of interest to view its details, as described in the following table. For information on the Weekly Schedule tab, see Setting Render Node Availability.

    Item Description
    Host The server's IP address. This is used by the Backburner Manager to communicate with the server.
    State See previous table.
    Description See previous table.
    Performance Index See previous table.
    Current Job The current job as assigned by the Backburner Manager.
    Plugins Detailed information on the adapters installed on the render node.
  4. Click the Close button to return to the list of all render nodes.