When a job is submitted by a creative application to Backburner for processing, the Backburner Manager automatically sends it as sub-jobs, called tasks, to render nodes for processing. Visual Effects and Finishing render tasks are sent to nodes on which Burn has been installed, 3ds Max tasks are sent to nodes equipped with 3ds Max, and so on. A task can consist of a single frame, a set of frames, or an entire clip, depending on the creative application and the nature of the work required.
The initial choice of render nodes for each job is specified by the client application and applied automatically by Backburner, based on your Backburner settings. However, you can easily assign new nodes, or remove those currently assigned, as you see fit. For example, if a job has been sent to a particular server group, you can easily add nodes from outside the group to assist in the processing. When you add a node, Backburner sends the next task to the newly added node.
The following table explains the contents of the Server Assignment tab.
Field | Description |
---|---|
Assigned Server Group | Name of the server group, if any, to which the job was assigned. A server group is a named collection of servers. Only servers in the specified group will work on the job. |
Max Server Count | The maximum number of render nodes made available for the job, as specified when the job was submitted. Set to 0 (zero) to assign the job to all servers. |
Assigned Servers | A comma-separated list of servers currently assigned to the job. If you make changes, be sure to save them, then click the Refresh button to ensure the list is up to date. |
Filter on Job Type | Select this checkbox to list only the servers on which the required adapter is installed. |
Name | Name of the server. |
Assigned to Job | A checkbox indicating whether or not the listed server is assigned to the job. To add a new server to the job, check a checkbox. Notice the Assigned Servers list is updated automatically. Nevertheless, click the Save button, then the Refresh button to ensure the list is up to date. |
Description | A description of the server. |
Status | The current activity of the server: |
Perf. Index | A value in the range [0–1] indicating the performance level of the server, relative to 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:
|
For information on using the Assigned Server Group pull-down menu, see Working with Server Groups.
The selected render nodes are assigned to the job. If a render node is already occupied, it completes its current task first.
The Assigned Servers list is updated to reflect your changes.