How to make RenderFarm Update easy?

[3LP]

Stan - do you have a BAT file set up for updating the nodes with refamo?

use, just point to the bat file from refamo, and this is what the bat file looks like :

cd "S:\Plugins\3dsmax Plugins\Vray\Vray 3.0"s:
vray_adv_33501_max2014_x64.exe -gui=0 -configFile="xml_file.xml" -quiet=1


exit

Pretty easy

Stan

[fraggle]

I'm wondering how the commercial render farm are dealing to update thousand of node at once! I'm pretty sure, everything must be automatic.

[3LP]

Well this is a one click solution for unlimited nodes really.

I have a shortcut in refamo to this bat so just need to click on it and my 50 nodes updates straight away

I wouldn't be surprised if commercial renderfarm are actually using this same tool

Stan

[fraggle]

use, just point to the bat file from refamo, and this is what the bat file looks like :



Pretty easy

Stan

Thanks but how to you deal with the account setting, password, stop service, start service...
And I'm not speaking about max update with backburner mess, because if I remenber well, VRAY DR need backburner otherwhise it won't work (even if not using it).

[3LP]

We don't deal with all that, never really understood why ppl where trying to make things complicated.

Just set your noe to log in automatically into a username (ie:"render") at startup, and then start and stop the soft without the need of credentials.
The same way as on your workstation, when you start max or bb, do you need to enter credentials? No, because you're already logged in, so it uses the current logged in user to start the soft.
Going through the "service" way is a by pass done by windows to launch applications under a certain user if he isn't logged in.
This was designer for server environment and it's obviously possible to apply this to max/vray/bb etc, but just by auto login your node to a user, you don't need to worry about any of that.

Afterwards, it's just a matter of start the software and stop it through refamo, as you would do if you had to start it the same way as on your computer. Your shortcut on your workstation points to a exe file, with refamo it's the same, using cmd

Hope this make sense

Stan

[jstrob]

Thanks but how to you deal with the account setting, password, stop service, start service...
And I'm not speaking about max update with backburner mess, because if I remenber well, VRAY DR need backburner otherwhise it won't work (even if not using it).

You do that with the bat file. A bat file is just a normal text file in which you enter the commands and then change the extension from .txt to .bat

When you double -click the .bat file it will execute the command in the system where it was double-clicked.

So for account settings and start stop service, you just enter the commands specified earlier in a text file, change the extension to .bat and double click on it.

[fraggle]

You do that with the bat file. A bat file is just a normal text file in which you enter the commands and then change the extension from .txt to .bat

When you double -click the .bat file it will execute the command in the system where it was double-clicked.

So for account settings and start stop service, you just enter the commands specified earlier in a text file, change the extension to .bat and double click on it.

Thanks
Can such .bat file be execute from the workstation and dispatch to all node at the same time?

[Moriah]

Just tried refamo out, and it seems really good so far. "Problem" is the price.. 10€ per extra node.. ouch. So for 30 nodes its not as cheap as 99€. More like 300€

edit: Btw i've tried to update vray silently (.exe in network, not local) through refamo... Not sure if this is the fastest way but i have this so far:

1st- Run refamo command with: "pushd \\networkDrive\ & installVrayCmd.bat" (mounts the network drive temporarily and runs the .bat file)
2nd- .bat file itself:

taskkill /f /im vrayspawner2015.exe
taskkill /f /im vray.exe
taskkill /f /im 3dsmax.exe
net stop "VraySpawner 2015"
pushd \\networkDrive\
vray_adv_33501_max2015_x64.exe -gui=0 -configFile="vrayInstall.xml" -quiet=1
popd
"C:\Program Files\Autodesk\3ds Max 2015\vrayspawner2015.exe" -quiet -service
net start "VraySpawner 2015"
pause

Problem is i have to run 2 commands cause i can't put several lines of commands in refamo... Is there an easier way to do this?
Also how would one install 3dsmax with refamo? :P

[3LP]

Why can't you put everything into one bat?
if you need time between the mount and install, you can use a timeout for x seconds

installing max can be done through a deployment installation who can be executed from refamo as well.

We are still under refamo 3 and explicitly didn't update as they changed their policy from "per monitor licence" to "per node" licence. Because we have 50 nodes, it wasn't worth updating. That was 3 years ago though.
I hate the license per node idea.

Stan

[jstrob]

Thanks
Can such .bat file be execute from the workstation and dispatch to all node at the same time?

If you don't code, you need some application to execute the bat file on each render node automatically. I use deadline, other refamo but I found out this one that can do it for free:
http://www.controlup.com/products/controlup/pricing/

[fraggle]

Thanks,
I will probably hire a coder and get it done with PSExec. Seems note so complicated for somebody that knows what he is doing.