DR error: Render host unknown (192.168.181.111) is not....

[Markus]

HI,

from time to time i get the following error when rendering with DR:
Render host unknown (192.168.181.xxx) is not responding.

It doesnt appear all the time. Sometimes I have a couple of renderings in a row without an error.

It doesnt only happen on ONE PC, it happens on all my slaves from time to time.

Setup is:
1x dualcore workstation
4x quad core render nodes

All are runing xp64 and max8, vray 1.5 RC3 ( 1 lic).

Does anyone have an idea what can cause this error?

Thanks, Markus

[Amer]

no idea what causes it, but i get it all the time!

10 dual xeon slaves... sometimes one, and sometimes up to 8 give me that error!

I think DR really needs to be looked at closely before the next vray update.. I think there are many areas in DR that need much needed attention.

[jacksc02]

DR works fine.
That error comes up when there is a bad packet sent from one of the slaves or sometimes the host.
Its no big thing, and it wont affect the render

[RErender]

Yep, if you have probs with DR it is likely your network sucks.

[Markus]

hmm.. i dont have trouble with BB or finalrender DR ... so i thought it would be a vray issue... but maybe vray is more sensitive to network errors...

i am runing 1gbit over my cat5 cables... never had problem with that so far.. let me change one with a cat6 to check if the error goes away...

@jacksc02: well it is a big thing, because of my slaves is rendering

[Markus]

Well the cable doesnt change a thing....

e.g. I have a scene here.. it works perfect on all render-slaves, but when using them in DR i get UNKNOW RENDER HOSTS errors and VRAY EXCEPTIONS all the time....

how can that be? The same scene works perfect with Back Burner on the same machines

Any one has another idea what to do ?

thanks Markus

[silver]

i believe that there is a top secret between the masters about the DR use, because we have been in trouble with it since the begining, and after changing for gigabit lan, change cable and change configurations, it insist in get fails in a while. i think would be interesting a manual about how is the best way to configurate DR in the network, what are the best brands to use what are cables, what are the way to share files, because... c'amon .. all of those things were already said and we try to folow them but the troubles insist.
now i get it to work sometimes and sometimes not, take a look at this image... 5 seconds before it was rendered with DR and everything went fine, why after a valid render i got this odd thing? is there any answer to this?

[jacksc02]

natal, are you using xrefs?

[silver]

proxies...

[jacksc02]

its probably a paths problem then.

[ene.xis]

double that!
DR as been working solid in the past RC here...other then memory related problems and some app restart on some slaves here and there...and my network ain´t no where far from "crap"

[Markus]

ok. i worked with FR on another job the entire day and had no trouble with the DR there. I really doubt that it is a network problem.

So back to vray.... is there an INI for DR with timeouts or something ?
Is there a special rule, order how to install? Any trick about entering the lic key when install on the slaves ...

I am just happy for every info i can get ....

thanks, Markus

[silver]

hey marcus, there is something i just realize here after plenty of tries.. i use to have here my maps just in one folder maped by unc, this way i sometimes i can work without problem, but even this way i got eventually bucket problems, so now in this job taht i am using proxies i tried to sue the same rule i've been using for maps, all them in just one folder mapped via unc, but it didnt worked out. So i switch to copy machine by machine all my proxies at the same folder, like c:\autodesk\meshes
as this is a equal folder in all amchines the proxies just came back to work and i was wondering if this would not be the same point with textures. Would be really usefull if people tell us the way they map stufs.
i Guess the main problem with DR is related to paths.

[ene.xis]

not the paths themselves if ur using UNC paths...but network traffic i suppose!
probabbly more connections than ur network set up r trying to read the same data...i guess

[instinct]

For all maps, XRefs Proxies etc you should have them on a dedicated fileserver, not just some networked WinXP machine. XP only supports up to 10 concurrent connections. We use a linux fileserver, a Windows Server install would also do the trick, an XP install most likely wont (esp not your local workstation as it will most likely have additional connections in use (browsing over the network, license connections, non 3d related programs etc etc etc))

Regards,
Thorsten