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Table Of Contents
Cluster controller: The software, enabled on a computer by means of the
Apple Qmaster Sharing window of Compressor, that divides up batches, determines
which service nodes to send work to, and generally tracks and directs the processes.
Cluster controller manages the
distribution of client’s jobs across the cluster
Service node
processes jobs
Cluster
(can contain multiple service nodes, but only one cluster controller)
Client computer from
which users send jobs to the cluster
Service node
processes jobs
Service node
processes jobs
Service node
processes jobs
The client computer, the service nodes, and the cluster controller are often on separate
(but network-connected) computers, for the most rapid processing potential. However,
the cluster controller could be on a client computer or a service node. See Using One
Computer to Serve Two Distributed Processing Roles for more information on this scenario.
Note: The terms processing and rendering come up frequently as you read this document.
The term processing is used here in a general way to cover both rendering (for Shake and
other frame-based rendering applications) and encoding (or transcoding or compression)
for Compressor. For more information, see the Shake User Manual and Ways to Use
Compressor.
Following is a closer look at the part each component plays in the Apple Qmaster system.
Clients
Batches are submitted for distributed processing from the client computers. A client
computer can be any computer that has Compressor installed and is on the same network
(subnet) as the cluster controller. Computers with Final Cut Pro or Motion are also potential
clients. Multiple client computers can be on the same subnet, using the same cluster to
do the processing for various applications.
You use Compressor or the Apple Qmaster application to submit batches to be processed
for a client. See The Basic Transcoding Workflow and the Apple Qmaster User Manual for
details on using these applications.
352 Chapter 29 Apple Qmaster and Distributed Processing