Setup guide

To set up Backburner Server to run as a Window service:
1 Create a 'privileged' user account to give the Backburner Server access to the network mountpoints
containing the needed frames, textures, scenes, storage, etc. You create a user account for use by the
Backburner Server service using the the Windows Control Panel. You must create the identical account
on all workstations serving as render nodes. Then, when you give that account read/write access to
network mountpoints, all render nodes will have the same access.
2 Configure Backburner Server as a Windows service with serversvc.exe. Running the Backburner Server
as a service changes the location of the backburner.xml and log files to /backburner subdirectories of
the per-user application data directory subdirectories belonging to the Local Service user. These directories
are hidden to non-administrative level users. For example, on Windows XP:
C:\Documents and Settings\Local Service\Local Settings\Application Data\backburner \backburner.xml.
1 To install and register Backburner Server as a service: in the Backburner root directory run
serversvc -i. The next time you start the workstation, Backburner Server is started automatically.
Remove the service with serversvc -r
2 Start the service without rebooting from the Windows Services dialog. By right-clicking the entry
for Backburner Server and choosing Properties, you can set a number of parameters, including
the account under which the service logs on, and recovery options.
3 Assign the privileged user account to the service so it starts as that user. Grant the user account read/write
access to the needed mountpoints.
1 Go to Administrative Tools > Services, right-click the Backburner Server item and choose Properties.
2 On the Log On tab, choose This Account and enter the name of the privileged user you created
earlier. If a user account was created on the domain, enter [domain name]\[user name] as This
Account, or browse the domain for the user.
3 In the Password and Confirm Password fields, enter the password for the user account. Click OK
to exit the Properties dialog.
4 If the service is started, stop it by right-clicking the item and choosing Stop. Right-click the item
and choose Start to restart the service with the newly assigned user.
Backburner command-job utility
Use the Backburner command-job utility, cmdjob, to submit batch, executable, or script files to Backburner
as custom jobs for execution on remote servers. This tool provides flexibility in running custom jobs from
scripts. For example, you could create a script that submits all jobs contained in a network folder to be
rendered automatically at night. Special security consideration should be given to the cmdjob utility, as it
can execute commands remotely on all the render nodes on the network. A trained systems administrator
should ensure that the execution permissions are properly set and managed.
Two types of adapters
CmdJobAdapter Executes submitted jobs as root user account. Used by default. Available on all supported
platforms.
UserCmdJobAdapter Executes submitted job as the account that submitted the job. To invoke this adapter,
specify the -userRights job option when submitting the job.Available on Linux and Mac OS only.
Location of adapters
Linux/Mac /usr/discreet/backburner/Adapters
Windows Program Files\Autodesk\Backburner\Adapters
84 | Chapter 3 Networked processing