Setup guide

The Backburner network can be monitored via a Windows-based or browser-based monitor. The Windows
monitor is well-suited for a setup with a single creative workstation, or the administrator workstation on a
larger system. The browser-based monitor is designed for the non-administrator workstations.
Feature matrix
Backburner Web MonitorBackburner Windows Monitor
OS independent (browser-based Adobe Flash
Player compatible)
Windows OSOperating System
On demand via end-user requestsAutomatic, via broadcasts from Backburner
Manager
Monitoring Mechan-
ism
On demand when changes are requestedObtained by first monitor to connect to the
manager. Also, by request made from a non-
controlling monitor
Queue Control
User account required to log in to web monitorNot applicable. All users operate with admin
privileges
User Management
Non-administrator workstations on larger render
farm
Small render farm with single creative worksta-
tion. Administrator workstation on larger render
farm
Suitability
Web Monitor
The Web Monitor allows users to manage jobs and render nodes using a browser. Its advantage over the
Windows Monitor is that it can run on any workstation with a web browser, and it has little impact on the
Backburner Manager. Data from the Manager is served by a web server on the same machine.
By default, end-users have complete control over the jobs that they submit to Backburner. To control all
jobs on the Backburner network, you must log on to the server with administrator privileges. Generally, the
name used to log in to the workstation is associated with all jobs submitted to Backburner from that
workstation. However, some applications pass on the account name used to start the application instead.
In Smoke, for example, if the artist starts the application as user smoke, smoke owns the jobs. It is therefore
necessary to create accounts on the web server with the same names. By matching the log in or application
user names with the web server user names, you ensure the artist has control over the jobs he or she submits.
To launch the Backburner Web Monitor:
1 Point a web browser to http://<machinename>/Backburner where <machinename> is the name of the
workstation running the web server.
2 Enter a user name and password and then click OK. The Backburner Web Monitor appears in the
browser. No network or job details are present, since it is not yet connected to a Backburner Manager.
3 From the Manager drop-down list, select the Backburner Manager of interest. The UI and Jobs tab are
populated with information automatically. You can update the display manually by clicking the Jobs
tab Refresh button, or you can set a refresh rate from the Auto Refresh menu.
4 To perform an operation on a job, select the job in the Jobs tab, then select the desired operation from
the Action menu. To view job details, double-click the job of interest, or select a job and choose Settings
from the Action menu.
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