Autodesk Creative Finishing 2012 Edition ® Installation and Configuration Guide for Linux Workstations
Autodesk® Flame® 2012, Autodesk® Flame® Premium 2012, Autodesk® Flare™ 2012, Autodesk® Lustre® 2012, Autodesk® Smoke® 2012, Autodesk® Smoke® for Mac OS® X 2012 software © 2011 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as otherwise permitted by Autodesk, Inc., this publication, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form, by any method, for any purpose. Certain materials included in this publication are reprinted with the permission of the copyright holder.
Contents Chapter 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 About this Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intended Audience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Installation Workflows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workflow for Upgrading the Software . . . . . . . . . . . . Workflow for Installing from Scratch or Upgrading Linux .
Connecting Media Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting the Fibre Channel Adapter . . . . . . . . . Connecting Stone Direct Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connecting Archiving Storage to Visual Effects and Finishing Workstations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Filesystem Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SCSI Tape Drive Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Configuring your System BIOS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Checking the BIOS Settings .
Upgrading Visual Effects and Finishing Projects to the Current Version . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Transferring Clip Libraries to 2012 Projects . . . . . . . . . . Configuring Backburner Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Configuring Lustre Slave Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workflow for Configuring Slave Rendering . . . . . . . . . . . Configuring the Slave Renderer Network Address . . . . . . . Installing the Slave Renderer Software and License . .
Network License Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Single License Server Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Redundant License Server Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workflow for Configuring a Local or a Single Remote Network License Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Workflow for Configuring Redundant License Servers . . . . . Installing the License Server Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Getting the Unique Host ID of a License Server . . . . . . . . .
ArchiveLibrary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SetupArchiveTape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Environment Directory Pathnames . . . . . . . . . . . HtmlLog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TextDefaultFont . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FontDPSBase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FontDPSAFM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FontProxyLowString . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FontProxyHighString . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Assembling the Disk or LUN Devices into a Logical Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating the XFS Filesystem on the Logical Volume . . . . . . Manually Creating a Mount Point and Mounting the Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Visual Effects and Finishing Applications Wiretap Path Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . About Wiretap Path Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using sw_ping to Test Network Performance . . . . Verifying Remote Clip Library Access and Permissions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Verifying that NFS and Automounting Daemons are Running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Checking the Status of Network Interfaces . . . . . Viewing InfiniBand Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229 . . . . 230 . . . . 231 . . . . 231 . . . . 232 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Introduction 1 About this Guide Overview This guide provides information about installing and configuring the following Autodesk Creative Finishing applications: ■ Autodesk® Inferno®2012 ■ Autodesk® Flame® Premium 2012 ■ Autodesk® Flame®2012 ■ Autodesk® Flint®2012 ■ Autodesk® Smoke®2012 for Linux® workstations ■ Autodesk® Backdraft® Conform 2012 ■ Autodesk® Lustre®2012 NOTE In this document, we use the term Visual Effects and Finishing to refer to Inferno, Flame, Flame Premium, Flare, Flint, S
NOTE In most cases, both hardware setup and application installation are done on delivery by an authorized technician, so you may not need to perform all of the procedures in these guides. Intended Audience This guide assumes you have knowledge of the Linux® operating system, preferably a distribution from Red Hat® Linux. It also assumes familiarity with Linux networking terms, tools, and procedures.
To upgrade the software: 1 Gather the following materials and documentation for your installation: ■ The Discreet Kernel Utilities (DKU) installation package and the software installation package. For major releases, all product software is available on the product USB key. If you are installing a service pack or an extension, download the DKU tar file from the link provided in the Release Announcement you received from Autodesk.
Workflow for Installing from Scratch or Upgrading Linux Follow this workflow when you need to completely rebuild your system: from connecting the hardware peripherals and storage arrays, to installing the operating system, and installing, licensing, and configuring the software components. Most of this workflow also applies when you need to reinstall or upgrade the operating system without changing your hardware or storage setup.
■ Connect all peripherals (mouse, keyboard, Wacom® pen tablet, graphics monitor, house network) to the proper ports on the workstation. ■ Connect your workstation to the Autodesk Wire® network, using either Gig-E or InfiniBand®. ■ Connect a VTR and a broadcast monitor to your workstation. ■ Connect and configure the audio hardware for your workstation.
■ About Network Licenses (page 105) NOTE Re-licensing is not necessary if you are upgrading to a service pack of the same software version or to a service pack of the same extension. 14 Read the Help to get familiar with your application. To open the Help, press Ctrl+= or click the Help button. Workflow for Connecting New Stone Direct Storage Follow this workflow when you need to rebuild your Stone Direct storage array.
Preparing your Workstation 2 System Requirements Supported Workstations The following table lists the workstations and operating systems supported in this release, as well as the supported BIOS version for each workstation. Workstation Supported Software Supported BIOS Versions Operating System HP® Z800 All Creative Finishing software 3.07 Red Hat® Enterprise Linux® Desktop 5.3 with Workstation Option (64-bit) HP xw8600 All Creative Finishing software 1.
See the latest Hardware Setup Guide for your workstation for BIOS update instructions. Memory Requirements Use the following table to determine the minimum and recommended memory requirements for your system. Use the recommended amount of memory to ensure optimal interactivity and stability. Minimum RAM Recommended RAM 12.0 GB for HP Z800 8.0 GB for other platforms 12.0 GB for HP Z800 16.
Typical Configuration Overview for Visual Effects and Finishing Applications The following illustration shows a typical configuration, including the Wacom tablet, and other optional components.
Typical Configuration Overview for Autodesk Lustre A Lustre system consists of a number of different hardware and software components. This section describes each of the hardware components in a Lustre installation, and the software associated with each component. You may or may not have all of the components listed here in your Lustre setup. The type of workgroup, as well as the feature set you purchase for each of the workstations in that workgroup, determine the components in your installation.
using the real-time deliverables function. The Lustre Station includes the film workflow features, and the ability to create geometries and masks. Primary colour grading on the Lustre Station requires a separate license. The following features also require an additional license: SD and HD I/O, dual link and HSDL video formats. The Lustre Station does not support the Slave Renderer.
You install background rendering software on each background render node.
The following illustration shows a typical Lustre workgroup configuration built around a Master Station. It includes a Lustre Station, and other optional components.
Overview of Peripheral Connections The following diagram provides an overview of the adapter card positions, and illustrates how to connect peripherals, such as the graphics monitor, keyboard, mouse, Wacom® Intuos® pen tablet, and house network, to the HP Z800 workstation. It is recommended you connect all hardware peripherals, as instructed in this chapter, before booting the workstation for the first time.
NOTE This diagram depicts the HP Z800 workstation with a 2-port GigE adapter in slot 1 (top to bottom), and a Mellanox® QDR InfiniBand / 10-GigE adapter in slot 7. Optionally, your workstation can be set up with a second ATTO Fibre Channel adapter in slot 1. Connecting Video Components The following diagram illustrates how to connect the video hardware components included in your shipment.
provide are a sync generator, VTR, HD/SDI-ready broadcast monitor and patch panel (if desired). 1 Connect the output of the sync generator to the top Ref Loop port of the AJA K3G-Box. 2 Connect the Input port of the NVIDIA SDI card (the one next to the DVI port) to the bottom Ref Loop port of the AJA K3G-Box. 3 Connect the Fill (outer) port of the NVIDIA SDI card to the Input port of the AJA HD5DA distribution amplifier.
9 Connect the SDI IN 1/A, SDI IN 2/B, SDI OUT 1/A and SDI OUT 2/B plugs of the AJA cable to the SDI1, SDI2, SDI3 and SDI4 ports of the AJA Kona 3G card. 10 Connect the SDI IN 1/A, SDI IN 2/B, SDI OUT 1/A and SDI OUT 2/B plugs on the other end of the AJA cable to the SDI1, SDI2, SDI3 and SDI4 ports on the back of the AJA K3G-Box, as illustrated. 11 Connect the AJA control cable to the AJA Kona card and to the corresponding port on the back of the AJA K3G-Box.
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Connecting Media Storage The workstation can be connected to two types of media storage. ■ Stone Direct XR-series disk arrays Autodesk's high-performance direct-attached storage (DAS) solution designed to address the different real-time playback requirements of various workflows. Direct attached storage devices provide storage to individual workstations. ■ A SAN A storage infrastructure that allows multiple workstations to share simultaneous access to a central storage enclosure.
Connecting Stone Direct Storage The diagrams in this section illustrate how to connect the fibre channel loops to the Stone Direct storage enclosures supported with your workstation. For technical details on each storage model, see the Storage chapter in the hardware setup guide. Connecting XR 6500 Storage The following diagrams illustrate 2-loop and 4-loops connections for XR 6500 series storage assemblies. Cable your storage exactly as illustrated to ensure proper functionality.
Setting Up Your Workstation Hardware | 21
22 | Chapter 2 Preparing your Workstation
NOTES: ■ In a 4-loop configuration, you need a minimum of one XE expansion enclosure attached to the XR 6500 RAID enclosure. ■ The total number of enlcosures must be an even number.
Connecting XR 6412 Storage The following diagrams illustrate 2-loop and 4-loop connections for XR 6412 series storage assemblies. A XR 6412 RAID enclosure supports a maximum of seven XE expansion enclosures. Configurations with two XR RAID enclosures are not supported. WARNING Do not power on your storage before installing Linux, otherwise the Red Hat installer might attempt to format the storage array and use it as the system disk.
NOTE In a 4-loop configuration with a XR 6412 RAID enclosure, you need a minimum of one XE expansion enclosure attached to the XR RAID enclosure.
Connecting XR 5402 and XR 5412 Storage The following digrams illustrate 2-loop and 4-loop connections for XR 5402 and XR 5412 series storage assemblies. XR 5402 and XR 5412 series storage assemblies support 2-loop configurations with one XR RAID enclosure, and 4-loop configurations with two XR RAID enclosures. WARNING Do not power on your storage before installing Linux, otherwise the Red Hat installer might attempt to format the storage array and use it as the system disk.
NOTE The XR 5402 and XR 5412 RAID enclosures support a maximum of four XE expansion enclosures. NOTE In a configuration with two XR RAID enclosures, the number of XE extension enclosures per XR RAID enclosure must be the same. The total number of enclosures in the storage assembly must be an even number. Connecting Archiving Storage to Visual Effects and Finishing Workstations NOTE This section does not apply to Autodesk Lustre. Your Visual Effects and Finishing software supports archiving to USB 2.
Filesystem Devices USB 2.0 and FireWire (IEEE 1394) attached devices must be formatted with one of the following filesystems: XFS, ext2, ext3, or HFS (Mac®). NTFS is not supported. NOTE Care must be taken to ensure that the filesystems used to store archives are reliable, stable and properly backed up so as to protect the archive integrity. This functionality is not provided by the application.
Checking the BIOS Settings After wiring the workstation and before installing Linux, turn the workstation on and check the BIOS version and BIOS settings. WARNING If BIOS settings are not set up correctly before installing Linux, you will need to reinstall the OS. The certified BIOS version for your workstation is 3.07. Make sure the BIOS version number that appears on screen while booting the workstation matches the certified version.
BIOS Menu Submenu Item Value SATA Power Management Disable Intel Turbo Boost Technology Disable Processors Hyper-Threading Enable Chipset/Memory Memory Node Interleave Enable NUMA Split Mode Disable S5 Wake on LAN Disable Internal Speaker Disable NIC PXE Option ROM Download Disable Slot 1 PCIe2 x8(4) Option ROM Download Disable Slot 3 PCIe2 x8(4) Option ROM Download Disable Slot 4 PCIe2 x16(8) Option ROM Download Disable Slot 6 PCI32 Option ROM Download Disable Hardware Powe
This section provides information on making the physical connections needed to operate the Autodesk Control Surface. For information on using the Control Surface, see the Autodesk Control Surface User Guide. NOTE The illustration shows the central panel only (the Colour Grading panel). This panel is easily identified, since it has both an Ethernet network port and a USB connector. It is also the panel with the built-in tablet.
Assigning an IP Address to the Autodesk Control Surface You must assign an IP address and subnet mask to the Autodesk Control Surface. Assign the network port connected to the control surface with a static IP address that does not interfere with any of the IP addresses on your network. To configure the Autodesk Control Surface: 1 Type: nedit /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth 2 Modify the IPADDR and NETMASK values. For example: IPADDR=192.168.125.10 NETMASK=255.255.255.
4 Start Lustre. The following message should appear in each Console: Panel # is detected This confirms that the Autodesk Control Surface is enabled. Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux or CentOS and the DKU Do I Need to Reinstall Linux? Your workstations ship with the correct Autodesk distribution of Red Hat Enterprise Linux already installed and configured.
cat /etc/redhat-release The Linux version appears. For example: Red Hat Enterprise Linux Client release 5.3 (Tikanga) If your system is not currently running the correct version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux, install the required version of the operating system. Linux Installation Workflow Perform the following procedure to prepare your system and perform a fresh install of the customized distribution of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. To install Linux: 1 Locate the installation media.
■ /etc (for Linux configuration files, networking, etc) ■ /usr/lib/DPS (for fonts) ■ /usr/local/flexlm/licenses (for the license file) 4 Make sure your system is in the following state: ■ Mouse, keyboard and graphics monitor are connected, and the graphics monitor is powered on. ■ Other peripherals, such as the tablet and video breakout box are connected and powered on. ■ If you are using a KVM switch, it is switched to the system on which you want to install Linux.
WARNING You must use this exact command to start the Linux installation. If you use the default options presented by the Linux installation prompt, the installation proceeds, but some important packages required by Autodesk software are not installed. The command launches the Linux installation. The system spends several minutes loading drivers. The installer guides you through the rest of the process. 11 The installation process may ask you to initialize the system disk.
■ Click the Timezones tab, and select the city closest to you from the list of locations. ■ Click Apply to save the new settings, and then click OK to close the window. 3 Configure the network settings for your system to match the ones used in your facility. The automated Linux installation sets a default IP address and hostname for your system, which may not be suitable for your facility network. See Configuring Basic Network Settings (page 37).
Networking Configuration File Description /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth, where specifies the ethernet port number, usually 0 for the first on-board port. Contains interface-specific configuration. The following procedures provide instructions on setting up each configuration file. Log is as root before editing these files. When you are done changing the network settings, restart your system for the changes to take effect.
3 Set the IPADDR keyword to the IP address you want to use. Make sure this IP is not used by any other system on your network. For example: IPADDR=192.168.0.100 NOTE It is not recommended to change this IP address once you have installed your Autodesk software. 4 Set the NETMASK keyword to the netmask used by your network. For example: NETMASK=255.255.255.0 5 Make sure the ONBOOT keyword is set to yes.
192.168.0.150 flame1 6 Save and close the file. To configure DNS server information: 1 Open the /etc/resolv.conf file in a text editor. 2 Add a line for each DNS server IP address you want to use. The syntax is: nameserver For example: nameserver 22.10.50.101 nameserver 22.10.50.102 NOTE Be careful when editing the resolv.conf file. The syntax is very strict, and any extra spaces or carriage returns can render the file unusable by the system.
./install.pl 5 Choose option 4 in the main menu. 6 Type Y when asked if you want to configure ib0. The current configuration is displayed. For example: DEVICE=ib0 BOOTPROTO=static IPADDR=10.10.11.3 NETMASK=255.255.255.0 NETWORK=10.10.11.0 BROADCAST=10.10.11.255 ONBOOT=yes 7 Type Y to change the configuraton. 8 Enter the new IP address, netmask, broadcast address and base network address for the InfiniBand port.
Installing the DKU and the AJA OEM-2K Firmware Mounting the Product USB Key For major releases, all your product software is distributed on a USB key. You must mount the USB key before you can install the product software. NOTE If Red Hat is newly installed (or re-installed), automount is enabled. When the USB key is connected to the system, the USB device is mounted automatically.
usb-storage: device found at 30 usb-storage: waiting for device to settle before scanning Vendor: TOSHIBA Model: TOSHIBA USB DRV Rev: PMAP Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 00 SCSI device sdf: 31277056 512-byte hdwr sectors (16014 MB) sdf: Write Protect is on sdf: Mode Sense: 03 41 80 00 sdf: assuming drive cache: write through SCSI device sdf: 31277056 512-byte hdwr sectors (16014 MB) sdf: Write Protect is on sdf: Mode Sense: 03 41 80 00 sdf: assuming drive cache: write through sdf: sdf1 5 In the exa
2 Download the tar file from Autodesk. 3 After downloading the tar file, verify its integrity using the Linux md5 checksum. In the directory where you saved the tar file and the checksum file, type md5sum , and make sure the checksum displayed matches the Linux md5sum listed in the checksum file. 4 Unpack the downloaded application tar file to a temporary directory: tar -zxvf The file is uncompressed and an installation directory is created on your system.
WARNING If you attempt to install the DKU on an unsupported platform, the installation script only installs a generic configuration. Such a configuration can render your operating system unusable. Never attempt to install the current version of the DKU on unsupported platforms, including older Creative Finishing systems that are no longer supported in the current version.
To verify and upgrade the AJA firmware: 1 Open a terminal, log in as root. 2 Go to the /usr/discreet/DKU/current/Utils/AJA_firmwareUpdate directory. 3 Run the AJAfw_update utility to scan the AJA current firmware and, if required, update to the latest firmware version. Type: ./AJAfw_update 4 If you have an AJA OEM-2K card, you must start the firmware update by typing Y and then pressing Enter. If you have a AJA Kona 3G, the upgrade begins automatically.
Do I Need to Perform these Procedures? If you are reinstalling your system from scratch, or adding new storage devices, you must perform these procedures. If you are only upgrading an existing application installation without adding new storage, skip to the next chapter for instructions on installing the software. Powering Up Your Storage Powering your system and storage up or down should be done in a proper sequence. This ensures that the system functions properly.
Partitioning the Storage and Creating the XFS Filesystem Before you can use a new storage array, you need to create logical units (LUNs) on it, partition them, group the partitions into a logical volume, and then create the XFS filesystem on the logical volume. All these operations can be easily performed using version 1.5 of the XR Configuration Utility from Autodesk. This version of the XR Configuration Utility is available in versions 4.5.1 and newer of the Discreet Kernel Utilities (DKU).
4 After the utility detects the number of enclosures and drives, it presents you with a list of options. 5 Type 2 and press Enter. This option instructs the configuration utility to create LUNs with a sector size of 512 bytes. This is the optimal sector size for XFS DAS (direct-attached) storage of Creative Finishing applications. 6 When asked if you have a 2-loop or a 4-loop configuration, select the option that applies to your storage.
10 Once the initialization process completes, create a back-up of the storage configuration by typing: ./XR_config.pl --saveConfig A back-up of the storage configuration is saved. To configure arrays with two XR enclosures: 1 Open a terminal and log in as root. 2 Make sure only one set of enclosures is connected to the workstation. 3 Go to the /usr/discreet/DKU/current/Utils/Storage/current/ directory, and run the XR Configuration Utility by typing: ./XR_config.
10 Once the initialization process completes, create a back-up of the configuration for this set of enclosures by typing: ./XR_config.pl --saveConfig A back-up of the configuration is saved. Note that you can only save the configuration for one set of enclosures at a time. 11 Power off the workstation, disconnect the storage enclosures, and connect the second set of enclosures. 12 Power the workstation back on. 13 Perform steps 3 through 10 in this procedure on the second set of enclosures.
To get a complete list of the command-line parameters available for the XR_config.pl script, type: ./XR_config.
Installing your Software 3 Installing Flame Premium or Visual Effects and Finishing Standalone Software Use the following procedure to install or upgrade your software. NOTE To ensure optimal performance, it is recommended that only Autodesk Creative Finishing applications and required Red Hat Enterprise Linux packages be installed on the workstations. To install your software: 1 Log in to your workstation as root and open a terminal. 2 Archive existing media on the framestore (highly recommended).
NOTE If you are installing an educational version, start the initialization script by typing ./INSTALL_ --edu, for example ./INSTALL_SMOKE --edu The installation script verifies the installation packages and checks your system for previously installed versions of the application. This process may take a few minutes. 6 If you are upgrading from a previous version of the application, earlier versions are detected and the installer asks you to select one of those versions.
9 Scroll through the init.cfg file, verify the keywords, and modify their values as necessary. It is recommended to verify at least the following keywords to make sure they reflect your hardware configuration. Keyword Setting Video The video card used by your workstation. It can take the following values: AJA_KONA3G AJA_OEM2K See Video (page 129) for details about the keyword. DVIRamp The DVIRamp keyword is applicable only if your workstation is equipped with a Miranda DVI-Ramp.
11 If any changes are detected in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file, you are prompted to configure this file: ■ To keep the old configuration settings, when the file appears in the xxdiff editor, in the Global menu, choose Select Left, and then, in the File menu, choose Save as Right. If prompted to overwrite, click OK. ■ To use the new configuration file without adding the settings from the old configuration file, just close the program. WARNING The /etc/X11/xorg.
2 If you need to change your system date or time, do it before installing the application. 3 Go to the application installation directory. You must mount the USB key (page 42) or extract the tar file (page 43) to access the install directory. 4 Start the application installation script by typing: ./INSTALL_LUSTRE 5 If prompted with a message asking if you would like to automatically run Backburner™ Server on this machine, click Yes.
3 Select the packages you want to uninstall in the RPM list on the left (click Select All to select all the packages), then click to the RPM uninstall list on the right. to move them 4 Click Next. The Choose folders window appears. 5 Select the application directories you want to remove from the /usr/discreet directory, and click Next. A confirmation dialog appears. 6 Click Uninstall & Remove to confirm the removal of the selected packages and directories.
Configuring Your Software 4 Configuring Visual Effects and Finishing Software Do I Need to Perform These Tasks? NOTE The tasks in this chapter do not apply to Lustre. If you installed your application from scratch, perform the procedures in this chapter to configure your application to access the media storage, and to use the Wire network. If you are upgrading an existing application, you have already performed most of the procedures in this chapter during the original installation.
■ A standard UNIX-compatible filesystem on a direct attached storage (DAS) device. See Configuring a Direct Attached Storage or SAN as Media Storage (page 60). ■ A standard UNIX-compatible filesystem on a Network Attached Storage (NAS) based on the Network File System (NFS) protocol. NOTE The fact that all I/O operations occur over the network makes it impossible to reliably predict steady performance for NAS filesystems.
Stone and Wire The software package that encompasses local management of media and the transferring of media between Visual Effects and Finishing workstations. This package is installed automatically with the application. Partition In Stone and Wire, a partition (also referred to as “volume”) is defined as a volume of media storage. When creating a project, the Visual Effects and Finishing applications permanently associate it to one of the available partitions.
application, to store clip metadata, including frame IDs. The artist acts upon portions of it indirectly, via the application User Interface. Configuring your Application to Use the Media Storage Filesystem To set up a standard filesystem as media storage: 1 Make sure the disk array or SAN storage is connected to your workstation and powered up, and that a UNIX-compatible filesystem exists on the storage.
NOTE To set the filesystem to automatically mount at boot, create an entry for it in the /etc/fstab file. Type man fstab in a terminal for details. ■ Create the Managed Media Cache directory on the mounted filesystem, in a directory named after the workstation hostname. The Managed Media Cache directory should be named after the partition name (by default, partition 7, or p7).
Path=/mnt/StorageMedia/smoke1/p7 ■ Optional: Flag the partition as shared by uncommenting the Shared keyword and setting it to True. NOTE Always set the Shared keyword to True for a SAN volume. ■ Optional: In the [DefaultFileFormats] section, specify the preferred file format for each bit depth. Uncomment the desired bit depth and set the file format to one of the supported formats.
8 Optional: To prevent other Visual Effects and Finishing tools and applications (such as background Wire, Wiretap™, or remote Visual Effects and Finishing applications) from impacting the performance of your local application, configure bandwidth reservation for your partition in the /usr/discreet/sw/cfg/sw_bwmgr.cfg file. For details and examples, see Configuring Bandwidth Reservation (page 203) and the comments inside the /usr/discreet/sw/cfg/sw_bwmgr.cfg.sample file.
To specify the network interfaces to be used by Wire: 1 Open the /usr/discreet/sw/cfg/sw_framestore_map file in a text editor. 2 Specify the network interfaces that you will use for Wire networking in the [INTERFACES] section. This task must be performed on every host that is a part of the Wire network. NOTE The interfaces are listed in the order of preference. Wire will try to connect to other hosts using the first interface in the list first.
You can export the entire /usr/discreet directory to enable remote access to all clip libraries, projects, user preferences and setups. Or you can export only certain subdirectories, such as /usr/discreet/clip or /usr/discreet/project.
Upgrading Visual Effects and Finishing Projects to the Current Version Use the copyProjects command-line tool to upgrade your projects to the current version. NOTE You do not need to perform this task if you are upgrading to a service pack of the same version or to a service pack of the same extension. Using this tool instead of manually re-creating your projects is the recommended approach, as it reduces the time needed to migrate multiple projects, and prevents human error.
To change the application version projects are copied to: 1 Open a terminal and log in as root. 2 Type the following command: /usr/discreet//bin/selectWiretapVersion.py 3 Select the version you want to copy projects to. 4 When you are finished, run the copyProjects script. See the following section for instructions on transferring clip libraries from previous versions.
6 Use the older application version to remove the project created in step 1. 2012 applications cannot remove projects created with previous versions because they are read-only. TIP If you have 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 or 2011 installed on your 2012 system, you can access the 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, or 2011 system remotely to transfer the media using Wire without interrupting a session on that station. See your application help.
Consult the Autodesk Backburner Installation Guide at www.autodesk.com/backburner-documentation for detailed guidelines. 4 If you do not want to use the local Backburner Manager installed on your workstation, type the following commands to disable it: chkconfig backburner_manager off /etc/init.d/backburner_manager stop 5 If you stopped the local Manager, open the /usr/discreet/backburner/cfg/manager.
Connect the Slave Renderer to a switch on your GigE or 10-GigE house network. You can configure it to access media through NFS mount points, or using the BrowseD service. Using BrowseD is the recommended approach, as it is much faster than NFS. See the following table for a summary of the steps necessary to configure slave rendering. Step: Refer to: 1. Install Linux and the Discreet Kernel Utility (DKU) on the Slave Renderer. Do I Need to Reinstall Linux? (page 33) and Installing the DKU (page 44). 2.
Configuring the Slave Renderer Network Address After installing Linux on the Slave Render, you must configure the IP of the ethernet port that connects the Slave Render to your house network. NOTE The address you choose must not conflict with any of the other IP addresses on the network. In a Lustre installation in which you have not altered any of the IP addresses used by default, you can use 193.1.1.2 as the Slave Renderer IP address.
The installation package is unpacked into a new directory. Navigate to the new directory. 4 Start the installation script by typing: ./INSTALL_LUSTRE_SLAVE The Slave Renderer is installed. To install the Slave Renderer license: 1 If you have not already done so, obtain a license for the Slave Renderer. You will need the dlhostid of the Slave Renderer. See Requesting License Codes (page 100). 2 Log in to the Slave Renderer as root. 3 Create the directory for the license file.
To export the storage attached to the Master Station: 1 Log in to the Master Station as root. The storage filesystem is mounted as /mnt/StorageMedia (for HP Z800 stations), or /mnt/md0 (for older systems). 2 Open the /etc/exports file in vi by typing: vi /etc/exports The contents of the exports file appears, listing the available network shares (filesystems mountable over the network). Next, add a new line for the mount point of the storage filesystem.
Mounting the Storage on the Slave Renderer After you configure read and write access on the storage filesystem, you create a mount point on the Slave Renderer and configure the Slave Renderer to automatically mount that filesystem. NOTE You do not need to perform the tasks in this section if you are using the BrowseD service with the Slave Renderer. See Using BrowseD with the Slave Renderer (page 97). To create a mount point on the Slave Renderer: 1 On the Slave Renderer, log in as root.
3 Save and close the file by pressing Esc to enter command mode, then Shift + zz. The file is saved and you are returned to the command prompt. 4 Restart the Slave Renderer machine. When you restart your system, the storage filesystem mounts automatically.
Background Rendering Components The components of the basic background rendering package include Lustre, a background management and monitoring application (such as Backburner™ Web Monitor, or the Backburner Monitor in Autodesk WiretapCentral™), and several render nodes running on Linux servers.The Lustre system and all background rendering nodes are connected over a dedicated background TCP/IP network. Render nodes can access media through NFS mount points, or by using the faster BrowseD service.
Backburner Manager This is the hub of the background rendering workgroup. Backburner Manager can reside on a Master Station or Lustre station, or can be installed on a dedicated machine in your network. When jobs are submitted from Lustre to Backburner Manager, Backburner Manager breaks each submitted job into tasks and distributes the tasks to the rendering servers on the network. To view the progress of the tasks, use Backburner Monitor.
NOTE The storage does not have to be mounted on the render nodes if you are using BrowseD for background rendering. See Using BrowseD for Rendering with Burn for Lustre (page 97). Workflow for Setting Up Background Rendering The following table outlines the general workflow for installing and configuring background rendering. Step: Refer to: 1. If you are not using BrowseD, enable sharing on the system storing the Lustre project and render files.
To make the storage system visible over the network: 1 Log in to the Lustre system (or the central storage system) as root. The storage filesystem is mounted as /mnt/StorageMedia(on HP Z800 workstations) or /mnt/md0(on older workstations). 2 Open the /etc/exports file in a text editor, such as vi. The contents of the exports file appears, listing the available network shares (filesystems mountable over the network).
To install Backburner Manager and Backburner Web Monitor on a Linux system: 1 Open a terminal and log in as root. 2 Access the Autodesk Lustre software installation package (from a downloaded tar file or on USB key). 3 Install Backburner by typing: rpm -Uvh backburner* The Backburner components (Server, Manager and Web Monitor) are installed on the system.
Setting Up Render Nodes You can set up as many as eight render nodes for background rendering with Lustre. On each system intended for background rendering, you must do the following. Step: Refer to: 1. Verify that the render nodes meet the minimum system requirements. Render Node Hardware and Software Requirements (page 83). 2. Install the appropriate Red Hat operating system. Installing Linux on Render Nodes (page 84). 3.
Hard drive: 20 GB Ethernet: 100/1000 Mbps OS: Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3 with Workstation option, customized with the Autodesk kickstart file Installing Linux on Render Nodes Autodesk Burn for Lustre runs under the custom 64-bit Autodesk distribution of Red Hat Enterprise Linux. Render nodes purchased from Autodesk ship with the correct Autodesk distribution of Red Hat Enterprise Linux on DVD.
4 Eject the disc. 5 Access the dist subdirectory of the Lustre installation package. The directory contains a kickstart file, ks_centos5_rh5.cfg, as well as a script that adds the kickstart file to an ISO image. 6 Run the build_kickstart_cd script to add the kickstart file to the ISO image of your Linux distribution DVD: ./build_kickstart_cd ks_centos5_rh5.cfg For example, if the ISO image you created is called /tmp/RHEL5.3.
/mnt/md0/SCENES and the Renders Full Home path is /sanserver:/RENDERS, located on a central storage system, you must define a mount point for each path. To mount the storage on a render node: 1 Determine the IP address of the computer that manages the storage. If you are using direct attached storage only, this is the IP address of the Lustre Master Station.
NOTE The example is a single line. 2 Save and close the file. The file is saved and you are returned to the command prompt. 3 Restart the render node. When you restart your system, this remote location will mount automatically. Installing and Configuring Burn for Lustre on Render Nodes Install and configure Burn for Lustre on each render node. To install and configure Burn for Lustre, you must: ■ Install Burn for Lustre.
4 Start the Burn installation script by typing: ./INSTALL_LUSTRE_BURN The Burn for Lustre package is installed. For instructions on obtaining and installing a Burn license, see Licensing Burn for Lustre (page 88). 5 Repeat this procedure on all render nodes. Licensing Burn for Lustre You need a license for your render nodes. Burn uses a floating license scheme, which means that licenses are centralized on a license server. The license server automatically provides a license to all registered machines.
./INSTALL_LICSERV The license server is installed. 8 Once you have received the license codes, go to the /usr/discreet/licserv/licenses/ directory, and open the DL_license.dat file in a text editor. NOTE If the file does not exist, create it by typing: touch /usr/discreet/licserv/licenses/DL_license.dat 9 In this file, enter all the information submitted to you by the Licensing Department upon your registration. 10 Save and close the file.
NOTE Each render node must be able to contact the license server. Use ping from each node to the license server to confirm that the machines can communicate. Configuring Backburner Server to Detect Backburner Manager Backburner Server needs to be able to detect the location of Backburner Manager in order to provide status information concerning the render jobs. Set the IP address of the Backburner Manager machine in the /usr/discreet/backburner/cfg/manager.host configuration file on each render node.
Starting Backburner Server You must start the Backburner Server daemon on each Linux system for the first time. Once it is started the first time, the daemon will start automatically. To start Backburner Server: 1 Log in to your Linux system as root. 2 In a terminal, type: service backburner_server start 3 You can verify that Backburner Server is properly configured by checking the log file usr/discreet/backburner/Network/backburnerServer.log. Type: tail -f /usr/discreet/backburner/Network/backburnerServer.
2 In the HostName line, set the string parameter to the hostname or IP address of the system where Backburner Manager is installed. For example: NOTE Do not forget the quotes. 3 Save and close the configuration file. Specifying the Background Rendering Path in Lustre The last step in setting up background rendering is to specify the correct mount points in the settings of each project that uses background rendering. To add the storage path in Lustre: 1 Start Lustre.
name>/project.config. The value in the burn_project_home line is sent to the render node. This value must match a mount point on the background render nodes. For help setting up and managing projects, refer to the Lustre Help. Configuring Lustre BrowseD About BrowseD BrowseD is a Lustre file server with its own high level protocols that optimize network transfers.
NOTE If you are working with StandardFS DPX or Cineon footage coming from the local Wiretap Server, you must mount your storage on the render nodes. Step: Refer to: 1. Start the BrowseD server. Starting and Stopping the BrowseD Service (page 94). 2. On all machines (like the Lustre Master Station, the Slave Renderer, and background render nodes), configure the init.config file to connect to the BrowseD server. Configuring Workstations to Use the BrowseD Server (page 95). 3.
Command Description /etc/init.d/browsed_restart Restarts BrowseD if it is not currently running. /etc/init.d/browsed_condrestart Restarts BrowseD if it is already running. Configuring Workstations to Use the BrowseD Server You must configure the init.config file for all machines that will use the BrowseD server to access centralized storage, such as Lustre workstations, slave renderers, or Burn render nodes. Use a text editor to edit the init.
Making BrowseD Directories Accessible from the Lustre Browser When using centralized storage, you must make the directories on the BrowseD server accessible to all Lustre workstations through the browser. You do this by configuring the BrowsedServerGroup keyword in the init.config file. The mapped directory will appear in the Lustre browser.
Using BrowseD for Rendering with Burn for Lustre You must configure the Lustre Render Backburner paths with the IP address of the BrowseD server to use BrowseD to render with Burn for Lustre. To use BrowseD for rendering with Burn for Lustre: 1 In Lustre, open the Setup menu, and select Settings. 2 Select your project from the Project list, and click Edit. 3 Click Project, and set the local project paths. For information on configuring your projects, see the Autodesk Lustre User Guide.
172.17.20.146, the Project_Home path in the Render > Backburner menu should read 172.17.20.146:/mnt/StorageMedia/project/bernice.
Licensing and Starting 5 Node-Locked Licensing About Node-Locked Licenses Node-locked licenses are locked to one computer. ■ All customers receive a temporary node-locked license when they purchase their software. ■ Subscription customers receive a temporary node-locked license when they receive their extension software. All customers must request permanent licenses: ■ Subscription customers have the choice of requesting permanent node-locked or network licenses.
If you are installing the application for the first time, use the following steps to obtain and install license codes. To obtain and install license codes for the application: 1 Request temporary license codes. See Requesting License Codes (page 100). 2 Install the temporary license codes. See Entering License Codes (page 102). 3 Start the application and accept the license agreement. See Starting Lustre for the First Time (page 116). 4 When you receive permanent license codes, install those codes.
TIP You can also start the Wizard manually, from the Autodesk section in the KDE system menu. 3 Select “No, request a License Code”, and click Next. 4 Select Node-Locked License and click Next.
5 Enter your contact information in the license code request form. The host ID and system serial number of your workstation are automatically filled in. 6 Click Next. 7 Log in to support portal: https://edge.autodesk.com/LicenseAssignment. 8 Follow the links to get the a node-locked license. Your license codes are emailed to you. Use the License Wizard to license your application. The Wizard starts automatically when you launch an unlicensed application.
After a few moments, the License Wizard appears. 2 Select “Yes, install the License Code”, and click Next. 3 Select Node-Locked License and click Next.
4 Paste the license codes you received from Autodesk in the next window. NOTE Be very careful to paste the license codes exactly as you have received them. Any incorrect or missing characters will prevent your application from recognizing the license. 5 Click Install to install the license code. Your application is now licensed. NOTE License codes are unique for each workstation, and are tied to the system hardware.
Network Licensing About Network Licenses With a network license, you can deploy your Creative Finishing software on any supported workstation in your facility. A license server manages the number and types of licenses you have available. Network licenses are available only to customers with subscription to Inferno, Flame, Flame Premium, Smoke Advanced, and Lustre Master Station. NOTE Network licenses are also available for Autodesk Flare, Autodesk Burn, and Autodesk Burn for Lustre.
Disadvantage of the Single License Server Model ■ If the single license server fails, the Autodesk product cannot run until the server is back online. Redundant License Server Model In the redundant license server model, you use three Linux servers to authenticate a single license file. One server acts as the master, while the other two provide backup if the master server fails. With this configuration, licenses continue to be monitored and issued as long as at least two servers are still functional.
NOTE To see if you already have a license server running on a machine, open a Terminal, login as root, and type: chkconfig --list | grep lic 2 Install the license server software. See Installing the License Server Software (page 108). 3 Get the dlhostid of your license server. See Getting the Unique Host ID of the License Server (page 109). 4 Get your license codes using the Autodesk M&E Creative Finishing Edge support portal: https://edge.autodesk.com/LicenseAssignment.
5 Create the workstation license /usr/local/flexlm/licenses/DL_licenseNetwork.dat. Copy and paste the SERVER, VENDOR, and USE_SERVER lines from the license you received from Autodesk. See Creating the License File for the Workstation to Use Redundant License Servers (page 112). 6 Create the license file /usr/discreet/licserv/licenses/DL_license.dat on each license server. Copy and paste the entire license you received from Autodesk into the each license file.
Getting the Unique Host ID of a License Server To obtain license codes for Creative Finishing software, you must obtain the unique host ID of the license server. This ID is used to confirm your Creative Finishing Software license and issue license codes. NOTE For a redundant network license server configuration, you must get the unique host ID of all license servers.
Licensing the Workstation with a Local or Single Remote License Server After you receive your license for a local or a single remote license server from Autodesk, use the license wizard to license to license your workstation. NOTE For a redundant network license server configuration, you must create the license files for the workstation and license server manually.
Ensure the servername (in the first row) is replaced with the actual name of the computer your license server is on. 7 Click Install. If you installed a local license server, restart the license server. See Starting the License Server (page 114). If you are setting up a remote license server, see Creating a License File for a Remote License Server (page 111). Creating a License File for a Remote License Server After you receive your license codes, edit the /usr/discreet/licserv/licenses/DL_license.
5 Enter the information provided by Autodesk in this file. It should be similar to the following shortened example: SERVER server DLHOST01=886C2B75E8E57E4B03D784C3A2100AC0 NOTE If you are setting up redundant a network license, there are three SERVER strings. VENDOR discreet_l USE_SERVER FEATURE flameEDU_x86_64_b_2011_1 2011.99 02-oct-2010 \ NOTE If you are working in an existing DL_license.
SERVER host03 DLHOST01=886C2B75E8E57E4B03D784C3A2100AC2 27005 VENDOR discreet_l USE_SERVER INCREMENT flameEDU_x86_64_b_2011_1 2011.99 02-oct-2010 \ 6 Save and close the file. This file sets up the floating licenses available for distribution by the license server to the Creative Finishing workstations on your network.
4 Enter a different port at the end of the SERVER line. The license server can use a default port number in the range of 27000-27009. For example, to use port 62222, add 62222 to the end of the line: SERVER server DLHOST01=886C2B75E8E57E4B03D784C3A2100AC0 62222 5 Save and close the file. 6 Verify that the new port settings are correct. Type the following commands: /etc/init.d/license_server stop /etc/init.d/license_server start cat /usr/discreet/licserv/log/license_server.
WARNING The license server cannot start unless the license is entered correctly in DL_license.dat. Check the boot.log file to make sure the license server is started and working properly. NOTE The license server starts/stops automatically when the machine is booted/shut down. You can stop and restart the server manually by running one of the following commands: /etc/init.d/license_server stop /etc/init.
3 (Optional) To view the License Agreement in another language, click a language tab at the bottom of the License Agreement window. The localized version of the License Agreement appears in a new window. 4 Read the text carefully, and click I Accept if you agree to all the terms in the License Agreement. The Project Management menu appears. 5 Use the Project Management menu to create a project and a user. For information on creating projects and users, see the application Help. 6 Click Start or press Enter.
Lustre starts. The license you installed determines the type of station you are using (Lustre Master Station or Lustre Station). When the Lustre UI appears, you can begin working. For a new project, this includes: ■ Creating the project and setting its parameters (such as logarithmic or linear colour space). ■ Specifying the location of footage. ■ Setting up user profiles. NOTE For information on creating projects and users, see the “Project Management” topic in the Lustre Help.
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6 Advanced Configuration and Troubleshooting Visual Effects and Finishing Configuration Files Overview Configuration files are ASCII text files that define the working environment for your application. Keywords in the configuration files define certain global and project-specific parameters such as I/O devices, workstation display settings, project environment directory paths, framerate, timecode, and colour space. You can open a configuration file using any text editor, such as kedit.
About the Software Initialisation Configuration File The software initialisation configuration file (by default, /usr/discreet//cfg/init.cfg) is parsed when you launch the software. Keywords in the configuration file define parameters such as I/O devices, peripherals, workstation display settings, and environment directory paths. These parameters are independent of the project you select from the Project Management menu when you begin a session.
Sample Software Initialisation Configuration Files The Visual Effects and Finishing application installation packages come with sample software initialisation configuration files for the usual needs of working with NTSC, PAL, HDTV, or film material. These samples are located in the /usr/discreet//cfg/linux-x86_64/sample directory. You should never edit the sample configuration files.
Updating the Software Initialisation Configuration File The xxdiff utility is normally used during software installation to transfer facility-specific modifications in a customized software initialization configuration file from an earlier application version to the current one. The following procedure describes how to manually run xxdiff to compare old and new configuration files. While you may never need to do this, this procedure can be useful for troubleshooting problems in your facility.
3 For each highlighted difference, click the line that you want to keep: ■ To keep the setting in the old configuration file, click the line in the left window. ■ To keep the setting in the new configuration file, click the line in the right window. Highlighted lines change colour when you click them. You must select a line in the left or right window for each difference detected by xxdiff.
TIP This directory contains an extensive list of templates for all supported display environments, some of which may not be suitable for your workflow. To make template selection easier, use the mkdir command to create a directory called unused in the directory /usr/discreet//cfg/linux-x86_64/template. Use the mv command to move templates you do not use to this folder. When you use the Create Project menu, only those templates that remain will be available.
The configuration file template: Sets parameters for projects to work with: 1920x1080@5994i_free.cfg 1920x1080@6000i_free.cfg 1280x720@5994p.cfg 1280x720@6000p.cfg 1920x1080@23976psf.cfg 1920x1080@24000psf.cfg 1920x1080@25000psf.cfg 1920x1080@50i.cfg 1920x1080@5994i.cfg 1920x1080@6000i.cfg The corresponding HD standard on workstations. The external sync source corresponds with the HD format.
Project configuration templates with the following string in their name: Correspond to the following HD format: 1920x1080@25000psf 1920x1080 progressive segmented frames at 25 frames per second (1080/25psf, SMPTE-274M, RP-211) 1920x1080@50i 1920x1080 interlaced scan at 50 fields per second (1080/50i, SMPTE274M) 1920x1080@5994i 1920x1080 interlaced scan at 59.94 fields per second (1080/59.
Software Initialisation File Keywords This section describes each keyword in the software initialisation configuration file /usr/discreet//cfg/init.cfg. DiskHealthNotify The DiskHealthNotify keyword defines an e-mail address to which a message is sent if any framestore disk health problems occur. Only one address can be listed. The mailer daemon for the workstation must also be properly configured for notification e-mails to be sent.
■ Your system fails due to memory panic. The MemoryApplication keyword uses the following syntax MemoryApplication where is the amount of memory dedicated to the corresponding token, in megabytes. Example of use MemoryApplication 400 Working with 4K 12-bit Film Even with the recommended amount of RAM, working with 4K 12-bit film puts great demands on memory management. Set the RAM allocated for buffering frames to between 2000 and 4000.
Make sure no other applications are running. If memory panic still occurs, lower the amount of memory allocated to frame buffers. Remember that overriding the default memory management configuration is only required under these specific conditions. If your system experiences problems related to memory management under normal conditions, contact . Video The Video keyword initialises the video device and specifies the video input type.
DviRamp The DviRamp keyword enables control of the Miranda DVI-Ramp external device. The DVI-Ramp outputs a standard definition serial digital video signal (SMPTE-259M-C) or a high-definition serial digital video signal (SMPTE-292M). NOTE Enable this keyword only if you are using the Miranda DVI-Ramp external device. The DviRamp keyword is automatically commented out if the application installation script detects a NVIDIA® SDI card connected to the system.
VideoPreviewDevice The VideoPreviewDevice keyword specifies the device used for the graphics-to-video display. Specify entries for the resolutions of the projects on which you will be working as well as the resolutions supported by your hardware configuration. The init.cfg file contains all supported tokens for the VideoPreviewDevice keyword. The project configuration file will determine which one of these should be enabled for a given project.
Where: Is: The refresh rate of the corresponding resolution. The reference sync. Set to 601sync when you are using NTSC or PAL timing and you are connected to an external sync generator. Set to DTVsync when you are using HD timing and you are connected to an external sync generator. Set to freesync when you are not connected to a sync generator. , The horizontal and vertical offset of the video sent to the broadcast monitor relative to the graphics display.
TabletDriver The TabletDriver keyword identifies the tablet driver. Only Wacom® Intuos-series USB tablets are currently supported. The TabletDriver keyword uses the following syntax TabletDriver wacom MidiDevice The MidiDevice keyword identifies MIDI devices that are used with Autodesk Visual Effects and Finishing systems. Only one device is recognized at a time.
Example of use MidiDevice myMidiDevice, midi_LUCID_ADA8824_A232, /dev/ttyS1, direct_RS232, 9600, NOPARITY Vtr The Vtr keyword identifies video tape recorders that can be used for clip I/O. You can uncomment VTRs of different video formats. Any enabled VTR can be selected for a project, regardless of the project's video I/O timings. You can also use the Vtr keyword to identify supported High-Speed Dual-Link (HSDL) devices for clip I/O, such as telecines.
Where: Is: The mode that indicates whether colourspace conversion and/or headroom is required for clip I/O. See Configuring Colourspace Conversion for Device I/O (page 136). The video output type. Set to Serial1 to output using a single-link (4:2:2) connection to a device. Set to SerialDual to output using a dual-link (4:4:4) connection to a device. The sync source used for clip output.
Where: Is: directly to cue the VTR. Use vtrff if using vtrcueing causes the VTR to react slowly when cued, such as with a Betacam SP™. The delay in milliseconds after a vertical sync, before requesting the VTR timecode. This value should only be set or changed with the help of technical support. NOTE The value '99' is a special case to be used strictly with HDCAMSR/720P and AJA. It is not to be used in other circumstances unless specified by technical support.
device. The following table shows the colourspace conversion methods that are available for single-link and for dual-link I/O connections.
Where: Is: The video resolution and timing of the VTR to be emulated. The colourspace mode for video transfers. The video output format. For a list of the video formats supported by your workstation, see Video (page 129). The source used to synchronize the video output. By default, this value is set to Autodetect. The serial port to which the VTR control cable is connected.
AudioDevice where can only be AJA. AJA specifies that the audio subsystem is part of the AJA audio/video I/O device, respectively. Note that for the audio to work, the Video keyword must be configured with the corresponding video device. Example of use Audiodevice AJA ClipMgtDevice The ClipMgtDevice keyword defines the devices used for archiving.
Example of use ClipMgtDevice Vtr, 01:00:00:00 ClipMgtDevice HDCAM To archive to a Sony HDCAM VTR, you must use the ClipMgtDevice HDCAM keyword and not the ClipMgtDevice Vtr keyword. The ClipMgtDevice HDCAM keyword adjusts the metadata encoding mechanism to account for the compression method used by the HDCAM VTR. The ClipMgtDevice HDCAM keyword contains an optional start timecode parameter: ■ If you specify a default start timecode for HDCAM VTR archiving, the specified timecode is always used.
ClipMgtDevice Tape, , [, [ Where: Is: The filename of the fixed block size device. The amount of data per block written to tape. The name of the tape device as it will appear in the Archive menu.
Example of use ClipMgtDevice File, /var/tmp/archive, 1024 MaxLibrarySize The MaxLibrarySize keyword indicates the maximum size for any single clip library, in megabytes. The higher the value, the more memory the application uses. Using a larger value reduces memory fragmentation, which optimizes memory use. However, the value should not be so high as to compromise system performance. The software also uses this keyword to determine whether there is enough free hard drive space available at start-up.
The ArchiveLibrary keyword uses the following syntax ArchiveLibrary where is the path to which online HTML and ASCII tables of contents are saved. Example of use ArchiveLibrary /usr/discreet/archive SetupArchiveTape The SetupArchiveTape keyword identifies the device to which setup information for an archived project is saved. A project's setups are saved as a .tar format archive, creating a single file that can be extracted, preserving the original directory structure.
Example of use Menu ~/menu, menu where the ~ in the directory path stands for /usr/discreet/. Model The Model keyword specifies where 3D models used by Action are stored. Example of use Model ~/dve where the ~ in the directory path stands for /usr/discreet/. HtmlTemplates The HtmlTemplates keyword specifies where HTML templates used for archive online tables of contents are stored.
TextDefaultFont The TextDefaultFont keyword sets the default font for the Text, Paint, and Action modules. The TextDefaultFont keyword uses the following syntax TextDefaultFont where is the name of the font you want to set as the default. Example of use TextDefaultFont Discreet FontDPSBase The FontDPSBase keyword identifies the directory in which PostScript® fonts are stored.
FontDPSAFM The FontDPSAFM keyword identifies the directory in which font metrics are stored. Font metrics provide information about each font that improves kerning. At initialisation, the application creates links in the directory /usr/discreet/font that point to font metric files in the directory identified by this keyword. The FontDPSAFM keyword uses the following syntax FontDPSAFM where identifies the directory in which font metrics are stored.
FontProxyLowString [, ...] Where: Is: The Unicode value associated with the character that you want to display. ... Up to four (for a total of five) more Unicode values for the font proxy string. Example of use FontProxyLowString 0x41, 0x61 This example displays the default proxy string, “Aa”. FontProxyHighString The FontProxyHighString keyword, along with the FontProxyLowString keword, specifies which characters to draw in font proxies. By default, the proxy string is “Aa”.
This example displays the Japanese “Hiragana A” and “Katakana A” characters. TextFileEncoding The TextFileEncoding keyword is the list of file encodings that will be supported for importing text files. The encoding must be supported for “iconv”. To get the list of supported encodings, type iconv -l in a terminal. NOTE The current local encoding and UCS-2 unicode encoding are always included by default.
Image Format Extension Pixar picio Sgi® sgi Softimage® pic Targa® tga Maya® iff Tiff tif Wavefront® rla Photoshop® psd OpenEXR exr REDCODE RAW r3d Quicktime® mov MXF mxf MPEG-4 mp4 Audio File Extensions This list defines the supported audio file formats that the application can input or output.
format when you use the file browser. This list may be edited to suit your particular needs. Audio Format Extension AIFF (standard) aiff AIFFC (extended) aifc Sun au Microsoft® wav Berkeley (BSD) bsf AVR (Audio Visual Research) avr MPEG-1 Layer3 mp3 DefaultWebBrowser The DefaultWebBrowser keyword identifies the Web browser used by the application to browse the Help and view HTML tables of contents for archives.
network in your facility or will be using Cleaner® XL to encode jobs exported from the application. All four BackburnerManager keywords must be set correctly for jobs to be sent to the rendering network. ■ It enables the Background Wire® and Background Proxies buttons in the application; they are otherwise greyed out. Uncomment the BackburnerManagerHostName keyword to enable the buttons.
BackburnerManagerGroup The BackburnerManagerGroup keyword defines the group of machines to which jobs created in your software application will be submitted. Enable this keyword if you are running an Autodesk Backburner background processing network in your facility or will be using Cleaner XL to encode jobs exported from the application. All four BackburnerManager keywords must be set correctly for jobs to be sent to the rendering network.
render node. The GPU-equipped render nodes will render jobs that require a GPU, as well as OSMesa jobs. NOTE If your rendering network also contains render nodes without a GPU, but the BackburnerManagerGroupCapability keyword is incorrectly set to gpu, all jobs are sent only to GPU-equipped render nodes, and the nodes without a GPU are never used. ■ If your rendering network contains a mix of nodes with GPUs and without GPUs, set the keyword to hybrid.
NOTE Make sure the folder to which the path points exists and is accessible from the Windows workstation where Cleaner XL jobs will be encoded. Also make sure that this folder has write privileges and has enough space to accommodate encoded jobs. Example of use CleanerDestinationPath C:\Cleaner\exported LogDailyReports The LogDailyReports keyword specifies the number of application log files that are kept.
where is set to either ShowMounted or ShowAll. Use: To: ShowMounted Show only framestores verified as both mounted and available on the Wire network. ShowAll Show all framestores available on the network without first checking whether they are mounted. Using this option slightly reduces the time needed for your application to start because no further checks are performed on remote framestores.
Timecode [, DF] Where: Is: One of the following timecode formats: 23.976, 24, 25, 29.97, 30, 50, 59.94, or 60. DF An optional parameter indicating drop-frame timecode for 29.97 or 59.94 fps timecode formats. Examples of use Timecode Format Keyword Example 30 fps Timecode 30 29.97 fps (drop frame) Timecode 29.97, DF ColourSpace The ColourSpace keyword defines how RGB/YUV conversions are handled. By default, for NTSC or PAL projects, the ITU-R BT.601-5 colour space is used.
Hires The Hires keyword sets the refresh rate of the graphics monitor. Note the following when setting the refresh rate: ■ The rate is measured in Hertz (Hz). ■ When using the video card in conjunction with an external sync source, the refresh rate should match the framerate. ■ If you are using a non-integer framerate (for example, 29.97), set the refresh rate to the nearest integer (in the previous example, 30).
Project Resolution Keyword Example Custom Hires Custom, 30Hz VideoPreviewWindow The VideoPreviewWindow keyword is used when using a Miranda DVI-Ramp device. It locates a preview device that has a matching size and refresh rate in the VideoPreviewDevice list specified in the init.cfg configuration file.
The ArchiveLibrary keyword uses the following syntax ArchiveLibrary where is the path to which online HTML and ASCII tables of contents are saved. Example of use ArchiveLibrary /usr/discreet/archive Environment Directory Environment directory keywords specify the paths to directories containing resources for all projects. For example, the LUTs that Autodesk provides are located in the directory /usr/discreet//lut.
Resource Path Resource File Extension Axis ~/axis .dve Batch ~/batch .batch BatchClip ~/batchclip .clip Blur ~/blur .blur Burnin ~/burnin .burnin ColourCurves ~/ccurves .ccurves ColourFrame ~/colourframe .col Colour Warper ~/colourwarper .cw Composite ~/composite .composite Compound ~/compound .compound Correct ~/correct .correct Cutout ~/paint/cutout .sgi Deal ~/deal .deal DeGrain ~/degrain .degrain DeInterlace ~/deinterlace .deinterlace Desktop ~/desktop .
Resource Path Resource File Extension Dissolve ~/dissolve .dissolve Distort ~/distort .distort Documentation ~/documentation .pdf DVE ~/dve .dve Edge ~/edge .edge EDL ~/edl .edl Export ~/export .export ExprUserFun ~/expressions/userfun .expressions FieldMerge ~/fieldmerge .fieldmerge Filter ~/filter .filter FilmCompress ~/filmcompress .compress FilmExpand ~/filmexpand .expand Flip ~/flip .flip Geometry (Paint) ~/paint/geometry .geom GMask ~/gmask .
Resource Path Resource File Extension HotKey ~/hotkey .hotkey Image ~/images See Image File Extensions (page 148). Import ~/import .import Interlace ~/interlace .interlace Key ~/key .key Keyer3d ~/keyer3d .key3d LensDistort ~/lensDistort .lensDistort Letterbox ~/letterbox .letterbox LogicOp ~/logicop .logicop Lumkey ~/lumkey .lumkey Lut ~/lut .lut Mask (Paint) ~/paint/mask .sgi MasterKeyer ~/masterkeyer .mkeyer Mix ~/mix .mix Moncal ~/monitor .
Resource Path Resource File Extension Morf ~/morf .morf MotionAnalyse ~/motionAnalyse .motionAnalyse MotionBlur ~/motionBlur .motionBlur NormalMap ~/normalmap .normalmap Note ~/note .note Omf® ~/images .omf Optics ~/optics .optics Output ~/output .output Paint ~/paint .paintnode.xml Picture ~/paint/picture .sgi Play ~/play N/A Posterize ~/posterize .posterize Pulldown ~/pulldown .pulldown QComp ~/quickcomp .qcomp ReGrain ~/regrain .regrain Repeat ~/repeat .
Resource Path Resource File Extension Restore ~/filmrestore .restore Spark ~/sparks .spark Stabilizer ~/stabilizer .stabilizer Text ~/text .ttg Timewarp ~/timewarp .timewarp VectorViewer ~/vectorViewer .vectorViewer Wipe ~/wipe .
When you log into a particular project in Lustre for the first time, Lustre creates the Context.config file, where represents the user name associated with the user profile. The context file is found in the .../projects// directory. The context keywords include some attributes not defined in the Project or User configuration settings. They are saved and reloaded each time the context (same user and project) applies.
Configuration file Default Location Description Context.config /usr/autodesk/projects//Context.config This file stores several settings relevant to the context of a particular user working on a particular project. The purpose of storing context-specific information is that there are some parameter settings that, by their nature, are more likely to be needed in the next session, but that are not configurable in the Project Management pages.
Parameter Data type Default Function String [LUSTRE_HOME]/lut Defines the location of the LUTs. NOTE If you a re configuring a Slave Renderer system, and [LUSTRE_HOME] is located on a mounted network drive, make sure you use the full UNC path of the network folder instead of the mapped drive letter. String String String [LUSTRE_HOME]/presets [LUSTRE_HOME]/plugins [LUSTRE_HOME]/templates Defines the location of the presets.
Parameter Data type Default Function String On Defines the location of the Lustre Help that is opened by the Help button and shortcut. Lustre Help is web-based by default. String Defines the default location for Lustre Help when it is installed locally.
Parameter Data type Default Function (within ) String 0.0.0.0 The IP address or DNS host name for a specific Wiretap Gateway server. (within ) String 0.0.0.0 Allows you to map hostnames to IP addresses, as well as to define path translation rules. Float 1.
Parameter Data type Default Function tem & Menu Settings” in the “Project Management” chapter of the Autodesk Lustre User Guide). function=”0” grading=”0” navigation=”0” function=”101” grading=”100” navigation=”102” The ID numbers for the Function, Navigation, and Grading panels of the ACS. You must manually configure these keywords. If your control surface is a Tangent CP100, Lustre does not use these keywords.
Parameter Data type Default Function State Off Switch to ON if the networking protocol to use with BrowseD is the InfiniBand. Integer 0 Integer 0 (within ) String 0.0.0.0 Defines the IP address or DNS host name for a specific BrowseD server. String The IP address or DNS host name for a specific Slave Renderer machine.
Parameter Data type Default Function Name “AliasName” type=”s” Specifies the XML metadata field to be used by the Custom match option selected from the Browse menu. “s” represents string. Name “DPXTimeCode” type=”tc” “tc” represents timecode. Name “DPXkeycode” type=”kk” “kk” represents keycode. Name “DPXTapeNAME” type=”s” “s” represents string. Name “EDLReelName” type=”s” “s” represents string.
Parameter Data type Default Function Integer 2 Delays all the lead-ins following the SD first shot. Integer 0 Corrects the delay after the SD third shot. Integer 0 Sets the delay for the HD first leadin. Integer 0 Delays all the lead-ins following the HD first shot. Integer 0 Corrects the delay after the HD third shot.
Parameter Data type Default Function WARNING Turning this keyword on can alter playback performance. State On State Off Integer 0 Integer 2048 Float -1 Integer 0 Enumerated (abstract data) Off Float 1.0 Float 1.0 Integer 0 Available for Incinerator® only.
Parameter Data type Default Function NOTE Be sure to enable only the Record button within the Match Option when performing a change cut or match grade. State On "On" enables the first animation keyframe to load on the first frame of the shot. "Off" enables the first keyframe to be loaded according to the source frame number (and thus load with the offset).
Parameter Data type Default Function String One Sequence render mode file path and token based naming convention. String Source Grade render mode file path and token based naming convention. String Stereoscopic Normal render mode file path and token based naming convention. String Stereoscopic No Shot Id render mode file path and token based naming convention.
Parameter Data type Default Function for file numbering) for the One Sequence render mode. String Defines the padding of the file name (the number of digits used for file numbering) for the Source Grade render mode. String Defines the padding of the file name (the number of digits used for file numbering) for the Streroscopic Normal render mode.
Parameter Data type Default Function Dump.log is located in the Lustre home folder. Use this keyword for debugging only. Name Various film types for AGFA, Kodak™, Eastman, and Fuji emulsions. It defines the relationship between the DPX film emulsion code and the DPX film code number. Visual Effects and Finishing Command Line Startup Options Overview There are a number of options you can use with the application start-up command under special circumstances.
Media Storage-Related Start-up Options The following table lists the start-up options that enable you to initialize the storage, delete clips from a project, or troubleshoot missing frames. Type: To: -v Initialise the media storage volume (all projects). WARNING When you use the -v option, all data on the storage is deleted, with no possibility of recovery. NOTE Initialising the storage also removes all audio clips from the project. -H Specify the remote host name. -V Specify the media storage name.
Type: To: you do not use this option, the application looks first for init.cfg, and if that is not found, it looks for flame.cfg, inferno.cfg, smoke.cfg, or conform.cfg. -J Define the project that appears in the Project Management menu when you start the application, where is the name of the project you want to use. If you start the application with both the -J and -U options, the application bypasses the Project Management menu.
Type: To: -l Append the current session to the existing log file. (See description of the log file above.) -M Define the amount of memory assigned to frame buffering. This option overrides the default settings, or if it has been uncommented, the value set by the MemoryApplication keyword in the init.cfg file. -p On multi-processor machines, start the application using less than the full array of processors, where is the number of processors to be used.
to as “hooks”. You can enter Python commands directly inside these functions, or use the functions to call an external script or executable. NOTE To be able to run shell commands or external script using the os.system Python statement, add the following line in the hook.py script, before the definition of the first hook: import os Note the following about hook functions: ■ Functions in hook.py receive certain predefined parameters from the application.
This function receives the following parameter from the application. projectName A string that specifies the name of the loaded project. For example, My Project. Usage example: def projectChanged(projectName): print projectName When the project is changed in the application, this example function outputs the name of the project in the application terminal.
def previewWindowConfigChanged(description,width,height,bitDepth,rateString,syncString): print os.system(“/usr/bin/mySyncChangeScript --sync=”+syncString) When the video preview timing is changed in the application, this example function calls a custom external script, mySyncChangeScript, and passes the sync value to it. That external script could use the sync value, for example, to trigger a sync change on the sync generator. The output of the external script is displayed in the application terminal.
2 Go to the directory /usr/discreet/DKU/current/Utils/Storage/current/, and run the XR Configuration Utility by typing: ./XR_config.pl The utility detects whether a LUN configuration exists on the storage attached to that workstation. 3 If a LUN configuration already exists on the storage, you are prompted for confirmation to overwrite that configuration. WARNING LUN configuration is destructive. Make sure you want to overwrite an existing configuration before you confirm.
On storage arrays with 450 GB drives, use the parted utility to create GPT (GUID Partition Table) type partitions. On arrays with smaller drives, use the fdisk utility to create Linux LVM type partitions. NOTE Make sure you do not re-partition the system drive or any other disks that you want to preserve as they are. Partitioning destroys all data on the disks. To partition disk or LUN devices with 450 GB drives or larger: 1 Reboot your system to reload the fibre channel adapter drivers.
that is part of the storage array. Type the following command for each LUN device: dd if=/dev/zero of= count=4096 Where is the device name of a LUN in your storage array, such as /dev/sdc. WARNING When using the dd command, be very careful to not delete your system drive (usually /dev/sda) or any other drive aside from the LUNs in your storage array. 5 Use the fdisk command to re-partition each disk device identified in the previous step. Start the fdisk utility for the LUN.
12 Type w to save the new partition table. 13 Repeat steps 2 through 9 for each disk or LUN device identified in step 1. Assembling the Disk or LUN Devices into a Logical Volume After you have formatted each disk or LUN device as a partition, you must assemble the LUNs into a single logical volume on which you create the XFS filesystem. This procedure does not cover creating fault-tolerance and assumes that the LUNs are RAID-protected, as is the case with Stone Direct XR-series arrays.
pvcreate /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdc1 /dev/sdd1 /dev/sde1 The physical volumes are created, and the command output should be similar to the following example: Physical volume "/dev/sdb1" successfully created Physical volume "/dev/sdc1" successfully created Physical volume "/dev/sdd1" successfully created Physical volume "/dev/sde1" successfully created TIP You can use the command pvremove to delete any erroneously entered devices. 3 Verify that the physical volumes were initialized correctly.
Free PE / Size 2124556 / 8.10 TB 6 Create a new logical volume on “vg00”, using the following command: lvcreate -l -i <#_of_physical_volumes> -I 32 -n lvol1 vg00 where is the “Free PE” value you noted in the preceding step and <#_of_physical_volumes> is the number of physical volumes.
meta-data=/dev/vg00/lvol1 blks = agcount=128, agsize=1066667 sectsz=512 attr=0 data = imaxpct=25 = unwritten=1...
NOTE If the command fails, redo your calculations starting from step 1. 5 Verify that the storage can be mounted by typing one of the following commands: ■ For HP Z800 systems: mount /mnt/StorageMedia ■ For older systems: mount /mnt/stoneMedia The storage should mount, as the DKU installation script should have created the mount point directory for your storage (/mnt/StorageMedia on HP Z800 workstations, or /mnt/stoneMedia on older workstations), as well as the corresponding entry in the /etc/fstab file.
/dev/mapper/vg00-lvol1 814G 547G 267G 68% /mnt/StorageMedia 4 Using a text editor, add an entry in the /etc/fstab file so that the filesystem gets mounted automatically at startup. For example: /dev/vg00/lvol1 /mnt/StorageMedia xfs rw,noatime,inode64 5 Optional: Confirm that the filesystem can mount automatically by rebooting the workstation and using the command df -h again.
Configuring the Path Translation Database The path translation service uses a translation database. The path translation database contains a set of rules that specify how to convert (or “translate”) a file path referred to by a source workstation (the host running the Wiretap server) into a path that the client can understand. These rules are contained in the /usr/discreet/wiretap/cfg/sw_wiretap_path_translation_db.xml file on each Autodesk Creative Finshing workstation.
To restart Stone and Wire manually, type: /etc/init.d/stone+wire restart Stone and Wire restarts. About XML Syntax You must respect XML syntax standards when editing the path translation file. For example, the values assigned to attributes must not include ampersands (&) or left angle brackets (<) in their literal form. All instances of these characters, except left and right angle brackets used to delimit XML tags, should be replaced with & and < respectively.
Attribute Description dst_path The path to the remote storage as referred to by the destination host (or hosts, when mapping a group). Example:
Attribute Description os This attribute is optional. It allows you to link all of the hosts in the group to a single operating system. You can then use a platform rule to map all the hosts in a group to the same mount point. The os attribute is restricted to the following values: Linux, Windows NT, and MacOSX.
Creating a Rule for a Group of Hosts Running on the Same Operating System The platform rule is similar to the group rule in that the rule is applied to all hosts running the same operating system. All hosts running the same operating system must mount directories using exactly the same syntax. For example, all Windows workstations must mount the NAS on the N:\ mount point to use the same path translation rule for the NAS.
Sharing the Database Among Multiple Wiretap Servers When you have many Wiretap servers, you must update the path translation database on each server every time there is a change to the network configuration. To simplify the management of the database, you can create a symbolic link from the path translation file on all hosts running the Wiretap server to one machine that contains the actual file.
To test the path translation database: 1 Change to the Stone and Wire tools directory: cd /usr/discreet/sw/tools 2 Type the sw_wiretap_translate_path command with the appropriate options. For example, suppose you have a SAN mounted as “/CXFS1” on your Flame workstation (flame1). A Windows PC (windows1) will mount the SAN as “N:\”.
■ Concurrent I/O and metadata operations ■ Number of I/O threads and processes in use at a given time NOTE Standard filesystems tuned for a specific file format can under-perform for other file formats. For instance, a filesystem optimized and capable of delivering real-time performance for 2K 10-bit DPX files delivers lower real-time performance for SD media.
Controlling Fragmentation Filesystem fragmentation is directly related to the amount of mixing and interleaving of blocks of data of different sizes, and is aggravated by multiple I/O clients concurrently writing data to the partition.
decrease the bandwidth available to your Visual Effects and Finishing application and also contribute to filesystem fragmentation. NOTE Unlike direct attached storage (DAS), a Storage Area Network (SAN) is typically designed to handle concurrent usage and will perform better under such situations.
Each partition managed by the Bandwidth Manager must have a [Device] section associated to it in the /usr/discreet/sw/cfg/sw_bwmgr.cfg file. To add a new device to the Bandwidth Manager: 1 Open the /usr/discreet/sw/cfg/sw_bwmgr.cfg file in a text editor. 2 Add a new [Device] section at the end of the file, using the following syntax: TIP You may also copy and paste an existing [Device] section, and change its parameters.
NOTE The total bandwidth parameters are estimates of the theoretical maximum bandwidth of the partition. The actual bandwidth is affected by several factors, including multiple applications trying to concurrently read or write to it. The Bandwidth Manager continuously measures partition performance and dynamically maintains the actual total available bandwidth for each partition.
In the following example, low-bandwidth values are not specified in the Bandwidth Manager configuration file. The diagram illustrates the way the Bandwidth Manger redistributes device bandwidth in such a case, as the total available bandwidth decreases from 800 MB/s to 420 MB/s and then to 320 MB/s. Note how bandwidth is proportionally reduced for all processes.
MB/s for Wire). The diagram illustrates the way the Bandwidth Manger redistributes device bandwidth as the total available bandwidth decreases from 800 MB/s to 420 MB/s and then to 320 MB/s. Note how the Bandwidth Manager keeps the bandwidth for each application at the low bandwidth watermark. When total available device bandwidth falls under the sum of the low bandwidth watermarks, the Bandwidth Manager decreases bandwidth for all processes proportionally towards zero.
Perform the steps in the procedure below to set up an optimal bandwidth reservation for the local application, as well as for remote workstations, based on your system configuration. To set up bandwidth reservation: 1 Open a terminal and log in as root. 2 Open the /usr/discreet/sw/cfg/sw_bwmgr.cfg file in a text editor. 3 Locate the [Device] section that corresponds to the standard filesystem partition (by default [Device0]), and uncomment it if it is commented out.
If the device bandwidth keeps degrading, then the bandwidth manager starts reducing bandwidth proportionally from the low-bandwidth values towards zero for all applications. ■ represents the minimum writing bandwidth required by the application, expressed in megabytes per second. If more bandwidth is available on the device, the Bandwidth Manager gives the application as much bandwidth as possible.
To set up bandwidth reservation for a group of applications: 1 Open the /usr/discreet/sw/cfg/sw_bwmgr.cfg file in a text editor. 2 In the [Groups] section, add a line for each group of applications you want to define. The syntax of the line is as follows: = where: ■ is the custom name of the group. The group name must not contain spaces and must not be the same as one of the predefined application names.
Archive and delete projects as often as possible to free up space on your disk array. Alternatively, you may use the previously described steps to reinitialise your partition, making sure that you restore from archive only the projects you need to work on. NOTE For an XFS filesystem on XR-series disk arrays, keep the partition fill rate below 90% for best performance.
Your Visual Effects and Finishing applications use multi-threaded asynchronous direct I/O when capturing, playing back, and performing other I/O intensive operations. Make sure that any third-party application you use in conjunction with your Visual Effects and Finishing application or to handle your media files uses direct I/O. This prevents needless CPU-intensive in-memory data copying, thus maintaining optimum storage performance and freeing resources for your Visual Effects and Finishing application.
2 Uncomment the Preallocation parameter in the section that configures the respective partition (for example [Partition7]). 3 Change the parameter value from the default NONE to the pre-allocation method you want to use. For example: Preallocation=RESERVE 4 Save the configuration file and restart Stone and Wire. NOTE If you are using XFS and unwritten extent flagging was disabled when creating the filesystem, the RESERVE pre-allocation method is not available for it.
For example, to test read performances for 10-bit HD on the partition7: ./sw_io_perf_tool -p 7 -v HDTV -d 10 You may also use sw_io_perf_tool with custom resolutions. For example, to test read performances for frames with a width of 1600 pixels and a height of 900 pixels: .
Visual Effects and Finishing Troubleshooting General Application Troubleshooting Procedures Forcing an Application to Exit If a Visual Effects and Finishing application hangs, but you can still interact with the operating system, you can terminate it using either a custom command alias for your application, or the generic Linux kill command in conjunction with the application’s process ID. WARNING These procedures should only be used if the application is hung or otherwise not responding.
WARNING Never restart an application if there are still processes left over from a previous session. If some processes persist after using the kill alias, perform the following procedure to kill them individually. Killing Processes Individually Use the kill Linux command to kill processes individually, using their process ID number. To kill processes individually: 1 Press Alt+F3 to send the application to the background.
When troubleshooting storage or wire issues, you should always start by verifying that Stone and Wire processes are running properly, and by checking the log files. Verifying that Stone and Wire Processes Are Running There are five processes that must be running for Stone and Wire to work: ■ sw_serverd ■ sw_probed ■ sw_dbd ■ sw_bwmgr ■ ifffsWiretapServer. This process is started by the sw_wiretapd script.
Starting Stone and Wire Processes All Stone and Wire processes should start when you restart your system. If they are not running, check that they are configured to run and then restart Stone and Wire. To start Stone and Wire processes, you must modify a text file listing all processes. To start Stone and Wire processes: 1 Use a text editor to open the Stone and Wire configuration file /etc/sysconfig/stone+wire.
ls -altr Enabling Verbose Stone and Wire Driver Error Reporting Use the swr_set_debug utility to enable verbose reporting of Stone and Wire driver errors. When you turn on error reporting, Stone and Wire outputs error messages in the following locations: ■ /var/log/messages ■ Console window NOTE You must disable verbose error reporting after you have finished troubleshooting. The messages generated by this process can fill up the system drive.
WARNING: frames are missing on this volume; see the application installation guide for corrective measures. Where represents the number of missing frames, and can be stonefs or standardfs. ■ In the application start-up screen: VOLUMEMGT: WARNING: Some frames not found;see the application installation guide for corrective measures. NOTE By default, the message only appears in the terminal. To have it appear also in the start-up screen, open the ~/.
2 Depending on the result of the previous command, do one of the following: ■ For clips with frames listed as missing, contact your local Autodesk support representative for help on resolving this issue. ■ For clips with frames listed as remote, perform the following procedure. To recover remote frames: 1 Archive all clip libraries that are reported as containing remote frames. In the previous example, the fourth library (from_caplan) contains remote frames.
To scan your storage hardware: 1 Unload the Stone and Wire driver. Type: /etc/init.d/stone+wire unload 2 Unload and reload the fibre channel drivers. Type one of the following sequence of commands, according to your fiber channel card model.
To use the sw_df command to see if the filesystem is full: 1 Go to the Stone and Wire directory /usr/discreet/sw and run sw_df: ./sw_df This command returns the amount of free or used space on your filesystem. If your filesystem is full or almost full, consider deleting or archiving older material from clip libraries to free disk space. NOTE VTR archiving in Visual Effects and Finishing applications requires free space on the framestore to generate slates, test patterns, headers, and audio encoding.
cat /usr/discreet/sw/cfg/sw_storage.cfg The output of the command includes the [Framestore] section, which lists the framestore ID. 2 Open the /usr/discreet/sw/cfg/sw_framestore_map file in a text editor. The sw_framestore_map file includes a section similar to the following: [FRAMESTORES] FRAMESTORE=london HADDR=172.16.129.32 ID=32 The Framestore ID value in the sw_framestore_map file must match the Filesystem ID value listed in the sw_storage.cfg file. NOTE If the framestore ID in the sw_storage.
NOTE Partition identifiers go from 0 to 7, giving a total of 8 possible partitions. Stone filesystem and standard filesystem partitions share the same pool of identifiers, but only standard filesystem ones are listed in stone+wire.cfg. It is recommended to start numbering standard filesystem partitions at 7, decrementing with each additional standard filesystem partition. 5 Save and close the stone+wire.cfg file. 6 Start Stone and Wire. Type: /etc/init.
■ If the search returns no results, the problem is not related to invalid frame references. Read the /usr/discreet/sw/log/sw_dbd.log file to determine the cause of the problem. 3 Stop Stone and Wire by typing: /etc/init.d/stone+wire stop 4 Clean up the Stone and Wire database by typing: /usr/discreet/sw/sw_dbd -C A message is displayed in the terminal asking you to confirm the deletion of invalid entries from the database. 5 Type Y to confirm the operation.
You can also verify that each framestore on your network is using a unique framestore ID. If: Then: You are unable to see other Wire hosts on your network Check: You see only some of the Wire hosts (as opposed to all or none) ■ The filesystem and networking configurations in the sw_framestore_map file. ■ The sw_probed.cfg port number. ■ You may also have problems with your Wire network. Use sw_ping to test that you can connect to other Wire hosts.
Using sw_ping to Test Wire Communication If you are unable to connect to a Wire host, use sw_ping to determine if you can connect to the other Wire host over the Wire network. To use sw_ping to test Wire communication: 1 Change to the Stone and Wire directory: cd /usr/discreet/sw 2 Start sw_ping. Type: ./sw_ping -host -loop -size -r -w Where: Is: The name of the host to ping. The number of times to execute this test.
Ping successful. Buffer size = 9043968 Sending data to tunisia, filesystem id 186 MB/sec: 111.500577 Ping successful. Buffer size = 9043968 Sending data to tunisia, filesystem id 186 MB/sec: 111.516597 Ping successful. Minimum MB/sec: 111.460127 Maximum MB/sec: 111.516597 Average MB/sec: 111.
/usr/discreet/sw/sw_ping -framestore -r -w -size -loop Option: Description: -framestore Is the name of the framestore to ping. -r Reads a buffer from the remote framestore. -w Writes a buffer to the remote framestore (non-destructive). -size Reads/writes a buffer of packetsize bytes. -loop Executes this test n times.
If error messages appear, verify the permissions in the /etc/exports file on the server machine. Read and write permission must be given to the hosts. The appropriate line should look similar to the following: /usr/discreet/clip *(rw,sync,no_root_squash Verifying that NFS and Automounting Daemons are Running Network File System (NFS) and automounting daemons (AMD on Linux) must be running for Wire transfers to work. These daemons are installed and running by default.
ifconfig ■ If your network interface is up and running, an “up” appears in the broadcast report for the interface. The report includes a line similar to the following: UP BROADCAST RUNNING MULTICASTMTU:1500Metric:1 ■ If your network interface is not up and running, check the connections on your network card. A green light appears when there is a good connection between your network card and its destination. If you must reconnect cables on Linux, you must restart the network interface.
NOTE To find out the HCA (Host Channel Adapter) driver ID, type ls /proc/iba/ | grep mt. The driver number, beginning with mt, will be returned. A report appears in the terminal for each command. Generating InfiniBand Log Files for Support The script /sbin/iba_capture gathers information about your system and InfiniBand configurations that can be useful for troubleshooting InfiniBand issues. This script outputs a GZIP file.
2 Enter your user name and password. The defaults are admin / admin. The Summary page appears. 3 Click Ports in the menu at the top. The Ports page appears, displaying an overview of the switch. Connected ports are displayed in green.
4 Click a port to view information and statistics on it. NOTE If you have ports with DDR connections that appear to be running at SDR speed (2.5 Gbps instead of 5 Gbps), unplug the cable and then plug it back in. The connection should run at normal DDR speed afterwards. This issue occurs because of a bug in the switch firmware. Viewing Port Statistics for an InfiniCon InfinIO 9024 Switch The InfinIO 9024 InfiniBand switch is the recommended switch model for DDR InfiniBand networks.
2 Click Port Stats in the menu on the left. The IB Port Statistics page appears. The page displays the status of each port on the switch. 3 Optional: Click Refresh to update the data on the page.
Index A AMD starting daemon 231 application entering license codes 102 installing 53 licensing 99 starting 115 uninstalling 57 ArchiveLibrary keyword 142, 158 audio Discreet Native Audio 17 hardware components 17 wiring workflow 17 audio converter 17 audio file extensions 149 Audiodevice keyword 55, 138 Autodesk Control Surface connecting 30 AutoFS starting daemon 231 B Backburner Manager configuring 81 detecting in Lustre 91 detecting with Backburner Server 90 installing 81 overview 79 Backburner Monitor
commands, start-up options 178 compatibility transferring media from previous versions 69 configuration file overview 164 configuring Backburner Manager 81 browsed.
InfiniBand log files 233 management 232 port statistics 232, 235 init.cfg, configuring 54 installation overview 10 updating configuration file with xdiff 122 installing Backburner Manager 81 Backburner Monitor 81 Burn for Lustre 87 Lustre (Linux) 56 installing the application 53 log files InfiniBand 233 LogDailyReports keyword 154 logs See error logs Lucid ADA 88192.
O S operating system requirements 33 operating system rule Wiretap path translation 198 SAN P path translation database XML syntax 195 ping 227 platforms in this release 1 port statistics, InfiniBand 232, 235 powering on or off, sequence for 47 problems filesystem 216 Wire 226 processes displaying, Stone and Wire 217 starting, Stone and Wire 218 processes, stopping 215 products in this release 1 project configuration files modifying 126 template files 123 viewing 123 projects setting up slave rendering
TabletDriver keyword 55, 133 testing Wiretap path translation 199 testing Wire sw_framestore_dump 226 sw_ping 228 TextDefaultFont keyword 145 TextFileEncoding keyword 148 Timecode keyword 155 troubleshooting common filesystem problems 216 common Wire problems 226 troubleshooting Stone filesystem operating system access 221 U undo buffer clearing 223 uninstalling the application unmanaged media defining 61 57 V verbose error reporting 219 video I/O, wiring 15 Video keyword 55, 129 video wiring 15 VideoPre
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