Apple Qmaster 2 and Compressor 2 (Distributed Processing Setup) - Manual (Page 23)

Chapter 2 Preparing a Network for Distributed Processing 23
Other Possible Components
of a Distributed Processing Network
There are many ways to expand the capacity of a distributed processing network. You
could include any of the following:
 High-speed switch and cables: A 100BaseT or Gigabit Ethernet switch and compatible
cables to allow your data to move over the LAN at maximum speed.
 Multiple clients: Multiple client computers can use the services of the same cluster.
And, you can have multiple client applications on the same client computer, using
the same cluster.
 Multiple clusters: Depending on how extensive your network is and how many clients
it needs to serve, you may want to divide up available computers and create more
than one cluster to serve various clients. (Users select the cluster they want to send a
batch to when they submit the batch.)
 Multiple service nodes: In general, more service nodes means more processing power.
In deciding how many service nodes to have in a cluster, consider the ratio of data
movement time to computing time. If the processing demand is greater than the
network demand required to move job segments throughout the cluster, as is the
case with rendering, more service nodes are a good idea. If the computing load, per
job, is closer to the network load, having a smaller number of service nodes per
cluster may be more efficient. If you are using the Apple Qmaster distributed
processing system with applications other than Shake or Compressor, consult the
application’s user manual on how to optimize the number of service nodes.
 Storage device: A storage device, such as a remote disk or group of disk arrays, can be
used as cluster scratch storage, which is a place for short-term storage of temporary
data generated by the cluster controller, clients, and service nodes. (You set the
scratch storage location in the Apple Qmaster pane in System Preferences. See
“
Cluster Storage: Setting a Scratch Storage Location ” on page 59.) Alternatively, a
storage device can be used as a final destination for the files after they are processed.
Many of these items are incorporated in the example that follows.
UP01082.Book Page 23 Wednesday, March 16, 2005 5:12 PM