Apple Final Cut Server 1.5 - Manual (Page 36)

36 Chapter 3 Using the Installer
About Final Cut Server and Compressor
Final Cut Server relies on Compressor for most of its transcoding needs. These include
obvious jobs like converting a video file to a format with a smaller file size that is easier
to review. However, these transcoding needs also include a variety of other jobs that
happen in the background, such as creating the clip proxy files used to preview an asset.
For this reason, it is important to make sure Final Cut Server and Compressor are
configured to work together efficiently and reliably.
The Final Cut Server Installer installs Final Cut Server, Compressor, and Apple Qmaster
on the computer. After the installation is complete, there are two approaches you can
take in preparing to use Final Cut Server with Compressor:
Use the This Computer cluster: Â Compressor creates a cluster named This Computer
when it is installed, and by default, this is the cluster that Final Cut Server uses. For
some installations, this will be sufficient; however, there are several shortcomings to
using the This Computer cluster.
Create a QuickCluster specific to Final Cut Server:
 This method requires you to use
the Apple Qmaster pane of System Preferences to create a custom QuickCluster.
Although it involves a bit more time during the initial configuration of your
Final Cut Server system, this method greatly reduces the chances of unexpected
issues causing problems later on.