Unusual Network Rendering Problems-License Related

[sandeepmohan]

Hi

Im facing a rather unusual problem.

I use Muster for managing renders on my render farm. When i submit a render i get the error about a missing MR license. Muster basically sends the render command to the nodes to trigger the renders on each node.

The other strange thing is if i use Windows Remote Desktops to launch a render on a node using the command line or a batch file. It gives me the same missing MR license error.

When i physically go to that particular node to launch a render from within maya or even if i use a batch command everything is fine. I hope there is someone who can provide me with a solution.

I can't possibly imagine the license behaving like this.

Is it a fact that a license is locked to one physical CPU cause if thats the case there are 4 CPU's (2 virtual) on each of my nodes. Virtual processors by the so called Intel Hyper Threading.

[mneekhrey]

Hey dude....
Thanks for posting the problem....I am still to get the results from muster people....Did U post on some other site as well....This is stupid & frustrating...U can't bloody go to thousands of machines physically & render...


Anyways thanks....

Bye
mneekhrey
manish@mayaent.com

[sandeepmohan]

Hi Manish

Cool maan. I posted the same on High End 3D also. Yet to get a buzz from anyone.

I don't think Muster would be the ideal place to ask about the problem but it would sure help keeping the message posted so someone might see it and hopefully provide a solution.

[bart]

The standalone installation sets up where it will be looking for the license.
It should then modify the wrapper script which calls standalone mental ray with the appropriate SPM_HOST variable.

Your render queue software should use the render script to do the render. I'm not next to my machine right now, so I can't tell you its exact name.
What are you using to launch the render?

Also, Hyperthreading does not take up an extra license, so a dual proc uses two licenses. If HT is on it will enable 4 threads on 2+2 virtual processors; if it is off, it will enable 2 threads on your 2 processors.

[sandeepmohan]

Hi Bart

I use Virtual Vertex Muster Render Management Software and i can add the command as an additional string before is submit a job.

[bart]

Oops. I mean what is the command you are telling Muster to use to launch the render? Or if you don't control that explicitly, can you dig into Muster to say what it uses?

In other words, is it using the standalone .exe executable, or the .bat batch file that wraps around it, setting up the environment correctly.

[sandeepmohan]

I have not specified anything in particular for Muster to use as an additional command. I assume that when you trigger a MR specific render via Muster it automatically fires the relevant command to start MR which is when it kept saying no license found. This was very confusing.

How different is it to launch a render from within the Maya interface and to have a command sent over to the render node? This is the part im unable to follow.

The stand alone .exe is whats being used.

[bart]

Unless Muster is setting up the environment correctly, it sounds like it is using the wrong command.

Anyone else with Muster experience out there?

Could it be that Muster is specifying the MI_ROOT and SPM_HOST, etc.?

[sandeepmohan]

I've resorted to using satellite but this is a huge limitation as i can't keep jobs in a queue. Needs to keep wathing whats happening as well.

The other way which is rather crude is sending renders as batch files on each individual render node. Physically going to each render node and launching the render.

[mneekhrey]

I've resorted to using satellite but this is a huge limitation as i can't keep jobs in a queue. Needs to keep wathing whats happening as well.

The other way which is rather crude is sending renders as batch files on each individual render node. Physically going to each render node and launching the render.

I was succesfull in implmenting maya satellite in our studio....actually its a seperate .exe...i installed it on 4 machines on our farm & modified the maya.rayhosts file giving the names of machines:port somewhat like this:----

blade10:7103
blade28:7103
blade27:7103
blade26:7103
it works fine when i interactively launch it from 1 machine but when i use muster it doesn't initialise the mental ray (gives that +#@$ing license error)even though i have put the same files on all the machines....


Thanks
Manish

[sandeepmohan]

Hi Manish

Take a look at the logs MR leaves behind when you use Satellite. It should be the same Maya Render Logs. Check the command it uses to initialise launching a render and put anything thats additional in this log into Musters "additional parameters" field and then give it a shot.

[Mag]

Hi,

I actually get the same problem using renderpal.

Restarting the client generally fixes it.

I have sort of narrowed it down to the machines being on XP and with multiple users logged in one of the users already 'has' the license

when the rendering software connects to the computer to initialise a render it's under a different username so can't get the license

but after the restart the only user logged in the the one the render software uses so it works.

Gareth

[sandeepmohan]

Hi

Thats interesting.

Well im in a new setup now so MR renders now go onto the end users workstations itself. Scheduled them to come up for rendering once regular work hours are over.