|
The
Overview
Alfred is a script processing system which manages a hierarchy of parallel
client applications connected to remote servers. The Alfred components are general purpose, but they are especially well
suited to managing network-distributed rendering in the context of the
RenderMan Artist Tools.
The
Monitor
The monitor is Alfred's user interface. It displays, and provides user control
over, the current state of the job queue, for a particular dispatcher.
The
Dispatcher
The dispatcher is the job queue manager, doing the actual work of reading
the job scripts and launching the individual commands. The dispatcher executes
tasks in parallel when the worklist provides for it, and sufficient resources
are available. Typically there are several dispatchers on the network,
each managing a user's job queue and local clienting load. Dispatchers
negotiate with the maitre-d to acquire remote servers.
The
Maitre-d
The maitre-d is a centralized arbitrator for server allocation requests
from all the dispatchers on the network. It operates from a master schedule
which lists the available network services, such as nrmservers,
and describes which users have permission to use them.
NIMBY
The nimby mode alfred (for "not in my back yard") is a small desktop utility
which communicates with the maitre-d and blocks remote work from being
dispatched to systems with interactive users; it does allow remote work
when the system is idle, during screen-saver periods.
Alfserver
An optional remote execution server, Alfserver, collaborates with
Alfred for added scalability.
Alfserver adds significant capabilities for launching and tracking
remote commands - a big win for larger renderfarms.
|