Return-Path: Received: from mout.perfora.net ([74.208.4.194] verified) by media-motion.tv (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 4.2.10) with ESMTP-TLS id 4897180 for AE-List@media-motion.tv; Mon, 12 Nov 2012 21:15:58 +0100 Received: from [192.168.1.107] (rrcs-24-43-70-42.west.biz.rr.com [24.43.70.42]) by mrelay.perfora.net (node=mrus4) with ESMTP (Nemesis) id 0LjIrH-1T2W8Z07Yt-00dRQu; Mon, 12 Nov 2012 15:19:09 -0500 User-Agent: Microsoft-MacOutlook/14.2.4.120824 Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2012 12:19:02 -0800 Subject: Re: [AE] Semi OT: Yet another mac mini render farm thread From: Tony Romain To: AE list Message-ID: Thread-Topic: [AE] Semi OT: Yet another mac mini render farm thread In-Reply-To: Mime-version: 1.0 Content-type: multipart/alternative; boundary="B_3435567549_1033705" X-Provags-ID: V02:K0:00xuFt70//iwAhhJniWEeBKyoNdZhZaSKTC3B6gcmBP Do0lf/Pu06vCI9tOkFO2f1I1e8xM8Wt6si+b4HnOk1B7kd+Qda 76D0t7175Mjx54eB5yJI3aclSbpVGhifWaja4exufIr1/rdH3i MBe5xja9kbUuAzym6vcWJzBiBAwolJK3bwPLF34Oa1riq19/6+ 8H3oxN7PVM3P4BLU/nzkRESIycwKY8FGd34kzKf07O36JQrxWa j/OOB6CmJGdqRltPpObLu8XyTnl9JNyJi+lbbZWVTBuvoZsp/H GI2nVUd8ZIWoHdFzx5EU8/XyMNg6YGuSqztq7l6/QLhoPiaKBT wA0rZyr1Iz54mVvZb6PYvTGWbKv6EJNWG6CUNICNjzZAxSysHi XOeRSTqZAfGKQ== > This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. --B_3435567549_1033705 Content-type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable I think where I'm at is trying to figure out what the main limiting factor is here versus building something from the ground up, piece by piece (probably PC based for cost). Do you have a sense of specifically what the networking issues were? For cinema rendering, my understanding is that once the net render files have been distributed amongst the nodes, their really isn't a ton of network traffic, except for the rendered frames being copied back over to the server. However, I may be wrong on this=8A I don't know a ton of what goes o= n under the hood of these farms=8A Have been exchanging emails with the owner of this company: http://h-sq.com/products/minirack/index.html to see if he's heard any anecdotal info from any of his clients. He hand't heard anything specific other than describing one server set-up he'd heard of that utilized 160 mac minis for some type of test automation (not sure what that is), but they were all being taxed 100% of the time and seemed to run fine=8A --=20 tony romain | principal/creative director trance motion graphic animation and design 323 651 1114 www.trancedesigns.com From: Teddy Gage Reply-To: AE list Date: Monday, November 12, 2012 12:05 PM To: AE list Subject: Re: [AE] Semi OT: Yet another mac mini render farm thread My main concern would be the networking back end. Unless you have an applescript wizard on hand you may run into some problems, even with a networked rendering package like deadline. We tried to do something like this at a place I was working a few years ago and it was rage-inducing. The frustrating thing was "it should have worked" but it just didn't. There wer= e always problems. maybe if you installed win 7 pro in bootcamp on all of them. but I guess that would defeat the purpose. Things have probably come along since then however --B_3435567549_1033705 Content-type: text/html; charset="ISO-8859-1" Content-transfer-encoding: quoted-printable
I think where I'm = at is trying to figure out what the main limiting factor is here versus buil= ding something from the ground up, piece by piece (probably PC based for cos= t).

Do you have a sense of specifically what the ne= tworking issues were?  For cinema rendering, my understanding is that o= nce the net render files have been distributed amongst the nodes, their real= ly isn't a ton of network traffic, except for the rendered frames being copi= ed back over to the server.  However, I may be wrong on this… I d= on't know a ton of what goes on under the hood of these farms…

Have been exchanging emails with the owner of this company= :


<= div>to see if he's heard any anecdotal info from any of his clients.  H= e hand't heard anything specific other than describing one server set-up he'= d heard of that utilized 160 mac minis for some type of test automation (not= sure what that is), but they were all being taxed 100% of the time and seem= ed to run fine…


--
tony rom= ain | principal/creativ= e director

= trance
motion graphic animation and design
323 651 1114
www= .trancedesigns.com

From: Teddy Gage <t= eddygage@gmail.com>
Reply-To: AE list <AE-List@media-motion= .tv>
Date: Monday, November= 12, 2012 12:05 PM
To: AE list <= ;AE-List@media-motion.tv>Subject: Re: [AE] Semi OT: Yet anoth= er mac mini render farm thread

My main concern = would be the networking back end. Unless you have an applescript wizard on h= and you may run into some problems, even with a networked rendering package = like deadline. We tried to do something like this at a place I was working a= few years ago and it was rage-inducing. The frustrating thing was "it shoul= d have worked" but it just didn't. There were always problems. maybe if you = installed win 7 pro in bootcamp on all of them. but I guess that would defea= t the purpose. Things have probably come along since then however
 --B_3435567549_1033705--