Requirements/ How does it work

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User accounts and file access rights

You should have at least a bit knowledge about user accounts in a network.


There are two types of users:


1.Domain network users:
User accounts are created once on a domain server and you can login on all of your machines with that user.
You add these domain users to the access list of your files on your fileserver.
Permanent RR installation: If you have a domain, then you should create a rrUser account for the service installation.

2.Local per-machine users:
Each computer has a list of local users. 
A local user can only access files on the NAS/ fileserver ...

o...if a user with the same name and the same password exists on the fileserver

o...or if you have allowed guest access on the network share on the fileserver

o...or you enter a user name and password of a user on the fileserver when you try to connect to the network share.
   Permanent RR installation: This case does not work for the RR. 
   You either need to create the same user on fileserver and all other machines (recommended) or you need to allow guest access to your fileserver.



User for the permanent RR installation:

If you create a new user, it is recommended that you do disable "User has to change password at next login" and "Password expired"

Windows user accounts require a password (new Windows security policy).


Hardware Requirements 

Basic requirements for network rendering


Fileserver/NAS for project data:
If you want to render on multiple machine, then you have do work on a fileserver. All project data (scene files, textures, output images) has to be saved on the fileserver. 
You can NOT use any files that are on your local harddrive.  Because the other machines do not have these files on their local drive. (Exception: You work/access your local drive via a network share name) 
Note Microsoft Windows Limitation: You cannot use Windows XP/Vista/7 for a fileserver if you are using more than 4 clients. You have to use at least Microsoft Server foundation (which is not much more expensive than win7)  

Caching fileserver like GPFS/PixCache/Avere/Lustre have some limitations.
rrClients from a cached RR folder is possible as the clients get and save their config via TCP-connection to the rrServer.
All other application load/write the config files from/to the RR folder. 
Possible issues are:

oYou start rrConfig and change the client config.
rrConfig saves the clients.ini file and sends a command to the rrServer that there is a new config.
The rrServer waits 1 second, loads the clients.ini file and distributes the "new" config to the rrClients.
If rrConfig was started from a different caching fileserver as the rrServer, the rrServer might still load the old config file.






For Royal Render you need

rrServer machine: 
1 Windows or Linux machine for the rrServer (win XP, Win 2k, Win server). 
OS: Windows (2k, XP, 7, Server...) or Linux (CentOS, Fedora, Mandrake...) 
Ram: 1GB+ CPU: 2,5 Ghz single core, dual core recommended (as the server is multi-threaded) 
Can be the fileserver

Fileserver/NAS for the RR applications: 
1 fileserver which holds all RRender application files.
It can be the same as the rrServer server and/or the same as the project fileserver. 
You require a network share (or directory on an existing share), which is accessable by everyone. This folder has all client and submitter executables and all config files.
Caching fileserver like PixCache/GPFS/Avere/Lustre are only supported to start rrClients, but the rrServer should be started from a non-cached location







How does it work



1.Save Scene: 
The artist has created a scene file. The scene file with all textures and source files is saved on the fileserver.
The data has to be on a fileserver as all machines need to access the files.
E.g. the folder C:\MySceneData is not located on each machine.

2.Submit Job:
The artist starts the rrSubmitter via a plugin in the menu in the 3D/comp application.
The plugin will read all required information from the scene and sends it to the rrServer.

3.Send Job:
The rrServer sends frames of each job to rrClients. The rrClients are either workstations or pure render farm machines.

4.Load Scene:
The rrClient starts the 3D/comp application and loads the scene file from the fileserver.

5.Write Frames:
The rrClient renders the frame numbers it has got from the rrServer.
Then it checks the frames and writes them to the fileserver.

6.Check Job and Frames:
The artist checks the progress of the job via RR. 
And the artist checks the rendered frames either via RR or loads them directly from the fileserver.







Software requirements


OS requirements


Windows:  Windows XP or later. GPU features require at least Windows 7

Linux: Please see Linux page

OSX: 10.6 or later



Requirements GPU features


GPU features require at least this NVidia driver:

Version:         340.21

Release Date:         2014.7.29