The Apple Qmaster Interface

The Apple Qmaster application described in this document is one part of the larger distributed processing system described in The Apple Qmaster Distributed Processing System. The Apple Qmaster application is the client software you use to submit jobs and batches to the system. Both this application and the larger system are known by the same name (Apple Qmaster).

The Apple Qmaster window contains a toolbar; a Batch Name field; a Submit To field; the Batch table; buttons to add, remove, and submit jobs (dimmed until at least one job is in the Batch table); and pop-up menus to choose job types and batch priority.

Toolbar Buttons

The Apple Qmaster toolbar contains the following buttons.

History: Opens the History drawer, where you can view a full log of all batches submitted from your computer, check the current status of all processing batches, and resubmit any batches listed in the log.
Set Environment: Opens a dialog where you can add environment variables and preflight scripts.
Notification: Opens a dialog where you can set (or reset) an email address to which the status of a batch completion or failure can be sent. Apple Qmaster does not currently support SMTP servers that require authentication. The following list shows the processing service type followed by the notification label used in the emails and logs:
- Local Compressor service: servicecontroller:com.apple.stomp.transcoder
- Distributed Compressor service: servicecontroller:com.apple.stomp.transcoderx
- Distributed Apple Qmaster service: servicecontroller:com.apple.qmaster.executor
Share Monitor: Opens Share Monitor, which allows you to view the status of all batches being processed.

Batch Table

This is the large middle area of the Apple Qmaster window that lists the individual jobs in a batch.

The Batch table includes the following columns.

Type: One of four job types: Shake, Maya, Generic Render, Shell (UNIX).
Command: The actual command for the job.
Working Directory: If relevant, the directory from which you want the command to be executed.

Text Fields and Pop-Up Menus

Around its periphery, the Apple Qmaster window includes other important interface elements for creating and submitting jobs and batches.

Batch name field: This is where you can enter the name of a particular batch. (This is the name that appears in Share Monitor.)
Submit To pop-up menu: Use this pop-up menu to choose an available cluster to process the current batch.
Command pop-up menu: Use this pop-up menu to create commands.
You can choose one of the following types of jobs.
- Generic Render: For more information, see Submitting Batches with the Generic Render Command.
- Maya: For more information, see Submitting Maya Batches.
- Shake: For more information, see Submitting Shake Batches.
- Shell: For more information, see Using Apple Qmaster to Submit UNIX Commands.
Add button: Use the Add (+) button to enter a job (with the selected job type) in the Batch table.
Remove button: Use the Remove (–) button to delete the selected job from the Batch table.
Duplicate button: Use the Duplicate button to duplicate the selected job in the Batch table.
Serialize Jobs: Select this checkbox to execute jobs in exactly the order in which they appear in the batch list. For example, if you have a Shake script that requires the output of a Maya script, you can ensure that the Shake script does not execute until the Maya script is completed.
Priority: Use this pop-up menu to set the relative priority (urgency) for a batch. This pop-up menu allows you to set the priority level (High, Medium, or Low) of a batch, relative to other batches. It defaults to Medium. High-priority batches get processed before medium-priority and low-priority batches.
Delay: Use these text fields to set a delay in hours or minutes for any job in the batch. Click in either text field (left field = hours, right field = minutes) to enter the corresponding value. Click the arrows to step through minutes in increments of 5 at a time, or, if the Hour text field is selected, in increments of 1 hour at a time.
Submit: Click the Submit button to process the batch using the parameters set in the Apple Qmaster window.

Apple Qmaster Preferences

You can use the Apple Qmaster Preferences window to adjust how Apple Qmaster works with remote computers.

About the Apple Qmaster Preferences Window

The Apple Qmaster Preferences window includes the following items.

Remote Computer Settings

Enter IP addresses or ranges for manually selected computers table: This table displays information about remote host computers.
Add and Remove buttons: Use these buttons to add or remove information about remote host computers.

Remote Computer Address Dialog

This dialog is displayed when you click the Add or Remove button in the main Preferences window. Use this dialog to enter IP addresses or ranges for manually selected computers.

Host and Host IP Address Range buttons: These buttons control whether this dialog is in IP Address mode (in which you enter a specific address) or IP Address Range mode (in which you enter a range of addresses).
- Host: Use this mode to enter a host name and IP address for a specific remote computer.
- Host IP Address Range: Use this mode to enter a name and set of range numbers (Range From, Range To) for a range of remote IP addresses.

Setting Apple Qmaster Preferences

Follow the instructions below to set Apple Qmaster preferences.

To manually enter IP addresses or ranges for remote service host computers

Click Add (+).
The host address dialog appears.
In the host address dialog, do one of the following:
- Select Host, complete the Host Name and IP Address fields, and click Add Host.
- Select “Host IP address range,” complete the Range fields, and click Add Range.
The hosts or host ranges appear in the Host table in the main Preferences window.

Important: Any changes you make to the Apple Qmaster preference settings take effect only when you click Apply. If you make changes but decide not to use them, click Cancel.