Using Nodes Without Apple Qmaster Installed

You can create a cluster containing one or more computers that do not have Compressor installed. To do this, you configure an intermediary service node that executes Apple Qmaster commands on other computers, called extended nodes. The intermediary service node runs UNIX Apple Qmaster commands on the extended nodes via the SSH (secure shell) UNIX program, so that the extended nodes can process Apple Qmaster batches without having Compressor installed. This type of cluster is called an extended node cluster.

Will Your Cluster Include Only Extended Nodes or Be Mixed?

If all the nodes in the cluster will be extended nodes (nodes that do not have Compressor installed), the cluster needs one intermediary node that also acts as the cluster controller. There is no need to use the Apple Qadministrator application at all if you are creating a cluster that contains only an intermediary node and extended nodes. All the configuration can be done in the Apple Qmaster Sharing window in Compressor, as described in Configuring an Intermediary Node for an Extended Node Cluster.

However, if you want a cluster that contains both regular service nodes and extended nodes, configure an intermediary node (as described in Configuring an Intermediary Node for an Extended Node Cluster), and then add it to a regular cluster that already has a cluster controller. (There can be only one cluster controller per cluster.)

Configuring an Intermediary Node for an Extended Node Cluster

Before you begin, make sure that:

  • The computer that will be the intermediary service node has Compressor installed

  • The computers that will be the extended nodes have a UNIX-based operating system and have SSH enabled

To configure an intermediary service node to run Apple Qmaster commands on extended nodes
  1. Open the Apple Qmaster Sharing window in Compressor.

  2. If this intermediary node will be part of a mixed cluster, with a different computer acting as the cluster controller, skip this step and go to step 3. If you want this intermediary node to be the cluster controller for this cluster, do the following:

    1. Select the “Share this computer” checkbox, then select one of the following buttons:

      • “as QuickCluster with services”

      • “as Services and cluster controller”

      For more information on creating cluster controllers, see the “Apple Qmaster and Distributed Processing” chapter in the Compressor User Manual.

    2. Enter a name in the “Identify this QuickCluster as” field. This is the name you will see in the Cluster list in Apple Qadministrator and in the cluster pop-up menus in Share Monitor and Apple Qmaster.

      Figure. "Identify this QuickCluster as" field in the Apple Qmaster Sharing window of Compressor.
  3. Select the Rendering and “Require these services to only be used in managed clusters” checkboxes.

  4. Click the Options button next to the Rendering item.

  5. In the dialog that appears, add an instance for each extended node you want this intermediary node to send commands to:

    1. Choose SSH from the Add (+) pop-up menu.

    2. Edit the Host name, Username, and (if applicable) Password columns so that they describe each computer you want to use as an extended node, then click OK.

      Figure. Service instances dialog showing the Host name, Username, and Password columns.
  6. In the Apple Qmaster Sharing window, click OK.

    Note: If you are making changes to existing settings and this computer is already providing processing services, a dialog appears warning you that its services must be restarted for the changes to take effect. You are able to delay the restart by entering the number of minutes to wait, giving you time to warn others or for current batches to finish processing.

    If you configured this intermediary node as the cluster controller, your work is done and the extended node cluster is ready to start receiving and processing batches submitted by Apple Qmaster.

    If, instead, you want the extended nodes to be part of a cluster that includes regular service nodes, use Apple Qadministrator to add this intermediary node to that cluster. You add an intermediary node in the same way you add other service nodes, as described in the “Apple Qmaster and Distributed Processing” chapter in the Compressor User Manual, available in Compressor Help.