Batch HTML Status Page

Note: This tip assumes that you’ve sucessfully installed the Apache web server (or other web server) on your sgi machine.

 

Now that you’ve got the Apache web server up and running on your inferno or flame, you can access an html page which will report the status of a batch render. This is useful if you want to set up a long render and monitor it remotely. Of course, you’ll need to have your network administrator set up the ability to access your sgi machine from outside your facility (and that’s outside the scope of this tip).

This tip takes the discreet web reporting feature a step further by creating a web page which not only gives you the status of the render but also provides an image from the render in progress.

This is done by adding a couple of additional files to the /usr/discreet/html directory, as well as adding an export node to your batch render.

Take a look at the example to the right, which shows the batch render reporting html page.

 

First, you’ll need to download the files I’ve created. Click here to download.
Transfer the tar file to your sgi machine.
Next, become super-user (you’ll need to be root to move/change the files) and untar the .tar file:

tar -xvf batch_html.tar

You should have the following files:

#ls -alR

./batch:
total 80
drwxrwxr-x    2 root     sys           75 Jul 12 13:06 ./
drwxrwxr-x    4 root     sys           36 Jul 12 13:10 ../
-rw-rw-r–    1 root     sys       666 Jul 12 13:06 fxguide_htmlimage.batch
-rw-rw-r–    1 root     sys    35000 Jul 12 13:06 fxguide_htmlimage.batch.p

./html:
total 72
drwxrwxr-x    3 root     sys         4096 Jul 12 13:06 ./
drwxrwxr-x    4 root     sys           36 Jul 12 13:10 ../
-rwxrw-r–    1 root     sys          843 Jul 12 13:06 batch_log.html*
-rwxrw-r–    1 root     sys         115 Jul 12 13:06 batch_log_status.html*
drwxrwxr-x    2 root     sys           28 Jul 12 13:06 images/
-rwxrw-r–    1 root     sys          790 Jul 12 13:06 index.html*
-rwxrw-r–    1 root     sys        11266 Jul 12 13:06 logo.jpg*
-rwxrw-r–    1 root     sys          331 Jul 12 13:06 upper_left.html*
-rwxrw-r–    1 root     sys          365 Jul 12 13:06 upper_right.html*

./html/images:
total 96
drwxrwxr-x    2 root     sys           28 Jul 12 13:06 ./
drwxrwxr-x    3 root     sys         4096 Jul 12 13:06 ../
-rw-rw-r–    1 root     sys        43628 Jul 12 13:06 render.jpg

Next, copy the html files into the /usr/discreet/html directory:

cp -R html /usr/discreet/html

Next, start inferno/flame/flint and enter batch. Load the setup file “fxguide_htmlimage” that you just expanded from the tar file by navigating to the directory in which you saved it. You’ll get a single node named “render”. This node saves the image you’ll see on the hmtl batch render status page. Do not rename this node.

Save this setup in your setups directory with whatever name you want to call it. You’ll be appending it to batch setups you want to render remotely.

Create your batch setup or load an existing batch setup.

Attach the render export node to the end of the batch pipeline. If you have more than one output node in your batch setup, you’ll need to pick which output you want to view in the web browser. There can be only one export node which you can view in the browser. You will still see the status of all of your output nodes as they render — it is simply that the image viewed won’t change.

Adjust the start and end frame of the render node to match your desired output notde. In the image to the right, you can see the settings for the export node. It puts a file in /usr/discreet/html/images — the image will be called upon by the html page. Basically, since there is no output numbering (the field to the right of Name), the same frame will be overwritten every time and you’ll see the most recently rendered frame. The image “render.jpg” will be loaded into the web browser.

Make sure you have the Status Webpage option turned on in the Setup menu of batch. If this is not on, the html files will not be created. Save the setup on your machine.


Now when you hit process you can see your batch render progress on the web page (http://[your.machine.name]/batch.html). Admittedly, that isn’t very useful if you’re sitting next to the machine. But inferno gives you the capability of rendering remotely — you can start a render from another sgi or even a personal computer at home (if you have access to your machine over the internet). You could even have it notify you via a SMS message on your cell phone when the render is done.

How does this work? Basically, all you need to do is telenet into your sgi machine (ssh is preferable if you’re doing this over the internet, since the text is encrypted) and run a single command. For my example, I’ll use the terminal application in Mac OSX, but this could be applied using a telnet or ssh program on the Mac (NiftyTelnet,MacSSH) or PC.

First, connect to your machine. Use your application login and password (the one you use when you login to run inferno):

# ssh -l inferno5 inferno.avenue-edit.com
[email protected]’s password:
Last login: Fri Jul 12 12:32:08 2002 from tibook.avenue-edit.com
apu: /usr/discreet/inferno_5.0IR2 %

Next, type the following command : ( inferno -J [project] -U [username] -b [batchsetup] & )

  • project : inferno project name
  • username : inferno user
  • batchsetup : the name of the batch setup you want to render

The parentheses and ampersand allow the batch render to continue on even if you close your telnet or ssh window. Or if you lose a connection to your machine. This is important because you probably want the render to continue even if you lose connectivity to your sgi machine. I learned this after having my 16 sample-motion blur-20 hour-high res renders stop after 148 or 150 frames were rendered. A definite killer

This might look something like:

apu: /usr/discreet/inferno_5.0IR2 % (inferno -J NTSC -U john -b my_batch_setup.batch &)

Hit return and then load up the html web page: http://[your.machine]/batch.html.
Then head out to your back porch, pour yourself a martini or margarita, relax and be thankful you read this tip.

 

Submitter: John Montgomery