About BrowseD
BrowseD is a Lustre file server with its own high level protocols that optimize network transfers. BrowseD provides Lustre workstations, Slave Renderers, and background render nodes with high-speed access to centralized storage, especially if your network uses InfiniBand, without mounting the storage on the render nodes.
Consider using BrowseD if your facility uses a storage area network (SAN), network attached storage (NAS), or a network file server. In these configurations, you install and configure BrowseD on the computer that is connected to the centralized storage and configure all workstations to use the BrowseD server to access Lustre project files.
The recommended Lustre configuration in a digital film or high-resolution workflow is to store the full-resolution images on a SAN, NAS, or file server, and the proxies locally.
You can run BrowseD on the Lustre Master Station to provide render nodes or Slave Renderers high-speed access to local storage for background rendering. However, this is not recommended. The BrowseD process requires extra bandwidth from the storage and adds extra load on the host system's CPU. Real-time functionality cannot be guaranteed with this setup—2K playback speed and video input and output will not function correctly when BrowseD is running on the Lustre workstation, and is serving client requests.
If you are working with StandardFS DPX or Cineon footage coming from the local Wiretap Server, you must mount your storage on the render nodes.
BrowseD startup and configuration:
- The BrowseD service starts automatically after you install it. You can manually start the service using the command line interface. The service starts automatically whenever the computer running BrowseD restarts.
- /etc/init.d/browsed_ <version> stop
- /etc/init.d/browsed_ <version> start
- /etc/init.d/browsed_ <version> restart
Restarts BrowseD if it is not currently running.
- /etc/init.d/browsed_ <version> condrestart
Restarts BrowseD if it is already running.
- Configure the init.config file for all machines that will use the BrowseD server to access centralized storage.
- Username
The administrative user on the BrowseD server.
- Password
The password for
Username.
- Port
All computers on the BrowseD network must use the same port to communicate. Set to 1055, the default. If configuring a render node or a workstation running on a GigE network, set this as 1044. If configuring a render node or a workstation running on a high-speed InfiniBand network, set this as 1055.
- BrowsedServer
Defines the IP address or DNS host name for a specific BrowseD Server.
- UseInfi
Enable this option if the networking procotol to use with BrowseD is InfiniBand.
- Making BrowseD Directories Accessible from the Lustre Browser: When using centralized storage, make the directories on the BrowseD server accessible to all Lustre workstations through the browser. You do this by configuring the BrowsedServerGroup keyword in the init.config file. The mapped directory will appear in the Lustre browser.
- You must configure the Lustre Render Backburner paths with the IP address of the BrowseD server to use BrowseD to render with Burn for Lustre. To use BrowseD for rendering with Burn for Lustre:
- In Lustre, open the Setup menu, and select Settings.
- Select your project from the Project list, and click Edit.
- Click Project, and set the local project paths. For information on configuring your projects, see the Autodesk Lustre User Guide.
- Click Network Rendering, and then click the Backburner tab.
- Enter the IP address of the BrowseD server to each path, or click the ellipsis button to browse to the BrowseD path you want to use. For example, if your Project_Home is set to the bernice directory on the mount point /mnt/StorageMedia of a station that has an IP address of 172.17.20.146, the Project_Home path in the Render > Backburner menu should read 172.17.20.146: /mnt/StorageMedia/project/bernice.
- To use BrowseD with the Slave Renderer:
- In Lustre, open the Setup menu, and select Settings.
- Select your project from the Project list, and click Edit.
- Click Project, and set the local project paths. For information on configuring your projects, see the Autodesk Lustre User Guide.
- Click Network Rendering, and then click the Slave Render tab. Enter the IP address of the BrowseD server to each path, or click the ellipsis button to browse to the BrowseD path you want to use. For example, if your Project_Home is set to the bernicedirectory on the mount point /mnt/StorageMedia of a station that has an IP address of 172.17.20.146, the Project_Home path in the Render > Backburner menu should read 172.17.20.146:/mnt/StorageMedia/project/bernice.