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Repository Setup Wizard


Repository Setup Wizard User Guide

The Repository Setup Wizard is used to modify the repository settings, and is launched automatically after installing a new repository. If you wish to run the application yourself, navigate to the bin folder in the repository and run RepositorySetupWizard.exe.

If you are running the Repository Setup Wizard locally on the repository machine, you will be asked to set the default share for the Deadline Repository folder. Deadline should detect the network name of your computer automatically and will fill in the suggested share location based on the previous installation steps.

Note that the Windows Share will be the local directory where all of the Deadline Jobs will be stored. In the example below, the local share directory will be created on the computer Buttercup in a folder called DeadlineRepository.

There are three additional configuration pages which consist of the following. Note that these settings can also be configured from Deadline Monitor in Super User mode by selecting Tools -> Configure Repository Options.

  • Repository Settings
  • Remote Error Reporting
  • Remote Administration

Repository Settings

You can configure a wide variety of settings, which are explained in detail below.

Repository Settings

  • Access Control:
    • Super User Password: The password required to enter super user mode. If left blank, so password is required.
  • Auto Completed Job Cleanup:
    • Auto Job Cleanup Mode: The action to perform when cleaning up completed jobs.
    • Days To Keep Completed Jobs: Number of days to keep completed jobs before cleaning them up. Specify 0 to disable this feature.
  • Auto Job Timeout Settings:
    • Force Auto Job Timeout: If True, Auto Job Timeout will be enabled for all jobs, regardless of what the per job "Enable Auto Timeout" property is.
    • Minimum Completed Tasks: The minimum number of tasks that must be completed before Auto Job Timeout checking is performed. Specify 0 to not base the timeout on this option.
    • Task Completion Percentage: The minimum percentage of tasks that must be completed before Auto Job Timeout checking is performed. Specify 0 to not base the timeout on this option.
    • Timeout Multiplier: To calculate the Auto Job Timeout, the longest render time from the completed tasks is multiplied by this value. Must be greater than 1.0.
  • Failure Detection:
    • Error Limit Before A Job Fails: The maximum number of times a job can report an error before it is considered to have failed. Specify 0 for no limit.
    • Error Limit Before A Job Is Marked Bad: The number of consecutive times a slaves can error on a job before it marks that job as bad for itself. Specify 0 to disable this feature.
    • Error Limit Before A Task Fails: The maximum number of times a specific task can report an error before that task is marked as Failed. Specify 0 for no limit.
    • Error Limit Before A Warning Is Sent: The maximum number of times a specific job can report an error before a warning is sent to the job's user. Specify 0 for no limit.
    • Slave Error Notification Limit: The maximum number of times a slave can report an error in one session before an email is sent to the corresponding email address below. Specify 0 for no limit.
  • Launcher Settings:
    • Enable Automatic Updates: If True, the Launcher will check for updates whenever you stat the Monitor or Slave. Note that Read/Write access must be granted on the Deadline bin directory.
    • Enable Changing License Servers: If True, Normal users can change the current license server for a machine by right-clicking on the Launcher in the system tray. If disabled, only Power users can do this.
    • Enable Changing Repositories: If True, Normal users can change the current repository for a machine by right-clicking on the Launcher in the system tray. If disabled, only Power users can do this.
    • Enable Changing Users: If True, Normal users can change the current user for a machine by right-clicking on the Launcher in the system tray. If disabled, only Power users can do this.
    • Enable Remote Administration: If True, you can remotely communicate with the Launcher from the Monitor or Configuration Tool. Note that this is a security risk if you are not behind a firewall.
  • Logging:
    • Days To Keep Monitor Logs: Number of days the repository will hold Monitor logs before deleting them.
    • Days To Keep Pulse Logs: number of days the repository will hold Pulse logs before deleting them.
    • Days To Keep Slave Logs: Number of days the repository will hold Slave logs before deleting them.
    • Enable Pulse Verbose Logging: Enable or disable pulse verbose logging. Verbose logging can help to diagnose problems.
    • Enable Slave Verbose Logging: Enable or disable slave verbose logging. Verbose logging can help to diagnose problems.
    • Pulse Statistics Gathering Interval: Number of minutes Pulse waits between statistical gathering intervals, if enabled.
  • Net Send Message Settings:
    • Allow Net Send Messages: whether or not direct 'net send messages' should be allowed via Deadline Monitor.
  • Notification Accounts:
    • Job Completed Notification Account: The email account where job completion reports will be sent, so system administrators can keep track of all completed jobs. Leave blank to disable this feature (default).
    • Job Failed Notification Account: The email account where job failure reports will be sent, so system administrators can keep track of all failed jobs. Leave blank to disable this feature (default).
    • Job Timeout Notification Account: The email account where job timeout reports will be sent, so system administrators can keep track of long running tasks. Leave blank to disable this feature (default).
    • Power Management Email Account: The account to which all notifications about power management will be sent. This includes all shutdowns. Leave blank to disable this feature (default).
    • Slave Error Email Account: The account to which all notifications from slaves that have recorded the number of errors specified above in one session will be sent. Leave blank to disable this feature.
    • Stalled Slave Email Account: The account to which all notifications about stalled slaves will be sent. Leave blank to disable this feature.
    • System Administrator Account: The system administrator's account where users can submit job error reports to. Leave blank to disable this feature.
  • Notification Settings:
    • Email Notification Account Name: Specifies the user name to use when authenticating with the local SMTP server.
    • Email Notification Account Password: Specifies the password to use when authenticating with the local SMTP server.
    • Email Notification Sender Account: The account used to send job notification emails.
    • Email Notification SMTP Server: The SMTP server used to send job notification emails.
    • Email Notification Domain Name: The domain name postfix that will be concatenated with user names to generate the addresses to which the job notification emails will be sent.
  • Pulse Settings:
    • Pulse Host Name Or IP Address: the host that Deadline Pulse will run on. Can be a Machine Name or IP Address. Leave blank to disable this feature (default).
    • Pulse Job Scan Interval: the number of seconds between Pulse job scans. After each scan, Pulse will distribute jobs to any Slaves that are currently connected.
    • Pulse Listening Port: the port that Deadline Pulse will listen on. Default is 5146.
    • Pulse Message Timeout Milliseconds: The number of milliseconds in which messages being sent to/from Pulse must complete before a timeout occurs.
    • Power Management Check Interval: The number of seconds between Pulse power management checks.
    • Repository Disk Space Email Account: The account to send notifications to when the repository machine is running out of disk space.
    • Repository Disk Space Limit: If the repository machine has this much space left (in MB) or less, an email is sent to the corresponding account. Set to 0 to disable this feature.
  • Remote Administrator Settings: click here for information on how to set up Remote Admin in Deadline.
  • Remote Desktop Connection Settings: click here for information on how to set up RDC in Deadline.
  • Scheduling Settings:
    • Job Scheduling Order: The order of priority by which Deadline schedules the jobs in the queue. The default order is based on the job's pool, then its priority, then finally its submission date/time. More information on job scheduling can be found here.
  • Slave Settings:
    • Bad Job Attempt Frequency: A percentage (0 - 100) that determines how often a slave will try to render a task in a job marked as bad if no good jobs are available.
    • Days To Keep Offline/Stalled Slaves: Number of days that a slave can be offline or stalled before it is automatically removed from the repository. Specify 0 to disable this feature (default).
    • Delay Between Pulse Polls: the number of seconds a slave will wait between polls to Deadline Pulse (if it is running) for tasks when it is idle.
    • Delay Between Repository Pools: The number of seconds a slave will wait between polls to the repository for tasks when it is idle.
    • Delay Between Tasks: The number of seconds a slave will wait after it has completed a task before it tries to poll for another.
    • Slave Timeout For Pulse Poll: Then number of seconds a slave that has connected to Pulse will wait for Pulse to respond when polling for a job.
    • Thermal Shutdown Check Interval: The number of seconds between thermal shutdown checks. Note that the Slave only performs this check if Pulse isn't running.
  • SNTP Date/Time Synchronization Setings:
    • Host Name or IP Address: The host name or IP address of the machine to synchronize Deadline's date/time with. Leave blank to disable SNTP time synchronization.
    • SNTP Timeout in Milliseconds: SNTP timeout in milliseconds.
  • VNC Settings: click here for information on how to set up VNC in Deadline.

Remote Error Reporting

You can enable Deadline to automatically email errors to Frantic Films Software, which helps us further improve the quality of the software.

Error Reporting Options

  • Reporting Policy: Enable or disable error reporting.
  • Method: Use either a direct connection to Frantic Films or use a local mail server as a relay (if your network is behind a firewall).
  • Test Settings: Sends a test error reporting email to Frantic Films. "Success!" will be displayed if the email was sent successfully.