DR server needs to be restarted issue - V3 daily builds update

[Dionysios.TS]

When I close the DR Server process on my workstation everthing started to work again perfectly.

Can you please explain this sentence? Your DR setup is a bit confusing to me all this time.
By "workstation" we usually mean a computer where a person is sitting and doing some stuff in 3ds Max. It is also the computer where you click "render" inside 3ds Max and then it either renders with the help of nodes, or sends the job to BB.
By "nodes" we usually mean computers where 3ds Max is running in command line mode, without its UI exposed, and no one is using those computers for working with 3ds Max (they may even not have monitors).

Is it the same for you, or are you using your computers in some different way?

Also, is there ever a situation for you where:
-You are using more than 1 instance of 3ds Max on the same PC
-You are running Backburner Manager/Server/Monitor and Corona's DR server on one PC?
-You are running 3ds Max and Corona's DR server on once PC?

Maru, can I ask you something?

If I go home during the night, can my Workstation become a DR node for the time I am not in front of it till I get back the morning later?

If I go for lunch and let's say for 90 minutes I want my workstation to contribute as a DR Node in the general process, can I start the DR Server as well?

I am 20 years in the industry, I helped the mental ray and iray development for years and I know what a node and workstation terms are. No offense please.

We have 4 PCs.
2 of them are Nodes.
2 of them are Workstations.

We use Backburner for the final production images and when we don't use our workstations we use them as nodes.

I don't understand where is the problem.

The Backburner Manager & DR Master is always one and the same PC, is one of the nodes and gets connected to any of the above PCs which runs the DR server.

I see a simple setup here.

When the Corona process freezes, is always fault of one of the nodes which are connected to the DR Master and it happens randomly.

[maru]

Yes, of course, no offense. I only wanted to clarify those things. The reason is that we are dealing with many reports every day, and it is impossible to memorize all the details. Threads may get pretty lengthy, so it is good to have all the info sorted and stored in one place, in as simple form as possible. Sorry if I sometimes sound dumb, but the ideal description of an issue is what others often call "explain like I'm five".

[Dionysios.TS]

Yes, of course, no offense. I only wanted to clarify those things. The reason is that we are dealing with many reports every day, and it is impossible to memorize all the details. Threads may get pretty lengthy, so it is good to have all the info sorted and stored in one place, in as simple form as possible. Sorry if I sometimes sound dumb, but the ideal description of an issue is what others often call "explain like I'm five".

No worries! :)
I am not angry, just want to help! For you guys, the community and us.

You asked and I answer:

-You are using more than 1 instance of 3ds Max on the same PC

No, only one instance.

-You are running Backburner Manager/Server/Monitor and Corona's DR server on one PC?

The Backburner Manager which is the DR master uses in the same time: Backburner Manager / Backburner Server and that's it.

-You are running 3ds Max and Corona's DR server on once PC?

I don't understand well this question, when the nodes work as nodes, there is only DR Server opened and that's it.

Thanks!

[maru]

Thanks for the response. Just one more thing:

I force the shutdown of DR Server application and the job on Backburner turned out normal again!

^So this does not mean that the Corona DR Server and Backburner were working on one PC? They were running on two different PCs?

At that moment, my assistant had opened a 3ds Max session in the same time to work on a simple scene while her PC was in the DR process. Could be the reason?

^So in this case there was DR Server and 3ds Max running on the same PC? Or 2 instances of 3ds Max?

I found the same problem with the normal DR Servers being freezed cause they can't sent the EXR Dump file and they block all the process and guess what? Another 3ds Max process was on.

^Here you observed more than one 3ds Max process on a single PC?

[Dionysios.TS]

I force the shutdown of DR Server application and the job on Backburner turned out normal again!

^So this does not mean that the Corona DR Server and Backburner were working on one PC? They were running on two different PCs?

Yes, the Backburner Manager receives the jobs, it starts, and it uses any DR Server node found available on the Lan.

At that moment, my assistant had opened a 3ds Max session in the same time to work on a simple scene while her PC was in the DR process. Could be the reason?

^So in this case there was DR Server and 3ds Max running on the same PC? Or 2 instances of 3ds Max?

This is an unlike situation which in the previous version of Corona it worked always fine. When during the day we need some more power, while we work we add our Workstations to the DR process so the become nodes so it happens sometimes to have 2 3ds Max instances opened. We noticed in this case that the Backburner machine + the DR process on the specific workstation become less reactive. But, the freezing problem happened also without having 2 3ds Max instances opened. Like the freeze happened today. Is this clear? If not let me know.

I found the same problem with the normal DR Servers being freezed cause they can't sent the EXR Dump file and they block all the process and guess what? Another 3ds Max process was on.

^Here you observed more than one 3ds Max process on a single PC?

No extra instances were opened in this case. Only the one of the rendering process.

[maru]

The reason I asked was that these scenarios are not recommended, and various issues may appear when using them:

-You are using more than 1 instance of 3ds Max on the same PC
-You are running Backburner Manager/Server/Monitor and Corona's DR server on one PC?
-You are running 3ds Max and Corona's DR server on once PC?

Obviously we are trying to improve that, and it looks like it could help in your case.

[Dionysios.TS]

The reason I asked was that these scenarios are not recommended, and various issues may appear when using them:

-You are using more than 1 instance of 3ds Max on the same PC
-You are running Backburner Manager/Server/Monitor and Corona's DR server on one PC?
-You are running 3ds Max and Corona's DR server on once PC?

Obviously we are trying to improve that, and it looks like it could help in your case.

I imagined and noticing the problem we avoid now to do so but the freeze of the software is always here.
The second instance I found in some cases on the nodes was not started from us, I just found it in the task manager under the process tab.

[Dionysios.TS]

Here the problem continues as before.
Had no time to install the official 3.0 and we still use the RC7 but I guess nothing will change.

The DR process freezes here and there randomly. When I find which DR Server is blocking the process and I force to close it's DR process, everything comes back to normal again.

Have a nice weekend to everybody.

Dionysios -

[maru]

We will do our best to fix this, and will contact you in case some more information is needed. (and also others who reported this problem).