Houdini 20.0 HQueue

Managing client groups

How to use the web interface or local logins to create and manage groups of client machines.

On this page

Overview

Client groups allow you to give a collection of client machines a name. This lets you easily assign a job to just the machines in a certain group.

For example, you can set up a bigiron group for render servers that have large amounts of memory. Then if you have huge simulation jobs, you can assign them to only run on the bigiron machines.

A client machine can be a member of multiple groups at once.

How to

In a web browser, connect to the HQueue server (http://hostname:5000/). Hover over the menu icon, then click Groups.

To...Do this

Create a client group

  1. On the Client Groups page, click Create New Group.

  2. Enter the group name (you can use spaces and other non-alphanumeric characters).

  3. Click Create Group.

Add clients to a group

  1. On the Client Groups page, find the group you want to edit in the list of groups. Click the group name to see the group details.

  2. The group details page contains a table of all clients. Turn on the checkboxes next to the clients you want to add, then click Add Clients to Group below the table.

Remove clients from a group

  1. On the Client Groups page, find the group you want to edit in the list of groups. Click the group name to see the group details.

  2. The group details page contains a table of all clients. Turn on the checkboxes next to the clients you want to remove from the group, then click Remove from Group below the table.

Delete a client group

  1. On the Client Groups page, find the group you want to delete in the list of groups. Turn on the checkbox at the start of the group row.

  2. Click the Remove button below the group table.

Client group table

Column Name

Description

checkboxes

Allows you to select a client group. You can apply actions to selected group(s) using the buttons below the list.

Group

The name of the client group and the number of machines that belong to the group. Click on the name to view the group’s details.

Clients

The client machines that belong to the group.

HQueue

Getting started

  • About HQueue

    HQueue is a general-purpose job scheduling system. You can use it to distribute renders, simulations, and other work to remote clients.

  • Installation

    How to set up a basic HQueue farm.

  • Configuration

    How to set configuration options for the HQueue server and clients.

  • How to submit jobs

    How to put work on the farm.

Managing the farm

  • Managing jobs

    How to view and manage jobs on the farm.

  • Managing clients

    How to use the web interface or local logins to add, remove, restart, and manage client machines.

  • Managing client groups

    How to use the web interface or local logins to create and manage groups of client machines.

  • Network Folders

    How to use the Network Folder management page.

  • Resources

    You can specify what resources (such as licenses) are available on each client, so jobs can be scheduled on clients where they can run.

  • Notes

    Each client and job can have informational notes attached.

Next steps

  • Logging

    HQueue stores separate logs for server errors and scheduling events, and each client also generates a log.

  • Uninstalling

    How to uninstall the HQueue server or client software.

  • FAQs

    Answers to frequently asked questions.

Guru level

  • Remote API

    You can connect to the HQueue server over the network and call functions to manipulate and query jobs and other information.

  • Jobs specification details

    More detail on the internals of a job specification for users who want to submit custom jobs.

  • Multiple clients, single machine

    A guide on how to run multiple HQueue clients on a single machine.