Forums Technical Discussion PDG Deadline over network

PDG Deadline over network

   165   1   1
User Avatar
ocuda
Member
2 posts
Joined: March 2025
Online
 
Hello everyone!

I am trying to get PDG to work with remote Deadline instances on a private network.

My setup is as such:

All Windows. All Houdini 21.0.559
I have a real time sync set on a project folder that is accessible by all Deadline instances on a given job. (let's say A:/project)
I have a VPN network for all these instances, a Deadline RCS running on that VPN.

Everything works in general, except PDG, for which I get a "connection refused" when a machine outside of the physical network of the machine that processed the PDG job tries to get a task.

My guess is that PDG starts a self hosted server when processing the initial job, and uses a local IP.
I can't find related documentation that would help me set this up correctly. If that's the case, I guess I would need to host it on my VPN IP and open a port so that other machines from the VPN network can access the job, or maybe there is another solution?

I tried different things, like having a PDG folder at the root of the project, that would sync job data and such, but that doesn't solve the connection refused issue.

Any hints will be much appreciated!

Thanks
 Report
User Avatar
ocuda
Member
2 posts
Joined: March 2025
Online
 
additional pieces of info:

I've now tried to run a MQ server on a machine of my VPN network:


TCP 0.0.0.0:53000 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING 3340
TCP 0.0.0.0:53001 0.0.0.0:0 LISTENING 3340
TCP :53001 :0 LISTENING 3340

Made a firewall rule that will only let my VPN IPs in and out.

when using PS C:\Users\admin> Test-NetConnection 192.168.XXX.XXX-Port 53001 (and 53000) from a remote machine on the VPN, I get a successful connection. TcpTestSucceeded : True

In houdini's Python Shell, when I check if it can connect to the MQ Server, I get a positive response. When trying to cook the job, I get an error:

>>> import socket

mq_host = "192.168.XXX.XXX"  # IP of the MQ server
mq_port = 53000               # Message queue port

s = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
s.settimeout(5)

try:
    s.connect((mq_host, mq_port))
    print("Successfully connected to MQ server at", mq_host, "port", mq_port)
except Exception as e:
    print("Connection failed:", e)
finally:
    s.close()
>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 
[b]Successfully connected to MQ server at 192.168.XXX.XXX port 53000[/b]
>>> 09:36:36 OnStartCook(): deadline_render
09:36:36 MQ usage: 2
09:36:36 Local Working Dir: P:/PDG_RnD/PDG
Remote Working Dir: P:/PDG_RnD/PDG
09:36:36 Starting deadline command process
09:36:36 onSchedule: FLUID_CACHE_COMPRESS_ropgeometry1_ropfetch1_181 - 0
09:36:36 Setting job directory: P:/PDG_RnD/PDG/pdgtemp/28012/pdg_cook_1bab0faf485845
038f928f63b186d14e
09:36:36 Plugin file=P:/PDG_RnD/PDG/pdgtemp/28012/pdg_cook_1bab0faf485845038f928f63b
186d14e/pdg_dl_plugin.txt
09:36:36 Scheduling job for task
09:36:36 Not copying plugins folder because it exists!
09:36:36 Job file=P:/PDG_RnD/PDG/pdgtemp/28012/pdg_cook_1bab0faf485845038f928f63b186
d14e/job_25729074f334414ca8b3f9f8269f8a12.txt
09:36:36 Task 25729074f334414ca8b3f9f8269f8a12 file: P:/PDG_RnD/PDG/pdgtemp/28012/pd
g_cook_1bab0faf485845038f928f63b186d14e/task_25729074f334414ca8b3f9f8269f8a12.txt
09:36:36 deadline_render:: Starting MQ Relay 192.168.XXX.XXX:53001
09:36:37 onStopCook()
09:36:37 Stopping shared servers
09:36:37 Stopping MQ Relay
09:36:37 Stopping deadline command process

"Failed to connect to MQ server at 192.168.XXX.XXX:53001 with error:
"Connection shutdown"!
Try disabling network firewall or allow PDG MQ ports in firewall setting.
"

same think coming from Deadline :

2026-01-15 09:33:47: 0: STDOUT: 09:33:46 deadline_render:: Starting MQ Relay 192.168.XXX.XXX:53001
2026-01-15 09:33:47: 0: STDOUT: 09:33:47 onStopCook()
2026-01-15 09:33:47: 0: STDOUT: 09:33:47 Stopping shared servers
2026-01-15 09:33:47: 0: STDOUT: 09:33:47 Stopping MQ Relay
2026-01-15 09:33:47: 0: STDOUT: 09:33:47 Stopping deadline command process
2026-01-15 09:33:47: 0: STDOUT: Finished Cook
2026-01-15 09:33:47: 0: STDOUT: Work Item States:
2026-01-15 09:33:47: 0: STDOUT: Errors from node deadline_render:
2026-01-15 09:33:47: 0: STDOUT: Failed to connect to MQ server at 192.168.XXX.XXX:53001 with error:
2026-01-15 09:33:47: 0: STDOUT: "Connection shutdown"!
2026-01-15 09:33:47: 0: STDOUT: Try disabling network firewall or allow PDG MQ ports in firewall setting.
2026-01-15 09:33:48: 0: STDOUT: Closing the RS instance. End of the plugin log system.

I get the same result trying it from a remote machine on the network, as well as from the machine running the MQ server itself.

I am using the deadline submitter with Message Queue in Connect mode, Address is my VPN IP of the machine running the MQserver, Callback port is 53000 and Relay Port is 53001.

What am I doing wrong? Any hint would brighten up my days

Cheers!
Edited by ocuda - Jan. 15, 2026 03:49:04
 Report
  • Quick Links