Backburner server 'handle'. What assigns that data?

[Tommy L]

I have about 12 rendernode machines (backburner server) connecting to our main server (backburner manager).

6 nodes are fine. 6 of the machines were are kicking each other. They are machines that were drive clone installs of windows. They have been working fine in the past.

They are called node71, node72, node73, node74, node75, node76. They work fine for DR (Corona/vray).

They have unique static IP's, as do all 12 nodes.

Symptom: If I start one instance of BBserver, no problem (node71 for example). Close it, start another instance on, say, node72. No problem.

If I start instance of BBserver on node71 it receives job, starts rendering. Now I open another instance on node72, it kicks node71 and picks up a job. Node71 continues to render the frame, but is no longer recognized by BBmanager/monitor and errors out at the end of the frame. So I only ever have 1 of the 71-76 range registered on BBmanager at any one time. If I start all servers, the 71-76 range just kick each other sequentially, never rendering a complete frame.

The ONLY thing I can find that is the same about the nodes is the 'handle' assigned to the node machine (image attached) but Im open to any suggestions.

QUESTION: What assigns the handle? Is that generated by Max? BBServer? BBManager? Network card? I cant find anything in the manual.

[Scott Schroeder]

According to the awesome help docs from Autodesk, this is the handle is used internally and in log files. So my guess it is generated by backburner. When you installed backburner, are you using a clone or are you physically installing it? Maybe if you install it either manually or push it out, it will write the own handle ID?

 

Sounds like there might be something in an XML file somewhere that needs to get reset. This was the best I could dig up.

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/3ds-max-forum/backburner-duplicated-node/td-p/5891575

[Tommy L]

Ill try that tomorrow, but it looks like a fix. a million thanks if it is, this has been an issue for months!

[Scott Dombrowski]

Yeah, sounds like a MAC address conflict. In backburner.xml (c:\users\XXXX\AppData\Local\backburner\backburner.xml) add as a sub-line to and it'll get populated with the correct MAC address of the local machine.

 

https://area.autodesk.com/blogs/max-station/n37_at_any_given_time_only_one_of_your_backburner_servers_can_connect_to_the_backburner_manager/

[Tommy L]

Great, thanks. Problem solved. So the next person doesnt have to go through the links:

Make sure the 'Show Hidden Folders' is nabled in windows.

go to C:/users/(profile name)/AppData/Local and rename 'backburner' folder to something redundant. Start server (it will recreate the backburner folder wth default settings). Start server again (enter you ip info as normal).

Thanks guys!