Background I/O

Background I/O is a media management tool for performing I/O with minimum impact on the performance of the creative workstation. The tool has both a command-line and an embedded interface, and can:

The embedded version of the tool makes use of Backburner for two operations only: to transfer clips using Wire and to generate proxies for clips. The other operations to not require Backburner. In contrast, the command-line version of the tool uses Backburner for all operations.

Stone and Wire are automatically installed during installation of the Visual Effects and Finishing application.

Not all Backburner components may have been installed during product installation.

The Backburner Web Monitor and Backburner Web Server are optional, for the purposes of Background I/O.

Requesting a “Background Wire” transfer from the Clip Library menu invokes Backburner. The Visual Effects and Finishing application submits the job to the locally-installed Backburner Manager which invokes the Backburner Server, which calls the Wire daemon to carry out the task. Monitoring is embedded in the Visual Effects and Finishing application. It can also be done using the Backburner Web Monitor (optional).

To set up background I/O in Visual Effects and Finishing, on a workstation with a Visual Effects and Finishing application and all Backburner components installed.

  1. Check that the Backburner Manager and Backburner Server are installed and set to run as daemons by running chkconfig --list | grep -i Backburner. This should output something like: backburner_manager 0:off 1:off 2:on 3:on 4:on 5:on 6:off backburner_server  0:off 1:off 2:on 3:on 4:on 5:on 6:off. Levels “3”, “4”, and “5” must be “on” for the daemons to start automatically.
  2. Restart the Visual Effects and Finishing application so it picks up the new configuration file setting and begins communicating with Backburner.

Check that background I/O is using Backburner by importing an image sequence from the filesystem into a clip library and generating proxies for it, in the background:

  1. Create a new project for which proxy generation is always on or is conditional. To do this, edit the project's settings in the Preferences Menu, Project Management group. It is not recommended to enable proxies or otherwise change proxy settings for an existing project, since it can result in the generation of proxies for all clips already in the project in the foreground, an operation that can take considerable time. The purpose of this procedure is to test proxy generation in the background.
  2. In the library, click Import Image.
  3. In the Clip Media group, enable Soft-Import Full Res.
  4. In the Background Operations group, enable Generate/Import Proxies. The Proxy Generation button in this area of the software does not determine whether proxies are generated or not. It specifies how they are generated: in the background (with Backburner) or the foreground (Backburner not needed).
  5. Use the file browser to select and import media files from the filesystem.
  6. Verify the proxies are generated in the background, in a timely manner:
    • View progress of the background I/O in the Background Import/Export Queue. In the Library menu, click the Background Monitor button (Ctrl+0).
    • Review messages appearing in the message bar in the Message History window. In the Preferences menu, Miscellaneous group, click the Message History button (Ctrl+Alt+F7).
    • If the playable thumbnails indicate “Pending Render” for too long, this is a sign that the proxies are not being generated.

Check background I/O using Backburner is operational by importing an image sequence from a remote clip library into a local clip library. This operation makes use of the background I/O Wire feature, as well as Backburner. In general, requesting a “Background Wire” transfer from the Clip Library menu invokes Backburner and the Wire transfer

  1. Check that Autodesk Stone and Wire must be installed on a remote system. Stone and Wire are automatically installed during the installation of all Visual Effects and Finishing applications.
  2. Create a new project or open an existing project.
  3. Disable any settings that might cause proxies to be generated or the clip to be resized by editing the project's settings in the Preferences Menu, Project Management group.
  4. Open the clip library and enable the following:
    • Dual Library View
    • Show All Libraries
    • Copy on Drag
  5. In the Clip Library menu, click Network. The local system is listed at the top of the network library. Remote systems are listed below it, in alphabetical order.
  6. Select a library on a remote system and exit the network library. Selected libraries are highlighted and marked with a “C” (connect) or “AC” (auto-connect).
  7. Return to the clip library, navigate to the remote library in one view, and the local library in the other.
  8. In the clip library Wire Options area, enable Background Wire.
  9. Drag and drop a clip from the remote library to the local library.
  10. Visually verify the selected clip is successfully copied. Additional verification is also possible:
    • View progress of the background I/O in the Background Import/Export Queue. In the Library menu, click the Background Monitor button (Ctrl+0).
    • Review messages appearing in the message bar in the Message History window. In the Preferences menu, Miscellaneous group, click the Message History button (Ctrl+Alt+F7).
Parent topic: Rendering