Locally, the Render Queue does pick up the job, but FFRender continuously fails saying: "...FFRender failed to launch"

Once I get it running locally I'll branch out to my other PC's to see if I can get it set up but right now I'm stuck.

Any thoughts?

Could be a couple things.

1. Make sure that if you installed a service update for Poser Pro 2010 that you also install the Queue Manager from that update. If you don't have the same updates on both, it will fail.

2. Make sure the content is on a shared drive, and that Queue Manager is reading and writing to a shared drive or folder. Make sure that the programs hav permissions to access, read, and write files (check privelages, and drive/folder sharing settings).

3. Make sure that any firewall and/or security or port gaurding software has exceptions and allowances for both Queue Manager, FFRender, and your Poser Pro 2010 program.  Make certain these programs can access the host loopback address (127.0.0.1). Check your hosts file to insure this address has not been added as banned or restricted by security software.

4. Make certain that the serial numbers for your Poser Pro 2010 and Queue Manager match.

FWIW, I had this very same problem and was able to deduce a solution starting from the clues provided here.  First go to the CMD prompt, and ping the localhost ip address:

C:Usersdanborn>ping 127.0.0.1 

Pinging 127.0.0.1 with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128
Reply from 127.0.0.1: bytes=32 time<1ms TTL=128

Ping statistics for 127.0.0.1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms

You should get results similar to above, else read no further...you've got other issues to solve first!  Next, ping the localhost by name:

C:Usersdanborn>ping localhost

Pinging CANOPUS [::1] with 32 bytes of data:
Reply from ::1: time<1ms
Reply from ::1: time<1ms
Reply from ::1: time<1ms
Reply from ::1: time<1ms

Ping statistics for ::1:
Packets: Sent = 4, Received = 4, Lost = 0 (0% loss),
Approximate round trip times in milli-seconds:
Minimum = 0ms, Maximum = 0ms, Average = 0ms

If you get a reply address that is anything different than 127.0.0.1, like I did in the example above, you need to edit your local hosts file, usually located in:

C:WindowsSystem32driversetc>dir hosts
Volume in drive C is Canopus_C
Volume Serial Number is 6CA5-F5A0

 Directory of C:WindowsSystem32driversetc

01/22/2011 01:47 AM             824 hosts
      1 File(s) 824 bytes
      0 Dir(s) 6,119,591,936 bytes free
 
Note that there is no file extension.  Following is the contents of my hosts file, with the #-sign comment-character you need to edit removed on the second-to last line:

Copyright (c) 1993-2009 Microsoft Corp.

This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.

This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host  names. Each

entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should

be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding  host name.

The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one

space.

Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on  individual

lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.

For example:

102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server

38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host

localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself.

    127.0.0.1    localhost

 ::1             localhost

Then save the file, restart Queue Manager (it may be necessary to restart Poser or your computer if FFRender is hanging in memory) and see if that doesn't toast your muffin...it most satisfactorily did for me!

Have been working with PC's and networks close to 25 years and this '::1' address for localhost is a new wrinkle to me....and evidently also to the authors of Queue Manager.

Danborn

Wow, Danborn, this is awesome! What a contribution... Thank You! It's always nice when people "of the cloth" who know something of the inner workings of that sort of thing contribute, where the rest of us mere mortals would be clueless where to begin.

Bookmarked and saved to text.

I forgot about the localhost=::1 problem myself. It should have been included in the Poser release notes under known issues, since it came up in beta testing Poser 8, and it is a common misconfiguration of the operating system.

I wrote about it twice in 2009:

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?message_id=3509924&ebot_calc_page#message_3509924

http://www.renderosity.com/mod/forumpro/showthread.php?message_id=3509435&ebot_calc_page#message_3509435

It's interesting that using the word "localhost" to target the local communication facility is the "right" thing to do, but because Microsoft screwed up the configs, it is now the wrong approach. I don't use the word anymore in any software I write - I now explicitly say 127.0.0.1, even though that artificially constrains my program to require Internet Protocol V4 (IP V4) and therefore someday it will break.

Impressive response, I did in fact have my localhost configured wrong. I commented out the "::1" line but still I'm receiving an "FFRender failed to launch" message. I bounced the pc but still RenderQueue fails to launch FFRender.

That said the localhost issue probably still needed addressing. Thanks danborn! I'm sorry I can't report success with this tho.

I'll keep trying :)

Cheers.

Not sure if its been mentioned already, but in case you are running Windows 7 it might be some UAC (User Access Control)  awkwardness at play.

Try starting Poser with 'Run As Administrator' and then proceed as you were to see if that makes any difference at all.

 If it does, then consider disabling UAC or, installing Poser to some place other than the default location of Program files etc...

If you're not on Win 7 or Vista ignore the above - the problem lies somewhere else.

Quote - Not sure if its been mentioned already, but in case you are running Windows 7 it might be some UAC (User Access Control)  awkwardness at play.

Try starting Poser with 'Run As Administrator' and then proceed as you were to see if that makes any difference at all.

 If it does, then consider disabling UAC or, installing Poser to some place other than the default location of Program files etc...

If you're not on Win 7 or Vista ignore the above - the problem lies somewhere else.

Finally had a few minutes to actually try this. So, first I commented out the localhosts ::1 thingie in hosts. And put FFRender (as well as Poser Pro 2010) in the firewall as allowed programmes, for local network and internet. And ran PP2010 as administrator.

In the message section of Queue Manager (at the bottom) it says:

Cmd port 4418, discovery port 11523

...with periods that sort-of scroll out and go back to 1

And there's this endless list of:

Launching FFRender for parsing...

..FFRender failed to launch.

So, no joy, here.

ETA: I have submitted a problem report to SM.