I raised this issue in a separate thread. While I will have Poser installed on Both computers (as you get three seats but you can only use one seat at a time. I'm running into a different issue that I could use some pointers with. Basically setting up a network to send a render to the Queue Manager.

I have two computers. A laptop and a desktop. My desktop is more powerful so it should do the rendering while I can create on my laptop. Now I could copy the runtimes over to the laptop with a flash drive so the systems are more or less identical in content but they have to be able to talk each other.

Research has proven difficult. Most of the articles are filled with "It doesn't work. Windows 10 is crap." I don't believe that. I have cat 5 cables. I have network cards (or neither could connect to the net) The laptop is also wireless. The Desktop is not and MUST be hardwired to the router.

Why reinvent the wheel? Could someone give me some basic directions on what I will need or point me to some working tutorials? Or even better, just lay out what to do and how to do it. I'm tech savvy so I'll be able to follow any directions given. It seems quite a few people have already succeeded in this quest but a few pointers are needed.

Another quiet issue from quietrob. My PP11 is an upgrade from Poser 9. Significant cash was spent on both. Do they count as separate licenses?

You can still use P9.

If it's not too inconvenient, I would hardwire (Cat5/6) the laptop to the router for this; Cat cable gives more bandwidth and more reliable connection than wireless. But wireless would suffice.

The render slave (aka remote) machine does not need a runtime installed; when the master's queue sends the remote a job, it includes the geometries and texture image maps, etc. In your case, since both machines will have Poser11Pro installed, either machine could function as master, with the other serving as remote. So you will indeed want to copy your runtime from the desktop to the laptop. Your strategy is wise, in that the desktop has much greater cooling capacity than a laptop, so I'd definitely use the desktop for rendering while using the laptop for scene setup and sending queue jobs as master. If you can scrounge more computers up, install only Queue Manager on them by running DLM and inserting the Queue serial key instead of the Poser 11 Pro key.

My machines are Win7, so there may be specific pointers for Win10 that someone else will need to inject. Let's assume that you have P11Pro installed on both machines, and both machines are connected to (the same) router/switch.

The two most common causes of failure seem to be [1] Firewall permissions - Queue, FFRender64, and Poser must all have firewall permissions, both in and out, on all machines in your network. If you don't get a firewall query popup the first time you launch Queue, you may need to open your firewall apllication rules and manually change the settings for Queue, FFRender64, and Poser. [2] Build numbers must match - In order for the master's Queue and the remote's Queue to acknowledge each other, all machines on your network must have the same build number. So, if you updated your master's P11Pro (Queue gets updated along with it), then you must update Queue on all of your remotes also.

So, time to try it out. On each remote, launch Queue Manager. On your master, open a scene in Poser 11 Pro. Open the master's Queue, and set the master's Queue to not process jobs locally. At the bottom of the master's Queue UI window, you should see available message from 192.168.1.119 or similar from each remote on your network. That tells you that the Master's Queue sees the remote's Queue. Conversely, at the bottom of each remote's Queue UI window, you should see discovery query from 192.168.1.101 which confirms that the remote's Queue sees the master's Queue.

Set the scene render settings, bearing in mind that it will be using the CPU only, and send the render to queue. There may be several seconds before you see anything happen; P11Pro has handed off to Queue, which saves a PZ3 of that particular scene frame (or animation). Then, you'll see a burst of file transfer notices in the Queue window. If you look at the remote's Queue, you should incoming file transfer notices, and a job assignment appears in the Queue window.

Sending an animation to queue:

Simplified graphic of how to connect one workstation to multiple remotes - the remotes share a single Keyboard, Video display, and Mouse via a KVM switch. In your case, Rob, the router is probably both the modem and the network switch, in a single housing.

Here's a bit of the master's Queue log, showing an available message from a remote (yellow highlight). Note that Queue gives notice that it is launching FFRender64, and "talking to" Poser. Since Queue, FFRender64, and Poser are separate EXEs, they each must have firewall permissions, even to communicate within the same machine.

By the way, clicking the red X in the top right of the Queue window does not close out Queue! It only hides the window, with Queue still running. To close Queue, use the title bar menu path File:Close.

Setting your master's Queue to not process jobs locally:

This means that the master will not do any of the rendering.

Not in order.

1. At the very least, I can watch Youtube (I'm a big science guy) on one computer while my other is happily rendering away without a loss of cpu processing.

2. After the events of last year that forced me to select what I wanted to bring with me as I moved, I chose my monitor and TV as two valued selections. From your diagrams, I should be able to pipe out the video to that monitor on the slave so I can still monitor the results (Unless that slows the render. There is something to be said for being able to stop a render when I spot something that can't be easily fixed in post-production like failing to realize that I didn't use EZSkin 3 on Aiko's skin (She will render coal black).

2a. Question. From your example, It doesn't look like I'll be able to monitor the remote screen at all as I will be getting updates as to the status of the render. Is that correct?

1. You are windows 7. I am Windows 10. I think Windows 7 allowed a true home network while 10 has replaced it with file sharing (nothing like removing features from the next upgrade HINT). Crossing fingers both systems can see one another.

2. Of course it will eventually work. Two many users are already Queuing like crazy but I think the above should be added to the manual. It has nothing like the easy to understand explanations you included.

3. Thank you, seachnasaigh. Your help is greatly appreciated (and was sorely missed) I'll be getting Cat 6 cable in the morning. Current time in the USA west coast, 0310 hours. Time to upgrade EVERYTHING.

quietrob posted at 5:24AM Wed, 18 September 2019 - #4362377

...I should be able to pipe out the video to that monitor on the slave so I can still monitor the results (Unless that slows the render.  There is something to be said for being able to stop a render when I spot something that can't be easily fixed in post-production...

2a. Question. From your example, It doesn't look like I'll be able to monitor the remote screen at all as I will be getting updates as to the status of the render.  Is that correct?

You could display the remote's Queue UI window on a second monitor. But the Queue UI does not display the render image, on either master or remote. One of my several enhancement requests for Queue is that it would display the render, for the exact reason you cited: So that you might spot a ruinous flaw and cancel the render, rather than wasting your time waiting for a dud to finish.

The biggest request I have is to enable spreading the rendering of a single render, for example a big high-quality wallpaper across a network, distributing buckets or samples to each remote. Imagine how that would speed up rendering your magnum opus wallpaper.

Rob, are your computers "seeing" each other on the network? In file explorer can you see the other computer? I find a strange situation that only the first computer I switch on shows the others as computers in the network on file explorer. But if you can't see the other machine from either, check in setting,s network and internet. sharing options that network discovery is turned on for both machines. Other than that can't be much help as my technique tends to be look through setting try clicking anything that looks as if it might help until it eventually works, and hope everything isn't going to screwed up by the next bl****y windows update!

Oh, good point, Nails60. So easy to check! Rob, with any Windows Explorer window open (such as when you open a folder), look at the column of info at the left side. Under "network", you'll see all computers on your network:

I can see two laptops on my network as soon as I hit network. Super scary. One is a laptop that I haven't fired up for a good year as I recovered. Ohmigod, it still has homegroups in the network. Mine has the latest updates and no homegroup. Why do I feel like hers is more versatile?

I just logged into her computer after it asked me for credentials. For those that don't know, it's the same info you enter when you log into the other computer. Hmm, no sign of S and M on her system. What now?

And that brings up another point is that all the machines need to be part of the same workgroup. I had some that even though they could see each other and ping etc. and even get a job from the master they couldn't send the job back because they were in different workgroups.