Video encoding using ClusterKnoppix?

**Pjotr** · 08-17-2003, 05:30 PM

I'd like to use my 7 computers ocassionally to encode video, from DVD to SVCD or XviD. It would be so much faster if ClusterKnoppix could distribute a single DVD job over 7 computers and get the job several times faster. I've seen one video encoding package for Linux, DVD::Rip, but it seems complex to setup to run on multiple machines and it requires installing client side software to work.

Can anyone help me find some good video encoding package that will easily spread on a ClusterKnoppix network? If it helps to have one HD-installed machine for starting things up, fine.

**aay** · 08-18-2003, 05:49 PM

I don't think you need any special tools. All you should need to do is install clusterknoppix on one box. Then apt-get your encoding software (dvdrip etc). Then boot all the other machines you want to add to the cluster from clusterknoppix cds. They should all automatically join as nodes. You may want to view the clusterknoppix documentation page for more info, but I think this is all there is to it. Let me say that this is a very good idea too.

**bloor** · 08-19-2003, 08:26 PM

but, where to get the cluster knoppix? or where to find more about this?

thank you so much.

**Pjotr** · 08-19-2003, 10:29 PM

Originally Posted by bloor

but, where to get the cluster knoppix? or where to find more about this?

thank you so much.

http://bofh.be/clusterknoppix/

The problem is you can't just take a single threaded software and think it will spread. For video encoding to spread, it must be able to split the data. If there is only one VOB file, it would take extra work to split it so different nodes would take different parts. On the OpenMosix home page you can see how to spread MP# encoding across a cluster, simply run a shell loop that encodes each song by itself, OpenMosix will then spread the work on nodes.

So it's not always just to launch the app and for video encoding, with GB sized file, it will take more than just that.

**aay** · 08-20-2003, 07:06 AM

Originally Posted by Pjotr

Originally Posted by bloor

but, where to get the cluster knoppix? or where to find more about this?

thank you so much.

http://bofh.be/clusterknoppix/

The problem is you can't just take a single threaded software and think it will spread. For video encoding to spread, it must be able to split the data. If there is only one VOB file, it would take extra work to split it so different nodes would take different parts. On the OpenMosix home page you can see how to spread MP# encoding across a cluster, simply run a shell loop that encodes each song by itself, OpenMosix will then spread the work on nodes.

So it's not always just to launch the app and for video encoding, with GB sized file, it will take more than just that.

Thanks for the correction. dvdrip has a clustering option to it. Perhaps that's a good route to go for clusting video projects.

**Pjotr** · 08-20-2003, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by aay

Thanks for the correction. dvdrip has a clustering option to it. Perhaps that's a good route to go for clusting video projects.

That's ok as long as you have HD installed dedicated Linux machines with the client software pre-installed. But I have Windows machines that I would like to ocassionally CD boot to be part of a cluster, no configurations needed.

Like having one Linux box pre-configured HD installed that you carry to work, insert a boot CD in every office computer and they join your Linux cluster, start your video encoding and get done in half an hour or less, depending on the number of office computers.