|
|
View Forum Thread
Anyone can view the forums, but you need to log in in order to post messages.
> Forum Home >
Announcements >
Smedge 2014 Beta 1 is available for download
|
Sun, 21/Jul/2013 4:05 AM |
Robin
1138 Posts
|
Well, it is finally here!
The next version of Smedge is now ready for beta testing on all platforms. Smedge 2014 is a whole new world of performance and reliability. There are several cool new features, like the GUI view presets and support for Thea and Indigo renderers. But mostly, this version is about speed, stability and scalability.
Component processes run almost two orders of magnitude faster than previously, and use about half the RAM. The networking and threading systems have been completely revamped to remove bottlenecks and push scalability to new heights. Where before the system would start to break down after about 500 machines, it is now running on over 1,000 with tons of performance to spare. And gone are the nasty flashing lists, even under heavy load.
Most importantly, I've spent most of the last year finding and fixing every low level technical issue that could cause random crashing and hanging. Tons of bugs have been fixed, including licensing bugs that could cause the farm to idle, and the causes of the random master switches that could trigger data corruption and license issues.
One other major change in this version is that Smedge will now run on up to 3 machines with no license installed. Just download and start running right away!
You can download Smedge 2014 Beta 1 for all platforms from these links:
Windows:
http://www.uberware.net/download/Win32/Smedge2014-b1.zip
Mac:
http://www.uberware.net/download/Mac/Smedge2014-b1.zip
Linux:
http://www.uberware.net/download/linux64/Smedge2014-b1_x64.tar.gz
Note that beta releases are only distributed as archive files at this time. You can simply unzip the archive and run the processes as normal. Also, the Windows build is 32 bit and runs on any version of Windows from XP onwards, including 64 bit. The Linux build is 64 bit, built on CentOS 6, but I can build for any other Linux distribution, 32 or 64 bit Intel or PowerPC based, if needed. The Mac version is 64 bit only, and requires OS-X 10.5 or later on Intel. I may be able to revive PowerPC support, but I will only do so if there is any interest.
Please contact us if you have any questions or run into any issues. There are still a few pending changes that will be coming before the final release. Most visibly, the Job History list is still using the old, ugly and flashy code. That will be fixed by Beta 2 in the next week or so.
Thank you, and see you in Smedge!
-robin
Edited by author on Sun, 21/Jul/2013 4:37 AM |
|
|
|
Mon, 22/Jul/2013 5:00 AM |
Martin
69 Posts
|
Good news Robin,
is it possible (and safe) to run it on the same machines with Smedge 2012?
|
|
|
|
Mon, 22/Jul/2013 5:22 PM |
Robin
1138 Posts
|
Hi
It is possible to run it on the same machines at the same time, but it can be a bit tricky. For testing purposes, you can run the new version on a different port with the -MasterPort flag, and use the -AllowMultiple flag on the master and engine to ensure that they don't try to overwrite data on disk and work in parallel with the old version.
I can help in more detail if you want to contact me directly.
|
|
|
|
Mon, 22/Jul/2013 5:27 PM |
Robin
1138 Posts
|
Also, one other note regarding the Windows version. I am now using Microsoft Visual Studio 2012, so it now has a new runtime library that it uses. If you see any error messages about missing MSVCP dll, you can get the required stuff here:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=30679
Note that when I generate the MSI installer, that will include the Microsoft runtime redistributable as well, so you will not need this link. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thank you,
-robin
|
|
|
|
Fri, 02/Aug/2013 10:10 AM |
Dan
29 Posts
|
Will our existing licenses work with the new version or is it trial beta only. I'd be down for just outright upgrading to the beta.
|
|
|
|
Sat, 03/Aug/2013 12:19 AM |
Robin
1138 Posts
|
As long as you have valid support you can run the beta. If your support expired before the beta was released, you can renew your support to gain access to it, just as with any other version. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thanks!
-robin
|
|
|
|
|
|
. |