max.log access problem

[LaszloSebo]

We still have this happen every now and then. Basically, deadline is unable to read max.log due to it being used by another process:

2013-12-09 09:46:00: 0: INFO: preRender set jobpath to \inferno2\deadline\repository6\jobs\52a26ad980eca3226c31a7a4
2013-12-09 09:46:00: 0: INFO: scLog: info SC_DeadlineSubmit: Setting flowline job path to: \inferno2\deadline\repository6\jobs\52a26ad980eca3226c31a7a4
2013-12-09 09:46:00: 0: INFO: scLog: info SC_DeadlineSubmit: flowline job path set! [\inferno2\deadline\repository6\jobs\52a26ad980eca3226c31a7a4]
2013-12-09 09:46:00: 0: INFO: scLog: info called postLoadScriptSetNetworkID FL_FlowLine01 9588 1
2013-12-09 09:46:00: 0: INFO: called postLoadScriptSetNetworkID FL_FlowLine01 9588 1
2013-12-09 09:46:00: 0: Plugin rendering frame(s): 1044
2013-12-09 09:46:01: 0: INFO: Render Tasks called
2013-12-09 09:46:01: 0: INFO: STARTED
2013-12-09 09:46:01: 0: INFO: Lightning: Render frame 1044
2013-12-09 09:52:08: 0: WARNING: Cannot read from network log because: The process cannot access the file ‘C:\3ds Max 2012\Network\Max.log’ because it is being used by another process.
2013-12-09 09:52:08: 0: An exception occurred: Error in RenderTasks: RenderTask: Unexpected exception (Trapped SEH Exception in RenderFrame(): Privileged Instruction
2013-12-09 09:52:08: Cannot read network log file because: The process cannot access the file ‘C:\3ds Max 2012\Network\Max.log’ because it is being used by another process.)
2013-12-09 09:52:08: at Deadline.Plugins.ScriptPlugin.RenderTasks(String taskId, Int32 startFrame, Int32 endFrame, String& outMessage, AbortLevel& abortLevel) (Deadline.Plugins.RenderPluginException)

The odd thing is the order of the messages in the log. It seems like deadline is trying to read the max.log before the crash? Could it be that deadline is in a racing condition trying to read the log, with max actually writing the log?

[rrussell]

What we’ll do for beta 13 is make multiple attempts to read Max.log while increasing the interval between attempts. We’ll make 5 total attempts, and sleep 1, 2, 3, and 4 seconds between the attempts. That gives Max 10 seconds total to release any lock it has on the file.

Cheers,

• Ryan

[MikeOwen]

Hey Laszlo,
Is it possible that a 2nd instance of 3dsMax was running on this machine (secondary slave or by user) which had crashed and effectively locked the Max.log file? Just wondering if that’s the case; as no amount of time interval is going to help until that stuck 3dsmax.exe is killed on the system in this situation.
Mike

[LaszloSebo]

No, these are regular rendernodes (no user sessions on them), and we are not running 2 parallel max renders on any nodes, due to possibly conflicting configurations