Command Line Tools

OpenCue provides several command-line tools for managing and interacting with the render farm. These tools offer capabilities for job management, system administration, and automation.

Available Tools

CueAdmin

The primary administrative tool for OpenCue, providing comprehensive control over shows, allocations, hosts, subscriptions, and system resources.

Cueman

A job management tool that extends cueadmin with advanced filtering, batch operations, and user-friendly features for efficient farm management.

PyCueRun

A tool for submitting and running Python-based jobs on the OpenCue render farm.

Quick Comparison

Tool	Primary Use	Key Features
cueadmin	System administration	Host management, show configuration, allocation control
cueman	Job and frame management	Advanced filtering, batch operations, frame manipulation
pycuerun	Job submission	Python script execution, dependency management

Getting Started

All command-line tools require:

OpenCue Python packages installed

Environment variables configured:

export OPENCUE_HOSTS="your-cuebot-server:8443"
export OPENCUE_FACILITY="your-facility-code"

Common Operations

View Help

All tools support help flags:

cueadmin -h
cueman -h
pycuerun -h

List Jobs

cueadmin -lj              # Using cueadmin
cueman -info job_name     # Using cueman for details

Manage Frames

cueman -lf job_name       # List frames
cueman -retry job_name    # Retry failed frames
cueman -kill job_name     # Kill running frames

Best Practices

Start with Read Operations: Use list and info commands to understand current state
Use Filters: Apply specific filters to target exact resources
Test First: Try commands on test jobs before production
Enable Verbose Mode: Use -v flag for debugging
Document Actions: Keep logs of administrative actions

Environment Setup

Configure your shell environment for optimal use:

# Add to ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc
export OPENCUE_HOSTS="cuebot1:8443,cuebot2:8443"
export OPENCUE_FACILITY="main"

# Optional: Create aliases for common operations
alias cue-jobs='cueadmin -lj'
alias cue-hosts='cueadmin -lh'
alias cue-info='cueman -info'

Scripting and Automation

Command-line tools can be combined in scripts:

#!/bin/bash
# Example: Daily maintenance script

# Clean up overnight test jobs
for job in $(cueadmin -lj | grep test_ | awk '{print $1}'); do
    cueman -term $job -force
done

# Retry failed production frames
for job in $(cueadmin -lj | grep prod_ | awk '{print $1}'); do
    cueman -retry $job -state DEAD
done

Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

# Test connection by listing shows (if successful, connection works)
cueadmin -ls

# Specify server explicitly
cueman -server cuebot.example.com:8443 -lf job_name

Permission Errors

Some operations require administrative privileges. Contact your OpenCue administrator if you encounter permission errors.