(v13) Scalable RIP raster tool configuration

This page applies to Harlequin v13.1r0 and later; and to Harlequin Core but not Harlequin MultiRIP

The Scalable RIP raster tool can be started before the Scalable RIP, after the Scalable RIP, or even after the Scalable RIP has already started processing jobs. It uses a Raster Status Request to populate the initial set of jobs to work on, so if the Scalable RIP has already produced output, the Scalable RIP raster tool will start processing immediately.

The Scalable RIP raster tool can be configured to request pages from the Scalable RIP in different chunk sizes (simulating DBE clients that require multiple pages together for duplex printing or post-RIP imposition); and with a delay (simulating DBE clients that are busy, or remote from the Scalable RIP).

The Scalable RIP raster tool can be configured to handle pages from the Scalable RIP in different chunk sizes (again, simulating DBE clients that require multiple pages together for duplex printing or post-RIP imposition); and with a delay (simulating the processing time that the DBE clients may take for each page).

The Scalable RIP raster tool can be configured to delete rasters. This is only appropriate for use with the skintest SDK raster backends that have raster manager output handling built in as an example, and that use files for output. This option should be used with caution, to prevent too many output files slowing or stopping Scalable RIP operation during extended test runs.

The Scalable RIP raster tool can be configured to terminate when it sees a Farm Stopped notification. This is a convenience for testing, to shut down the test environment automatically.

The configuration options for the Scalable RIP raster tool are all controlled through command-line options:

Name	Default	Description
--help		Print the command-line usage information for the Scalable RIP raster tool.
--rfcd directory	none	The directory in which the ripfarm_global.json global configuration file should be found. If the file is not found, sensible defaults will be used. Either this option or the --cbc option may be used, but not both.
--cbc address [:port}	127.0.0.1:9100	IP address of the central blade controller for the Scalable RIP. The global configuration will be requested using a message, and the `ripfarmrastertool` will wait for the Scalable RIP to start before continuing. Either this option or the --rfcd option may be used, but not both.
--rdelay delay	0 mS	The delay in milliseconds from receiving a Rasters Available request until the Scalable RIP raster tool sends a Raster Request.
--rsize chunksize	1	The size of each Raster Request. The Scalable RIP will wait until this many pages are ready before replying with a raster delivery. The chunk size may be zero, which means to wait until all pages for the job are ready to deliver. The chunk size may also be -1, which means to request as many pages as were available at a time.
--hdelay delay	0 mS	The delay in milliseconds from receiving a raster delivery until the Scalable RIP raster tool starts sending rasters handled acknowledgments for it. The chunk size for the raster handled acknowledgments may be different from the chunk size for the raster deliveries, so there may be fewer or more acknowledgments than raster deliveries.
--hsize chunksize	1	The size of each Rasters Handled acknowledgment. The Scalable RIP requires acknowledgment from the DBE that it has handled pages before it can purge its data structures of the raster details. The chunk size may be zero, which means to wait until all pages for the job are delivered, and handled them all at once. The chunk size may also be -1, which means to handle as many pages as were delivered at a time.
--ppm ppm		This is an alternate method to specify both `-rdelay` and -`-hdelay` . It calculates the delays such that the number of pages for each request will result in pages being requested and handled at approximately ppm pages per minute.
--delete		This option indicates that the Scalable RIP raster tool should delete rasters when they have been handled. This option is only applicable to use with the skintest example raster manager integrations when outputting to a file. It is not appropriate for use in a multi-server Scalable RIP.
--farmstop		The Scalable RIP raster tool should shut down when the Scalable RIP shuts down.
--quiet		Reduce the amount of information the Scalable RIP raster tool prints to the console. This may be specified twice to reduce the information printed even more.
--name	`RipFarmRasterTool`	The name of the connection used by `RipFarmRasterTool` . If running more than one instance of `RipFarmRasterTool` , it can be useful to rename the instances so they can be distinguished in raster status reporting.

Table: Scalable RIP raster tool parameters