Do more with job queues

A job queue is a buffer that stores job requests pending processing. Job queues map to one or more instances of InDesign Server. Blinkenlights supports multiple job queues, which allows clients to submit their jobs to the queue that best suits that type of work.

Blinkenlights queues submitted job requests and delegates them to be run on the next available instance of InDesign Server. When multiple job queues are created, clients can choose which queue to submit a job request to. This gives them control over which InDesign Server instances a job is run by.

Jobs are processed by available InDesign Server instances based on the time the job was submitted and its priority. When each job has the same priority, the first job submitted is the first job run (first in, first out). When a job is submitted with a higher priority than the jobs already in the queue, that job is assigned to an InDesign Server instance before other previously submitted jobs with lower priorities.

Blinkenlights can also optionally mark an InDesign Server instance as 'reserved' using a lock id. When an InDesign Server is reserved in this way, no other jobs will be assigned to this server unless those jobs have the same lock id. This is useful when a workflow may have several separate InDesign Server actions and you want to ensure the same InDesign Server instance is used for the entire workflow.

Creating a job queue

Click Add queue to create a new job queue. By default, new job queues are named "New queue" followed by a unique identifier. For example, "New queue (5c65e41e2d4376770020b9a8)". Enter a new name and then click out of the field to save your changes.

Follow these conventions when renaming a queue:

• Job queue names must be unique.
• You can use numbers and most symbols.
• The name cannot be longer than 255 characters.
• Avoid using control characters or any of the following: * < > : " / | \ ? ; ! ^
• Do not start or end a name with a period (.).
• Avoid starting or ending a name with a space.

After creating a job queue, add one or more InDesign Server instances.

Adding an InDesign Server

Click Add server to open the Add InDesign Server dialog.

1. Enter the Hostname and Port for your InDesign Server instance. For example, Hostname: ourhost.company.com and Port: 18383 (note: each instance of InDesign Server running on the same system must have a unique port number).
2. Optionally enter a Nickname to help you more quickly identify a server (note: nicknames must be unique).

Note: Newly added InDesign Server instances are automatically added to an Unassigned job queue. You can move different instances of InDesign Server between job queues using drag-and-drop.

Note: A single InDesign Server instance cannot be added to more than one queue.

Searching or filtering jobs

The Search tab is located at the top right of the screen. You can hide or show the Search tab by clicking the Search control on the left of the screen.

You can search or filter jobs using wildcard searches. Both active and queued jobs that match your search criteria will be highlighted, while non-matching jobs will be dimmed. Clear your search to restore the normal appearance.

You can also use the Search tab to control which job metadata (Customer, Owner, Origin, Description, or Id) is displayed as a job label.

Viewing job details

Click on any job in the Dashboard to view its details, such as its priority, status, position in the queue, when it was submitted to Blinkenlights, and how long it's been in the queue, and to select metadata (Customer, Owner, Origin, and Description) from the job submission that can be used to help you track and identify jobs as they are queued or in progress.

Note: Not shown in the screenshot above is the Delay field, which provides an estimated time before the selected job reaches the front of the queue.

Cancelling a job

To cancel a job, click on the job in the Dashboard to view its details, and then click Cancel. Cancelling a job will remove it from the queue and notify the submitter that the job was cancelled.

Configuring an InDesign Server

Click an instance of InDesign Server to open the Edit InDesign Server dialog. Use the Edit InDesign Server dialog to make changes to the server hostname, port, or nickname, or to Disable, Unlock, or Remove the server.

Note: Changes to the hostname, port, or nickname won't apply until you click Save.

Server statuses

Status	Description
	Blinkenlights is connecting to the server to retrieve the InDesign Server application version, the Typefi Designer and Movemen MathTools plug-in versions (if installed), and its available PDF Presets.
	The server has been 'reserved' by a previous job. No other jobs will be assigned to this server unless those jobs have a matching lock id. Note: The lock status will be removed automatically when the original job has completed or the max lock timeout has been exceeded; you can also manually Unlock a server in the Edit InDesign Server dialog.
	The server has been Disabled. No new jobs will be assigned to it. If you disable a server that is currently running a job, the job will complete before the server is disabled. Note: You cannot move a server between queues or remote a server that is currently running a job. Disable the server first before you move or remove it.
	The server cannot be reached. For example, the hostname or port was entered incorrectly or is no longer valid, or the InDesign Server application is no longer running or had a critical failure.