Node Management and Maintenance

Once your WATCHOUT network is running, the Nodes window in Producer serves as your central control point for managing and maintaining every node in the system. From here you can restart services, rename nodes, configure startup behavior, manage cached assets, adjust time synchronization settings, control which network protocols are active, and perform software updates — all remotely, without needing physical access to each machine.

This article covers the full set of management and maintenance operations available for WATCHOUT nodes.

Accessing Node Actions

All node management actions are available through the Nodes window:

  1. Open Window > Nodes in Producer.
  2. Select one or more nodes in the node list.
  3. The Node Properties panel on the right displays information and actions for the selected node(s).
  4. Actions are grouped into sections: System, Director, Asset Manager, Runner, and Software.

Some actions can be applied to multiple nodes simultaneously (select several nodes and apply at once), while others require a single node to be selected.

System Actions

These actions affect the node at the system level:

ActionDescription
RenameChange the node's host alias. This is the name that other nodes and device assignments use to identify this machine. Renaming a node will break any device Host assignments that reference the old name — update those assignments after renaming.
Restart ServicesRestarts all WATCHOUT services on the node without rebooting the machine. The node returns to its initial state (splash screen). Use this to recover from unexpected service behavior.
ShutdownShuts down the remote machine. The node will go offline and must be physically powered on again.
RestartReboots the remote machine. The node will go offline briefly and then reappear after the reboot completes.
Working DirectoryOpens the Change Working Directory dialog to redirect where the node stores cached assets and show data. See Working Directory Management.
Sync SettingsOpens the Sync Settings dialog to choose between WATCHOUT-managed and User-managed time synchronization. See Time Synchronization.
Network InterfacesOpens the Network Interfaces dialog where you can enable or disable specific network adapters for WATCHOUT discovery. At least one interface must remain enabled. Disabling an interface prevents WATCHOUT from using it for node discovery, which is useful when a machine has multiple adapters and you want to control which network WATCHOUT communicates on.

Director Actions

These actions are available when the selected node has Director capabilities:

ActionDescription
Use as DirectorDesignates this node as the Director for the current show. The Director coordinates playback across all Runners.
Close DirectorReleases this node from the Director role.
Startup ActionConfigures what the node does when it boots or when services restart — see below.

Startup Action Configuration

The Startup Action determines what happens automatically when a node starts:

ModeBehavior
No ShowThe node starts without loading any show. It waits for a Director to assign work.
Last ShowThe node automatically loads the most recently active show from local storage.
Specific ShowThe node loads a particular show file that has been uploaded to its local storage.

To configure a Startup Action:

  1. Select the node and click Startup Action in the Director section.
  2. Choose the desired mode.
  3. For "Specific Show" mode, use the Upload button to push a show file to the node's local storage, then select it from the list.
  4. Use Remove to delete uploaded show files that are no longer needed.

Startup Action is essential for unattended installations where machines must begin playback automatically after a power cycle.

Asset Manager Actions

ActionDescription
Use as Asset ManagerDesignates this node as the Asset Manager for the current show. The Asset Manager stores and distributes media files to Runner nodes.
Close Asset ManagerReleases this node from the Asset Manager role.
Asset WatcherOpens the Asset Watcher configuration dialog — see below.

Asset Watcher

The Asset Watcher monitors folders on a node's disk for new or changed files and automatically uploads them to the Asset Manager. This is useful for workflows where media files are delivered to a specific folder (for example, from a render farm or content creation workstation) and should be automatically imported into the show.

To configure the Asset Watcher:

  1. Select the node and click Asset Watcher in the Asset Manager section.
  2. Enable or disable the watcher using the toggle.
  3. Select the Target Asset Manager — the node running the Asset Manager service that should receive the uploaded files.
  4. In the Watched Folders table, add folder mappings:
  • Disk Path — the folder on the node's disk to monitor (browse using the remote file browser).
  • Asset Path — the corresponding path in the Asset Manager where imported files will be placed.
  1. Use Add to add new folder mappings and Remove to delete existing ones.

When the watcher is active, any file added to or modified in a watched folder is automatically uploaded to the Asset Manager at the specified asset path.

Runner Actions

ActionDescription
CacheOpens the Local Asset Cache dialog to inspect and clean cached assets on the node — see below.
Splash On / Splash OffToggles the splash screen on the Runner's display outputs. Splash On shows the WATCHOUT splash screen; Splash Off clears it to black.

Local Asset Cache

Each Runner node caches downloaded media assets locally for playback. The Cache dialog lets you:

  • View cached assets — see which assets are currently stored on the node.
  • Refresh the list to update the display.
  • Remove Unused Local Assets — deletes cached assets that are not referenced by the current show. This frees disk space but means those assets will need to be re-downloaded if the show changes back to needing them.

In multi-show environments where a node may be used for different shows at different times, removing unused assets for one show may delete assets needed by another. Only clean the cache when you are certain the node will not need those assets again.

Protocol Toggles

The Protocols section in Node Properties shows toggle switches for external protocols on the node:

ProtocolDescription
ArtNetDMX over Ethernet protocol for lighting control integration
OSCOpen Sound Control for external show control
PSNPosiStageNet for positional tracking data
WebUIWeb-based user interface for remote control
WO7WATCHOUT 7 protocol communication
WO6WATCHOUT 6 compatibility protocol

Each toggle enables or disables that protocol on the selected node. Protocol states are persisted and survive service restarts.

Other Actions

ActionDescription
MIDI BridgeOpens the MIDI Bridge configuration dialog for MIDI control integration on the node.
LTC BridgeOpens the LTC Bridge configuration dialog for timecode synchronization on the node.

Software Actions

ActionDescription
Update SoftwarePushes a software update from Producer to the selected node(s). See Software Updates.
Switch to WATCHOUT 6Reconfigures the node to run WATCHOUT 6 instead of WATCHOUT 7. Requires a full machine reboot. See Software Updates.

Node Status Information

In addition to actions, Node Properties displays comprehensive status information:

  • System — node alias, license type, software version, available services, last seen timestamp, machine ID, hardware errors, and pixel usage.
  • NTP — synchronization mode, NTP diff (time offset), and configured NTP server.
  • Addresses — the network addresses where the node is reachable.
  • Downloads — current asset transfer progress.
  • Performance Metrics — CPU utilization, drive space, network throughput, memory usage, GPU usage, render performance, capture status, and audio status.

For routine maintenance of a WATCHOUT installation:

  1. Check software versions. Scan the Nodes window for version mismatch warnings and update any nodes that are not running the same version as Producer.
  2. Verify time synchronization. Check NTP Diff values for all nodes — they should be near zero. Investigate any nodes showing elevated offsets.
  3. Review disk space. Check drive utilization in the node metrics. Clean the asset cache on nodes with limited space.
  4. Configure startup actions. For permanent installations, ensure all nodes have appropriate startup actions so the show recovers automatically after power interruptions.
  5. Test restart recovery. Periodically restart a node to verify that it reconnects, downloads any needed assets, and resumes playback correctly.
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