How to Consider CPU Power in RipEngine Configuration

How to Consider CPU Power in RipEngine Configuration

Problem/Question
When you configure RipEngines in the Ergosoft ControlCenter, page "RIP & Programs" you can set the number of threads to be used per RipEngine.

And questions like the following can come up:
What is the meaning of this setting?
Can I influence the ripping speed with this setting?
How can I activate multi-threading?
How can I configure multi-core use?


Solution/Work-Around

The RipEngines can do multi-threading for color channels, always per job.
  1. When your job has 4 color channels (light inks are in the same color channels as the standard ink), the maximum ripping speed is reached with 4 Threads per RipEngine.
  2. When your job, for example, has 6 color channels and you allow 4 threads per RipEngine, the processing of the color channels is done in 2 sections:
    1. the first section with 4 color channels
    2. and the second section with 2 color channels.
    3. In this example with 6 color channels, 3 or 4 or 5 threads per RipEngine result in the same ripping speed.
Using several RipEngines at the same time / ripping several jobs simultaneously.
  1. Each RipEngine will use the same number of cores.
  2. Windows controls the usage / splitting of cores.
  3. When the CPU has less cores than the active RipEngines together require, the cores will be shared so that several threads (of the same or different RipEngines) run on the same core.

Example:
  1. Conditions:
    1. Precondition: No other software is used at the same time
    2. 8 physical core CPU
    3. 1 printer
    4. Process 2 jobs, each in CMYK (4 color channels)
  2. Calculation:
    1. 2 jobs simultaneously = 2 active RipEngines
    2. 4 color channels = 4 threads
    3. Cores needed: 2x4 = 8
  3. Result:
    1. There are going to be eight (2x4=8) active parallel threads assigned to one (1) physical core each.
    2. Having 2 RipEngines at 4 threads each activated allows you to pre-process the follower job while processing/printing the forerunner.
  4. Side note:
    1. In this situation one job processed will still use only 4 threads => physical cores.
    2. Do not change the threads to 8. It won’t improve anything on a 4 colors output device.

Not enough cores to allow one physical core per thread:
  1. In this case, you have to test all reasonable combinations of threads per RipEngines, considering the number of active RipEngines, and measure the ripping speed.
  2. Example:
    1. CPU with 4 cores
    2. 2 active RipEngines
    3. 4 color channels
    4. Reasonable settings for threads per RipEngine:
      1. 4: Ripping is done in 1 section, cores are shared between RipEngines
      2. 2: Ripping is done in 2 sections, cores do not need to be shared between RipEngines


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