Equalizer uses a configuration server to optimally allocate and balance the available resources on the visualization system. The server is configured using a hierarchically structured configuration file to describe the available resources, and the combination of these resources for rendering. In the future, Equalizer applications can also run without a server, in which case they will automatically configure themselves for the local workstation.
The example configuration on the right side shows a four-sided Virtual Reality installation running in stereo. The first part of the configuration declares the resources to be used, in this case two machines (nodes), three graphic cards (pipes), three windows and four channels. The second part, the compound tree, uses the resources for rendering, in this case to render onto the four walls. The root compound declare the usage of the left and right eye for stereo rendering, and the leaf compounds, which execute the rendering, use a swapbarrier to synchronize their output.
See the configuration file format specification
Chromium will be integrated with the Equalizer framework to provide a transparent execution layer. The Equalizer server will drive customized Chromium SPUs according to the selected configuration, just as any other Equalizer application. This transparent layer enables the execution and load-balancing of legacy and performance-uncritical applications alongside with scalable Equalizer applications.