Hi Kaidomac, you can achieve what you want with minimal cost using QMASTER on all machines (service nodes).
The memory you have is enough but remember that the overall benefits you will get may rely on the throughput of your slowest node. This is especially true for compressor.app but not so much for rendering setups.
There are many posts on this forum on this but an older one at
http://discussions.apple.com/message.jspa?messageID=4669434#4669434 may help.
Typically just go and do the following:
• go buy or borrow a GBE hub. THese are really cheap now.
• connect all the QMASTER service nodes via this ethernet and
• in systemprefs/networks - give them a separate subnet addressing such as 1.1.1.1, 1.1.1.2, 1.1.1.3, 1.1.1.x etc.
• in systemprefs/qmaster: use the ETHERNET subnet only to communicate. *DO NOT MIX firewire or airport* .. it just fails for me.
• MOUNT all the source and target file systems on ALL the service nodes. THis is simple to do manually, else surf these forums to see automated ways to do this.
• make sure youe service nodes have the same file permissions fo rthe source and target you are using.
• for SHAKE : just crank up the nodes in eth fileout render.. use the startup.h parameter to use QMASTER. i.e. ~/nreal/startup/include. qmaster.h= sys.useRenderQueue = "Qmaster"; also add UNC=on for the including of the host name in the path name ..make sure there are NO BLANKS in the files,path names else t wont work.
• similar for maya etc .. look here for some ideas *
http://adam.lumanation.com/408*
For compressor.app (a transcoding 'farm"), beware that for segmented transcoding, the duration of the job will resolve to the slowest node you have. THE G5 QUADS are pretty fast for you.
plenty of doc there.
NO need for XSAN or FC infrastructure...
hth
w