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P4 Search Documentation | 2025.5

# Install P4 Render

After you have installed P4 Search, you can install P4 Render. P4 Render is a service that processes 3D assets from P4 Search's render queue and creates a preview of the image. To learn more, see About P4 Render.

You must have P4 Render installed to use P4 Search. P4 Search 2025.5 requires P4 Render 2025.5 or later.
The P4 Render service is in Technology Preview. Features offered in Technology Preview are experimental and not guaranteed to always work as expected. If you have feedback and functionality suggestions, email techpreview@perforce.com.

## Before you begin

- You must have a P4 Server running (P4 Server 2024.1 or later is supported).

  Set the following configurable on the P4 Server:

  p4 configure set trait.storagedepot.min=1024

  To learn more about the trait.storagedepot.min configurable, see Configurables reference in the P4 Server Administration Documentation.

- Install Elasticsearch and start up a server.

- Install and configure P4 Search.

- Ensure you meet the system requirements. Each instance of P4 Render needs at least 4GB of RAM and a single CPU.

- Your host system must support Docker, and the user deploying the Docker container must have permissions to access Docker. To learn more, see:

  - Install Docker Engine on Ubuntu

  - Linux post-installation steps for Docker Engine

- Ensure that the P4 Search Index user uses an all-hosts ticket.

- (Optional:) Use a 3D graphics card to improve render performance.

## Install P4 Render with Docker

P4 Render is provided as a P4 Render Docker image.

If you need skeleton (rigging) support in P4 DAM, you must install P4 Render 2025.1 or later.

To launch P4 Render with Docker, run the following Docker commands on your local host:

1. Fetch the P4 Render Docker container:

   docker pull perforce/p4render:latest

2. Run the P4 Render service, providing the X-Auth-Token and the IP address of P4 Search:

   docker run --restart always -d perforce/p4render:latest /opt/perforce/p4render/entrypoint.sh -m worker -S http://<p4-search-url>:1601 -x <X-Auth-Token>

   entrypoint.sh serves as a wrapper script for p4render.py, initiating the rendering process with an enforced maximum execution time of 10 minutes.

Do not expose P4 Render to the public internet.

You can run multiple instances with one command. For example, run 10 instances:

for i in {1..10}; do docker run --restart always -d --name "${i}_render" artifactory.bnr.perforce.com/helix-p4search-dev/p4render /opt/perforce/p4render/entrypoint.sh -m worker -S http://<p4-search-url>:1601 -x <X-Auth-Token>; done

The following flags are available for p4render.py:

    p4render.py (-m|-S|-x|-i)
    	Optional:
    		-m / --mode		The mode to run p4render(worker, lamda)
    		-S / --p4searchURL	URL of the queue
    		-x / --xAuth		Token for connecting to p4search
    		-i / --ignoreSSL	Skip certificate check on p4search

## Next steps

- (Optional:) Connect external services.

- Check the status of P4 Search.

## Related topics

- Configure rendering.

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