(re)greetings and questions about cluster mode

Hi,
I have been using dvd::rip for years now, though it has been a while
since I have been subscribed to the list. I now have a couple of spare
machines (I have recently converted to (k)ubuntu), and am really
interested in playing with cluster mode.
I have a couple of questions...
1. How does cluster mode deal with nodes failing/crashing (if I
shutdown a node that is processing, will the job get picked up by
another) ?
2. Any ideas on the effort required to implement frame ranges?

I have done a bit of PERL and hated, yes it even deserves caps, HATED
every second of it (give me strong typing and a decent debugger any
day!) but would be more than willing (for such a good cause ;-)) to
have a go at implementing 2.
Cheers
Anton