morris@jade.jpl.nasa.gov (Mike Morris) (09/21/89)
I've had a request for info and nobody I've talked to has any ideas.
Who makes the CD-ROM drives these days? (And is there any brand that
is good or to avoid or whatever...) Is there a standard format?
What should I know before I go buying a drive/software drivers?
How much space do the drivers take up?
A friend of mine has a Sony Carousel audio CD deck that holds 5(?) CDs.
Does anybody make a multi-CD-ROM drive?
The user needs to connect a CD-ROM (Initially with Microsoft Bookshelf,
eventually other CDs to a 3COM network server, and be able to
access it. It doesn't matter if it's a one-user-at-a-time situation;
naturally it would be nice if more than one user could look things up
simultaneously.
The same user is thinking of eventually replacing the 3COM with a Banyan.
Does anybody know if Banyan can talk to a CD-ROM drive?
Another (totally seperate problem) user currently has a clone XT and
wants to put a CD-ROM drive on the system. Who makes XT interfaces -
the one CD-ROM system I saw was in an AT, and used both connectors
(at least it appeared that way, I could be mistaken). This user has
plans on upgrading soon, and refuses to purchase anything that can't be
put into a 286 system later... BTW does anybody make a 386 motherboard
with 8 or 9 slots? I haven't seen one yet.
Mike Morris UUCP: Morris@Jade.JPL.NASA.gov
ICBM: 34.12 N, 118.02 W
#Include quote.cute.standard PSTN: 818-447-7052
#Include disclaimer.standard cat flames.all > /dev/null roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) (09/21/89)
In <1783@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> morris@jade.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Mike Morris) writes: > Who makes the CD-ROM drives these days? (And is there any brand that > is good or to avoid or whatever...) Is there a standard format? I can't help on the first part, but for the second, there are 3 standard formats that I know of; ISO 9660, High Sierra, and something called (why am I not surprised) Microsoft extended format. From what I can tell, virtually all CD-ROMs currently being produced are one of the first two, and readers that can read one can also read the other. I'm not really an expert on the matter. Now, a question. Has anybody used the Knowledge Finder system from Aries Systems? This is a Macintosh program used for scanning CD-ROM databases. I think they currently only have biomedical disks available, but should be spreading out to other fields. We're looking at their MEDLINE system and need feedback from current users on how well it works compared to the more traditional PC-based systems. -- Roy Smith, Public Health Research Institute 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016 {att,philabs,cmcl2,rutgers,hombre}!phri!roy -or- roy@alanine.phri.nyu.edu "The connector is the network"
tat@pccuts.pcc.amdahl.com (Tom Thackrey) (09/23/89)
In article <3999@phri.UUCP> roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) writes: >In <1783@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov> morris@jade.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Mike Morris) writes: >> Who makes the CD-ROM drives these days? (And is there any brand that >> is good or to avoid or whatever...) Is there a standard format? > > I can't help on the first part, but for the second, there are 3 >standard formats that I know of; ISO 9660, High Sierra, and something >called (why am I not surprised) Microsoft extended format. From what I can There are, in fact, numerous logical formats for data on CD-ROMs. At the moment, 3 of them are "standards". ISO 9660, which replaces High Sierra, defines the directory format of the disc, but does NOT define the internal structure of a file, leaving that up to the application. CD-ROM/XA, which is the Microsoft extended format referred to above, is an extension to the ISO 9660 which allows interleaved audio and video and specifies the format of the audio and video data. All the CD-ROM drives I know about read any of these formats, however, the host software to decode ISO 9660, High Sierra or CD-ROM/XA may or may not be available for your computer. In addition, CD-ROM/XA requires a special drive or additional hardware to interpret the interleaved audio/video. Many of the currently available drives provide the ability to read CD-AUDIO discs and play the audio to a headphone or speaker jack on the drive. This allows you to make your $3000 computer act like a $150 CD player.
jsa00564@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (09/23/89)
/* Written 11:34 pm Sep 20, 1989 by morris@jade.jpl.nasa.gov in uxa.cso.uiuc.edu:comp.dcom.lans */
/* ---------- "Help please on CD-ROM" ---------- */
I've had a request for info and nobody I've talked to has any ideas.
[stuff deleted]
A friend of mine has a Sony Carousel audio CD deck that holds 5(?) CDs.
Does anybody make a multi-CD-ROM drive?
Mike Morris UUCP: Morris@Jade.JPL.NASA.gov
ICBM: 34.12 N, 118.02 W
#Include quote.cute.standard PSTN: 818-447-7052
#Include disclaimer.standard cat flames.all > /dev/null
/* End of text from uxa.cso.uiuc.edu:comp.dcom.lans */
I saw Pioneer (the audio company) showing a 6-disc CD-ROM changer at
the spring COMDEX. I didn't get a chance to talk to them about it, as the
jerk running the booth was too busy arguing with some guy about MCA vs.
AT bus, or something like that.... Pioneer is going under the name:
"Pioneer Communications of America, Inc., Optical Memory Products Division"
for this product.
I'd like to know exactally how you tell the changer which disc to pull
up in software (doesn't sound too difficult), and could/does it work in
a network environment?
Jeff Autor
jsa00564@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu
At the University of Illinoisliboff@watdcsu.waterloo.edu (Carolynne Presser Library) (09/25/89)
I have just come into this newsgroup and noticed your call for help. There are tons of articles around that can tell you all about CDROM applications. It would take forever to list all the sources here. My best advice to to get to your Librarian. You will be flooded with stuff. Most libraries have CDROM services available and have gone thru the investigation and selection process with respect to equipment, networking, standards, applications, etc.
leefi@microsoft.UUCP (Lee Fisher) (09/30/89)
Regarding the earlier question about retail cost of the CD-ROM
Extensions the Extensions are an OEM (CD-ROM drive manufactuer) licensed
product, not a retail one. This is because the Extensions consist only
of MSCDEX.EXE, the machine independent driver which groks ISO9660/HSG
and makes it look transparent at the file I/O level to applications, and
the OEM-dependent CD-ROM device driver (ex., HITACHI.SYS, SONY100.SYS,
etc), which the OEM writes. Regarding their cost, I don't know how
CD-ROM drive sellers would show it, as it should come with the drive.
There is a list of some CD-ROM drive manufacturers (in the CD-ROM
Extentions Information Packet, see below) which will sell single copies
of MSCDEX (useful if your OEM isn't shipping the latest version, etc). I
don't know how much they're selling it for, maybe $50, I would guess.
Regarding the earlier question about connecting a CD-ROM drive running
Microsoft Bookshelf (thanks!) over a 3Com (and later Banyan) network,
there are a few solutions here. Version 2.10 of the Microsoft CD-ROM
Extensions will share a CD-ROM drive over MS-Networks-based networks.
I'm not up on which network manufacturer is or is not, but I think that
3Com is and I think that Banyan isn't. If you're not using a MS-Net
based network, contact the Net OEM and ask them if they support it. I
think a few do, like Lantastic by Artisoft. There are two companies that
I know of that write CD-ROM drivers that allow discs to be shared over a
network. One is Opti-Net (OnLine Computer Systems, 800-922-9204), and
the other is CDNet (Meridian Data Systems, 408-476-5858). I think there
is a third but can't recall it. These guys basically add a layer under
the CD-ROM device driver layer, bridging the CD-ROM calls over the net
via NetBIOS calls.
If you want some general information on MSCDEX or CD-ROM XA, the
Microsoft Product Support Services (PSS) group has two information
packets that you can request. The Microsoft MS-DOS CD-ROM Extensions
Information Packet contains general marketing and technical information
on the Microsoft MS-DOS CD-ROM Extensions version 2.10. The Microsoft
MS-DOS CD-ROM XA Information Packet contains information about the
Philips, Sony, and Microsoft CD-ROM Extended Architecture (XA)
specification. It also includes XA technical information as well as the
March 1989 Audio specification. To obtain a copy of the Microsoft MS-DOS
CD-ROM Extensions Information Packet and/or the Microsoft MS-DOS CD-ROM
XA Information Packet, call Microsoft Product Support Services at
206-454-2030 and ask for one or both packets. Outside the US, I guess
you should contact the nearest Microsoft subsidiary.
And to clarify an earlier comment on CD-ROM XA, it is NOT strictly a
Microsoft standard: it is a joint effort between Philips, Sony, and
Microsoft.
Hope this helps.
--
lee fisher, microsoft corp., redmond, wa, usa, leefi@microsoft.uu.net
{uw-beaver,decvax,decwrl,fluke,intelca,sco,sun,uunet}!microsof!leefi
disclaimer: my opinions are not necessarily those of my employer.