This Information Brought to you By: Fremont Arsenal Computer Center 3354 SE Fremont, Topeka, KS 66605 Node One (913) 266-0067 1200-14400 Baud USR DS V.32bis Node Two (913) 266-0155 1200-2400 Baud USR Courier 2400e Node Three (913) 266-8139 9600-14400 Baud USR V.32bis Node Four Under Construction This file deals primarily in setting up a CD-ROM to operatie on a Spitfire BBS, although several sections of it are applicable to other BBS systems, as well. The CD-ROM reader has been with us for awhile, and it offers many advantages with a few disadvantages. For the BBS sysop, it can be a godsend, however. With releases of BBS ready CD-ROM disks, it makes it possible to add six hundred to six hundred and fifty megabytes of solid files to your board with very little effort. Compared to the price of buying a hard drive, buying backup facilities, and calling to get the files to fill it, a comparable CD-ROM drive can cost less than 25 percent of the cost to put up magnetic storage, and the time and effort expended are sharply reduced compared to magnetic storage. With CD-ROM's, you can put online a vast number of files, and have very little in the way of maintenance to worry about. With magnetic files, you have to download the files you want, then scan them, sort them, and toss them in their appropriate directories, and then back them up... and continue to keep on top of them. With CD-ROM files, you pop in a disk, configure it, and let it go. If your callers get tired of your magnetic files base, what do you do? You end up deleting some files and calling out for more, right? Or you buy a new hard drive, and still end up calling out for more files. With CD technology, you can simply buy a new disk, pop it in, configure, and run. If you have a file that a caller needs off the old CD, just pop it back in, and copy it to magnetic long enough for them to grab it. If you need to get a file that you deleted for space.. you have a problem, eh? When considering setting up CD-ROM players on your BBS, there are several things to consider: [1] Are you single line or multiline? [2] Do you use Multitasking? [3] Do you have a LAN setup? The answers to these questions will lead you to the solution of how to run a CD-ROM on your machine. >>> Single Line, no multitasking: You have the easiest setup of all here... you can simply install your CD drive on your BBS machine, and if your BBS software supports direct access of CD's, then you do so. Spitfire allows you to specify if a file area is a CD area.. and if it is, then it will not look at the CD for the file lists, but in the SFFILES.000 file in the display directory for it's file list for that area. In the above example, if you were working on file area 50, your display file would be "sffiles.50". I would also suggest that you turn off the "search directory" function on all CD-ROM areas.. this will speed up uploading considerably. You may, of course, still run a Door interface for the machine.. but there is no real need to at this point. >>> Single Line, Multitasking in place: You can still use the setups made for a single line with no 'tasking, but bear in mind that when the CD is accessed, that any other windows are going to do an imitation of molasses flowing uphill in winter. Keep this in mind. If the performance of your machine is paramount to you when you are working in another window, I suggest that you go the door route. >>> Single Line, Local Area Network: You *are* a strange bird, aren't you? You have put up a network, and are only running a single line BBS... but, actually, this can work well for you. You can make a separate machine act as a CD Server unit, and take a burden off the BBS machine. However, for a single line, this is extreme overkill. Other than the extra option, you can treat this just like the Single line with to tasking scenario in place. >>> Muliple Line, Multitasking a single machine: Ouch. This, my friend, is going to hurt. CD-ROM readers seem to be able to each interrupts for lunch, and any work being done in another window is going to really really really slow down. For this reason, although it is *possible* to run a CD in "native" mode on your BBS, I strongly suggest going the door route. This will keep the hits on the CD down to a minimum, and your BBS performance up. >>> Multiple Line, Local Area Network: Oh boy.. are we going to have fun now.. If you put your CD drives on a machine that is working as a node machine, you are going to have a problem... likewise if the machine is shareing resources that the rest of your BBS needs, such as work directories, door directories, or message bases. I strongly suggest the following.. get a cheapo 286 machine, and LAN it onto your network, and put your CD drivers on that machine, with nothing else significant on it. Using this method, you can run CD-ROMS "native" on a multinode setup with NO degradation in performance on any of the nodes. However, you might still want to look at the door route. >>> Pioneer CD Six Pack: This is a very special case. For those that are unfamiliar with this toy, the Six Pack (as I call them, I don't recall the real name of the product off the top of my head) is a CD reader that holds six CD disks in a cassette, and reads them on demand on the server. Because it works like a jukebox rather than six CD players, it can take four seconds to access a file, if it has to actually change the disk out. Because of this, you should *always* use a Door interface when running this machine. ÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ ÚÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ¿ ³ Fremont Arsenal is pleased to offer sysops and retailers CD-ROM disks ³ ³ at wholesale pricing. Call up the Arsenal, and leave a comment to the ³ ³ sysop with what you are looking for, and we can see what we can do for ³ ³ you. ³ ÀÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÙ