TECHNICAL BULLETIN 3/25/91 jcr CD-ROM Applications The purpose of this bulletin is to provide some assistance in installing and implementing various CD-ROM devices with Artisoft's LANtastic Network Operating System. The discs must be compatible with Microsoft's CD-ROM extensions (MSCDEX) and must meet the format standards set by the High Sierra Group (HSG) and the International Standards Organization (ISO 9660). While many CD-ROM products are compatible with LANtastic, some may require additional steps so that the disc information can be shared across the network. Those steps have been outlined below. Unlike conventional hard and floppy disks, CD ROM discs are read only, and have the capability of storing up to 660Mb of data. There is no File Allocations Table (FAT) as there is on a normal MS-DOS system, and there is no need to dynamically track disc space for allocating data. CD-ROM drives cannot be accessed through the MS DOS Interrupt 25h/ 26h (read/write disk sector), and since they are not in MS-DOS file format, they cannot be looked at by the operating system at a physical level. This is why CHKDSK, FORMAT and other MS-DOS utilities will not work on CD-ROMs. Microsoft's CD-ROM Extensions (MSCDEX) MSCDEX provides a standard which allows a user to configure any CD ROM drive on any MS-DOS compatible PC and to use any CD-ROM discs that follow the HSG format. The HSG format was developed to provide a standard logical disc format and provides two levels of definitions: the first level deals with the volume as a whole, the second with the actual files and directories that make up a volume's information base. MSCDEX is a memory resident program which is installed on top of MS-DOS and handles the interfacing of CD-ROM device drivers to MS DOS itself. The MSCDEX are usually available directly from the CD-ROM drive manufacturer. MSCDEX designates a logical drive letter to its device drivers. Whenever MS-DOS receives a CD-ROM drive request, it forwards the request to the MSCDEX at a virtual file level. MSCDEX converts these virtual file level requests into physical sector requests that can be understood by the CD-ROM device driver. Installing MSCDEX on a LANtastic Server A CD-ROM resource must first be established on the PC physically connected to the CD-ROM drive. This PC should be configured as a LANtastic server so that it can share the CD-ROM drive on the network. Follow the instructions provided by the CD-ROM drive manufacturer or by the instructions included with the MSCDEX program. In most cases, the MSCDEX installation program defaults will be sufficient for your system. To install the MSCDEX, insert the floppy program disk and run the installation program as outlined in your CD-ROM documentation. The program should prompt for the CD-ROM drive designation (should be logical), the type of CD-ROM drive being installed and the type of PC the drive is being installed on. The program should then modify your CONFIG.SYS file to include the device driver and any necessary switch settings (for example, DEVICE=[name of driver file] [optional switch settings]). The AUTOEXEC.BAT file should then be modified to include the MSCDEX.EXE program and any necessary switches. The PC must then be rebooted for the changes to take effect. For example, we installed the MSCDEX 2.1 on a 286 PC with an Amdek Laserdrive-1 and selected drive D: to be our logical CD-ROM drive designation. The modifications in each file were as follows. CONFIG.SYS DEVICE=HITACHIA.SYS /U:1 /P:300 /D:MDIHSDVR. This command loads the Hitachi driver, tells the system only one CD-ROM drive is installed (/U:1), Sets the port address to 300 (default /P:300) and sets the name of the device driver (/D:MDIHSDVR, default). AUTOEXEC.BAT MSCDEX /D:MDIHSDVR. This command loads the MSCDEX.EXE program and sets the driver name (/D:MDIHSDVR). The MSCDEX should be loaded AFTER the network REDIR software, and BEFORE the network SERVER software. Once a resource has been established, any requests to the CD-ROM device are directed to the MSCDEX, which reside only on the LANtastic server connected to the CD-ROM drive. MSCDEX then processes the request. Creating a CD-ROM Resource on the Server To share the CD-ROM device across LANtastic, a resource must first be established for the CD-ROM drive. Once again, this must be done only on the network server which is connected to the CD-ROM drive. 1. Make sure the CD-ROM device has been properly installed and is up and running locally. The CD-ROM drive should be accessible as a logical drive; the drive letter is assigned during the MSCDEX installation. This machine will be referred to as the CD-ROM server. 2. Once setup, a resource must be created for the CD-ROM drive on the CD-ROM server so that it can be shared across the network. To do this, run the NET_MGR program and select the Shared Resources Management option from the menu. 3. At the Resource List, press the INSERT key to create a new resource. Enter a resource name (ie CD-ROM), and the physical path. This is the drive letter which has been assigned to the CD-ROM drive by MSCDEX during installation. 4. From the Resource List, select the newly created CD-ROM resource. 5. In the Detailed Information Screen, change the CD-ROM Drive: default of NO to YES. 6. Once satisfied with the resource, press the ESC key to exit back to DOS. After the resource has been properly configured, each user may log into the server and share that resource. Sharing the CD-ROM Drive 1. Log into the CD-ROM server and share the CD-ROM resource. i.e.: net login \\server username password {Where server is the name of the CD-ROM network server, and an account for username with password (if applicable) has been configured on the server} net use f: \\server\CD-ROM {CD-ROM is the resource which has been created on the server.} 2. Information on the disc in the CD-ROM drive should now be accessible from the newly redirected drive. CD-ROM Applications Once the CD-ROM drive has been installed and shared across the network, additional steps may be necessary to share the information on the CD. Many applications provide retrieval software - software which is loaded either on the server only, or on each workstation, to retrieve information from the CD. Follow the manufacturer's instructions to install and setup the retrieval software. If the documentation mentions installing on a network, follow those instructions for LANtastic when available, or Microsoft's MS-NET. Problems Although many CD-ROM applications work with LANtastic, some include retrieval software which requires the extensions (MSCDEX) to be loaded at each workstation. When loading this software, an error will occur indicating that the MSCDEX are required on each workstation. The options are as follows: MXSUB The first option involves loading the actual MSCDEX on the CD-ROM server, and loading a substitute MSCDEX on each workstation. This program, MXSUB, is available on our BBS. If you have not already done so, please contact our technical support department and register for BBS services. In many cases the retrieval software may look at MSCDEX to find the actual number of CDs available and their associated drive designations, and would require MSCDEX to be loaded on each workstation. MXSUB sets these values when loaded and services the requests made by the retrieval software. MXSUB requires approximately 5K of RAM. Meridian Data CD Net* A second option is to use the CD Net tower from Meridian Data. This device can be attached to the network and requires special software to be loaded on each workstation accessing the device. This tower can support up to 14 CD-ROM drives. To install and configure the CD Net Tower, please follow instructions as provided by Meridian Data. A detailed bulletin is also available through Artisoft. If you are able to call in from a fax system, you may download that bulletin by contacting the Artisoft Facsimile System at (602) 293-1397. *Meridian Data, Inc., 5615 Scotts Valley Drive, Scotts Valley, CA 95066, (408) 438-3100 Summary If a problem arises which cannot be resolved through this bulletin, please contact our technical support department at (602) 293-6363. Any questions or suggestions on this bulletin may be mailed to our offices to the attention of the Compatibility Department / CD-ROM Support. Compatible Products The following products are currently on our compatibility list. Although they have been tested in a network environment, please contact the product vendor for licensing and network terms. Bookshelf 1.0, Microsoft Corp. CD Net, Meridian Data, Inc. Computer Library, Ziff Davis Publishing Econ/Stats I pub 1988, Hopkins Technology Fast Track, Nynex Information Resources LawDisc, National Legal Databases News Digest, Facts on File, Inc. Source Disc 1.3D Diversified Data Resource Wilson's Reader and Science, HW Wilson Incompatible: The following work on a local machine only: -Books in Print Dec/Jan 90, R.R. Bowker -Oxford English Dictionary, Tri-Star Publications -Science Citation Index, ISI ARTISOFT, Inc. makes no warranties as to the completeness or accuracy of this document. LANtastic is a trademark of ARTISOFT, Inc. Brand names and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.