Cd/dvd Servers Replace Jukeboxes For Network Data Sharing
By Mark Allen
Perhaps you archive data off to DVD and want that data online for occasional access.

If so, you need a network attached CD/DVD sharing solution. For years, small numbers of discs would be shared using a CD Tower and larger collections would be loaded into a jukebox for sharing. CD/DVD Servers have replaced towers and jukeboxes for most applications.

CD DVD Servers use software and hard-disk caching to automatically and rapidly store ISO images of the CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs. Any number of users can quickly and easily access the material they need when and where they need it. If you like, you can map a drive to a disc or group of discs for foolproof access.

These devices connect directly to your network saving the cost of a separate server and network software license. Each unit comes with software to facilitate adding, replacing, updating, managing and deleting titles easily. The software copies the exact disc image to the hard drive for users to access. The original CD or DVD can be put in a safe place for backup. The hard drive storage not only provides a wider range of capacities (current models range from a few discs to thousands ), but also delivers faster retrieval and better support for multiple users. The cost per disc of these caching (hard drive) devices is considerably lower than with a tower.

You might ask why not just copy the CDs or DVDs to your server. Do you really want to bog down your expensive server, which has many other tasks to perform, with storing and accessing discs? Just because you have a server doesn’t mean loading it up comes without costs. The sooner its full, the sooner you have to buy another expensive server. It is more economical to get a special purpose CD/DVD server to manage this task. A CD/DVD Server copies an exact image of the disc rather than simply copying the data, so it is identical to accessing the disc itself, only faster. Loading and sharing out a disc on a general purpose server takes a number of steps. This is fine for one or two discs, but is a real chore for large collections or subscriptions where new discs are coming in each month to replace old ones. With the CD/DVD Server, you stick the disc in the reader and it does the rest. The drive will pop open ready for the next disc (two and a half minutes for a full CD).

A jukebox on the other hand holds many CDs or DVDs in a tray, or carousel. When a disc is requested, a robotic mechanism physically locates the disc and mechanically loads it into an optical reader. Loading the discs is quite rapid, but accessing them is anything but. With its many moving parts, access speed and reliability can be an issue.

Let’s compare CD/DVD Servers vs. Jukeboxes across a range of attributes:

• Capacity. Jukeboxes hold a fixed number of discs. For those with only a handful of discs to share, its overkill. For those with many hundreds of discs, it may require multiple jukeboxes. CD/DVD Servers on the other hand can be configured to each customer’s specific needs, from just holding just a few to

holding several thousand discs. All in one place and only a single system to manage.

• Access Speed. Accessing data from the CD/DVD server's hard drive can be up to ten times faster than from an optical drive. Add to that the time it takes a jukebox to load the disc into a reader and the CD/DVD server user might be done with his tasks by the time a jukebox user is getting his data!

• Simultaneous Users. One of the reasons for getting a network storage device to hold discs is so multiple users can use a disc at the same time. The hard disk access in the CD/DVD server provides far better response for multiple users.

• Multiple CD/DVD Access. With its one or perhaps two optical readers, the jukebox will only allow that many titles to be viewed at one time. Whereas in the server, a single user or multiple users can access multiple titles simultaneously

• Reliability. Few moving parts means leads to greater reliability, lower maintenance and more uptime.

• Ease of Access by users: With a CD/DVD Server, titles can be grouped into logical groupings. Drives letters can be mapped to individual discs or groups of disc for easy access.

• Seat Licensing Control: Some software titles might come with a specified number of seat licenses. Some CD/DVD Servers will allow the administrator to set limits for the number of simultaneous access to specific discs.

• Access Control: An organization might want to limit access or control access to various groups of discs. Some CD/DVD Servers will enable the administrator to restrict access to any disc or group of discs. Some will also integrate with Active Directory to facilitate this task

• Cost. At a price that is competitive with, and perhaps lower than Jukeboxes, CD/DVD Servers provide far greater value for virtually all CD or DVD hosting applications.

Essentially, CD/DVD servers are super Virtual Jukeboxes. They perform the same function as a CD/DVD Jukebox, but with higher performance, greater flexibility and a wider range of capacities, making them a better choice for network data sharing.

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Mark Allen is the head of Sales & Marketing for PrimeArray Systems Inc., located in Chelmsford, MA, USA. PrimeArray has been helping organizations share their CD/DVD based information for nearly fifteen years.PrimeArray’s advanced line of CD/DVD Servers and Towers and its new Network Attach Storage (NAS) arrays give users the ability to share and manage data over their network. Their products are distinguished by the sophisticated design and careful engineering to ensure that they