Re: Writing multiple CD volumes for the AS/400?

1. Multiple-CD
There are lists of CD creating utilities for AS/400. Last I checked (a
while ago) none of the people working seriously with this has managed
multible CD's, so I guess that it is not easy to solve. Have another
check - maybe it's becoming 'common knowledge'. Otherwise - if you are
one of the more brilliant men - you might try to make dumps of
multivolume-tapes.

2. Zip'ping:
In addition to the IBM solution mentioned by Peter Dow, somebody has
ported the GNU program GZIP to AS/400 and compiled the C program for
you. This is of cause also GNU.

3. Our 'National Archive' in Denmark has published a very serious
scientificly based evaluation of different medias (in Danish). The
conclusion was: CD's are far more reliable than tape medias, CD drives
are more likely to stay 'current technology' for a long time. So do use
CD's but preferable CD's that can be put directly into AS/400. And of
cause nothing will last forever and nothing is 100% reliable.

Henrik
http://hkrebs.dk


> Date: Tue, 04 Dec 2001 16:54:35 -0600
> From: Brad Jensen <brad@elstore.com>
> Organization: Electronic Storage Coporation
> To: midrange-l@midrange.com
> Subject: Writing multiple CD volumes for the AS/400?
> Reply-To: midrange-l@midrange.com
>
> I have a neat little product, Niagra CD Recorder, that plugs
> into an AS/400 and looks like a tape dirve. You savlib to it, it
> writes it out to a CD Recorder.
>
> One problem is that I don't know how to make multiple-CD
> volumes, so if the savlib is over 650 MB, I can't do it on
> multipler CDs. What I mean is, I know how to do it, I just don't
> know what IBM expects as a signal on the CD that the volume is
> continued on the next CD.
>
> Anybody know, or know who to ask at IBM, or where to get info?
>
> I looked for a redbook that tells this, if it is out there I
> haven't found it. (No surprise.)
>
> Second is I have been doing some savlibs thru this to a PC disk,
> and ZIP compressing them. Library of program souce and object
> code compress about 60%. Librarys full of database files
> compress up to 94%!
>
> (That AS/400, not PC/INS stuff).
>
> Which means you could backup as much as 10 gigabytes of data on
> a CD (they cost about 25 cents to 50 cents.)
>
> You cannot read that CD on an AS/400 directly, but - but - there
> are c libraries to do this sort of compression. If IBM would put
> the decompression in the AS/400 side, I would use the same on my
> side to create the CDs.
>
> And the other thing I can do is stand in the middle between the
> tape connection and the CD, and transparently decompress it (and
> fix my multiple volume problem also.)
>
> (Pat pending.)
>
> Would you guys be neervous about using CDs as a backup format?
> Would you be okay with using them in my 'drive' (actually a PC
> with SCSI connection and CD/RW) rather than directly on the
> AS/400 if they are over 650 MB?
>
> This has been in use for about 4 years by the way. We never got
> excited about it because of the capacity problems.
>
> Brad Jensen
>
> ESC - We bring strange things to life
>
>
>
>
> --
> Brad Jensen brad@elstore.com
> President
> Electronic Storage Corporation Tulsa OK USA
> 918-664-7276
>
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