Re: creating LODRUN-able CD's from Windows

I have the link to CD-ROM Studio saved in my bookmarks just in case. :)
There's no pricing information on their site (that I could find).  Do you
happen to know how much they're charging for the non-Advanced version?

I've also been looking at the docs for "CD Builder" from BugBusters
(30-day free trial, btw), but in order to use its "no intermediate tape"
workflow I'd have to significantly alter my QINSTAPP script and the
release notes for my software.

So I'm intrigued by this "virtual optical drive" business...in fact, it
sounds like exactly what everyone would have wanted all along: the ability
to create volume images without needing disparate drives and media types
on hand.  I _am_ on V5R3, and so is (most of) the data I want to put on
the CD.

What I'd love is the ability to use virtual optical-ness to setup my
QTEMP/QINSTAPP magic, and write the AS400 library SAVFs that my QINSTAPP
looks for...but then have some way of adding 'normal' PC file system
stuff (text files, folders, html documents with long names, etc.) to the
CD image before I burn the whole shebang.

-Jared

On Wed, 29 Dec 2004 vhamberg@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> I recommend getting a package for this - it CAN be done in-house, but
> there are a few gotchas that the vendors have solved. I used to work
> for Centerfield Technology - their CD-ROM Studio was the first (I
> think) CD premastering product out there. It uses tape for the kind of
> LODRUN thing we are discussing. It also has a proprietary method for
> using SAVFs instead of tape and still have LODRUNable CDs. It also has
> an advanced edition with spanning capability that I wrote.  ;-)
>
> Having said that, if you are on V5R3, you can create a virtual optical
> drive and create a *NEW image entry in an image catalog by setting the
> FROMFILE parameter to *NEW. This is a WRITABLE drive. You can make it
> from 48-16000 meg in size, with special values for 650 MB CDs, 2600 MB
> DVDs, and 4700 MB DVDs. What you are writing to is essentially an
> ISO-compatible optical image that will be in the IFS - you should
> probably specify the name in the TOFILE parameter, rather than have
> one *GEN'd for you. You can copy it down to a PC and burn it from hard
> drive. You can even create multiple image entries in a catalog,
> LODIMGCLG to the virtual drive, and it will span the images, just like
> good old tape. I have not tried restoring from this yet, to see
> whether it will automatically advance to the next volume in a set, but
> maybe.
>
> And you do not need to use the premastering APIs.
>
> HTH
> Vern