Writing multiple CD volumes for the AS/400?

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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