TEST DRIVE:

Microtech CD Duplicator

By Lowell Rapaport

If you manage a widely distributed computing system, eventually you will be called upon to duplicate CDs. When it comes to distributing information, nothing is as reliable, inexpensive, or as secure as a CD.

You can distribute files on a network, but network bandwidth is expensive and has more important uses than moving around several hundred megabytes of archives. You can use tapes to distribute and archive information, but magnetic tapes are subject to stray magnetic fields, have to be refreshed from time to time and are expensive when you have just one or two gigabytes to distribute. Finally, tape and MO drives are too expensive to distribute to every field office. CD-ROM drives are cheap and universal.

There are a number of devices on the market for duplicating CDs. Bulk CD duplicators are too complex for duplicating a few dozen CDs per day. An alternative to a dedicated CD duplicator is to use a regular PC with a CD recorder and recording software. However, this low-end solution has its limits. Microtech has developed a bridge between the low-end and high-end CD duplicators by building a professional grade CD duplicator out of standard off-the-shelf components.

The Microtech CD Duplicator System starts with a conventional PC in a large server-style case. In the drive bays are four Plextor CD recorders and one Plextor CD-ROM drive. A four-channel Advansys SCSI card connects them to the system. The hard drive has 3.75 gigabytes free for storing CD images for later recording. Other than that, nothing in the hardware is out of the ordinary.

ImageMaker PC Based CD Duplicator System Microtech Belmont, CA 650-596-1900 www.microtech.com CD-ROM: one Plextor 12/20 Plex CD recorders: four Plextor Plexwriter 8/20s Description: A CD duplicator built around an NT based computer. The Imagemaker software supports multiple recorders and batch job management. The duplicator is networkable. Strengths: Software can queue multiple jobs. Will store disk images. Will drive multiple CD recorders. Weaknesses: No drag and drop. Non traditional interface. Some CD formats (such as Mac HFS) not supported. Price: $7,000 ProductInfo 202

What sets the Microtech system apart is the ImageMaker software used to create and manage CD duplication jobs. The software lets you make images of CDs and either record them directly onto blank CDs or save the disk image onto the Microtech’s internal hard drive. Those disk images can be used to record CDs at a later date and save them for long-term use. Microtech includes a “Mastermaker” function with the system for assembling individual files into a disk image. The system includes an ethernet port for connecting to your network so files can be grabbed remotely.

The ImageMaker software opens in a single window with a number of tabs along the top. Click on a job tab and all the information about the job is brought up on the screen, including its activity status. A File Manager tab lets you locate and move disk image files. The Setup tab lets you control aspects of the disk duplicating system like the speed of the recording drives. The final tab, labeled Reports, gives you a history of activity on each drive.

For those used to popular CD recording programs like Adaptec’s Easy CD Creator, ImageMaker is likely to be difficult to use at first. The tabbed window will be less familiar than the traditional menu-driven interface and the program lacks the drag-and-drop simplicity of the desktop oriented CD recording software. However, most desktop-oriented CD recording software programs don’t support recording multiple CDs at the same time nor do they have job queuing functions that let you set up a number of CD mastering and duplicating jobs prior to execution.

Other software bundled with the system includes the CD label printer DiskPrint, a stand-alone version of the Mastermaker application, Diskeeper Lite (a defragmentation utility) and a DOS-based monitoring program for ImageMaker.

While a CD recording job is running you have to be careful how much you use the system for other tasks. Take too many processor cycles away from the ImageMaker software and you will create one to four coasters. Also, the tools for assembling individual files into a disk image could be more intuitive.

Limitations aside, ImageMaker was able to duplicate bootable CDs, a feat that had escaped our best attempts with desktop oriented CD recording software. This enhances the value of the Microtech Imagemaker for system administrators who need to make bootable CDs for PC maintenance. A chief system administrator can create a bootable disk image and distribute it to all his assistants. This makes the ImageMaker dual use: a tool for the distribution of company data and for system administration.