7/23/97

Our multi-user facility is currently archiving our confocal and LM digital

images on Panasonic optical disks (re-writable, very stable @ about $125

for 1 GB). The disadvantage is that few of our users have their own

Panasonic drives so most people simply archive the images at our core and

then move the ones they want by FTP as needed. I would like to switch to a

more universal medium - namely CD ROM's. My understanding is that CD's can

now be written to in multiple sessions so you don't need to fill an entire

disk at once. Furthermore, it is my understanding that a disk of TIFF

images should be readable by both IBM/WINTEL and Mac/PowerPC types

computers. Is anybody actually doing this? Comments on how reliable are

the recorders, which ones are best, pitfalls, etc would be appreciated.

Before I get a dozen advocates of ZIP/Jazz drives, I don't want to go that

route since that they are not as ubiquitous as CD drives. Thanks in

advance.





Thomas E. Phillips, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences

Director, Molecular Cytology Core Facility

3 Tucker Hall

University of Missouri

Columbia, MO 65211

(573)-882-4712 (voice)

(573)-882-0123 (fax)





tphillips@biosci.mbp.missouri.edu

Tom:



We use CD-ROMs for archiving images, data, etc. If you make the CD-ROM in

ISO-9660 format it can be read by PC's, Macs, and Unix machines. ISO-9660

does not allow long file names. There are other formats - Joliet system -

that allow long file names but these can only be read in Win95 machines. I

recommend that you have a dedicated machine for making CD-ROMS. Partition

the hard drive so that your system files are on C-drive and leave the

D-drive for files to be archived. Two of the major manufacturs are Yamaha

and Pinnacle Micro. If you look up their web-sites and read the FAQ's

related to installation and troubleshooting, you will get some idea of the

important issues in setting up a system (There are certain hard drive

specifications, etc.) Multisession is possible, but you need software that

will read a multisession disk (usually the software package that was used

to make the CD). If you make a multisession disk, and place it in a

computer without the proper software - the computer will only see the last

session. This drawback may be changing (changed?) with the next generation

of machines and software. Overall, I think CD-ROM is the current best

method for archiving data.



Regards,



John J. Turek, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Director, Electron Microscopy Laboratory and Core

Laboratory for Image Analysis and Multidimensional

Applications (CRISTAL)

Department of Basic Medical Sciences

1246 Lynn Hall, G193C

Purdue University

W. Lafayette, IN 47907-1246

Phone: 765-494-5854

Fax: 765-494-0781

Email: jjt@vet.purdue.edu

Tom:



We have installed writable CD-ROM on a UNIX system using software

manufactured by Microson, called GEAR 32.



There have been serious problems arising from incompatibility of UNIX

with CD-ROM technology (asynchronous versus synchronous - The Unix

machines deliver information when they are ready but the CD writing

process requires information at a constant rate which is determined by

the disc speed). I don't believe this is a problem with PC's, but watch

out if you want to use CD-R on a UNIX platform. We had to buy a new

external hard drive, directly connected to the CD-R device, in order to

get everything to work reliably.



Also, and this may apply to you as well, the claims of the software

manual concerning various options like multisession backing up were not

actually implementable. We must write an entire CD at once. This is is

not so bad actually as we deal with large quantities of image data, and

the disks themselves are now only around $4-$5, which you really can't

beat for 650MB of space. The software packages available when working

in the PC world may be better, but beware, and make sure you get what

is advertised. I think this technology has a future and that the

microscopy world can benifit. However, the software for running it, at

least on a UNIX platform, has some progress still ahead of it.



Wharton



++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Wharton Sinkler PhD

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Northwestern University

2225 North Campus Drive

Evanston, IL 60208-3108

tel: (847) 491-7809

fax: (847) 491-7820

email: sinkler@apollo.numis.nwu.edu