Share a CD over a network?

[ingroy]

Is there any way to share a CD drive over a network, so that you could play a game on both computers with only one CD? This would make a very useful program if it is possible. :idea:

[NetSoerfer]

I have no idea which program to use for your purpose, but I can tell you the following from my own experience on LAN-parties:
A CDROM drive accessed by several users simultaneously will dramatically increase speed. E.g. if one user needs a file from the very end of the disc and another needs a file from the very beginning of the disc, the reading head will always move back and forth to serve both users at the same time. This moving between the two files will eat up so much performance that it would for BOTH users better to get the files one after another - for both users, not only for the first user.

Of course, if the shared CD will only be accessed sporadically and hardly ever by two users at the same time, it could well make sense to to that.

From a performance-related point of view, it will however make more sense to make an image of the CD on a hard drive and share the image file - HDD's access times are much shorter than CDD's access times.


HTH...

Sergei

[SwENSkE]

But if the CD is an image on the HD :P it works fine .
That's one of the many things you can do with D-Tools. Anyway this is no suggestion as it#s already realized.

Do as follows:
Create image, put it on the server (or on one of the two PCs you're playing with);
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install D-Tools on all PCs, mount the image (on one PC - or on both if you have extra server - over the network);
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play!