Best CD-ROM Server

Microtest's DiscPort Tops In Its Crowd

With the proliferation of information (and, dare we say, games) on CD-ROMs, your users are no doubt clamoring to have access to CD-ROMs on the network. Of the many different approaches and products, Microtest's DiscPort stands out as a smart network choice.
Microtest's DiscPort is a small hardware box with a SCSI interface. The CD-ROM drives are installed into a drive tower and connected to DiscPort. Once you have the DiscPort connected, you load several NetWare Loadable Modules (NLMs) that communicate with the DiscPort. With most other systems, the CD-ROM drives are installed onto the server or a workstation, thus limiting access.
You use the DiscPort's Windows-based administration program or a DOS-based program to mount the CD-ROM volumes on the NetWare server, and the CD-ROM volumes act just like any other mounted NetWare volume. CD-ROM volumes can be set to automatically mount every time they are placed into the CD-ROM drive.
One clear advantage of using DiscPort over the NetWare CD-ROM drivers in NetWare 3.12 or 4.1 is that the volume mount times for DiscPort are much faster.
With DiscPort, CD-ROM drives don't have to be placed anywhere near the NetWare server, which is ideal for placing the CD-ROM drives in a less secure place than the server room, so users without access to the secure location can still use the CD-ROM server.

DiscPort, $1,295, Token-Ring; and $895, Ethernet; Microtest,
4747 N. 22 St., Phoenix, AZ 85016-4708.
(800) 526-9675 or (602) 952-6400;
fax (602) 952-6401.

Runners-Up
OPTI-NET v4.0 , Reed Technology and Information Services,
20251 Century Blvd.,
Germantown, MD 20874.
(301) 428-3700; fax (301) 428-2903.

CD Net CD ROM Network
System, Meridian Data, 5615 Scotts Valley Dr.,
Scotts Valley, CA 95066.
(408) 438-3100; fax (408) 438-6816.
Winners of the Network Computing Well Connected Awards will be posted the week of March 26.