A Simple Solution to Providing Remote Access to CD-ROM Copyright 1990 CAUSE From _CAUSE/EFFECT_ Volume 13, Number 4, Winter 1990. Permission to copy or disseminate all or part of this material is granted provided that the copies are not made or distributed for commercial advantage, the CAUSE copyright and its dateappear, and notice is given that copying is by permission of CAUSE, the association for managing and using information resources in higher education. To disseminate otherwise, or to republish, requires written permission. For further information, contact CAUSE, 4840 Pearl East Circle, Suite 302E, Boulder, CO 80301, 303-449-4430, e-mail info@CAUSE.colorado.edu A SIMPLE SOLUTION TO PROVIDING REMOTE ACCESS TO CD-ROM by Carla T. Garnham and Kent C. Brodie ************************************************************************ Carla Garnham, Director of MIS at the Medical College of Wisconsin, has been one of the leaders in the College's efforts to establish a Health Information Technology Center. She is a member of the CAUSE Board of Directors. Kent Brodie is Senior System Manager for both the MIS department and the Faculty Physicians and Surgeons Billing Office at the Medical College of Wisconsin. ************************************************************************ ABSTRACT: A pilot project at the Medical College of Wisconsin, done in a DEC environment with very limited technical support staff, demonstrated that even small computing organizations can provide remote access to library CD-ROM databases. CD-ROM technology offers inexpensive access to a vast array of extremely useful information and databases. At the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), researchers, physicians, and students clamored for CD-ROM hardware and software. The administration received many departmental requests for identical CD-ROM drives, microcomputers, and database subscriptions. Rather than duplicating these systems, the Management Information Systems (MIS) department (consisting of one and one-third technical FTE staff) found an affordable solution to providing access to the library's CD-ROM workstation by connecting a multi-disc CD-ROM drive to a device called a "V-Server" on a Digital VAX system. This solution isn't necessarily for everyone, but if your funds are limited, your users' demands are great, and you use the DECnet communications protocol, it can work for you. CD-ROM--A BRIEF INTRODUCTION CD-ROM, which stands for Compact Disc-Read-Only Memory, is a relatively new technology which spun off from the digital compact disc audio industry. CD-ROM is attractive because its capacity for data storage is enormous and cost-effective. A 4 3/4-inch CD typically holds 550 megabytes of data. This is the equivalent of nearly 1,500 magnetic floppy disks or a half million typewritten pages of 1,000 characters each. More information can be stored on each CD-ROM disc because a laser beam's focal point is much smaller than a typical magnetic disk head. This has allowed many companies to "compact" thousands of pages of information onto a single disc. Typically, the CD-ROM manufacturer acquires a database on tape, and the vendor adds an index, error correction code, and database retrieval software. Then the manufacturer creates the master CD-ROM with a high-powered laser which burns pits into the disc. The master disc is used to stamp out numerous duplicate discs for distribution. An added advantage of this medium is that CD-ROM discs are not susceptible to magnetic fields and cannot be accidentally erased. Generally, CD-ROM applications are based on large database systems. To date, there are over 500 titles available, with new titles being released continually. A small sampling of databases (for education) includes: * MEDLINE -- index to medical journal articles * Books In Print * Books Out Of Print * ELECTRONIC ENCYCLOPEDIA * World Atlas * ERIC -- index to educational research literature * PsychLit -- index of psychological research from over 1,300 journals from more than 50 countries * ABI-INFORM -- a business database consisting of abstracts and indexing to business articles from over 800 business and management journals * TOMES PLUS -- information on industrial chemicals, hazardous materials, toxicity, and emergency responses. CD-ROM drives (that attach to a PC) typically cost between $800 and $1,400, depending on the type of drive and configuration. CD-ROM discs (i.e., databases) vary widely in cost from as little as $89 to over $4,000, and some are free. Many CD-ROM databases are available for an annual fee that usually includes timely updates. CD-ROM databases are popular because they provide access to large amounts of information in a small space for a low cost, but there are some drawbacks to this technology. One notable example is there is no standard for writing software packages to access CD-ROM information. Ease of use is a critical factor, and varies from package to package. Some packages are menu-driven and easy to use; other packages may provide more information but are cumbersome. The MEDLINE database, for example, is currently sold by more than a half-dozen vendors. Each MEDLINE system is very different from the others. Thus, comparing systems before purchase is essential. Speed is also a drawback. Although CD-ROM discs hold megabytes of information, CD-ROM drives are comparatively slow. Average access time for retrieving data on a magnetic disk is 28 milliseconds compared to 500 milliseconds for CD-ROM. However, the popularity of CD-ROMs indicates that users' enthusiasm for the systems is not inhibited by slow speed. Clearly, how much information is available outweighs how fast it can be retrieved. Speed becomes more problematic in networking CD-ROM, but it was not a problem for our pilot project because only a single user accessed the CD-ROM at one time. PILOT CD-ROM NETWORK PROJECT At the Medical College of Wisconsin, the CD-ROM configuration is probably similar to that used by many schools -- one workstation located in a library or department used by one user at a time. In our case, the most popular CD-ROM is a workstation dedicated to the CD Plus MEDLINE system located in our main library. Faculty and students use this system to search through over six million medical articles to find information relevant to their research and clinical cases. Because of its popularity and effectiveness as a research tool, this workstation is in use almost continuously during library hours. The problem: stand-alone setup The primary problem with this configuration as a stand-alone setup was the location of the workstation. Faculty and students had to reserve a time slot to use the system and actually go to the library to perform their data searches. Our medical complex is physically large, so for many researchers, this was extremely inconvenient or even impractical. Additionally, the workstation was only available during library hours. Many of our faculty physicians perform their searches between 6:00 and 8:00 a.m. before the clinics open, or after midnight or on weekends when the library is closed. Thus they could not use this powerful research tool conveniently. The cost for a CD-ROM workstation (including all software and licenses) can easily add up to between $5,000 and $8,000. So duplicating our MEDLINE service in numerous locations across campus would have been expensive, and we would not have had sufficient staff to manage such an increase in workstations. Finally, even increasing the number of workstations on campus would not have provided more convenient access for faculty working at home. The solution: remote-access setup To avoid purchasing costly redundant CD-ROM systems, the MIS department used a device called a "V-Server," from Virtual Microsystems, Inc., to provide remote, online access to the CD Plus MEDLINE system in the library. The V-Server contains four 286-based processing cells, and lets any VAX terminal (VT-compatible) run PC-applications. We had already purchased a V-Server to allow clerical staff with terminals to use DOS applications such as word processing and spreadsheets. When the need for additional MEDLINE access emerged, we realized that the V- Server also offered a way to implement remote MEDLINE access. The V-Server connects to the VAX via a standard ethernet transceiver cable, and uses the DECnet protocol to communicate with the VAX. Each of the four V-Server cells has an expansion slot, so it was easy to hook up the CD-ROM disc controller. PC "disks" are actually virtual disks stored on the VAX. The V-Server cells handle the processing, while the VAX handles terminal communication (see Figure 1). The approach we selected had the significant advantage of using existing hardware. By connecting the CD-ROM drive to theV-Server, MEDLINE quickly became available to all of our hardwired and dial-up users. The inconvenience of the CD-ROM's physical location in the library was overcome, and there were few significant "new" costs since we had already purchased a four-cell V-Server (for approximately $10,000) to use for other DOS applications. Problems and limitations One problem we encountered was simply making the system work. Although the V-Server is "PC compatible," it is distinctly different from a PC. It took a great deal of parameter "tweaking" to install the CD-ROM software properly. Moreover, we learned that our MEDLINE system requires significant amounts of memory, so we had to upgrade the CD-ROM V-Server cell with expanded memory ($1,000) for it to work properly. A more significant problem with the V-Server is that it expects a VT-compatible terminal on the user end. But most of our MEDLINE users have PCs or Macs. The keyboard mapping thus becomes somewhat awkward. Essentially, most users have a PC emulating a VT terminal emulating a PC. Virtual Microsystems has developed a terminal emulation package for PC users that maps all keys on a one-to-one basis and makes the V-Server much easier to use. We are a small computing organization which has focused on MS-DOS applications for administrators, and we have limited Macintosh experience. But one of our faculty, who is a Mac enthusiast, developed the keyboard mapping for using a Mac, documented it beautifully, and distributed it widely. Currently, approximately 25 percent of our usage is from Macs. The most significant problem is that although the V-Server can be accessed by anyone with a terminal, PC, or Mac, only one person can access the CD-ROM system at a time. This is because only one of the V- Server cells can access the CD-ROM disc controller.[1] Based on the usage statistics, our librarians concluded that the single-user system could satisfactorily serve up to eighty registered users.[2] We installed the remote access MEDLINE system in July 1989, and for the first six months there was adequate access to the system. However, in January 1990 unsuccessful log-ins due to the system being engaged rose to 36 percent. We'd created a very successful service, and it was past time to expand. The next step was to pursue multi-user networking alternatives. We have identified seven vendors who supply CD-ROM networking products: Advanced Graphic Applications, Artisoft, CBIS, Fresh Technology Group, Hewlett-Packard, Meridian Data, and Online Computer Systems.[3] Base systems range from $525 for a two-user starter kit to $15,000 for a twenty-user system. Additionally, Digital recently announced a CD-ROM server which attaches directly to ethernet called InfoServer 100. The key point is to ensure that the CD-ROM database (or databases) that you want to offer on your network are supported by the network software and the CD-ROM drive format. This fundamental requirement is not stressed in any of the articles we've read. Enthusiastic reception leads to significant consequences Most of our faculty and students were familiar with the stand-alone CD-ROM MEDLINE system available in the library, but many did not use it because of the awkward logistics of the single workstation. When they learned the same system was accessible from the VAX, the reaction was overwhelming. Both MIS and the library received numerous positive letters and comments. The faculty's and administrators' enthusiasm for the system has had two significant consequences. First, the librarians, with MIS assistance, were able to get approval for a major multi-user MEDLINE system which we installed in September 1990. The CD-ROM remote-access pilot project effectively demonstrated both that MEDLINE needed to be available online at the College and that users accepted the specific MEDLINE software system selected by the library. Additionally, the pilot project significantly boosted MIS's efforts to fund a campus-wide fiber communications network. Because everyone wants access to the MEDLINE system, a number of groups who had no interest in the network project originally are now requesting connection to the campus communications system designed by MIS. ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES We have focused on our simple and cost-effective approach, but there are other solutions. For example, Academic Computing Services at the University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill has designed an ingenious setup that uses a Novell network and the V-Server. The setup involves attaching multiple CD-ROM drives to a Novell file server. Each V-Server cell is configured with a network card (in the expansion slot), so each V-Server cell becomes part of the CD-ROM network. A complete network (with workstations) need not be purchased; only one workstation (the server) is necessary, with up to four network cards for one V-Server with four cells. In this configuration, the CD-ROM drive which we connected directly to the V-Server would instead be attached to the network server (see Figure 2).[4] The Health Sciences Libraries Consortium (hslc) in Philadelphia has installed a wide-area network which implements North Carolina's suggestion on a grand scale. We used only one cell (or 286 CPU) of one V-Server, but Philadelphia's hslc mounted ten V-Servers for a total of forty 286 CPUs attached to a Novell network. The CD Plus PlusNet2 MEDLINE software is housed on two 486 servers connected to the Novell network. Stanford University's School of Medicine, which has a large AppleTalk/PhoneNET network, evaluated a Macintosh-based CD-ROM server for the MEDLINE database. The system is Knowledge Finder, which uses a Macintosh II computer working as an AppleShare file server over a PhoneNET network. In turn, this AppleShare network is connected to the campus TCP/IP ethernet by using a Kinetics Fastpath gateway. Macintosh users across the local Stanford PhoneNET or other similarly-connected PhoneNET networks can therefore access the CD-ROM server. Finally, not all access solutions require a VAX, mainframe system, or existing network. Recently, two network vendors, Novell and Gandalf Technologies, introduced network systems which operate independently from mainframes or minicomputers. These network systems work with many PCs or ASCII terminals, connected through a serial line. The result is much like a V-Server, in that remote access to networked systems, specifically CD-ROM, can easily be provided. The costs for these systems range from $10,000 to $20,000 (CD-ROM hardware/software not included). These alternatives do not use existing systems, with the exception of modems and/or communication lines. This solution frees users from dependence on any particular mainframe system or network, and it can offer extremely flexible communications alternatives. CD-ROM MULTI-USER SITE LICENSING Networking CD-ROM began only recently, and some CD-ROM database vendors do not allow their products to be networked. Thus, it is critical to check the licensing policy of the particular CD-ROM product that interests you. Fortunately, the popularity of accessing CD-ROM databases through networks is pressuring the publishers to devise network pricing policies. Several pricing strategies have been adopted by major vendors, and range from no extra charge at all to (more commonly) charging a flat fee for a network license or charge per node on the network. Some vendors permit simultaneous access for a specific number of users (for example, ten users at one time) and refuse access to anyone after the specific limit is reached until someone exits from the software package. CONCLUSION Remote access to CD-ROM databases isn't straightforward because there is no universal standard. Different search software is used by different databases, different products require different CD-ROM formats, and licensing agreements differ radically. Nonetheless, this young technology is worth the effort: it is easy to use and the amount of useful information now available on CD-ROMis staggering. Our pilot project at the Medical College of Wisconsin proved that even small computing organizations with limited financial and staff resources can provide remote access to CD-ROM databases, and that providing such convenient access to such a vast array of useful information can greatly benefit faculty and students. ======================================================================== Footnotes 1 The Logicraft Corporation offers a product similar to Virtual Microsystems' V-Server, but the Logicraft box uses a multi-user processor that bypasses this problem. However, we already had the V- Server in place when we conceived of the pilot project. 2 See "PC-Based CD-ROM Access Via a VAX," by Elizabeth Wu, Kent Brodie, and Mary Blackwelder, a presentation delivered at the 5th Annual Computers in Libraries Conference, Arlington, Virginia, March 5-7, 1990. 3 The February 27, 1990, issue of PC Magazine and the January 8, 1990, issue of PC Week contain reviews of CD-ROM networking software. 4 It is also possible that Virtual Microsystems' technical staff could modify the V-Server so that the CD-ROM drive is accessible from all of the V-Server "cells," and not just the one cell attached to the CD-ROM drive. This would provide a multi-user system without the expense of a LAN. This would, of course, mean an additional expense and delay while the vendor enhanced their software. ======================================================================== A Simple Solution to Providing Remote Access to CD-ROM