Q) I've got an AppleCD SC running on my AppleShare server. When I run the
Administrator to prepare certain large CDs (such as the Boston Computer
Society CD-ROM, 300MB and tons of files) for use with the server, I
always get a -127 error.
I have no problem preparing and publishing simpler CDs, such as
EDUCORP's, but I cannot get the BCS CD-ROM prepared for publication. It
seems as though I'm reaching some type of AppleShare limit when the
desktop files are being prepared. What's going on?
A) We tested the Boston Computer Society Macintosh PD-CD v2 and v4 discs
with AppleShare 2.0.1; both worked flawlessly. We, too, have "prepared"
numerous CDs for use as server volumes without difficulty. AppleShare
file handling limits are significantly greater than the number of files
that can be stored on a compact disc (search in the Tech Info Library under
"Macintosh" and "maximum number of files" to get a explanation of the number
of files the Macintosh OS allows).
Error -127 is a DS error, which is the equivalent of a system error for
the file system and is of little help in identifying this problem.
Possible sources of the problem:
* You might have some INITs causing a conflict.
* You might have a damaged copy of the AppleShare Administrator or
Server software, or an early version that doesn't support locked media.
You should be using 2.0.1 or later.
* Your compact disc or discs may be damaged.
* The AppleCD SC or other hardware (logic board, RAM, server hard disk)
may be malfunctioning.
* Your are using old or damaged copies of System Software, AppleCD SC
software, and so on.
Q) How can I control the order in which volumes (CDs and hard disks) appear
in the scroll box when logging into AppleShare?
A) At the server, devices are displayed in Finder order: startup volume
first, followed by SCSI drives in descending order of SCSI address,
followed by devices connected via the drive port in the order returned
by the getVolInfo call.
At the workstation, the devices are displayed in exactly the opposite
order, placing the startup volume at the bottom of the list.
Q) It takes me a very long time to prepare a CD for use with AppleShare.
Sometimes the Administrator runs for 3 to 4 hours, and only after that
tells you that it already knew about the CD. Your only choice is "OK",
and then it still doesn't want to mount anyway!
Isn't there a way to prepare the CD index/desktop/privilege files -- or
whatever it does when preparing a CD volume -- offline, so the server
doesn't have to be shut down for hours?
A) We agree that it can be frustrating preparing and mounting large CDs.
Unfortunately, there aren't really any shortcuts or workarounds, aside
from preparing a series of CDs at one sitting to minimize startup time
at a later time.
Your difficulties mounting might be related to the above, or possibly
the AppleCD SC might not be "online" when the AppleShare program starts up.
Article Change History:
10 March 1994 - Made the article specific to AppleShare 2.0. Most issues do not
apply to later versions.
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