These few weeks, since the start of a new school term, work life is like getting squeezed in MRT train during peak hours. I have not much to blog about except work-sucks, so might as well forget about putting it here.
Today, I present to you a compact 5-disc duplicator, made up of 5 laptops, network and virtual network computing (aka VnC). I have to strongly agree that this gimmic is really a child's play. It does the job well, anyway.
I was tasked for the first time to mass produce 45 copies of a picasa DVD around just 1.4GB. I did more than this amount previously, only that its around 10 copies per different sources.
In my environment, DVD-RW drives are still somewhat a privilege feature. My main concern was, it must be fast, simple and nobody can disturb them.
Here is what I came up with:-
Heres how I go about doing the 45 copies from data files stored in the harddisk from request till completion.
- Hmm...a lot of ponders before i accepted this task not because its difficult but its so simple and straight-forward, it bored me (a little).
- Accepted the task and got the deadline to finish within 2-3 days.
- If its CDR/W, I would approach this by using just my trusty 1-CDRW PC, DVD is a bit of a headache. So, considering the odds of any free-to-use DVD-RW machines, I turned to laptops. Luck is on my side as I have some reserved laptops which have DVD-RW drives. Lucky!
- Without any long thoughts, I powered up each laptop and connected them via wireless lan.
- Close the lids of 4 out of 5 laptops, I stack them up in 1 direction, so that the DVD drive trays face out. The 5th laptop with the lid opened stacks on top of the rest. It will be my console for the 4 with closed lids. VnC went on conquering the 4 laptops.
- Copied the data files to the master laptop (5th) via wireless from the source. I created a master dvd and image.
- Subsequently, I used the master dvd to create an image on the other 4 laptops. (before this, I actually tried to copy the 1st created image via wireless. it was a wrong move because it is slow, very slow)
- Till completion, I use Image to DVD duplicating method. Not that it is really lightning fast but seeing each DVD-tray pops out at each DVD completion is quite an enjoyable scene. Pop, pop, pop.....
- With much interruptions and adhoc tasks in between burning those 45 copies, it took me 3hrs. What I can estimate is, the minimum time to completion without burning failure is around (45 x 5 / Total burners) minutes with 1.4GB data burning in 4x DVDRW speed. If you don't count in the number of times, customers called you up and do something else.
- For those disc duplicating crazy fans, as long as you are comfortable in mass controlling multiple laptops in one location, you can stack as much as you like, anyway practical. Be warned. Do not stack too much in one location. Each type of laptop has its own stacking limit. Too much and the LCD will crack.
- There are software alternatives I heard from other technological bloggers. I supposed it should be Nero. It allows you to burn to a remote machine's (CD/DVD)RW drive via network. Sounds cool, if the network between machines is not wireless (or wired-wireless) though. Nobody's going to pay for this software if its not bundled for free. I do hope next time, every corporate laptop with a DVD burner comes with nero enterprise. It makes DVD, VCD burning simpler.
- Some burning software allows you to burn more than one copies at a go without having to click your mouse to restart the project. That is the ultimate time saver. Nero for example have this. But even if you do have, it is good to check back each burner software's status after each DVD pops out from the drive. Otherwise, you never know if there is any errors during burning.
Nothing much more important than to enjoy your work in your own ways. Add some spices to what you have been doing, optimize, complete them. Enjoy the fruits of labour. (little thank-yous, legally waste your work time, exercise the brain by doing the same things differently)
Life should be simple, easy, smart.
