CD-ROM servers

devices, like towers, changers and jukeboxes, that allow you to put CD-ROM's on networks: one CD, rather than multiple copies, serves many users. CD-ROM towers stack multiple drives, sometimes as many as 40, in a single box. Each drive has a read head for its CD, making access fairly fast. CD-ROM changers swap CD's in and out of the ONE drive. The jukebox, the changer's "big brother", can store up to 2,000 CD's and can be as big as a refrigerator. The swapping action can slow CD access, especially for changers. For an interesting Web site, see: SIGCAT (Special Interest Group on CD-ROM Applications and Technology)'s report on jukebox performance.