Back to cluster home pageFAQ Quick Start: Creating a CD on Linux
A CDRW is installed on yang.phys, euler.phys and navier.phys. With the CDRW you can write, erase and overwrite CD's. With a 650MB capacity, CD's are an excellent way to back up large directories for permanent storage. The entire process requires less than an hour to record 650MB at the slowest (2X) speed. CD-R disks are write-once, while CD-RW disks can be rewritten many times. Blank disks cost a couple dollars each.
The commands to write CD's are simple to use and are located in the physics Tools directory (see below). CD writing is a two-step process
On euler.phys, use speed=2 dev=2,0,0. On navier.phys, use speed=4 dev=1,0,0.
Here path/name is the path to the file or directory you wish to place on the CD. The image name.iso is stored on /tmp because this is a large space for storage of temporary files. You can feel free to delete files from /tmp as needed to make space. Please remove /tmp/name.iso when you have finished using it.
Because CD recording relies on a steady stream of data as the burning progresses, it is wise to minimize your computer usage during the writing process. Running small commands or background jobs at low priority does not degrade the CD, but crashing the computer will surely have an adverse effect!
To rewrite (erase and write over) a CD-RW disk, put blank=fast in the string of options to the cdrecord command. To do a trial run without actually writing anything, use the option -dummy. To check your work after you are done, enter mount /mnt/cdrw, inspect the files you stored on /mnt/cdrw, then enter umount /mnt/cdrw.
The mkisofs and cdrecord programs are in the Tools directory.
Include this directory in your path by executing the command
set path=($path /afs/andrew/mcs/physics/Tools/bin)
It is convenient to include that line in your .login file so it runs automatically
when you log in.
For further information you might want to read the CD-Writing-HOWTO at linuxdoc.org.