CompuServe Messages

#CD Speedway

    01-Oct-92 08:24:06
Sb: #27890-#CD Speedway
To: John Williams 73577,70
Sorry for jumping in, but perhaps a little info. will be important in determining sizing requirements for Speedway. First off, there really is no standard optimal size. It depends on the CD's in use. Because Speedway is a file cache, the file must be able to fit in the cache to be used effectively. It also means that if you load the file into the cache that first accesses can be improved. This patent pending technology differs dramatically from our hard disk cache FAST!. Although a hard disk caches advantages our picking up directory and FAT info, most disk caches only grab sectors (pieces) or tracks of the information, not the entire file. To determine the optimal size for your cache, look at the directory of your CD-ROM. Our engineers determined that most CD-ROM file sizes range between 256K and 4 Meg. in size. That would mean that between 4-6 Meg. would be optimal for the cache. How many files in the cache at one time is also important to enable you to tune the product for the most benefit. For example, if the majority of your files are small (let's say 512K or less) than a 8 Meg. hard disk cache with 256 files would be optimal. Obviously, RAM runs a lot faster than hard disk. If you can afford the memory, set up a 6-12 Meg. RAMdrive. By the way, although the Microsoft spec for RAMDRIVE.SYS states a maximum of 4096K, we've had success setting up 12Meg. ramdrives without problems. If you have other questions, I'll be happy to respond. Reese.