The project aims to establish a central CD-ROM server
for Masaryk University allowing centralization of both
the already existing and
the to-be-obtained information bases stored on CD-ROM, and to make these
accessible to all users from MU via the University computer network.

On the CD-ROM server, three types of information sources will
permanently be available:

1. universal bases to be utilised by a wide spectrum of 'readers'
   (e.g., encyclopaedias, general information bases)
   
2. bibliographic bases to be used at numerous MU libraries for both
   researching and (retro)cataloguing
   (e.g., the Czech National Bibliography, Library of Congress on CD-ROM,
   Books in Print, etc.)
   
3. databases unique in the region (to be used by users from outside MU, based
   on various reciprocal and co-operative contracts).
   

Besides providing access to this information, the server also
will be used
as a data archive.
Highly specialized databases for professionals will be stored on the server
only if respective licence, finance and capacity conditions allow for it.

Solution Description

The server will be based on the Intel - Windows NT platform, using a new
Ultra*Net technology of the Austrian company R+R Messtechnik und
Handelgesselschaft. This will allow:

• operating any CD-ROM designed for either MS-DOS or MS-Windows environments
  
• direct attaching of the server to the University TCP/IP network
  
• attaching end-user workstations as either MS-DOS or MS-Windows clients
  
• pre-caching 20 CD-ROM bases on a hard disk (rather than operating
  directly the database in the 'slow' CD-ROM unit, the users will work
  with a copy of the database stored on a fast high-capacity disk
  of the server)
  
• monitoring the utilization of individual databases,
  together with optional
  (individual) settings of the number of concurrent accesses
  satisfying licence conditions
  
• setting different access rights for various groups of users.
  

The CD-ROM server will be attached to the ATM backbone of the MU network.