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System Administration Guide: Basic Administration
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Chapter 20 Writing CDs (Tasks)

This chapter provides step-by-step instructions for writing and copying data and audio CDs with the cdrw command.

Working with Audio and Data CDs

This Solaris release provides the cdrw command, which enables you to write CD file systems in ISO 9660 format with Rock Ridge or Joliet extensions on CD-R or CD-RW media devices.

You can use the cdrw command to:

  • Create data CDs

  • Create audio CDs

  • Extract audio data from an audio CD

  • Copy CDs

  • Erase CD-RW media

The cdrw command is available on the Software Supplement for the Solaris 8 Operating Environment 1/01 CD and is also part of the Solaris 9 release.

For information on recommended CD-R or CD-RW devices, go to http://www.sun.com/io_technologies/pci/removable.html.

For information on copying a Solaris CD, see the Building a Bootable JumpstartTM Installation CD-ROM article from http://www.sun.com/blueprints/browsesubject.html.

CD Media Commonly Used Terms

Commonly used terms when referring to CD media are:

Term 

Description 

CD-R 

CD read media that can be written once and after that, can only be read from. 

CD-RW 

CD rewritable media that can be written to and erased. CD-RW media can only be read by CD-RW devices. 

ISO 9660 

ISO, an acronym for Industry Standards Organization, is an organization that sets standards computer storage formats. 

An ISO 9660 file system is a standard CD-ROM file system that enables you to read the same CD-ROM on any major computer platform. The standard, issued in 1988, was written by an industry group named High Sierra, named after the High Sierra Hotel in Nevada. Almost all computers with CD-ROM drives can read files from an ISO 9660 file system. 

Joliet extensions 

Rock Ridge extensions 

Adds WindowsTM file system information.

Adds UNIXTM file system information. (Rock Ridge is named after the town in Blazing Saddles.)

Note –

These extensions are not exclusive. You can specify both mkisofs -R and -j options for compatibility with both systems. (See mkisofs(1M) for details).

MMC-compliant record 

Acronym for Multi Media Command, which means these recorder comply with a common command set. Programs that can write to one MMC-compliant recorder should be able to write to all others. 

Red Book CDDA 

Acronym for Compact Disc Digital Audio, which is an industry standard method for storing digital audio on compact discs. It is also known by the term "Red Book" format. The official industry specification calls for one or more audio files sampled in 16-bit stereo sound at a sampling rate of 44.1 kilohertz (kHz). 

Commonly used terms when working with the CD media are:

Term 

Description 

blanking 

The process of erasing data from the CD-RW media. 

mkisofs

Command for making a ISO file system to write onto a CD. 

session 

A complete track with lead-in and lead-out information. 

track 

A complete data or audio unit. 

Writing Data and Audio CDs

The process of writing to a CD cannot be interrupted and needs a constant stream of data. Consider using the cdrw -S option to simulate writing to the media to verify if the system can provide data at a rate good enough for writing to the CD.

Write errors can be caused by one of the following:

  • The media cannot handle the drive speed. For example, some media are only certified for 2x or 4x speeds.

  • The system is running too many heavy processes that can starve the writing process.

  • Network congestion can cause delays in reading the image if the image is on a remote system.

  • The source drive might be slower than the destination drive when copying from CD-to-CD.

If any of these problems occur, you can lower the writing speed of the device with the cdrw -p option.

For example, simulate writing at 4x speed.


$ cdrw -iS -p 4 image.iso

You can also use the cdrw -C option to use the stated media capacity for copying an 80–minute CD. Otherwise, the cdrw command uses a default value of 74 minutes for copying an audio CD.

For more information, see cdrw(1) .

Restricting User Access to Removable Media with RBAC

By default, all users can access removable media in the Solaris 9 release. However, you can restrict user access to removable media by setting up a role through role based access control (RBAC). Access to removable media is restricted by assigning the role to a limited set of users.

For a discussion of using roles, see “RBAC Roles” in System Administration Guide: Security Services.

How to Restrict User Access to Removable Media with RBAC

  1. Become superuser or assume an equivalent role.

  2. Start the Solaris Management Console.


    $ /usr/sadm/bin/smc &

    For more information on starting the console, see How to Start the Solaris Management Console in a Name Service Environment.

  3. Set up a role that includes the Device Management rights.

    For more information, see “How to Create a Role by Using the Administrative Roles Tool” in System Administration Guide: Security Services.

  4. Add users who need to use the cdrw command to the newly created role.

  5. Comment the following line in the /etc/security/policy.conf file.


    AUTHS_GRANTED=solaris.device.cdrw

    If you do not do this step, all users still have access to the cdrw command, not just the members of the device management role.

    After this file is modified, the device management role members are the only users who can use the cdrw command. Everyone else is denied access with the following message:


    Authorization failed, Cannot access disks.

How to Identify a CD Writer

Use the cdrw -l command to identify the CD writers on the system. 


% cdrw -l
Looking for CD devices...
    Node              |    Connected Device            |  Device type
----------------------+--------------------------------+-----------------
 cdrom0               | YAMAHA   CRW8424S         1.0d | CD Reader/Writer

If you want to use a specific CD writer, use the -d option. For example:


% cdrw -a filename.wav -d cdrom2

Use the cdrw -M command to to identify whether the media is blank or whether there is an existing table of contents.


% cdrw -M

Device : YAMAHA   CRW8424S        
Firmware : Rev. 1.0d (06/10/99)
Media is blank
%

How to Check the CD Media

The cdrw command works with or without vold running. However, you must have superuser or role access to stop and start the vold daemon.

  1. Insert a CD into the CD-RW device.

    The CD can be any CD that the device can read.

  2. Check that the CD-RW drive is connected properly by listing the device.


    $ cdrw -l
 Looking for CD devices...
    Node                   Connected Device                Device type
----------------------+--------------------------------+-----------------
 cdrom1               | YAMAHA   CRW8424S         1.0d | CD Reader/Writer

  3. (Optional) If you do not see the drive in the list, you might have to do a reconfiguration boot so that the system recognizes the device.


    # touch /reconfigure
# init 6

    Or, use the following commands to add the CD-RW device without rebooting the system.


    # drvconfig
# disks

    Then restart vold.


    # /etc/init.d/vold stop
# /etc/init.d/vold start

Creating a Data CD

Prepare the data first by using the mkisofs command to convert the file and file information into the High Sierra format used on CDs.

How to Create an ISO 9660 File System for a Data CD

  1. Insert a blank CD into the CD-RW device.

  2. Create the ISO 9660 file system on the new CD. 


    % mkisofs -r /pathname > cd-file-system

    -r

    Creates Rock Ridge information and resets file ownerships to zero. 

    /pathname

    Identifies the pathname used to create the ISO 9660 file system. 

    > cd-file-system

    Identifies the name of the file system to be put on the CD. 

  3. Copy the CD file system onto the CD.


    % cdrw -i cd-file-system

    -i cd-file-system

    Specifies the image file for creating a data CD. 

Example—Creating an ISO 9660 File System for a Data CD

The following example shows how to create a ISO 9660 file system for a data CD.


% mkisofs -r /home/dubs/ufs_dir > ufs_cd
Total extents actually written = 56
Total translation table size: 0
Total rockridge attributes bytes: 329
Total directory bytes: 0
Path table size(bytes): 10
Max brk space used 8000
56 extents written (0 Mb)

Then copy the CD file system onto the CD. For example:


% cdrw -i ufs_cd
Initializing device...done.
Writing track 1...done.
Finalizing (Can take several minutes)...done.

How to Create a Multi-Session Data CD

This procedure describes how to put more than one session on the CD. This procedure includes an example of copying the infoA and infoB directories onto the CD.

  1. Create the file system for the first CD session.


    % mkisofs -o infoA -r -V my_infoA /data/infoA
Total translation table size: 0
Total rockridge attributes bytes: 24507
Total directory bytes: 34816
Path table size(bytes): 98
Max brk space used 2e000
8929 extents written (17 Mb)

    -o infoA

    Identifies the name of the ISO file system. 

    -r

    Creates Rock Ridge information and resets file ownerships to zero. 

    -V my_infoA

    Identifies a volume label to be used as the mount point by vold.

    /data/infoA

    Identifies the ISO image directory to create. 

  2. Copy the ISO file system for the first session onto the CD.


    $ cdrw -iO infoA
Initializing device...done.
Writing track 1...done.
done. 
Finalizing (Can take several minutes)...done.

    -i infoA

    Identifies the name of the image file to write to the CD. 

    -O

    Keeps the CD open for writing. 

  3. Re-insert the CD after it is ejected.

  4. Identify the pathname of the CD media to include in the next write session.


    % eject -n
.
.
.
cdrom0 -> /vol/dev/rdsk/c2t4d0/my_infoA

    Note the /vol/dev/... pathname.

  5. Identify the next writeable address on the CD to write the next session.


    cdrw -M /cdrom
Device : YAMAHA   CRW8424S        
Firmware : Rev. 1.0d (06/10/99)

Track No. |Type    |Start address
----------+--------+-------------
 1        |Audio   |0
 2        |Audio   |33057
 3        |Data    |60887
 4        |Data    |68087
 5        |Data    |75287
Leadout   |Data    |84218

Last session start address: 75287
Next writable address: 91118

    Note the address in the Next writable address: output so you can provide this when you write the next session.

  6. Create the next ISO file system for the next CD session and write it onto the CD.


    mkisofs -o infoB -r -C 0,91118 -M /vol/dev/rdsk/c2t4d0/my_infoA /data/infoB 
Total translation table size: 0
Total rockridge attributes bytes: 16602
Total directory bytes: 22528
Path table size(bytes): 86
Max brk space used 20000
97196 extents written (189 Mb)

    -o infoB

    Identifies the name of the ISO file system. 

    -r

    Creates Rock Ridge information and resets file ownerships to zero. 

    -C 0,91118

    Identifies the starting address of the first session and the next writable address. 

    -M /vol/dev/rdsk/c2t4d0/my_infoA

    Specifies the path of the existing ISO image to be merged. 

    /data/infoB

    Identifies the ISO image directory to create. 

Creating an Audio CD

You can use the cdrw command to create audio CDs from individual audio tracks or from .au and .wav files.

The supported audio formats are:

Format 

Description 

sun

Sun .au files with data in Red Book CDDA format 

wav

RIFF (.wav) files with data in Red Book CDDA format

cda

.cda files with raw CD audio data, which is 16–bit PCM stereo at 44.1 kHz sample rate in little-endian byte order)

aur

.aur files with raw CD data in big-endian byte order

If no audio format is specified, the cdrw command tries to determine the audio file format based on the file extension. The case of the characters in the extension is ignored.

How to Create an Audio CD

This procedure describes how to copy audio files onto a CD.

  1. Insert a blank CD into the CD-RW device.

  2. Change to the directory that contains the audio files.


    % cd /myaudiodir

  3. Copy the audio files onto the CD.


    % cdrw -a track1.wav track2.wav track3.wav

    The -a option creates an audio CD.

Examples—Creating an Audio CD

The following example shows how to create an audio CD.


% cdrw -a bark.wav chirp.au meow.wav
Initializing device...done.
Writing track 1...done.
done. 
Writing track 2...done.
Writing track 3...done.
done. 
Finalizing (Can take several minutes)...done.

The following example shows how to create a multisession audio CD. The CD is ejected after the first session is written. Re-insert the CD before the next writing session.


$ cdrw -aO groucho.wav chico.au harpo.wav
Initializing device...done.
Writing track 1...done.
done. 
Writing track 2...done.
Writing track 3...done.
done. 
Finalizing (Can take several minutes)...done.
<Re-insert CD>
$ cdrw -a zeppo.au
Initializing device...done.
Writing track 1...done.
done. 
Finalizing (Can take several minutes)...done.

How to Extract an Audio Track on a CD

Use the following procedure to extract an audio track from a CD and copy it to a new CD.

If you don't use the cdrw -T option to specify the audio file type, cdrw uses the filename extension to determine the audio file type. For example, the cdrw command detects that this file is a .wav file. 


$ cdrw -x 1 testme.wav

  1. Insert a audio CD into the CD-RW device.

  2. Extract an audio track.


    % cdrw -x -T  audio-type 1 audio-file

    -x

    Extracts audio data from an audio CD. 

    T audio-type

    Identifies the type of audio file to be extracted. Supported audio types are sun, wav, cda, or aur.

  3. Copy the track to a new CD.


    $ cdrw -a audio-file

Examples—Extracting and Creating Audio CDs

The following example shows how to extract the first track from an audio CD and names the file song1.wav.


% cdrw -x -T wav 1 song1.wav
Extracting audio from track 1...done.

This example describes how to copy a track to an audio CD.


% cdrw -a song1.wav
Initializing device...done.
Writing track 1...done.
Finalizing (Can take several minutes)...done.

How to Copy a CD

This procedure describes how to extract all the tracks from an audio CD into a directory and then copy all them onto a blank CD.

Note –

By default, the cdrw command copies the CD into the /tmp directory. The copying might require up to 700 Mbytes of free space. If there is insufficient space in the /tmp directory for copying the CD, use the -m option to specify an alternate directory.

  1. Insert an audio CD into a CD-RW device.

  2. Extract the tracks from the audio CD.


    % mkdir music_dir
% cdrw -c -m music_dir

    An Extracting audio ... message is display for each track.

    The CD is ejected when all the tracks are extracted.

  3. Insert a blank CD and press Return.

    After the tracks are extracted, the audio CD is ejected, and you are prompted to insert a blank CD.

Example—Copying a CD

This example describes how to copy one CD to another CD. You must have two CD-RW devices to do this task.


$ cdrw -c -s cdrom0 -d cdrom1

How to Erase CD-RW Media

You have to erase existing CD-RW data before the CD can be rewritten.

  1. Erase the entire media or just the last session on the CD by selecting one of the following:

    1. Erase the last session only.


      % cdrw -d cdrom0 -b session

      Erasing just the last session with the -b session option is faster than erasing the entire media with the -b all option. You can use the -b session option even if you used the cdrw command to create a data or audio CD in just one session.

    2. Erase the entire media.


      % cdrw -d cdrom0 -b all