Hello Im new here and somewhat new to modding

[vash4056]

Hello everyone this is my first post here at TBCS. Im getting ready to start a new mod. and I have a question is it possible to have 2 ide devices like cd/dvd drives connected to multiple mobos so each seperate computer will use the same 2 drives?

[nevermind1534]

I don't believe so...

[Datech]

No, I don't think that is possible at all. The first issue that comes to mind would be that the hard drives would be receiving two different seek requests from two different controllers, which would almost certainly crash the OS from a variety of errors.

Second, if the two systems were different, they would require different drivers for everything. This would also provide so many conflicts that you would crash, assuming you could boot in the first place.

Third, you would need an IDE splitter cable to attach them both, and I don't think those exists. If they did I'd imagine your set up would look something akin to two boxes sitting next to each other with two hard drives hanging perilously in between them.

Fourth, well I don't remember what my fourth point was anymore, but you get my point. I don't think it is possible at all, but I've been wrong before.

If you are dead set on having two computers for various tasks that access the same physical data look into some Network Attached Storage. You could get a couple of 30GB drives to use as boot drives on each machine, then use some Network Attached Storage to access all the other data you want. Or, you know, you could just create a network between the two...

[vash4056]

Thanks for the input.

i currently have 4 computers sitting around my desk that i use for various things. 1 as a linux test box. 1 as my home server, 1 strictly for pc gaming, and 1 for misc crap don't use it much.

The mod im doing is this. I got my hands on a networking cabinet it stands about 4 ft tall, 3 ft wide by about 2 ft deep. with a nice big window on the front door. Im wanting to do away with the 4 individual pc cases and mount everything inside the network cabinet. Each system will still use its own hdd. the only thing im wanting to do is try and have only 1 cd-rw drive and 1 dvd-rw drive. By doing this I will be able to seriously cut down on the clutter around my work area. Not to mention I have never seen a mod of this kind lol.

I was thinking I could take the IDE cable and make a splice conection that would then break off to the 4 other mobos.

[nevermind1534]

Your only way of sharing the drives would probably be over a network.

[Datech]

Yea, you could probably just throw all the computers into the cabinet and mount a router behind them and voila, four computers networked in a network cabinet. If you want to just use the CD and DVD drives as just storage and ripping of files, then you can always just drag and drop across the network.

However, say computer A has the CD and DVD drive, and you are trying to run a program from CDA on computer B and watch a DVD on computer C, I'm really not sure how it'd work out. There is probably some small time virtualization method you could use to do it, mounting over the network and such, but the only way I know about deals with VMware products and emulation.

Good luck, and welcome!

[vash4056]

Cool Thanks for all the input. I guess its time for a trial run of that.