This small page explains what I had to do in order to be able to use HP7200e device (external parallel port CD Writer) with Linux. All the information here is just a recompilation of information available already (see the list of links at the end of the page).

• Set the parallel mode to "EPP" from BIOS

• Download and unpack the Linux kernel. During the configuration it is important to set the following:
  • in "Floppy, IDE, and other devices" section:
    • - y - Include IDE/ATAPI CDROM support
    • - y - SCSI emulation support
    • - y - Loopback device support
    • - m - Parallel port IDE device support
    • - m - Parallel port ATAPI CD-ROMs
    • - m - Parallel port ATAPI disks (?)
    • - m - Parallel port generic ATAPI devices
    • - m - Shuttle EPAT/EPEZ protocol
  • in "SCSI support"
    • - y - SCSI support
    • - y - SCSI CD-ROM support
    • - y - SCSI generic support

• Recompile and install the new kernel and modules
• Make device file with the script from http://www.torque.net/parport/paride.html
• - test it:

       # insmod paride
       paride: version 1.02 installed
       # insmod epat
       paride: epat registered as protocol 0
  

  try to use it as cd-rom device:

       # insmod pcd
       pcd: pcd version 1.03s, major 46, nice 0
       pcd0: epat 1.01, Shuttle EPAT chip c6 at 0x378, mode 5 (EPP-32), delay 1
       pcd0: Slave: CD-Writer+ 7200
       # mkdir /mnt/hp
       # mount -r /dev/pcd0 /mnt/hp
       # ls /mnt/hp
  
  

  .... ok, now prepare it for cdwrite:

       # umount /mnt/hp
       # rmmod pcd
       # insmod pg
       pg: pg version 1.01s, major 97
       pg0: epat 1.01, Shuttle EPAT chip c6 at 0x378, mode 5 (EPP-32), delay 1
       pg0: HP CD-Writer+ 7200, slave
  

• cdrecord
  • download the source from ftp://ftp.fokus.gmd.de/pub/unix/cdrecord/cdrecord-1.6.tar.gz
  • download the required interface module from ftp://ftp.torque.net/pub/scsi-linux-pg.c
    (Please note: This file is no longer available. Probably because the new version of cdrecord 1.8, which now is in alpha state, already includes it. If you prefer to use the current stable version 1.6 I've put a copy of the file here)

         # tar zxvf cdrecord-1.6.tar.gz
         # cd cdrecord-1.6/cdrecord/
         # cp /home/svet/cdw/scsi-linux-pg.c .
         # vi scsihack.c   
             [now replace the reference to "scsi-linux-sg.c" 
              with "scsi-linix-pg.c" (this is at line 39).]
    

  • compile cdwrite and mkisofs

• My first CD
  • prepare all the data in /data/svet/cdrom (for example :-)

         # mkisofs -r -v -o /data/svet/image.raw /data/svet/cdrom
         # mount /data/svet/image.raw -r -t iso9660 -o loop /mnt/loop
         # umount /mnt/loop
         # cdrecord -v speed=1 dev=0,0 /data/svet/image.raw
    

• Next step: now to make one CD bootable. Example: preparing a bootable RedHat CD.
  • Mirror /pub/redhat/redhat-5.2/i386 directory from ftp.redhat.com (or even better -- from any mirror) to one local directory, say /data/svet/cdrom.
    (!!! Please note: Make the files in RedHat/instimage/usr/bin executable)

  • Make one "special" directory which will contain the boot image.

         # cd /data/svet/cdrom
         # mkdir boot
         # cp .....images/boot.img boot/boot.img
         # mkisofs -a -r -v -b boot/boot.img -c boot/boot.catalog -o /data/svet/rh-boot.raw . 

    (Did you saw the point at the end of the last line? Ok.)

  • now toast this image ... (as above)

• Next step: Multisession CD.
  • first session:

         mkisofs ...
         cdrecord ... -multi  ...
    

  • last session:

         mkisofs ... -C ccc -M oldimage -o newimage  ... 
         cdrecord ... newimage  
    

    where: ccc -- the result from "cdrecord -msinfo dev=0,0"
    oldimage -- the image file used for the first session

• For more information:
  • The kernel source, file Documentation/paride.txt
  • PARIDE page: http://www.torque.net/parport/paride.html
  • Parallel Port ATAPI CD-R Information Page: http://www.torque.net/parport/cdr.html
  • cdrecord page: http://www.fokus.gmd.de/research/cc/glone/employees/joerg.schilling/private/cdrecord.html
  • cdrecord source: ftp://ftp.fokus.gmd.de/pub/unix/cdrecord/cdrecord-1.6.tar.gz
  • required interface module for cdrecord: ftp://ftp.torque.net/pub/scsi-linux-pg.c

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