[Dla] Limitation Of Total Number Of Files?

[marius]

Hello,

I have a problem using Roxio DLA Version 5.2.0:

I tried to write about 750.000 small XML files to a DLA formatted Sony DVD+RW. The total size of my data is about 2.5 GB.

 

At first I had my own application (written in SAL by Gupta Technologies) to write on the DVD. The copy process was aborted at about 490.000 files. I don't really know why. Not only that the process was aborted, it seemed that something was written to the DVD I like to call phantom files: files with no size and no content which I am unable to open.

After that failed, I gave XCOPY a try. Unfortunally that didn't work out as well (due to insufficient RAM -.-).

Finally I used Robocopy: After 249.778 files the process was aborted due to insuffictient disk space. (But the file size is only 877 MB)

 

Well, I don't really have a clue, why I cannot fit 2.5 GB of XML data to a 4.3 GB DVD. I was wondering if is a limitation of total number of files, that can be stored on a DLA formatted DVD.

 

Has anyone expirience this kind of problem?

 

Thanks in advance

Marius

[Brendon]

Hello,

 

I've not seen this problem before, probably because I've never encountered someone trying to write 750,000 files to a DVD. However I wouldn't be surprised if the combination of the directory entries for each of those files plus the minimum file space allocated to each file doesn't exceed the amount of free space left on the DVD after DLA has formatted it. I'm also surprised that trying to do 750,000 writes to the system area of the disc doesn't kill the disc immediately, since an RW disc isn't rated for that many rewrites.

 

Although each file may be small, if you have a 4kB allocation unit (which is quite reasonable) then 750,000 files will take a minimum of 3,072,000,000 bytes - more if any files are bigger than 4k - then add the huge directories needed to hold 750,000 entries and something is likely to give way.

 

May I suggest you consider compressing your XML files into a RAR or ZIP file for storage. Since the files are archived nose-to-tail instead of at sector borders, and since XMLs compress really well, and you only need to store one file, the space saving should be very significant and so would the wear on the system area of the disc.

 

While we're at it, if these files are important consider storing them on a DVD writeable rather than an RW disc. RW discs wear unevenly and fail unexpectedly.

 

Regards,

Brendon