MF Digital DIRECTOR PRO Series - Manual (Page 17)

MF Digital Director/Director Pro Series Publishing System User Manual Revised July 2010
Page 17
Asynchronous Mode (Required)
The Asynchronous Mode pull-down is used to instruct the
DIRECTOR/DIRECTOR PRO how to process jobs. This affects both how
jobs are handled and how the drives operate. Jobs and drives can run either
synchronously or asynchronously. In the table below you will find each
mode detailed. Let’s define the basic modes first:
Jobs=Synchronous / Asynchronous
When jobs are Synchronous, they are completed in the order in which
they were submitted. Take for example two jobs submitted for one copy
each. The first job is of a 650MB master while the second job is only
10MB. While the second job submitted will be completed prior to the
first job, it will not be outputted to the accept spindle until the second
job has been completed. When jobs are Asynchronous they will be
outputted to the accept spindle as they are completed.
Drives=Synchronous /Asynchronous
Drives can also run either synchronously or asynchronously. In
synchronous mode, all the drives in use for a given job, run in tandem or
parallel to one another. In asynchronous mode, all the drives in use for a
given job, operate independently of each other. For example if you
submit a job for three copies and the drives are operating synchronously,
the copying process will not begin until all drives become ready. On the
other hand, if the same job were submitted with the drives operating
asynchronously, each drive would begin to write as soon as it becomes
ready, independently of any other drives which may also be in use for
this particular job. Asynchronous mode is more demanding of system
resources.
The modes of operation are:
Mode Description
Disabled Jobs=Synchronous (FIFO), Drives=Synchronous
When the setting is “disabled”, jobs are processed on a first in/first out
(FIFO) basis such that they will be kept together when placed on the
output spindle. For example, let us say two jobs of one piece each are
submitted. Job 1 is a 650 MB disc and Job 2 is a 10 MB disc. Even
though Job 2 was submitted last, it will completed before Job 1 but it will
NOT be outputted to the accept spindle until Job 1 is done.
Level 0 Jobs=Asynchronous, Drives=Synchronous (Default)
When the setting is “level 0” jobs are still started on a first in / first out
basis, but completed jobs will be outputted when they are done and