
The "juke" command provides a simplified interface to the jukebox
control program "mtx".  Once installed and configured, manipulating
the jukebox is totally consistent among various computers.  Besides
providing a simplified and consistent operator interface, "juke" can
also simulate barcodes for jukeboxes lacking an actual barcode reader.
It does this by consulting a file that maps barcodes and jukebox slots.

"mtx" is available at sourceforge.net, and is presumed already installed.

In "mtx"/"juke" lingo, a jukebox is a physical device consisting of one
or more Data Transfer Elements (DTE) and one or more Storage Elements
(SE).  Think of a DTE as the hardware that reads/writes storage media,
perhaps magnetic tapes or optical disks.  An SE stores media until its
loaded into a DTE.  A mail slot is a special SE used to add or remove
(bump) media from the jukebox without having to open the jukebox up,
as is required with a simple stacker device.

"tkjuke" is a GUI for running a jukebox in a windowed environment.

"juke" provides a command set suitable for an operator.  Briefly, here
is what "juke" can do:

juke help                             - print this information

juke status                           - print jukebox status
 
juke first                 [DTE#]     - unload current media, load first
juke last                  [DTE#]     - unload current media, load last
juke next                  [DTE#]     - unload current media, load next
juke previous              [DTE#]     - unload current media, load previous

juke [invert] load    SE#  [DTE#]     - load media from jukebox, maybe inverted
juke [invert] unload [SE#] [DTE#]     - return media to jukebox, maybe inverted

juke [eepos eepos#] transfer SE# SE#  - transfer media or bump mail slot

juke loaded                           - print barcode of loaded media

juke barcodes [bc1 bc2 ... bc-#slots] - print or set jukebox barcode list

Steve Lidie
Lehigh University Computing Center
sol0@lehigh.edu

2003/06/02
