NLS: That All May Read

Materials Development Division:
Utility Software for Network Libraries

The Materials Development Division has developed software to support the deployment of the Digital Talking Book system.

This software is for the use of Network Libraries supporting the NLS program. It is also made available to NLS contractors and any other non-profit or commercial entity who wishes to build equipment for sale to libraries.

It is provided as free open source software under the terms of the license printed below.

Use of this software or of the algorithms embodied in the software by NLS contractors does not in any way alter the responsibility of the contractor to adhere to NLS specifications relevant to the contract.

 

Digital Talking-Book Cartridge Write Protect

Background

Digital Talking-Book Cartridges (DTBC) manufactured for the Library of Congress NLS/BPH program conform to the standards defined by the USB Implementers Forum for USB Mass Storage Devices. These drives implement the SCSI disk protocol for communication with computers (and the Digital Talking-Book player). The SCSI disk commands and data are carried over the USB transport layer.

To protect DTBCs from accidental or malicious alteration and to reduce the likelihood of theft, the NLS Engineering Section devised a method of write protecting the cartridges, implemented through additional 'vendor specific' SCSI commands.

All DTB cartridges supplied by NLS as completed DTBs will be write protected and can only be rewritten by NLS.

Cartridges sold to Network Libraries by the contract manufacturer (Northstar Systems), or from distributors, will not be supplied with the protection enabled.

Write protection of these cartridges may be applied by the Network Library during or subsequent to duplication. NLS recommends that Network Libraries apply write protection to cartridges prior to distribution.

Note: Cartridge write protection is a separate and distinct process to book protection (DRM). Cartridge protection prevents alteration or erasure of the DTB files whereas book protection prevents the book being played on unauthorized devices.

The DTBC Write Protect program

The software described on this page can be used to protect cartridges purchased by Network libraries. It it supplied as an installer package for computers using the Microsoft Windows operating system. It has been tested on Windows XP and Windows 7. It has not been tested on Windows Vista.

DTBC Write Protect :

1. Will write enable a protected drive (if supplied the correct passphrase)
2. Will write protect DTB cartridges (if the cartridges were write enabled)
3. Operates transparently in the background. Once running, the cartridge is write enabled upon connection and write protected on removal automatically without user intervention.

Note: The enable and protect passphrases must be re-entered of upgrading from an earlier release.

Download Code

• Microsoft installer for DTBC Write Protect : DTBCwriteProtect-1.3.0a.msi
  (Current version 1.3 - July 2011)(This version is compatible with all versions of catridges and includes a workaround for a problem with the latest Northstar cartridges. If you have downloaded any prior versions please update to this version.)

Installation

1. Download the installer package above.
2. Execute the installer by double clicking the file in "windows explorer".
3. Follow the instructions.

Operation

A desktop icon will be created called "DTBC protect". Double click this icon to launch the program. Before connecting a cartridge, use the "Configure" button to enter the passphrase that your library will use to protect cartridges. (Do not forget this passphrase. There is no way to recover a cartridge protected by a passphrase that has been forgotten or mistyped.)

The installation and operation of the program is shown in the Flash presentation below.

Operation

The DTBC write protect program will operate transparently each time a DTB flash cartridge is connected to the computer. It can be configured to:

1. Apply a write protection passcode to a USB flash cartridge. Protecting the cartridge will prevent the accidental or malicious altering of the files contained on the cartridge.
2. Change the write protection passcode.
3. Clear the write protect passcode. This will permit the cartridge to be written to, or the files contained on the cartridge to be erased, on any computer without requiring this program or knowledge of the passcode.

If the USB flash cartridge write protected, the program will attempt to use the “Enable” passphrase to write enable the cartridge upon connection. If the configured passphrase is correct, the cartridge is write enabled, indicated by a green check mark on the display. If the enable passphrase does not match the passphrase that was used to protect the cartridge, the cartridge remains write protected, indicated by a red on the display.

The operation of the program is changed by setting various parameters on the configure dialog screen. From the main page press the “Configure” button.

The controls on the configuration screen are:

• Write Protect
  Checking this box will instruct the program to apply the write protection code to all DTB cartridges as they are connected. The cartridge can only be protected if it has been write enabled by either setting the correct write enable passcode or by the cartridge being clear of a passcode.
• Common Passphrase
  Setting of this option instructs the program to use the same passphrase for both write protection and write enabling the DTB cartridge.  This option will usually be selected however if the passphrase is to be changed, then the enable and protect passphrases will be different and this check box is not checked.
• Set Enable
  This button is used to change or set the enable passphrase. Enter the passphrase in the box provided and press the “Change” button. Re-enter the passphrase and press the “Verify” button.
• Set Protect
  If the “Common Passphrase” option is not selected a “Set Protect” button will be displayed. Use this button to select the write protect passphrase. . Enter the passphrase in the box provided and press the “Change” button. Re-enter the passphrase and press the “Verify” button.
• Retroactive
  If this box is checked, the changes made are applied to the DTB cartridges already connected to the computer when the configuration dialog is dismissed by pressing OK button. If it is clear, then the changes made will only be made to additional cartridges as they are connected