You'll need a SCSI controller and a SCSI CD-RW drive.
Alternatively you'll need an IDE controller and a compatible IDE CD-RW drive.
Of course you will need the appropriate cables, and screws for securing it inside the case.

What type of drive you chose depends on what type of controller you have.  I assume you have some kind of existing controller, since I (again, I assume) assume you're talking about backing up artwork you already have saved on your internal hard drive.

Everything you need can be bought on ebay or Amibay.

You'll need the MakeCD software (google it) which AFAIK is the only software for Amiga's that can write files to a CD.  I've used it, it's a bit slow, I don't think it will work at all if you only have a 68000 (unaccelerated) CPU.  Learning curve can be tricky.

Setup is easiest under Workbench 3.9.  A bit harder under 3.1.  A right royal PITA under 2.1 or anything older.  Obviously this is IMHO, maybe some folks like to torture themselves by setting them up under 1.3.  

Not to dissuade you, but if you've never before installed a drive in an Amiga you're going to have to do lots and lots of research, to learn how to set this up.  Good luck!  

@spaceman

Yes !!!  I believe my a2000 has a scsi hd with a scsi controler.
I also have a friend in town who knows much about amigas,
and I think he can connect the cd drive for me.
Thank you all !!!

Yes !!!  I believe my a2000 has a scsi hd with a scsi controler.
I also have a friend in town who knows much about amigas,
and I think he can connect the cd drive for me.

The problematic part is not installing the drive. The problematic part is finding a SCSI CDRom or a SCSI CDRW. They are relatively rare today. All you can buy for the PC is either ATAPI or SATA.

Couldn't he also attach an external writer to the scsi via DB25 at rear of A2000? I seem to remember that the OP wasn't too keen on opening his case and upgrading the hard drive.

MakeCD...I think the key (or full version) was made freely  available years ago wasn't it?

Sure, assuming his controller has an external port.

MakeCD keyfile is free from homepage of the authors:  http://www.estamos.de/makecd/

Like most have said here, the actual fitting of an internal CD-ROM is pretty easy in an A2000 as you have a nice 5.25" bay. Make sure you get a SCSI cable that is long enough to reach over to the bays comfortably, especially if your HDD is also mounted in that area. If the HDD is going to be attached to the SCSI card then you want to make sure that the cable has a long gap in between the connectors as it can be quite a stretch to reach the 5.25" bay if the first connection is made near the card.

Make sure you have at least WB2.x as anything earlier is going to make it a bit of an ordeal.

I hear that some CD drives can be a bit temperamental with the Amiga but I will defer to someone with more experience to list the ideal brand choices.

Have fun with your endeavour.

Sure you can add a second hard drive.  I remember one guy on the forum a while back had added five internal hard drives.  Nothing stopping you, it just depends on what controller card you have and how handy you are with a screwdriver.  A typical two hard drive setup might be one mounted to the controller card and one in the second 3.5" floppy drive bay.

Again, you'd need to get a drive and cables that are compatible with your controller.  You still haven't told us what controller you have.

An '040 would definitely make it much easier to burn CD's.

If you just want a backup solution, you could also add USB and back your data up that way.  Something like an X-Surf 100 + RapidRoad module would make that very easy.  Lots of options, just depends on your budget and skill level.

IMHO you should spend some good, quality time reading sites like the Amiga Hardware Database and Big Book of Amiga Hardware, and decide what exactly it is you're trying to accomplish, rather than just picking things willy-nilly.  

If all you want to do is back up your data, put it on some floppy disks.  Make two or three copies, or five.  Store them in a cool, dry place.  Even if one or two disks fails over the years, make 10 copies, or 20.  Your data will be backed up and it will cost you a lot less time & money than going through a major upgrade project.

When you are ready to upgrade your system, the A2091 is a good place to start.  Common and reliable, they can support up to six additional SCSI drives, internally or externally.  Of course you'll have to use SCSI drives, which means you'll be buying them used on ebay, since SCSI drives haven't been made in years.  You could also use IDE drives with an adapter, or a more modern solution such as a SCSI-to-CF or SCSI-to-SD solution.  Here's one example:

http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1264


To do USB you're going to need one of the various USB cards for Amiga.  There's a variety available, but a good solution is to use an X-Surf 100 + RapidRoad module.  These are still available new from a variety of Amiga vendors:

http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1156

http://amigakit.leamancomputing.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1212

http://amigastore.eu/en/204-x-surf-100.html

http://amigastore.eu/en/302-rapidroad-x-surf-100.html

This combination will give you both networking and USB capability.  You'll want an accelerator to use them (at least a 68020, I don't know if they require it, but for your own sanity you'll want a faster system) and a USB stack.   Poseidon is the standard software for this and is included with the RapidRoad.


You'll want to be using at least Workbench 3.1 if you intend to add all this hardware.


Be prepared to spend at least $500 for a decent '040 card, although these prices may drop when the Vampire boards become more readily available.  And research, research, research!