Glossary
multifunction drive
An optical disk drive that supports both rewritable and write-once
optical disks. The drive detects the disk type by reading a factory-
stamped code on the disk.
optical disk
A term synonymous with 5.25-inch magneto-optical disk. There are two
types of optical disks: rewritable and write-once.
read/write head
A part of the disk drive assembly that uses a laser and a magnet to read
and write data on the MO disk.
rear panel
The part of the optical drive that provides SCSI address selection
buttons, SCSI and power connections, mode selection switch, on/off
switch, and safety, part number and serial number labels.
rewritable optical
An optical disk technology in which data can be repeatedly written and
erased using magneto-optical reading and writing technology.
SCSI
An acronym for the Small Computer Systems Interface.
terminator
A resistor array device used for terminating a SCSI bus. A SCSI bus
must be ter- minated at its two physical ends. A peripheral device uses a
terminator only if it is at the end of the bus.
write-once optical
An optical disk technology available on multifunction drives. When a
write-once disk is inserted, the drive will write data, but will not write
over data that has been previously written.
write-protect
A method of preventing data from being written to a disk. A write-
protect tab is located on both sides of the optical disk cartridge to enable
write-protection on one or both surfaces of the disk.
Glossary-2
