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Optical Frequently asked questions
What type of HBA is required to use with the 8PAK/16PAK?
The libraries are Wide devices and you must have a 68pin LVD/SE (Low Voltage Differential) HBA. - Back to Top -
Q: What is a MO?
A: An MO drive is a computer storage device which utilizes both an optical laser and magnetic field to record data on a special removable cartridge. - Back to Top -
Q: What is the difference between T7 and T8 drives?
A: T7 is based on MO technology to support Maxoptix’s legacy MO drives while T8 is based on the newer optical Blue Laser technology which offer higher performance and capacity.
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Q: Will MO cartridges work with T8 drive or vice-versa?
A: No, different writing format and different physical dimension of media. - Back to Top -
Q: How many times can rewritable disc be written?
A: Engineering test shows up to 10M cycles for MO and 10K for Blue Laser. The optical head does not touch the surface of the disk so there is no deterioration on the media.
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Q: Can MO drive read CD or DVD media?
A: No, these are all the laser technology devices but the write method and physical configuration of the disks are completely different. - Back to Top -
Q: What are the advantages of MO recording technology?
A: Since it’s a removable device, data storage is expandable by simply adding cartridges. Media has a storage life time of 50 yrs because no potential head crashes and physical wear and tear on the media’s surface. - Back to Top -
Q: Do I need software driver to install?
A: Most Operating System supports the T7 and T8 drive as removable device and it will run natively without the aid of 3rd party driver. See compatibility listing or configuration guide posted on website. - Back to Top -
Q: Will T7 read lower capacity MO media?
A: Yes, T7 will read and write down to 2.3GB media. But it will only read media with capacity from 600MB to 1.3GB. - Back to Top -
Q: Does T7 or T8 support write-once cartridges?
A: Yes, both drives are multi-function drive which supports erasable and worm drive without changing configuration of the drive. But most OS does not support worm media and 3rd party driver is recommended. - Back to Top -
Q: What type of interface do T7 and T8 use?
A: Both drives uses SCSI interface. T7 use scsi-2 narrow (50-pin) while T8 use scsi-3 wide interface (68-pin). - Back to Top -
Q: Is there a cleaning kit for T7 and T8?
A: NO, T7 and T8 drives are tightly sealed to protect against dust penetration. T8 mechanism has a built-in lens-cleaning brush to ensure maximum protection against contamination. - Back to Top -
Q: What is the durability of T7 and T8?
A: Both drives are design for rugged environment such as jukeboxes application. MIBF (mean insertion between failure) for T8 is 300K times while T7 has 750K times.- Back to Top -
Q: Can I use different brand of MO media?
A: Yes, all MO media are ISO standard. But we recommend Maxoptix brand because our media are fully certified to work with our own drive with addition of medical-grade quality and life time warranty. - Back to Top -
Q: Does T7 or T8 supports bare media?
A: No, both drives only uses cartridge type media to protect media surface from contamination. - Back to Top -
Q: My Solaris based system is not able to recognize the T7?
A: Most unix systems does not support removable devices. There is a “device type” switch/jumper on the drive that set the unit to “direct access” so unix will recognize the drive. In most cases, 512 sector media are also recommended. - Back to Top -
Q: If T8 are faster than T7, why T8 had a longer seek time than T7?
A: CLV (constant linear velocity) mode offers high transfer rates, however, to maintain a constant linear velocity, T8 must continuously adjust spindle rpm and this could not be done instantly which result to longer seek time. - Back to Top -
Q: What is the warranty of T7 and T8?
A: Both drives have 1 yr warranty which start at time of purchase. Lead time to repair is about 2 weeks. - Back to Top -
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