Optical media formats

There are several optical media types and media formats used for the IBM® i operating system.

The media format is the file system architecture that exists on the media to manage file, directory, and volume information.

Writable optical media (such as WORM, erasable, DVD-RAM) is initialized on IBM i using the Initialize Optical (INZOPT) command. WORM media must use the High Performance Optical File System (HPOFS) format. DVD-RAM media must use Universal Disk Format (UDF). Erasable media can use either HPOFS or UDF depending on the requirements of the user. You can specify the format by using the MEDFMT keyword on the Initialize the optical volume (INZOPT) command. The following topics provide information about the different media formats and a comparison so you can select the media format that best meets your requirements.