What’s a Magneto-Optical Drive?

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Magneto-optical (MO) drives are generally considered one of the most popular methods of data storage for many businesses. Using cartridges that are very similar in appearance to the older 3.5-inch floppy disks that were popular in the 1990s, the magneto-optical drive provides a means of storing massive amounts of data in a very small storage unit. Unlike older floppies, cartridges that fit into an MO drive typically hold up to several gigabytes of information without issue.

Part of what helps make an optical drive so efficient is the configuration of the device. MO drives use a dual method to read and write data to the cartridge. Both lasers and a head configured with read and write capabilities scan and save data to the cartridge. The amount of time it takes to scan and process information with an optical drive is actually much faster than some older methods of backing up files, such as tape backups or even the use of CDR backups. Because the capacity of a single cartridge is so large, there’s no need to use multiple drives to capture and archive data, even when copying large data files.

The magneto-optical drive is just as efficient when moving data around a server or computer. Just as with old floppies, the process of reloading data from a cartridge requires nothing more than loading the cartridge, accessing the correct drive, and copying the selected files to your hard drive. As with original archiving, loading the data doesn’t take as long as other methods, since the data doesn’t have to go through a conversion process to be restored to an original format.

Another benefit of cartridges used with a magneto-optical drive is the fact that they can be erased and reused many times, just like most other types of storage devices. For businesses that choose to copy key data files on a daily basis and only have them archived for a limited time, this means older cartridges can be erased and reused, reducing expenses associated with data archiving important.

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