Overview
ISO/IEC 10090:1992 - "Information technology - 90 mm optical disk cartridges, rewritable and read only, for data interchange" - defines mechanical, physical and information-format requirements for 90 mm optical disk cartridges (ODCs). Prepared from ECMA‑154 and adopted by ISO/IEC, this standard sets the conditions for conformance testing (including a Reference Drive), the format of embossed and user-written information, magneto‑optical recording characteristics, and minimum read/write quality needed to enable reliable data interchange between systems.
Key topics and technical requirements
The standard addresses both media and test requirements to ensure interoperable use of 90 mm ODCs. Major technical topics include:
- Mechanical & physical characteristics: case and disk dimensions, reference planes, shutter, hub, clamping and interface with drives to provide mechanical interchangeability.
- Reference Drive & test environment: definition of a Reference Drive, testing environment (temperature, humidity, air cleanliness), and conformance test conditions.
- Format of information: track geometry, sector and field layouts, sector marks, sync, ID fields, data field structure, and recording codes for embossed and writable areas.
- Embossed information characteristics: test methods and minimum signal/optical requirements for pre‑pressed (read-only) markings.
- Magneto‑optical recording characteristics: recording layer properties, write/erase conditions, Kerr rotation, signal-to-noise, cross-talk and figure of merit for rewritable media.
- Defect management & initialization: Defect Management Areas (DMAs), Disk Definition Sector (DDS), Primary/Secondary Defect Lists (PDL/SDL), slipping and linear replacement algorithms.
- Quality of user-written data: minimum sector-level quality, error detection/correction (CRC, ECC, Reed–Solomon) and read-channel requirements.
- Annexed test methods: edge distortion, compliance, track deviation, read/write power measurement and other measurement procedures.
Applications and who uses it
ISO/IEC 10090:1992 is relevant for:
- Optical media manufacturers producing 90 mm ODCs (rewritable and read‑only).
- Drive and hardware manufacturers that need to ensure mechanical fit, optical alignment and reliable read/write across compliant media.
- Test labs and certification bodies performing conformance testing against the Reference Drive and environmental conditions.
- System integrators and archival/data interchange projects requiring cross-vendor compatibility for removable optical storage.
- Standards developers and technical authors preparing complementary volume/file structure rules for interchange.
Related standards
- ISO/IEC 10090:1992 references IEC 950 (safety of information technology equipment) as a normative reference.
- Originated from ECMA‑154; intended to work together with a complementary standard for volume and file structure to provide full data interchange.
Keywords: ISO/IEC 10090:1992, 90 mm optical disk cartridges, optical disk cartridge (ODC), rewritable optical disk, data interchange, Reference Drive, magneto‑optical, defect management, sector format.