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Mt. Rainier FAQs



Frequently Asked Questions about the Mt. Rainier Initiative:

February 2002



a. What is the purpose of the Mount Rainier Initiative?
The purpose is to make CD-RW easier to use for end users for data storage and disk interchange applications.

This will enable PC makers to replace the floppy disk drive and CD-ROM drive with one multi-function drive that reads older CD-ROM, CD-R and CD-RW disks, and writes to CD-RW disks in the new Mt. Rainier format, and also allows for traditional mastering methods to be used for audio and other mastering applications.

b. How is a Mt. Rainier CD-RW drive different from standard CD-RW drives?
Mt. Rainier compliant CD-RW drives add five key new features to CD-RW:

  1. support for defect management
  2. background formatting
  3. early eject of disk,
  4. new disk format for reliable disk interchange based on international standards
  5. addressing support for small (2k byte) amounts of data, that facilitates efficient writing using a drive letter “drag and drop” writing interface.
When using Mt. Rainier compliant software like SAI’s WriteCD-RW!™ Pro v3.0, the user experience is just like using a floppy disk.

Formatting delays are eliminated by the addition of “background formatting”. The user can start writing to an unformatted disk in less than one minute.

Disk interchange between different computer systems is ensured by using the Mt. Rainier format.

c. What file system will be used for Mount Rainier functionality?
The Mount Rainier specification uses the UDF (Universal Disk Format) format for writing data disks. UDF has been adopted by Microsoft, Apple Computer, the DVD Forum and other leading computer and consumer electronics manufacturers as the format standard for recordable optical disk drives.

d. Are all software products that include UDF support, compliant with the Mt. Rainier specification?
No. The Mt. Rainier format includes a special lead in partition and an OSTA UDF v1.02 compliant data partition. Most commercially available software utilities do not support the Mt. Rainier format, and most UDF utilities are not fully OSTA UDF compliant. (OSTA is the Optical Storage Technology Association, the industry organization that publishes and maintains the UDF specifications and implementation guidelines). SAI released WriteCD-RW!™ v2.0 in June of 2001. This product line is the world’s first and only software utility that is fully Mt. Rainier format compliant.

d. Is the Mount Rainier specification published?
The logical structure of the disk is defined in a document that can be licensed at no cost by the Mount Rainier Group. The four founding companies of the Mt. Rainier group include Microsoft, Compaq, Sony and Philips. Licensing is managed Philips Licensing (www.licensing.philips.com). The command set aspects have been proposed as an addendum to the MMC-2 (Multi-Media Commands v2) specification.

e. What applications are Mt. Rainier CD-RW drives targeted at?
Unlike standard CD-RW drives that have been used primarily for music recording applications, Mt. Rainier drives are multi-function drives targeted at the following business and consumer applications:
  1. backup and archival of files
  2. reliable data distribution through disk interchange
  3. supplementary storage
  4. audio recording

f. What is the primary interface for Mt. Rainier specification software?
The default interface is an MS Windows drive letter, “drag & drop” interface that is very similar to a floppy disk interface.

g. Isn't it possible to drag and drop data to current CD-RW?
Yes, several packet writing applications are currently available that enable CD-RW drag and drop capability on most major operating systems. Unfortunately, these applications are not fully UDF compliant, and are not compatible with Microsoft and Apple UDF readers built in to the operating system. Disks formatted by these applications do not easily interchange between different computers and operating systems. Most of these applications require that a separate, proprietary reader utility be installed on the computer system to read the disk.

As the Mt. Rainier Initiative is aimed at replacing the floppy disk with a higher capacity removable disk that is completely interchangeable between computer systems, new software that creates and users Mt. Rainier specification formatted disks is required. WriteCD-RW!™ Pro v3.0 is the only software product that meets these requirements.

h. Will the media still need to be formatted?
Formatting will be made invisible for the user. Background Formatting has been designed to allow writing to the disk within one minute of inserting the disk into the drive. Conventional drives require nearly 20 minutes or more to format a disk before it is usable.

i. Will this make the packet writing applications obsolete?
It is expected that most users will have two software products for two types of use:
  1. Drive letter, drag and drop writing for general use, and
  2. pre-mastering applications for audio and video recording
j. How will CD-RW drives that are not Mount Rainier capable and CD-ROM drives handle the discs?
Only Mount Rainier capable drives will be able to write to the Mount Rainier formatted discs. Other drives, including legacy CD-RW drives, as well as CD-R, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM drives will be able to read the discs. A "defect re-mapping driver" will be needed for these drives, which have to be Multiread compliant. SAI’s ReadCD-MRW!™ is the world’s first utility that reads Mt. Rainier format disks on legacy drives.

k. Will these drives allow for making bootable disks?
The Mount Rainier specification allows use of the “El Torito” boot method. WriteCD-RW! uses this method to support making bootable disks.

l. What is SAI’s role in the Mt. Rainier Initiative?
For over two years, SAI has collaborated with Philips to co-develop the world’s first Mt. Rainier compliant CD-RW drive and software. SAI was the first software company in the world to commercialize Mt. Rainier compliant software for personal computers. The company is actively involved in educating the industry and supporting adoption of Mt. Rainier technology through its involvement in Mt. Rainier Group sponsored activities, CDs 21 Solutions, and the Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA). The company is on the Board of Directors of OSTA, and it serves in the role of Recording Secretary for the UDF Implementation Guidelines published by OSTA. As the first company in the world to develop and commercialize UDF based writing software for personal computers, the company is considered the industry expert in UDF technology.

In December 2001, under the sponsorship of the CDs 21 Solutions association, SAI conducted the world’s first Mt. Rainier technical workshop and “plugfest”. This workshop Facilitated the testing for disk compatibility between different CD-RW manufacturer’s Mt. Rainier drives. Since that time, SAI has been in technical collaboration with most CD-RW manufacturers, Microsoft and the leading brand PC companies to commercialize and support Mt. Rainier compliant drives and software. The company licenses its UDF technology and software to leading optical disk drive manufacturers, PC companies and to end users in Japan, North America and western Europe.

m. What products does SAI provide to support the use of Mt. Rainier specification drives and disks?
SAI offers four products to support Mt. Rainier drives:
  • WriteCD-RW!™ Pro v3.0 for MS Windows and Mac OS: provides drive letter, drag & drop writing to standard and Mt. Rainier CD-RW drives
  • ReadCD-MRW!™ for MS Windows and Mac OS: reads Mt. Rainier format disks on standard CD-ROM, DVD-ROM and CD-RW drives.
  • FixUDF!™ for MS Windows and Mac OS: diagnoses and repairs UDF format disks, including Mt. Rainier format disks.
  • Mt. Rainier Development Support License: testing tools, technology and technical support for CD-RW drive and PC manufacturers

n. Are Mt. Rainier CD-RW drives available today?
Yes. As of January 2002, Mt. Rainier CD-RW drives have been announced by Mitsumi and Yamaha. Expect to see at least a dozen manufacturers announce Mt. Rainier drives during CY2002. WriteCD-RW!™ Pro v3.0 supports these drives. Some models require a firmware update to be Mt. Rainier compatible. Please consult the manufacturer’s websites for specific information.

o. When can we expect PC manufacturers to include Mt. Rainier CD-RW drives in PC’s?
Expect to see leading PC makers include Mt. Rainier CD-RW drives in new PC models in the spring of 2002.



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