dvd+rw-format

dvd+rw-format [options] <device>

-full
    Perform a full format operation, writing to every sector on the disc. This ensures disc integrity but is significantly slower than quick initialization.

-lead-out
    Write the lead-out area to the disc, finalizing the session. This is typically used with sequential formats.

-force
    Force the formatting process even if the disc appears to be non-empty or has existing data. Use with caution as this will destroy all data.

-format=sequential
    Format the disc for traditional sequential recording. This is often the default behavior if no format type is specified.

-format=mrw
    Format the disc using the Mount Rainier (MRW) specification for random access. This enables features like background formatting and defect management. This usually performs a full MRW format.

-format=mrw-init
    Perform a quick initialization for Mount Rainier (MRW) random access. This is faster than -format=mrw but does not perform a full sector integrity check.

-format=mrw-w
    Re-initialize an already MRW-formatted disc for random access. Similar to mrw-init.

-a, --address-skip
    Skip address verification during the formatting process. This can speed up formatting but is generally not recommended due to potential data integrity issues.

-h, --help
    Display a help message with available options and exit.

-v, --version
    Display the version information of the dvd+rw-format utility and exit.

<device>
    The path to the DVD+RW optical drive device, e.g., /dev/sr0 or /dev/cdrom.

dvd+rw-format is a specialized Linux command-line utility used to format DVD+RW optical discs. Unlike general filesystem creation tools like mkfs, this command performs low-level formatting tailored specifically for DVD+RW media. Its primary purpose is to prepare a blank or previously used DVD+RW disc for data writing, enabling either traditional sequential recording or advanced random access capabilities.

The tool is part of the dvd+rw-tools suite and is particularly notable for its support of the Mount Rainier (MRW) format. MRW allows DVD+RW discs to behave more like a removable hard drive or floppy disk, providing features such as background formatting, defect management, and the ability to write to arbitrary locations on the disc without the need to manage sessions or burn a full disc at once. When formatted with MRW, the disc is typically used with the UDF filesystem. For simple, session-based writing, it can also format discs for sequential access.

This command is specifically designed for DVD+RW discs. It will not work correctly or may damage other types of optical media (e.g., DVD-RW, DVD-R, CD-R).

Formatting a disc with dvd+rw-format is a destructive operation. All existing data on the disc will be permanently erased.

Ensure the target device is not mounted before attempting to format it to prevent data corruption or errors.

Full formatting operations (e.g., with -full or -format=mrw) can take a considerable amount of time, often 10-15 minutes or more depending on the drive and disc speed.

Using Mount Rainier (MRW) formatted discs typically requires kernel support for UDF (Universal Disk Format) to be properly recognized and used as a random-access device.

Mount Rainier is an industry initiative that standardizes defect management and background formatting for DVD+RW media. When a DVD+RW disc is formatted with MRW using dvd+rw-format, it gains several advantages:
Random Access: Allows writing to any block on the disc, similar to a hard drive, without needing to finalize sessions.
Background Formatting: The disc can be formatted in the background, making it immediately usable after a quick initialization, with the full formatting process completing transparently.
Defect Management: The drive can remap bad sectors, improving reliability.

MRW formatted discs are typically accessed in Linux using the UDF (Universal Disk Format) filesystem, which is designed for optical media and supports random access.

The sequential format is the traditional method for writing to DVD+RW discs. In this mode, data is written in a continuous stream, and the disc must often be "finalized" or have a lead-out written after all data is recorded in a session. While simpler, it lacks the random-access and background formatting features of the Mount Rainier format.

The dvd+rw-format command is a key component of the dvd+rw-tools project, primarily developed by Andy Polyakov. This suite of tools emerged in the early 2000s to provide robust Linux support for DVD+RW media, especially addressing advanced features like the Mount Rainier (MRW) format. Prior to these tools, support for DVD+RW's re-writable and random-access capabilities was often limited or non-existent in common Linux burning software. The development aimed to enable DVD+RW discs to be used more like traditional magnetic storage devices, allowing direct file manipulation and background formatting, significantly enhancing their utility in a Unix-like environment.

growisofs(1), dvd+rw-tools(7), mkfs(8), mount(8)