Embedded virtual media

An optical drive comprising:

• at least one processor;
• and
• a memory operatively connected to the at least one processor and having instructions recorded thereon for the at least one processor, such that the optical drive is configured to read from and write to an embedded virtual medium within an optical medium, the optical medium comprising:
• a data zone in a written region or a writable region for user data;
• an inner zone having a lead-in area, the inner zone being a region separating a physical beginning of a written region or a writable region from a beginning of the data zone;
• an outer zone being a region separating an end of the data zone from a physical end of the written region or the writable region;
• and
• the embedded virtual medium being included within the data zone for storing embedded user data, wherein either:
• the embedded virtual medium includes at least portions of a plurality of layers of the optical medium;
• or
• the embedded virtual medium is completely included within a single layer of the optical medium, and
• the optical medium includes a first session outside of the embedded virtual medium and within the data zone on the single layer, and a second session within the data zone on the single layer, the second session including the embedded virtual medium and metadata having information describing the embedded virtual medium.

A memory having instructions for at least one processor of an optical drive, such that when the at least one processor executes the instructions the optical drive is configured to read from and write to an embedded virtual medium within an optical medium,

• the optical medium comprising:
• a data zone in a written region or a writable region for user data;
• an inner zone having a lead-in area, the inner zone being a region separating a physical beginning of a written region or a writable region from a beginning of the data zone;
• an outer zone being a region separating an end of the data zone from a physical end of the written region or the writable region;
• and
• the embedded virtual medium being included within the data zone for storing embedded user data, wherein either:
• the embedded virtual medium includes at least portions of a plurality of layers of the optical medium;
• or
• the embedded virtual medium is completely included within a single layer of the optical medium, and
• the optical medium includes a first session outside of the embedded virtual medium and within the data zone on the single layer, and a second session within the data zone on the single layer, the second session including the embedded virtual medium and metadata having information describing the embedded virtual medium.