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Now that you have the initiator software installed, you need to tell it where to look for mountable volumes. Start the initiator configuration by going to the Control Panel and choosing the iSCSI Initiator option. From the initiator, choose the Discovery tab, shown in Figure B. Figure B The iSCSI initiator’s Discovery tab. On the Discovery tab, click the Add button under the Target Portals box. This will open the Add Target Portal dialog box, shown in Figure C. Figure C The Add Target Portal dialog box. In the Add Target Portal dialog box, provide the name or IP address of your iSCSI array. The default communication port for iSCSI traffic is 3260. Unless you have changed your port, leave this as is. If you have configured CHAP security or are using IPSec for communication between your client and the array, click on the Advanced button and make necessary configuration changes. The Advanced Settings dialog box is shown in Figure D. Figure D Advanced options for connecting

If you’re running an operating system on which the iSCSI initiator software is not installed, execute the file you downloaded and follow the installation instructions . The installer will ask you to decide which components you would like to install. Choose your installation options. Initiator service — This is the service behind the actual work. Software initiator — The software initiator is the software service that handles iSCSI traffic. Microsoft MPIO Multipathing Support for iSCSI — MPIO is a way that you can increase the overall throughput and reliability of your iSCSI storage environment. See Step 6 for more information about how MPIO can be of benefit. If you have a target that supports Microsoft’s MPIO (check with your manufacturer), you should enable this option. Otherwise, if your target supports MPIO through the use of a proprietary device-specific module (DSM), obtain that DSM from your array manufacturer and follow the manufacturer’s installation recommendatio

One best practice is to assign either a dedicated gigabit Ethernet NIC or TCP offload adapter (ToE adapter) in each server to handle iSCSI traffic — in other words, don’t share your user-facing network connection for storage traffic. If you’ve created a separate physical network or VLAN for storage traffic, assign this adapter an IP address that works on the storage network. By placing storage traffic on its own network that is routed separately from the main network, you increase the overall security of your storage infrastructure and simplify the overall configuration.

Before you install the iSCSI initiator on any of your servers or workstations, you must have something to which the initiator will connect. This can be one of the enterprise class arrays, such as those available from LeftHand, EqualLogic, Dell, or EMC or, if you’re on a tighter budget and want to build your own array, a target running iSCSI target software, such as StarWind. I recommend that, whenever possible, you use either a physically separate infrastructure or separate IP network/VLAN for your iSCSI traffic. By doing so, you simplify troubleshooting and configuration later on.

(iSCSI) has taken the storage world by storm. No longer is shared storage a niche enjoyed by only large, wealthy corporations. Internet SCSI is leveling the playing field by making shared storage available at a reasonable cost to anyone. By leveraging the ubiquitous Ethernet networks prevalent in most organizations, IT staff training costs for iSCSI are very low and result in quick, seamless deployments. Further, operating system vendors are making it easier than ever to get into the iSCSI game by making iSCSI initiator software freely available. iSCSI networks require three components: An iSCSI target — A target is the actual storage array or volume, depending on how you have things configured.  An iSCSI initiator — An iSCSI initiator is the software component residing on a server or other computer that is installed and configured to connect to an iSCSI target. By using an iSCSI initiator, target-based volumes can be mounted on a server as if they were local volumes and ar

If you’re running an operating system on which the iSCSI initiator software is not installed, execute the file you downloaded and follow the installation instructions . The installer will ask you to decide which components you would like to install. Choose your installation options. Initiator service   — This is the service behind the actual work. Software initiator   — The software initiator is the software service that handles iSCSI traffic. Microsoft MPIO Multipathing Support for iSCSI — MPIO is a way that you can increase the overall throughput and reliability of your iSCSI storage environment. See Step 6 for more information about how MPIO can be of benefit. If you have a target that supports Microsoft’s MPIO (check with your manufacturer), you should enable this option. Otherwise, if your target supports MPIO through the use of a proprietary device-specific module (DSM), obtain that DSM from your array manufacturer and follow the manufacturer’s installation recommendations.

Now that you have the initiator software installed, you need to tell it where to look for mountable volumes. Start the initiator configuration by going to the Control Panel and choosing the iSCSI Initiator option. From the initiator, choose the Discovery tab, shown . The iSCSI initiator’s Discovery tab. On the Discovery tab, click the Add button under the Target Portals box. This will open the Add Target Portal dialog box, shown . The Add Target Portal dialog box. In the Add Target Portal dialog box, provide the name or IP address of your iSCSI array. The default communication port for iSCSI traffic is 3260. Unless you have changed your port, leave this as is. If you have configured CHAP security or are using IPSec for communication between your client and the array, click on the Advanced button and make necessary configuration changes. The Advanced Settings dialog box Advanced options for connecting to your iSCSI array. Back on the Add Target Portal, click the OK bu

Even though you’re connected to the array itself, you still need to tell the initiator exactly which target or volume you want to mount on your local machine. To see the list of available targets on the array you selected, choose the Targets tab. The iSCSI initiator Target tab in this example has only a single volume available. To connect to an available target, choose the target and click the Log On button. A window pops up with the target name and two options from which you can choose. iSCSI target Log On options. The two options are important. If you want your server to connect to this volume automatically when your system boots, make sure you choose the Automatically Restore This Connection When The System Boots check box. Unless you have a good reason otherwise, you should always select this check box. If you do not, you can’t make the iSCSI target persistent after a reboot and will need to manually reconnect it. To enable high availability and to boost performance,

Before you install the iSCSI initiator on any of your servers or workstations, you must have something to which the initiator will connect. This can be one of the enterprise class arrays, such as those available from LeftHand, EqualLogic, Dell, or EMC or, if you’re on a tighter budget and want to build your own array, a target running iSCSI target software, such as StarWind. I recommend that, whenever possible, you use either a physically separate infrastructure or separate IP network/VLAN for your iSCSI traffic. By doing so, you simplify troubleshooting and configuration later on.

One best practice is to assign either a dedicated gigabit Ethernet NIC or TCP offload adapter (ToE adapter) in each server to handle iSCSI traffic — in other words, don’t share your user-facing network connection for storage traffic. If you’ve created a separate physical network or VLAN for storage traffic, assign this adapter an IP address that works on the storage network. By placing storage traffic on its own network that is routed separately from the main network, you increase the overall security of your storage infrastructure and simplify the overall configuration.

 An  interface  on a computer to which you can connect a device.Personal computers have various types of ports. Internally, there are several ports for connecting disk drives, display screens, and keyboards. Externally, personal computers have ports for connecting  modems ,  printers ,  mice , and other  peripheral devices . Almost all personal computers come with a  serial   RS-232C  port or  RS-422 port for connecting a modem or mouse and a  parallel port  for connecting a printer. On  PCs , the parallel port is a  Centronics interface  that uses a 25- pin connector .  SCSI  (Small Computer System Interface) ports  support  higher transmission speeds than do conventional ports and enable you to attach up to seven devices to the same port. (2)  In  TCP/IP  and  UDP  networks, an endpoint to a  logical  connection. The port number identifies what type of port it is. For example, port 80 is used for  HTTP traffic. Also see  Well-Known TCP Port Numbers  in the  Quick Reference section o