iSCSI
iSCSI enables universal access to storage devices and storage-area networks over standard Ethernet-based TCP/IP networks. These networks may be dedicated or shared with traditional Ethernet applications.
IP routers and switches can be used to extend the IP storage network to the wide area for applications such as synchronous and asynchronous remote disk copy, or tape backup and restore.
As with the standard SCSI protocol, iSCSI requires an initiator and a target. Therefore, for iSCSI to work as a transport system, it requires iSCSI drivers installed in servers to initiate iSCSI packets, by which block-oriented SCSI data is encapsulated into an iSCSI wrapper. This packet is then routed across IP networks and ultimately sent to an iSCSI target device, which converts the embedded SCSI data to Fibre Channel.
Management and security features, including logical unit number mapping and access control lists, ensure data integrity throughout this process, making sure servers store and retrieve information from the targeted storage devices according to configurations defined by a network administrator.
From iSCSI enables Ethernet storage nets, Network World Tech Update, 11/13/01.
Additional resources
The latest on iSCSI
Network World, 05/27/02.
IP storage: A review of iSCSI, FCIP, iFCP
From iSCSI Storage.
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