Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator V 2.0
The new iSCSI Software Initiator v 2.0 from Microsoft® continues to lead the way on iSCSI innovation andfunctionality. Sophisticated multipathing policies for load balancing and failover are available, as is support for thenew x64 processors, and for the Next Generation Internet Protocol, IPv6.
The Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator v2.0 integrates sophisticated multipathing functionality,supports x64 capabilities,and provides numeroussupportability and deployment enhancements.
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you want to make use of existing IT network infrastructureexpertise to get into storagenetworking, iSCSI is a smart wayto go. Since Microsoft releasedthe first version of the iSCSISoftware Initiator in June of 2003,storage over IP has acceleratedstorage area network adoptionsignificantly. That’s because iSCSIoffers the benefits of storage areanetworks (SANs)—starting withshared, centralized storage—toanyone with network expertise,and often at a lower costs thanpreviously available alternatives.And now with the latest version of the Microsoft iSCSI SoftwareInitiator, iSCSI functionality hasbeen further extended.
Built-in Multipathing.
Storagearea networks unlock storagefrom the server—storageresources are centralized onto anetwork, and provisioning andmanagement are simplified. But tothoroughly safeguard your storedresources, each path betweenserver and storage must beprotected—a single link betweenthe two is also a single point of failure, and if the link goes down,that server’s access to storage islost. With the appropriate softwaresupport, however, theadministrator can implement ahigh availability solution throughdeployment of multiple pathsbetween servers and storage.Multipathing provides anautomatic means of persisting I/Owithout error, failing over theworkload to a redundant pathshould one path fail.Version 2.0 of the iSCSI SoftwareInitiator provides sophisticatedhigh availability solutions througheither:
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Multiple Connections per Session (MC/S), or
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Microsoft MPIO support.MC/S allows multiple TCP/IPconnections between the initiator (server) and target (storage array)during the same iSCSI session,either on the same or a differentphysical link. This allows loadbalancing and failover over amongmultiple network interface cards(NICs).Microsoft MPIO support allows theinitiator to log in multiple sessionsto the same target, enabling loadbalancing and failover among
multiple NICs and iSCSI HostBus Adapters (HBAs). Bothmethods support failover only(no load balancing, all other paths on standby), as well as afailover plus I/O load balancing.Load balancing policies include:
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Round robin (all pathsactive, I/O sent in roundrobin fashion),
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Round robin with a subsetof active paths,
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Weighted path, in whichI/O is distributed to thepath with the lowestassigned weight.
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Least Queue Depth, inwhich I/O is sent on thepath with the shortest I/Oqueue. This is onlyavailable for MC/S.Note that a key differencebetween the two multipathingapproaches is that for MC/S, loadbalancing policies apply to alllogical disks (LUNs) exposed by asession; for MPIO, the policiesapply to individual logical disks.
Support for x64
. The new 64-bitprocessors provide both 32 and64-bit capabilities on the sameprocessor, supporting both older 32 bit applications without loss of performance, as well as newer 64bit applications. X64 technologiesenable faster and more efficientapplication performance, becausemore data can be preloaded intovirtual memory, thereby reducingthe time it takes to seek, read, andwrite to storage devices. Version2.0 of the iSCSI Software Initiator enables applications on an iSCSISAN to take advantage of thehigher performance and scalabilityof x64 processors.
Supportability and DeploymentEnhancements
. The newestversion of the Microsoft iSCSISoftware Initiator improves eventlog messaging, providing newdetails on multipathing status,load balancing, and boundvolumes.The initial iSCSI release requiredattended setup; the latest releasesupports unattended setup ineither passive or quiet mode(defaults used in both cases;passive mode runs the UI onscreen, quiet mode does not).The new release also includesenhanced graphical user andcommand line interfaces.
Support for IPv6
. Also known asthe Next Generation InternetProtocol, IPv6 is designed to fullyinteroperate with the currentstandard (IPv4), and has beenarchitected specifically for GigabitEthernet. IPv6, fully supported inthe new iSCSI Software Initiator,solves many of the problemsassociated with IPv4, includingsecurity issues, autoconfigurationand extensibility.
Other Enhancements
. The newiSCSI Software Initiator providessupport for a number of additionalfeatures:
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In addition to support for error recovery level 0, thenew version supports error recovery levels 1 and 2(CRC and connection failurerecovery, respectively). Botherror recovery levels arecritical for tape backupscenarios, because if thetape fails, the applicationtypically aborts. Error recovery level 2 allowsreestablishment of theiSCSI connection withoutapplication disruption.
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Auto-discovery of iSNSserver.
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Integration with VDS clients,including Storage Manager for SANs (part of WindowsServer™ 2003 R2). iSCSIintegration allowsadministrators to configuretargets using StorageManager for SANs.
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Persistent binding of targetsother than disk, such astape devices and changers.
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Persistent binding of administrator-specified
For more information aboutMicrosoft storage, visithttp://www.microsoft.com/storage/.For information about iSCSI, visit
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserver2003/technologies/storage/iscsi/deployiscsi.mspx.
© 2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. This data sheet is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THISSUMMARY. Microsoft, the Windows logo, and WindowsServer are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries.
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