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iSCSI: The Future

of Network Storage
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iSCSI: The Future of Network Storage

Contents
Storage Basics 3
Direct Attached Storage (DAS) 3
Network Attached Storage (NAS) 3
Storage Area Networks (SANs) 3
Current Limitations 4
The Need for IP Storage 4
What Is Gigabit iSCSI? 4
iSCSI Defined 4
Benefits 5
Who Can Use It 5
Deployment Examples 6
Network Storage Services via iSCSI 6
Multiple Cards to Single iSCSI Router 6
iSCSI HBA and Fibre Channel Tape Backup 7
Conclusion 7
For More Information 7

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Storage Basics
The Internet and related activities
continue to expand, increasing the
amount of data that needs to be stored.
Businesses and other organizations
require effective ways to store and
maintain this data. Today’s technology
market offers three basic options:
Direct Attached Storage (DAS),
Network Attached Storage (NAS) and
Storage Area Networks (SANs).
Direct Attached
Storage (DAS)
In its simplest form, DAS consists of a
disk drive attached directly to a server.
Data is transferred using SCSI (Small
Computer System Interface)
commands, the most common means
of I/O communication between a
computer and a hard drive. SCSI
commands transfer data as blocks –
low-level, granular units used by
Direct Attached Storage
Clients
Ethernet
Switch
Storage Servers Storage
■
High cost of management
■ Inflexible
■ Expensive to scale
Figure 1
Page 3
storage devices – as opposed to files,
the most common means of
transferring data over Local Area
Networks (LANs).
There are a number of disadvantages to
the DAS approach including high cost
of management, distance limitations
and limited scalability. In particular, in
order to increase storage capacity,
enterprises must purchase more
servers. Furthermore, storage devices
must be located close to the server
since SCSI devices are designed to
work over parallel cable with a
maximum length of 12 meters. These
limitations have driven the need for
network storage.
Network Attached
Storage (NAS)
NAS is a file-based storage architecture
with resources attached directly to the
LAN. Storage traffic is transmitted
over the LAN as well.
Evolution
Time of Network Storage
Network Attached Storage
Clients
NAS Storage
LAN Ethernet
Switch
LAN
FC
Switch
Servers
GbE GbE
■
Transmission optimized for
file transactions
■ Storage traffic travels across
the LAN
3
iSCSI: The Future of Network Storage
Since it uses a familiar technology,
NAS resources can be managed by
existing IT staff with minimal training
in storage management, which may
reduce IT costs. Another benefit of
NAS is flexibility – since the storage
unit(s) can easily be attached to the
network. However, this is not a highly
scalable option, since storage traffic
can become very heavy and decrease
the performance of the LAN.
Storage Area
Networks (SANs)
SANs are dedicated networks that
connect servers to storage devices and
transport storage traffic without
burdening the enterprise LAN (Figure
1). Several factors help make SANs
attractive, including performance,
reliability, availability, scalability and
ease of management.
Without the potential for centralized
data management provided by SANs,
Storage Area Network
Clients
Ethernet
Switch LAN
Servers
SAN
Ethernet
Switch
RAID Secondary RAID Secondary GbE
Storage Storage FC
■
Transmission optimized for
file transactions
■ Separate LAN and SAN
■ Increases data availability
■ Flexible and scalable
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iSCSI: The Future of Network Storage
redundant file copies can rapidly
consume disk space, while multiple file
versions cause reconciliation problems.
In the absence of mature management
tools, servers with high-demand
applications and often-used data can
become overloaded while others remain
relatively idle. SANs, used in
conjunction with managements tools,
help reduce these problems.
SANs are also highly scalable.
Growing storage demands can be met
by simply installing more storage and
network resources.
Switches and other equipment in a
SAN have historically communicated
via a network protocol suite called
Fibre Channel which allows SCSI
commands to be transmitted via serial,
rather than parallel, connections. The
protocol also allows for relatively high
throughput, transmitting data at 700 to
800Mbps in first-generation products
and approximately twice that in
second-generation products.
A Host Bus Adapter (HBA) connects
the server to devices in the SAN.
Typically, the server will have Ethernet
and Fibre Channel connections to
communicate with both the Ethernet
LAN and the Fibre Channel SAN. The
HBA serves the same purpose on the
SAN side as a Network Interface Card
(NIC) or network adapter servers on
the LAN side.
Current Limitations
While Fibre Channel is a high-
performance transmission technology
optimized for the same block storage
format that storage devices use, it does
have drawbacks:
 Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
The Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
for operating a Fibre Channel SAN,
while lower than the DAS model, is
still high. Since organizations vary
widely in their storage needs, it is
difficult to develop a set of
assumptions for generating average
cost figures. Still, Fibre Channel is a
fairly new technology and many IT
staffs have limited, Fibre Channel
expertise. Finding the necessary
specialized personnel can be
challenging and training is often
not readily available. As a result,
installing and maintaining a Fibre
Channel network is typically difficult
and expensive.

Operating Distance
Although the theoretical limit for
Fibre Channel is 10km, individual
multi-mode fiber links used in Fibre
Channel SANs may have a practical
limitation of 250 to 500 meters. The
storage ecosystem is evolving to
where large organizations often have
SANs located far from the LAN, to
provide geographical redundancy as
part of disaster planning. This
means even 10km may be
increasingly inadequate.
The Need for
IP Storage
Several factors are rapidly expanding
worldwide storage requirements:
 E-mail
 E-Commerce
 A pervasive global economy
Over the past decade, many enterprises
have seen a significant increase in the
volume of data produced. The amount
4
of data continues to increase,
particularly in Web-based and
e-Commerce environments.
E-mail impacts worldwide storage by
producing more data than is generated
by new Web pages. These types of
traffic are typically multimedia-
intensive. E-mail and Internet-related
business/commercial transactions
combined have caused a dramatic
increase in storable data moving across
Internet Protocol (IP) networks. This
traffic can potentially overwhelm
existing backup methods.
A new method is needed to bring
improved storage capabilities to IP
networks and reduce limitations
associated with Fibre Channel SANs. A
rapidly emerging technology solution is
Internet SCSI (iSCSI) or SCSI over IP.
What Is
Gigabit iSCSI?
iSCSI Defined
Internet SCSI (iSCSI) is a draft
standard protocol for encapsulating
SCSI command into TCP/IP packets
and enabling I/O block data transport
over IP networks. iSCSI can be used to
build IP-based SANs. The simple, yet
powerful technology can help provide a
high-speed, low-cost, long-distance
storage solution for Web sites,
service providers, enterprises and
other organizations.
An iSCSI HBA, or storage NIC,
connects storage resources over
Ethernet. As a result, core transport
layers can be managed using existing
network management applications.
High-level management activities
of the iSCSI protocol – such as
NP2056.01.qxd 2/13/02 10:15 AM
SCSI
Application
Transport
Network
Link
Figure 2
permissions, device information and
configuration – can easily be layered
over or built into these applications.
For this reason, the deployment of
interoperable, robust enterprise
management solutions for iSCSI
devices is expected to occur quickly.
First-generation iSCSI HBA
performance is expected to be well-
suited for the workgroup or
departmental storage requirements of
medium- and large-sized businesses.
The expected availability of TCP/IP
Offload Engines in 2002 will
significantly improve the performance
of iSCSI products. Performance
comparable to Fibre Channel is expected
when vendors begin shipping 10 Gigabit
Ethernet iSCSI products in 2003.
Benefits
By combining SCSI, Ethernet and
TCP/IP, Gigabit iSCSI delivers these
key advantages:
 store and transmit over the network.
Builds on stable and familiar
standards – many IT staffs are
familiar with the technologies
Page 5
The Layered View
Initiator Target
Nexus
CBD DATA STATUS CBD DATA STATUS
Session
iSCSI iSCSI
TCP Connection
P2P
IP IP
P2P
Ethernet Ethernet
 Creates a SAN with a reduced TCO –
installation and maintenance costs are
low since the TCP/IP suite reduces
the need for hiring specialized
personnel
 Provides a high degree of
interoperability – reduces disparate
networks and cabling, and uses
regular Ethernet switches instead of
special Fibre Channel switches
 Ethernet transmissions can travel over
the Global IP Network and therefore
have no practical distance limitations
 Scales to 10 Gigabit – comparable to
OC-192 SONET (Synchronous
Optical Network) rates in
Metropolitan Area Networks
(MANs) and Wide Area Networks
(WANs)
Who Can Use It
iSCSI SANs are most suitable for
organizations with a need for streaming
data and/or large amounts of data to
This includes:
5
iSCSI: The Future of Network Storage
CDB
PDU
TCP Segment
Datagram
Frame
 Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
 Storage Service Providers (SSPs)
 Organizations that need remote data
replication and disaster recovery. For
example, a high-technology company
in San Jose remains susceptible to
disaster if it uses a Fibre Channel
SAN. Original and backup data copies
could be lost in the same earthquake
due to distance limitations.
 Geographically distributed
organizations that require access to
the same data on a real-time basis.
For example, work team members
who need the latest project data
without waiting 24 hours for
traditional replication/backup/
reconciliation procedures.
 Businesses and institutions with
limited IT resources, infrastructure
and budget. These organizations
should look for iSCSI equipment that
functions over standard Gigabit
Ethernet Cat-5 copper cabling already
in place in most buildings today.
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iSCSI: The Future of Network Storage

Deployment NICs through a Gigabit-capable Multiple Cards to Single

switch connected to an iSCSI-capable
Examples
RAID Array (Figure 3). This
configuration is appropriate as either
Network Storage
the next step in transitioning to an
Services via iSCSI
iSCSI-exclusive SAN or as an initial
Two iSCSI HBAs can be used in iSCSI SAN configuration.
conjunction with standard Ethernet
iSCSI Router
Multiple HBAs in separate servers can
be used in conjunction with a Gigabit-
capable switch connected to an iSCSI-
capable router with Fibre Channel
ports. This is then connected directly

Network Storage Services via iSCSI

Heart Beat

Gigabit Ethernet Switch

NIC NIC
Ethernet iSCSI Ethernet

Intel® PRO/1000 T Intel® PRO/1000 T

Server IP Storage Adapter IP Storage Adapter Server

iSCSI Storage Appliance

Figure 3

Multiple Cards to Single iSCSI Router

Gigabit Ethernet Switch
Ethernet

Ethernet
Ethernet Ethernet

iSCSI to
Fibre Channel Router
Intel® PRO/1000 T Intel® PRO/1000 T Fibre Channel
IP Storage Adapter IP Storage Adapter

Fibre Channel Switch

Server Server Ethernet

Fibre Channel

Intel® PRO/1000 T Intel® PRO/1000 T

IP Storage Adapter IP Storage Adapter

Server Server

RAID Storage Device

Figure 4

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iSCSI HBA and Fibre Channel Tape Backup
Intel® PRO/1000 T
IP Storage Adapter
Media Server
Figure 5
to a native Fibre Channel RAID Array
(Figure 4). This configuration is
appropriate as the next step in
transitioning to an iSCSI front-end
SAN with Fibre Channel storage
devices.
iSCSI HBA and Fibre
Channel Tape Backup
An iSCSI HBA can be used in
conjunction with a Gigabit-capable
switch connected to an iSCSI-capable
router with Fibre Channel ports
connected to a Fibre Channel tape
drive (Figure 5). This configuration
can be used as a means to perform
backup and recovery using existing
Ethernet infrastructure.
iSCSI: The Future of Network Storage
Gigabit Ethernet Switch
Ethernet
Ethernet
iSCSI to
Fibre Channel Router
Fibre Channel
Fibre Channel Switch
Fibre Channel
Tape drive
Conclusion through membership in the Storage
Network Industry Association* (SNIA).
Organizations with changing data Intel is also a key group member of the
requirements, especially those requiring SNIA subcommittee on iSCSI.
data storage security or disaster
recovery, will benefit most from the
introduction of IP storage and iSCSI. For More Information
As performance increases and iSCSI
Intel® PRO/1000 T IP Storage Adapter:
SANs become ubiquitous, they will
gradually be integrated into enterprise http://www.intel.com/
TCP/IP networks. Distributed network/connectivity/products/iscsi/
intelligent services and automated
The Storage Networking Industry
allocation of storage resources via
Association* (SNIA):
virtualization will become an integral
part of the future evolution of iSCSI http://www.snia.org
SANs.
The Internet Engineering Task Force*
Intel is actively involved in the (IETF):
advancement of iSCSI solutions. It is
in the process of developing an iSCSI http://www.ietf.org
storage NIC – the Intel® PRO/1000 T
IP Storage Adapter. Other involvement
includes open software development
and participation in standards efforts
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