iSCSI Specification Approved

nasorsan writes "The iSCSI protocol is a means to transport SCSI commands and data using TCP/IP packets. This ratification by the IETF is "the last major hurdle for iSCSI to become widely supported. . . 'Now that it's done, Microsoft Corp. and Novell Inc. will release drivers, and the games will begin,' says Steve Duplessie, senior analyst at Enterprise Storage Group Inc. 'Anyone who doesn't think this is the beginning of a huge market is insane.'" he added."

Comments

iSCSI is a SAN replacement...

[GeekWithGuns]

Here are some answers/clarifycations on some stuff I've already seen in the coments here:

iSCSI is a SAN (Storage Area Network) replacement. It is not a file shareing system like Samba or NFS. The primary advantage of iSCSI over something like Fiber Channel is cost. You can build an iSCSI system with regular Ethernet switches where as Fiber Channel requires "special" switches and cableing. I would think that two systems could use the same iSCSI target, but only where it would make sense and where the file system could handle such access.

Yes, there are already are adapters. (Not quite sure how they are out ahead of the spec, but why would you let a little thing like that slow you down). They connect to the Ethernet switch (usually a gigabit switch) and therefor could boot off a volume via iSCSI.

Cisco also makes a device that can bridge lagacy SAN networks to iSCSI