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Configure iSCSI Targets and Initiators and iSCSI Virtual Disks

Failover clustering uses iSCSI to connect nodes to shared storage. An iSCSI initiator on each node connects to iSCSI virtual disks on an iSCSI target server. The servers must have static IPs. To add iSCSI virtual disks, install the iSCSI Target Server role, use the iSCSI virtual disk wizard to create disks on the target server, and assign iSCSI targets to disks. iSCSI initiators on other servers can then access the virtual disks over the network.

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83 views2 pages

Configure iSCSI Targets and Initiators and iSCSI Virtual Disks

Failover clustering uses iSCSI to connect nodes to shared storage. An iSCSI initiator on each node connects to iSCSI virtual disks on an iSCSI target server. The servers must have static IPs. To add iSCSI virtual disks, install the iSCSI Target Server role, use the iSCSI virtual disk wizard to create disks on the target server, and assign iSCSI targets to disks. iSCSI initiators on other servers can then access the virtual disks over the network.

Uploaded by

brilangston
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as TXT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Failover clustering uses iSCSI, SAS or Fibre Channel to connect to storage,

although in this course iSCSI is favoured. A failover cluster consists of nodes


that each use an iSCSI initiator to connect to a shared iSCSI virtual disk (VHDX)
on an iSCSI Target server. The servers involved need to have static IPs. The
advantage of
iSCSI being that it doesn't require special hardware to implement.

To install an iSCSI target server on a particular server, use install-


windowsfeature FS-iSCSITarget-Server

To start adding virtual disks to iSCSI, go to Server Manager>File and Storage


Services (left hand pane of Server Manager)> iSCSI.

The iSCSI virtual disk wizard will list only servers for which the iSCSI Target
Server role is installed, and
the created virtual disk will be created under a folder named,
"<driveletter>:\iSCSIVirtualDisk\<name>\<name>.
vhdx"but can be saved under a custom path if desired. iSCSI virtual disks can be
fixed size, dynamically expanding or differencing.

An iSCSI initiator is a server that connects to the target iSCSI server to


access the shared storage on the target server which hosts the iSCSI virtual disks
that have been created.

CHAP can be used to authenticate initiator-to-target connecions. Reverse CHAP can


be used to authenticate target
-to-initiator connections.

Once the iSCSI virtual disk wizard is completed, you do not have to go through it
again to add more virtual
disks to the storage pool. Instead simply enter, new-iscsivirtualdisk -path
"desired path.vhdx" -size (desired
size in GB, e.g. 10GB).

iSCSI virtual disks need to be created in the VHDX format.

Clustered disks can be made Clustered Shared Volumes that nodes in the cluster can
write to. Multiple nodes
in the the cluster can write to the CSV at the same time provided that one node is
the CSV co-ordinator, ensuring that no data conflicts occur.

Cluster Shared Volumes can be either NTFS or REFS.

iSCSI virtual disks are enumerated in Server Manager>File and Storage Services
(left hand pane of Server Manager)> iSCSI. Any disks in this list that were created
using the above powershell command won't yet have
an assigned iSCSI target. To add a target for such a disk, right-click on it and
select 'Assign iSCSI target'.
This will allow you to assign either an existing target, or to create a new one.

To add an iSCSI initiator, go to the server that is to become one, tools>iSCSI


Initiator. This may give a
message about the iSCSI service not being started and a prompt to start it now, and
also automatically from now
on.

Adding target servers for the initiator can be done via IP address or DNS name.

A default gateway should be configured on the NIC of each server involved in order
for iSCSI to work properly.

iSCSI virtual disks can be brought online from any server that can see them.

To bring them online, go to File and Storage Services> Disks> right-click iSCSI
virtual disk>
select 'bring online'. To initialize, right click and select 'initialize'. To
create a volume, right-click and
select 'new volume'.

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