iSCSI puts storage on the Web

By Simon Aughton

Posted on 13 Feb 2003 at 15:58

The Internet Engineering Task Force has approved a protocol that will enable SCSI devices attached to workstations and servers to be plugged into Ethernet networks and made available over local networks and the Internet.

The technology should be formally ratified within a month.

This iSCSI protocol will make it much easier for SCSI devices to be both backed up and managed remotely. To quote from the iSCSi working group's technical documentation, 'The iSCSI protocol...describes a means of transporting of the SCSI packets over TCP/IP, providing for an interoperable solution which can take advantage of existing Internet infrastructure, Internet management facilities and address distance limitations.'

Because it uses existing infrastructure and facilities, the technology is expected to provide considerable savings over Fibre Channel storage area networks.

Microsoft has said that it aims to provide iSCSI support for Windows 2000, XP and Server 2003 within three months of final ratification.

Further details are available at Computerworld.