The Evolution Of iSCSI
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The small computer systems interface (SCSI) is the dominant protocol for moving block level data among servers. Over 100 million SCSI-based devices are directly connecting storage to individual systems. Fibre Channel extends SCSI capabilities by improving performance and enabling multiple systems to be connected to storage over a local Storage Area Network (SAN). Over time, central access and management of storage from both local and remote servers has become a mission critical requirement for IT managers. This has presented challenges to the existing storage networking infrastructure. The industry responded to this need by introducing a standard for accessing block level data over the large base of existing IP networks, this standard is called iSCSI.
Internet SCSI (iSCSI) is an emerging standard that defines the encapsulation of SCSI packets in TCP and then routing it using IP. This development allows block-level storage data to be transported over widely used IP networks, enabling data access from anywhere, effectively eliminating the physical boundaries of the storage network. iSCSI enables block level data to be accessed over a standard Ethernet/IP network. Data on existing storage or high performance Fibre Channel SANs can be networked together using iSCSI and Ethernet to Fibre Channel storage routers. With iSCSI, enterprises and storage service providers (SSP) can build global storage networks and manage them from a central location using existing IP network infrastructures.