In a world where Internet Protocol (IP) dominates local and wide area
networks, the data storage requirements grow unabated; it seems
inevitable that these two forces converge. The Internet Small Computer
Systems Interface (iSCSI) protocol unites storage and IP networking.
iSCSI enables the transport of block-level storage traffic over IP
networks. It builds on two widely used technologies - SCSI commands for
storage traffic over IP networks. It builds on two widely used
technologies - SCSI commands for storage and IP protocols for
networking. iSCSI is an end-to-end protocol for transporting storage
I/O block data over an IP network. The protocol is used on servers
(initiators), storage devices (targets), and protocol transfer gateway
devices. iSCSI uses standard Ethernet switches and routers to move the
data from server to storage. It also enables IP and Ethernet
infrastructure to be used for expanding access to SAN storage and
extending SAN storage and extending SAN connectivity across any
distance. This paper presents general overview of iSCSI, outlining its
introduction, details of the protocol, its features, user benefits, and
several typical deployment scenarios and applications.