2008 /Windows Vista, and it is also available for Windows 2000 and above from the
following:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id= 18986
Windows also has a built-in iSCSI target from Windows Server 2012 and above and is
available as a downloadable component for Windows Server 2008 R 2 :
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id= 19867
Additionally, most SAN solutions and some NAS solutions offer iSCSI as a means to
connect. Other components to iSCSI are available, such as iSNS, which provides a
centralized repository of iSCSI servers, making discovery simpler. A full deep dive into
iSCSI is beyond the scope of this discussion. My focus is on the mandatory
requirements to enable an iSCSI connection.
Using the Windows iSCSI Target
The Windows Server iSCSI target provides storage using the virtual hard disk format,
which would be the equivalent of a LUN on a traditional SAN. The Windows Server
2012 iSCSI target used the VHD implementation for the storage, which limited iSCSI
targets to 2 TB and to the fixed type that requires all storage to be allocated at target
creation time. The Windows Server 2012 R 2 iSCSI target leverages VHDX instead,
which allows 64 TB iSCSI targets and allows the option to use the dynamic type,
removing the requirement for all storage to be allocated at creation and instead
allocates as data is written.
The iSCSI target is not installed by default. It must be installed using Server Manager
and is available at File And Storage Services ➢ File And iSCSI Services ➢ iSCSI Target
Server. A VDS and VSS iSCSI Target Storage Provider is also available (VDS and VSS
hardware providers). The target can also be installed using PowerShell:
Install-WindowsFeature FS-iSCSITarget-Server
Once the iSCSI target role service is installed, it is managed through Server Manager
➢ File And Storage Services ➢ iSCSI. Use the following basic steps to enable a new
iSCSI target:
1. Navigate to File And Storage Services ➢ iSCSI in Server Manager on the iSCSI
target server.
2. From the Tasks menu, choose the New iSCSI Virtual Disk action.
3. Select the server to host the iSCSI target, and then select either a volume that will
host the VHDX file (by default the VHDX will be created in a root folder named
iSCSIVirtual-Disks on the selected volume) or a custom path. Click Next.
4. Enter a name and optional description for the VHDX file that will be created. Make
the name descriptive so that its use may be ascertained by looking at the VHDX
filename only. Click Next.