iSCSI to Simplify Windows Storage

Support for the Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) storage access protocol will be delivered via a free driver for Windows 2000 and later systems, Microsoft has announced. Recently ratified by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), iSCSI allows computers to communicate with block storage devices such as disk arrays and tape units over standard Internet protocols. Microsoft’s support should help establish iSCSI as a standard means of connecting Windows systems to storage area networks (SANs) at lower cost and with a higher degree of hardware interoperability and application support than with the more prevalent Fibre Channel protocol.

Microsoft also announced it will create an iSCSI Designed for Windows Logo Program to enable IHVs to qualify their Windows-targeted iSCSI hardware components.

Cheaper, More Flexible SANs

iSCSI is a protocol that allows compatible hardware to transport block storage data over any IP network, including LANs, WANs, and the Internet, enabling these networks to act as SANs. Unlike the more mature Fibre Channel protocols used in most SANs today, iSCSI traffic does not require special switches or routers, which makes it useful for both local and remote storage access.