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• March 13, 2003 •
Microsoft announced it will deliver Internet SCSI (iSCSI) support for Windows® client and server environments in June. Microsoft's iSCSI software driver will be provided via Web download at no charge for Microsoft Windows 2000 client and server versions, Windows XP client, and the forthcoming Windows Server 2003 family of products. iSCSI, as recently ratified by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), will provide a lower-cost option for customers that require high levels of performance and reliability for their planned storage area network (SAN) implementations. According to Gartner Dataquest, by 2006 iSCSI will emerge to connect nearly 1.5 million servers to SANs -- more than any competing technology.
"Operating system support for the iSCSI specification will facilitate deployment of interoperable storage products" said James Opfer, chief analyst at Gartner. "These products will meet the needs of customers for whom connectivity and familiarity with IP are of paramount importance."
iSCSI is Internet SCSI (Small Computer System Interface), a new Internet Protocol (IP)-based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities, developed by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). iSCSI is one of two main approaches to storage data transmission over IP networks; the other method, Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP), translates Fibre Channel control codes and data into IP packets for transmission between Fibre Channel SANs. FCIP can only be used in conjunction with Fibre Channel technology (making it more expensive); in comparison, iSCSI can run over existing Ethernet networks. On the other hand, TCP/IP and Ethernet can't achieve the reliability and performance of a Fibre Channel-attached network over a WAN, IP packets are subject to all sorts of garbage such as being discarded and resent, making FCIP more attractive to companies.
"Microsoft's support of the IETF-ratified iSCSI protocol signals the company's continued focus on making Windows a stronger platform for storage," said Zane Adam, director of product development and marketing for the Enterprise Storage Division at Microsoft. "We're pleased at the level of industry excitement for iSCSI and are working together with our associates to make enterprise storage operations more accessible to a broader spectrum of customers."
Microsoft's iSCSI driver download will include support for data encryption including Internet Protocol Security (IPsec), Internet Storage Name Service for both server and client, management via Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), and an architecture that aggregates the different hardware initiators into a common framework. Microsoft is encouraging ISVs, IHVs and end customers to begin their tests of the beta 2 version of its iSCSI support when it becomes broadly available later in March. Interested parties can sign up for the beta release at Bataplace.com, using the guest ID "iSCSI" (case sensitive).
