What is iSCSI and How Can It Save Your Server

Maximize Existing Server Investment and Minimize Costs by Adding High Performance iSCSI NAS
Learn How to Implement 10GbE Based TeraStation 6000 NAS in Virtualized Environments

For many years, many organization have been utilizing expensive Storage Area Network (SAN) as the on-premise data storage solution to help escape the trap of constantly buying a lot of disks and drives into a patchwork of servers. For organizations with existing physical server infrastructures, integration with a Buffalo iSCSI-SAN is simple and efficient and offers expansive storage with robust data security features to protect your data.

Buffalo has a history of focusing on reliable and powerful hardware and feature-laden software.

Solution Benefits

The Buffalo TeraStation TS6000 as a network attached iSCSI server peripheral allows organizations to economically extend server life by moving less frequently accessed data from the server resulting in greater production storage on the server.

The TeraStation 6000 series are designed to be easy to use and comes in fully- or partially-populated models, with enterprise-grade hard drives included that allow for 24/7 operation.

It also doubles as an iSCSI device with native 10GbE support, allowing you reap the various benefits of an iSCSI-SAN. Since iSCSI operates on TCP/IP protocols, it utilizes the same standardized, inexpensive Ethernet equipment as a local area network (LAN), which not only provides the flexibility of allowing differently-branded network storage devices to integrate seamlessly on the same network, but also reduces potential costs by preventing the need to purchase specialized hardware.

iSCSI also does not require specialized IT staff as any technician who is familiar with TCP/IP can easily install, configure, and troubleshoot an iSCSI-SAN.

This ease of use is a huge benefit for businesses who don't have an extensive IT budget to work with. With iSCSI expansion, if you are running short of space on an existing server, you can simply connect a RAID-backed iSCSI volume to the network.

This allows you to add almost unlimited storage to the server without having to reconfigure the network or even add additional drives, especially if the server has no other drive bays. Additionally, by using iSCSI volumes attached to a Windows server, the volume can be formatted with an NTFS file system and administered the same way as any other Windows volume.

What is iSCSI?

• In short, it is an interface (Internet Small Computer Systems Interface) iSCSI
• It is used so that a virtual host (server) can see a storage media and interact with it

In addition to iSCSI targeting, the TeraStation 6000 also features a game-changing iSCSI backup feature that allows you to back up data one TeraStation 6000 to another, simply by directly connecting one TeraStation 6000 to the TeraStation 60000 already connected to the server. Since data is transferred without going through the server, this drastically reduces bandwidth and prevents bottlenecks, and the direct connection also decreases the likelihood of backup errors occurring.

 

How does iSCSI add storage space to a virtual host (server) while maintaining strong performance?

iSCSI improves PC performance in the network by allowing large storage arrays to connect to client systems without the need for custom hardware or cabling.

With seamless integration into an existing network, as well as the flexibility to continually expand without having to face significant expansion costs, iSCSI storage expansion can leverage an organization's network infrastructure investments by using standard Ethernet networks to move data from server to storage.

The TeraStation 6000 with iSCSI offers a number of advantages for companies such as flexibility, lower cost and simplified management, as well as a comprehensive suite of data protection features, all designed to be easy to use to save you valuable time.

Buffalo's solution Webinar: Optimizing iSCSI performance in a virtualized environment with Buffalo NAS

How-to: Configure the iSCSI Initiator in Windows Server 2008

How-to: Configure Software iSCSI initiator in ESXi 6.5 that contains a single NIC