iSCSI: The Universal Storage Connection [Paperback]

John L. Hufferd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2002 | ISBN-10: 020178419X | ISBN-13: 978-0201784190 | Edition: 1

There are two core ways to implement Storage Area Networks (SANs) -- the traditional way, Fibre Channel, which is a direct link via cable, and the emerging way, IP SANs, whereby you access storage via the internet. Within IP SANs there are a number of important protocols including FCIP, iFCP, and iSCSI. iSCSI is an evolution of SCSI protocol that allows computers to talk to their hard disks, tapes, etc. The new iSCSI protocol carries SCSI commands over IP networks to facilitate data transfers over intranets and to manage storage over long distances. This book offers System and Storage engineers a quick and easy way to become familiar with the iSCSI protocols, with needed insight to its applicability.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

iSCSI: The Universal Storage Connection is an informative overview and in-depth guide to the emerging iSCSI standard, the technology that enables data storage, access, and management over networks, intranets, and the Internet. The iSCSI protocol reduces the total cost of ownership of shared storage solutions and enables an organization to tie together disparate systems and data, including both server class systems and laptop and desktop systems. Numerous leading technology companies, including IBM®, Cisco Systems®, and Intel®, are currently supporting iSCSI initiatives.

Written for network and data storage professionals, this comprehensive book introduces iSCSI and explores its growing role within the data storage industry. It describes each element of the technology in detail—from session establishment through error handling—and examines the relationship between iSCSI and the SCSI protocol from which it evolved.

Specific topics discussed include:

• iSCSI's use in small office, midrange, and high-end settings
• TCP/IP fundamentals, and how they apply to iSCSI
• The importance of data integrity
• New hardware that addresses bandwidth and latency issues
• iSCSI naming conventions
• The establishment of a communication path between the host system and storage controller
• Commands and data sequencing
• Control of the flow of commands
• Task management
• Error handling
• Companion technologies, including discovery and security processes
• Backup and disaster preparation
• iSCSI performance issues

In addition, the book includes an explanation of the technologies that hardware vendors are implementing to permit direct memory placement of iSCSI messages without additional main processor involvement.

A helpful icon appears throughout the book, mapping out appropriate reading tracks based on your technical level.

Comprehensive, clearly written, and organized for easy access, this iSCSI handbook serves as both an excellent starting point for those involved in data storage solutions and a guide to understanding the technically detailed Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) iSCSI Standards document.

020178419XB09272002

About the Author

John L. Hufferd has been a key technical leader and manager within IBM for more than thirty-five years and currently directs projects dealing with networks, storage, and SANs. He is the technical coordinator for the iSCSI track of the IPS workgroup in the IETF standards association.

020178419XAB09272002

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional; 1 edition (November 15, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 020178419X
• ISBN-13: 978-0201784190
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,862 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The future of storage networking, January 16, 2003

By 

Tom Clark (Duvall, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: iSCSI: The Universal Storage Connection (Paperback)

This work is a thorough and insightful review of the iSCSI protocol by someone who has been a major contributor to the standard and knows the protocol parameters inside out. I highly recommend this work to anyone who wants to understand the future direction of storage area networking. Over the next few years we will see the convergence of SANs with mainstream IP networking, with iSCSI and IP SANs paving the way for much tighter integration of applications, operating systems, storage and networks. As stated in the book's title, iSCSI will be the universal connection for bringing storage into this synthesis.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended iSCSI Source for Technical Reader, April 5, 2003

By 

Frank Huang (Irvine, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: iSCSI: The Universal Storage Connection (Paperback)

iSCSI is a new SAN architecture that combines two popular network and storage technologies into one. Many technical people found the IETF technical specifications hard to read, since it requires backgrounds from both the networking world and the storage world to fully understand them.

As one of the iSCSI authorities in the IETF, the author has done a very good job in describing the technologies and the ratioale of the specifications one step at a time in a very detailed and organized way. This makes them much easier to understand by the technical people from two different worlds.

I fully appreciate John's efforts for creating such a great works that will be highly recommended for the time to come.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Starting Point on iSCSI, July 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: iSCSI: The Universal Storage Connection (Paperback)

John has done a very good job of covering the basics of the iSCSI protocol. This is a good book for someone who is trying to get an introduction to this protocol. However, the material is presented from the viewpoint of someone who has NEVER actually built a storage system. For those people who are trying to either build an iSCSI system or want to get a comparison of this protocol with either Fibre Channel or Infiniband, this is not the right place to start. This is an excellent book for starters but is not good for serious iSCSI implementors.