From owner-freebsd-scsi@FreeBSD.ORG Mon May 25 15:17:43 2009 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-scsi@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 4E72A106564A for ; Mon, 25 May 2009 15:17:43 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from lists@jnielsen.net) Received: from ns1.jnielsen.net (ns1.jnielsen.net [69.55.238.237]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0E7E28FC1A for ; Mon, 25 May 2009 15:17:42 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from lists@jnielsen.net) Received: from [172.17.2.19] (jn@stealth.jnielsen.net [74.218.226.254]) (authenticated bits=0) by ns1.jnielsen.net (8.12.9p2/8.12.9) with ESMTP id n4PEuAYJ089898; Mon, 25 May 2009 10:56:10 -0400 (EDT) (envelope-from lists@jnielsen.net) From: John Nielsen To: freebsd-scsi@freebsd.org Date: Mon, 25 May 2009 10:56:09 -0400 User-Agent: KMail/1.9.10 References: In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Message-Id: <200905251056.09987.lists@jnielsen.net> X-Virus-Scanned: ClamAV version 0.88.4, clamav-milter version 0.88.4 on ns1.jnielsen.net X-Virus-Status: Clean Cc: Subject: Re: Question about iSCSI X-BeenThere: freebsd-scsi@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: SCSI subsystem List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 25 May 2009 15:17:43 -0000 On Monday 25 May 2009 09:30:40 am Francisco Cabrita wrote: > info: > I have built a NAS server under FreeBSD. Geom RAID5 over 3 hard disks > and iSCSI target0 created. > It is up and running without problems "exporting" a SCSI driver to a Ms > Windows 2000 Server with Microsoft iSCSI Inititator driver. > The volume is NTFS. > > doubt: > I have read multiple "old" posts around the web that I can't connect > multiple initiators (w2k clients) to the same target. Is this true > nowadays? You do not want two machines to have write access to the same SCSI device at the same time unless you use a filesystem designed for such access. NTFS is not such a filesystem. Just hooking two win2k boxes to the same iSCSI target to do NTFS will cause problems. Alternatives: Microsoft clustering (two or more nodes coordinate to provide certain services, the disk volume is only active on one of them at any given time) Some real clustered filesystem designed for shared access. I don't know of any for Windows off the top of my head but I haven't ever looked in to it. Use the setup you have already with one w2k client, then use Windows filesharing to export the volume to other clients. Avoid the middleman, drop iSCSI and just use Samba on the NAS box. (Or NFS if you want to dabble in Microsoft's Services for Unix... (cue scary music)) > Facts: > I really need at least two w2k clients to the same "storage NAS". Any > tip about how to solve this? > Maybe some kind of failover technique between both w2k servers? This is similar to the MS clustering option, there may be more manual ways to achieve the same effect. > I really appreciate your help. Thanks in advance > PS: I am thinking about sending this email to FreeBSD Cluster ML too. Note that if you want to stick with iSCSI on the FreeBSD side then your questions are really Microsoft-centered, so non-FreeBSD resources may be more appropriate. Questions about configuring your FreeBSD storage box to allow concurrent access by multiple clients that happen to be running Windows would be appropriate on the FreeBSD-questions mailing list. JN