Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3

  • Article

You can use Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 especially if you build Failover Cluster on HyperV or VMware without having real SAN or NAS Storage available.

The Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3  is free and can be downloaded here:

https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=45105d7f-8c6c-4666-a305-c8189062a0d0

This version of the target only works on Windows 2008 R2.

To enable and configure the Servers to use the targets after installing: 

  1. On the Server that will use the iSCSI Luns (I will call it SQL001 in the following)  go to Administrative Tools and open the iSCSI Initiator(available in windows 2003 and later)
  2. In windows 2003 and Windows 2008: on the general tab mark and copy the hole Initiator Name, on Windows 2008 R2 the initiator name is found on the Configuration tab

 

  1. Change to  the Server that the iSCSI Target is installed on (SAN001 in the following)
  2. Open the Server Manager and select Storage -> Microsoft iSCSI Software Target
  3. Right click on iSCSI Targets, select Create  iSCSI Target
  4. In the wizard click next, enter the Initiator Name as copied in step 2, click next and finish

 

Don’t try to change any of the settings you did so far. This will result in a no longer functionally configuration. If you have to change anything it’s better to delete and recreate the target

 

  1. Now create the virtual disks you need on this target (the SQL001):

  2. Right click the just created iSCSI Target and select “create virtual  disk wizard”

  3. Click next, enter a file name and Path. The name must end with .vhd and click next

  4. Enter  a description, click next and finish

  5. On the iSCSI Initiator  (SQL001) start the  iSCSI Initiator from Administrative Tools. Change to the Discovery Tab and click Add portal.

  6. Enter the IP Address of the iSCSI target Server (SAN001) and click OK

  7. If any errors are thrown at this point check the IP Address, Firewall Settings to allow traffic on Port 3260 on both Servers.
    If everything seems ok try recreating the iSCSI Target as described in steps 3 to 6

  8. Select the Targets tab, click on the connected target and click Log on

  9. Change the properties as appropriate (e.g. check “Automatically restore this connection after the computer starts” and click OK

  10. Now,  in the Server Manager, Storage , Disk Management you should see the connected volumes as disks.

 

In this article I only referred to non secure connections to the target. Mostly in test and development labs this is sufficient.

The iSCSI target also allows using of CHAP, Mutual CHAP and IP Sec for authentication. This can be configured on iSCSI Target level.

You can easyly create vDisks and iSCSI Targets and add vDisks to an iSCSI target by using PowerShell:

Import-Module MicrosoftIscsiTarget
New-IscsiServerTarget -TargetName "CLUXXX0010" -InitiatorID Iqn:iqn.1991-05.com.microsoft:sqlXXX0002.core.de,IQN:iqn.1991-05.com.microsoft:sqlXXX0001.core.de
New-IscsiVirtualDisk "E:\vDisks\CLUXXX5.vhd" -size 1024MB
Add-VirtualDiskTargetMapping "CLUXXX0010" "E:\vDisks\CLUXXX5.vhd"

The Volumes will be available in the Virtual Machines immediatly after crteation