As with Xsan, to get started with iSCSI you’ll need an initiator and a target. Studio Network Solutions (SNS) provides a software-based iSCSI initiator called globalSAN that can be downloaded and used free of charge from their site. Although it's a subject most spoken of, Apple hasn't released yet the necessary components for Mac OS X to be an iSCSI initiator. Fortunately there exists a solid and free solution by Studio Network Solutions: globalSAN iSCSI Initiator for OS X. Just download it, install it, restart your OS X and a new panel will appear in your System Settings. You need iSCSI Initiator software to connect to iSCSI targets on the NAS. There is iSCSI initiator software available from third parties, and in this article we use globalSAN iSCSI Initiator for OS X (requires OS X 10.4 or later) for demonstration purposes.
March 25, 2008 -Buy the globalSAN iSCSI Initiator for $89. Follow the on-screen instructions to purchase and retrieve the permanent key for your computer. Please contact us if you are interested in purchasing a complete iSCSI or Fibre Channel storage system for Mac or Windows.
PRLog -- Amherst, NY– ATTO Technology, Inc., a global leader of storage connectivity and infrastructure solutions forWith ATTO's Xtend SAN software, HP EVA users have a secure and highly-available option for Apple Macintosh connectivity.”
About ATTO Technology
ATTO Technology, Inc. is a global leader of storage connectivity and infrastructure solutions for data-intensive computing environments. ATTO provides a wide range of end-to-end solutions to help customers’ better store, manage and deliver their data. With a focus toward markets that require higher performance, ATTO manufactures RAID and host adapters, bridges, RAID storage controllers, virtual tape appliances, and management software. ATTO solutions are based on providing a high level of connectivity to all storage interfaces including SCSI, SATA, iSCSI, SAS and Fibre Channel. ATTO distributes its products worldwide directly to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), systems integrators, VARs and authorized distributors. Contact ATTO Technology, Inc. world headquarters, at: 155 CrossPoint Parkway, Amherst, New York 14068; Phone: (716) 691-1999; Fax: (716) 691-9353; Website: attotech.com.
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Synology Iscsi Mac
There was only one choice we could find for a Mac iSCSI initiator. It is available from ATTO Technology. We used the iSCSI target we set up in this article, which is a GNU/Linux box running a 2.6 Linux kernel. Of course, iSCSI is a standard, so any iSCSI target should work as well. The install of the client is pretty easy. *Warning* The install appeared to delete some of our user profile settings like our mail and bookmarks, customized toolbar, stuff like that, so back up your home directory before you install it. Perhaps this was due to something else we did, but this happend the first reboot after the install. Enter the adminsitrator password when asked:
Click next a couple times to finish up the installation:
Start up the Xtend SAN application and enter the IP address of the target. There are no chap settings like there are with some other initiators, so you can’t set a password on the iSCSI target. Click discover, and the target should show up:
Click add and target status will show. If you want the drive to persist between reboots, choose auto login:
Mac OS X will now detect the drive and ask if you want to initialize it:
Free Iscsi Initiator For Mac Installer
Here is the volume after we partitioned it:
The drive shows up like any other drive:
To make a backup of the system:
We don’t have the luxury of gigabit in our lab, so we used 100 Mbit. These settings worked much better than default over the slower connection:
What Is Iscsi Target
Note that although we enabled CRC32C on HeaderDigest and DataDigest on the target, the initiator didn’t seem to enable it. Also, a note about stability. Before we tweaked the default settings the Mac OS X system would lock up hard. Granted, we are using a nonstandard, almost silly means of connection; however, do beware of the implications of having a device that the O/S expects to be hardware but isn’t. It is the beauty and downfall of iSCSI. This is a relatively new technology. The fact that the only real option for a Mac OS X initiator is the ATTO one shows how immature this technology is. Also, the target software is quite new as well, so it may be that the blame for the lockups with default settings can be shared by the target software.