Now that the tape library and all attached tape drives are configured in the Chelsio USR, the iSCSI initiator on the iSCSI host, typically where the data protection software is installed, can be setup.
Using a Software iSCSI Initiator with the Chelsio USR
The Chelsio USR supports any standards based iSCSI initiator, however, in most cases customers will be using the software iSCSI initiator included with the operating system on their media server where the data protection software is installed. Due to the sheer number of iSCSI initiators available on the market, configuring iSCSI initiators will not be covered in this whitepaper. However, there are some essential guidelines to follow when setting up any iSCSI initiator with the Chelsio USR to ensure a
Verify the server where the iSCSI initiator is being configured is able to ping the Chelsio USR 10Gb Ethernet port’s IP address. Additionally, the Chelsio USR can be used to determine connectivity using the Ping utility found under System Tools in the management interface.
Depending on the type of iSCSI initiator, the tape library may not be automatically discovered. You may need to manually add the IP address or IQN of the port it is connected to on the Chelsio USR. This can be done on the host system through the iSCSI initiator options.
After discovering the tape library, some iSCSI initiators may only connect to the iSCSI target once and require manual connection following a system reboot. To persistently connect to the iSCSI target through server reboots, look for an option to restore connections when the system is restarted. In many cases it may not be enabled by default.
To find out more about how to configure the iSCSI initiators you may be using in your SAN, consult the documentation or online knowledge bases for the operating system.
Enhancing the Dell iSCSI SAN with Dell PowerVaultTM Tape Libraries and Chelsio Unified Storage Router iSCSI Appliance