What Is iSCSI? Definition, Components, & Performance
Enterprise Storage Forum, March 20th, 2023
Internet Small Computer Systems Interface or iSCSI is a storage area networking (SAN) protocol. It is an Internet Protocol-based networking standard for transferring data carrying SCSI commands over a TCP/IP network
iSCSI links data storage facilities and provides block-level access to storage devices. iSCSI was pioneered by IBM and Cisco as a proof of concept in 1998, a draft standard submitted to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in 2000, and ratified in 2003.
How does iSCSI work?
iSCSI allows two hosts to interpose and exchange SCSI commands by using IP networks that take a high-performance local storage bus, emulate it over a network, and create a storage area network (SAN). The protocol encapsulates SCSI commands, assembles data in TCP/IP layer packets, and sends them using a point-to-point connection.