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Configuring an iSCSI Target in WSS 2008 R2

Configuring the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target

Launch the MMC console for the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target from the Start menu.

Notice the three options below the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target:
- ISCSI Targets: This is used to configure which clients can connect to this server's iSCSI storage and to create the iSCSI Qualified Name for the storage. This is configured after the devices are configured.
- Devices: This is used to define the physical storage files that hold the storage space. You can configure multiple devices per system. These are in .vhd (virtual hard disk) format. In this blog we will create the device.
- Snapshots: These are images of the virtual disks at a particular time, run either manually or on a scheduled basis. Snapshots do not interrupt access to the storage devices, so disk access does not need to be stopped. It provides one way to recover data in between standard backups.
As demonstrated below, the system is currently unconfigured. The next step is to add storage devices to create the .vhd files that hold the data.
Right click on Devices, and select "Create Virtual Disk".
Click Next on the Welcome Screen.
Enter the location and file name for the storage device and click Next. The file is in virtual disk (.vhd) format. Enter the desired location/name.
Enter the default size in megabytes (for gigabytes, 1024 x # of gigabytes). Then click Next.
Enter a Virtual Disk Description, then click Next.
Click Next since the iSCSI initiator (client) that can access this virtual disk has not been configured.
Click Finish to complete the Create Virtual Disk Wizard.

Creating the iSCSI Target

Right-click on iSCSI Targets and select "Create iSCSI Target".
Click Next on the Welcome Sreen.
Select a name for the target and click Next.
Add the IQN of the initiator that will attach to the target.
Click Finish to complete the Create iSCSI Target Wizard.

Adding the Virtual Disk to the Target

Right-click on the newly created target and select "Add Existing Virtual Disk to iSCSI Target".
Select the virtual disk created earlier and click OK.
The target should now be listed with the associated virtual disk.