What CHAP authentication is

The Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) enables authenticated communication between iSCSI initiators and targets. When you use CHAP authentication, you define CHAP user names and passwords on both the initiator and the storage system.

During the initial stage of an iSCSI session, the initiator sends a login request to the storage system to begin the session. The login request includes the initiator’s CHAP user name and CHAP algorithm. The storage system responds with a CHAP challenge. The initiator provides a CHAP response. The storage system verifies the response and authenticates the initiator. The CHAP password is used to compute the response.