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Enable iSCSI discovery settings

You can enable settings related to the discovery of storage devices in an iSCSI network. The Target Discovery Settings allow you to register the storage array's iSCSI information using the Internet Storage Name Service (iSNS) protocol, and also determine whether to allow unnamed discovery sessions.

Before you begin

If the iSNS server uses a static IP address, that address must be available for iSNS registration. Both IPv4 and IPv6 are supported.

About this task

You can enable the following settings related to iSCSI discovery:
  • Enable iSNS server to register a target – When enabled, the storage array registers its iSCSI Qualified Name (IQN) and port information from the iSNS server. This setting allows iSNS discovery, so that an initiator can retrieve the IQN and port information from the iSNS server.
  • Enable unnamed discovery sessions – When unnamed discovery sessions are enabled, the initiator (iSCSI host) does not need to provide the IQN of the target (controller) during the login sequence for a discovery-type connection. When disabled, the hosts do need to provide the IQN to establish a discovery-session to the controller. However, the target IQN is always required for a normal (I/O bearing) session. Disabling this setting can prevent unauthorized iSCSI hosts from connecting to the controller using only its IP address.
Note
The iSCSI settings and functions only display on the Settings page if your storage array supports iSCSI.
  1. Select Settings > System .
  2. Under iSCSI settings , click View/Edit Target Discovery Settings .
    The Target Discovery Settings dialog box appears. Below the Enable iSNS server ... field, the dialog box indicates if the controller is already registered.
  3. To register the controller, select Enable iSNS server to register my target , and then select one of the following:
    • Automatically obtain configuration from DHCP server – Select this option if you want to configure the iSNS server using a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server. Be aware that if you use this option, all iSCSI ports on the controller must be configured to use DHCP as well. If necessary, update your controller iSCSI port settings to enable this option.
      Note
      For the DHCP server to provide the iSNS server address, you must configure the DHCP server to use Option 43 – “Vendor Specific Information.” This option needs to contain the iSNS server IPv4 address in data bytes 0xa-0xd (10-13).
    • Manually specify static configuration – Select this option if you want to enter a static IP address for the iSNS server. (If desired, you can cut and paste addresses into the fields.) In the field, enter either an IPv4 address or an IPv6 address. If you configured both, IPv4 is the default. Also enter a TCP listening port (use the default of 3205 or enter a value between 49152 and 65535).
  4. To allow the storage array to participate in unnamed discovery sessions, select Enable unnamed discovery sessions .
    • When enabled, iSCSI initiators are not required to specify the target IQN to retrieve the controller's information.
    • When disabled, discovery sessions are prevented unless the initiator provides the target IQN. Disabling unnamed discovery sessions provides added security.
  5. Click Save .

What happens next?

A progress bar appears as System Manager attempts to register the controller with the iSNS server. This process might take up to five minutes.