7.1. iSCSI Workflow Overview

The typical workflow of exporting volumes via iSCSI is as follows:

  1. Assign the network with the traffic type iSCSI to a network interface on each node that you will add to a target group. See Managing Traffic Types and Networks.
  2. Create a target group on chosen nodes, providing details for target WWNs and portals. Targets will be created automatically and added to the group. Target portals will be created on specified network interfaces and ports. See Creating Target Groups.
  3. Create volumes and attach them to the target group. See Managing Volumes.
  4. Optionally, enable CHAP authorization for the target group, create CHAP accounts, and assign them to the target group. See Managing CHAP Accounts.
  5. Optionally, enable ACL authorization for the target group, create a list of initiators that will be allowed to access only specific LUNs. Initiators not on the list will be able to access all LUNs in the target group. See Managing LUN Views.
  6. Start the target group. See Starting and Stopping Target Groups.
  7. Connect initiators to targets using standard tools of your operating system or product, e.g., iscsiadm. Use the vstorage-target session-list command to view iSCSI sessions active on a node in a target group.

7.1.1. Managing Legacy iSCSI Targets

After the upgrade to Acronis Cyber Infrastructure 2.5, you can run older iSCSI targets created on version 2.4 alongside new targets. Older iSCSI targets can be detected by running vstorage-iscsi list and managed only using the vstorage-iscsi utility (see Acronis Storage 2.4 Administrator’s Command Line Guide).

As older iSCSI targets do not support the ALUA mode, their LUNs are not highly available. To enable high availablity for them, detach a LUN from an older target with the command vstorage-iscsi lun-detach -t <target_IQN> -l <lun_ID> and attach it to a newly created target group as described in Attaching iSCSI Volumes to Target Groups.