How do I do storage virtualization with iSCSI?
Storage virtualization is not done at a protocol level: i.e. it is not dependent on SCSI, iSCSI or Fibre Channel. It is done at a disk block level. This means that a virtualization device, like the Data Transport Processor or FalconStor’s IPStor, can access storage over Fibre Channel as well as iSCSI and regular SCSI and serve it to computers attached over any of those cables/protocols. Some storage manufacturers include various levels of storage virtualization built into the disk arrays. This is so-called target-based virtualization. In case of TMI’s InfoSlice, an advanced virtualization engine and native iSCSI connectivity are both available with all models.
