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StarPort iSCSI and ATA-over-Ethernet Initiator: Using as iSCSI Initiator

Introduction

StarPort fully implements iSCSI client side protocol enabling you to connect to remote storage appliances such as disk arrays, tape drives, DVD-ROM, BD-ROM, HD-DVD image libraries and so on. StarPort iSCSI support enables connectivity to remote storage devices over a standard IP network, regardless of where the device resides; in the next room or on another continent. With StarPort and iSCSI you can gain full access to a device as though the device was installed on a local PC. Re-partition; format a remote hard disk drive with any file system, burn to a remote high-capacity Blu-Ray or HD-DVD burner, implement automatic backup procedures to a remote tape drive auto loader, access remote storage devices connected through Serial and Parallel ATA and SCSI, Fibre Channel, USB or FireWire and more.

Adding new device

Launch the StarPort control application by selecting Start->All Programs->StarWind Software->StarPort->StarPort. After the program is started its icon appears in the system tray. Double click the icon with the left mouse button or single click on it with the right mouse button and select Start Management item from the pop-up menu. You'll see a picture like the one below:

Select Add Device menu item from Device drop down menu or just press Add Device button on the application tray bar. New device installation wizard (see next page for the image) will appear.

On the first step of the New Device Installation Wizard please read the introduction instructions.

Press Next button to continue.

On the second step of the New Device Installation Wizard please select device type you wish to install. To add a Remote iSCSI device (e.g. a scanner, Blu-Ray or HD-DVD burner, tape autoloader, hard disk drive etc.) select Remote iSCSI device.

Press Next button to continue.

On the third step of the New Device Installation Wizard please specify the parameters of the Remote iSCSI device you have selected to add:

Remote iSCSI device IP Address or Machine Name is the IP address or name of the host on which the Remote iSCSI device you wish to access is mounted and shared.

Remote iSCSI device Port number is the communication port which will be used for sending and receiving data to/from the Remote iSCSI device (3260 by default).

Maximum allowed connections. Some of the Remote iSCSI devices can be accessed by several users simultaneously. If a particular Remote iSCSI device supports this feature and it is enabled by the remote host administrator you are able to specify the maximum number of the simultaneous connections to the Remote iSCSI device you?╦ЖтДвd like to use.

Press Next button to continue.

If you have selected Configure IP Security you will be prompted to specify the pre shared key which is used to secure access to the iSCSI device you connect to.

You can also configure security options in the StarPort Preferences (Device->Preferences) dialog box.

Press Next button to continue.

On the fourth step of the New Device Installation Wizard please select the Remote iSCSI device you wish to connect to and specify additional iSCSI parameters if needed. The available Remote iSCSI devices on the host are listed in the dialog box.

Select Use CHAP authentication if you wish to mount a secure device which is protected by the CHAP (Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol). When mounting the protected devices you need to specify the secret key which is assigned by the administrator of the selected device.

Select Automount this device if you wish the Remote iSCSI device to be automatically re-created when you restart your PC. It means that Remote iSCSI device would become available right after your PC boots and Windows had started.

Press Next button to continue.

If you have selected Use CHAP authentication you are prompted to specify the connection parameters required by the CHAP protocol. They are:

User name is the user name you use to connect to a Remote iSCSI device (in the StarWind configuration file this parameter is called chapLocalName).

Target secret is the password you use to connect to a Remote iSCSI device (in the StarWind configuration file this parameter is called chapLocalSecret).

Note: To receive a valid User name and Target secret please contact your network administrator of the device you connect to.

Some Remote iSCSI devices may require mutual authentication for mounting. If you wish to connect to these devices select Perform mutual authentication and specify the following additional parameters:

Target name is the name of the device you connect to.

Initiator secret is the initiator password is used to connect to a Remote iSCSI device (in the StarWind configuration file this parameter is called chapPeerSecret).

Note: To receive a valid Target name and Initiator secret please contact the administrator of the host you connect to.

Please see next page for the image.

Press Next button to continue.

On the last step of the New Device Installation Wizard please confirm the installation results. If the new Remote iSCSI device was installed correctly it should appear as a new disk volume in your system.

Right after that you will be able to access the Remote iSCSI device as a usual disk volume and perform read and write operations you usually do. For example if you have mounted a CD/DVD or Blu-Ray/HD-DVD burner you would be able to create and copy CD/DVD and Blu-Ray/HD-DVD media as you do it locally for example by using Rocket Division ?╦Ж?Grab & Burn?╦Ж┬Э software.

Press Finish button.

Removing existing device

In the StarPort control application please select the device you wish to remove and click it with the right mouse button.

Select Remove Device menu item from the pop-up menu that appears.

Use the Force Remove Device if you cannot remove a device in a normal way (e.g. it is locked by some application or process). However it is not recommended to use the Force Remove Device feature as it may cause loss of the data and general system instability.

Alternatively you can remove a device in such a way: right click the StarPort icon in the system tray and find the device you wish to remove.

Please fill out the form below to download the product. An installer link together with the license key will be sent to the e-mail address that you’ve specified. You may check the Free vs. Paid document if you are unsure about which StarWind Virtual SAN version you would like to try. Aside from this, there is a totally unrestricted NFS (Not For Sale) version of StarWind VSAN available for certain use cases. StarWind Virtual SAN for Hyper-V release notes are available here.