With Internet SCSI, or iSCSI, you can connect storage entities to client machines, making the disks behave as if they are locally attached disks. iSCSI enables this connectivity by transferring SCSI commands over existing IP networks between what is called an initiator (the client) and a target (the storage provider).

To establish a link with iSCSI SANs, all Oracle VM Servers can use configured network interfaces as iSCSI initiators. It is the user's responsibility to:

Performance-wise an iSCSI SAN is better than file-based storage like NFS and it is often comparable to direct local disk access. Because iSCSI storage is attached from a remote server it is perfectly suited for a clustered server pool configuration where high availability of storage and the possibility to live migrate virtual machines are important factors.

Provisioning of iSCSI storage can be done through open source target creation software at no additional cost, with dedicated high-end hardware or with anything in between. The generic iSCSI Storage Connect plug-in allows Oracle VM to use virtually all iSCSI storage providers. In addition, vendor-specific Storage Connect plug-ins exist for certain types of dedicated iSCSI storage hardware, allowing Oracle VM Manager to access additional interactive functionality otherwise only available through the management software of the storage provider. Examples are creating and deleting LUNs, extending existing LUNs and so on. Check with your storage hardware supplier if a Storage Connect plug-in is available. For installation and usage instructions, consult your supplier's plug-in documentation.