Target Configuration

When using the iSCSI protocol, the target portal refers to the unique combination of an IP address and TCP port number by which an initiator can contact a target.

When using the iSCSI protocol, a target portal group is a collection of target portals. Target portal groups are managed transparently; each network interface has a corresponding target portal group with that interface's active addresses. Binding a target to an interface advertises that iSCSI target using the portal group associated with that interface.

Note: Multiple connections per session is not supported.

An IQN (iSCSI qualified name) is the unique identifier of a device in an iSCSI network. iSCSI uses the form iqn.date.authority:uniqueid for IQNs. For example, the appliance may use the IQN: iqn.1986-03.com.sun:02:c7824a5b-f3ea-6038-c79d-ca443337d92c to identify one of its iSCSI targets. This name shows that this is an iSCSI device built by a company registered in March of 1986. The naming authority is just the DNS name of the company reversed, in this case, "com.sun". Everything following is a unique ID that Oracle uses to identify the target.

Table 6-2  iSCSI Target Properties

Target Property Description Target IQN The IQN for this target. The IQN can be manually specified or auto-generated. Alias A human-readable nickname for this target. Authentication mode One of None, CHAP, or RADIUS. CHAP name If CHAP authentication is used, the CHAP username. CHAP secret If CHAP authentication is used, the CHAP secret. Network interfaces The interfaces whose target portals are used to export this target.

In addition to those properties, the BUI indicates whether a target is online or offline:

Table 6-3  Target Status Icons

icon description Target is online Target is offline

Clustering Considerations

On clustered platforms, targets which have at least one active interface on that cluster node will be online. Take care when assigning interfaces to targets; a target may be configured to use portal groups on disjoint head nodes. In that situation, the target will be online on both heads yet will export different LUNs depending on the storage owned by each head node. As network interfaces migrate between cluster heads as part of takeover/failback or ownership changes, iSCSI targets will move online and offline as their respective network interfaces are imported and exported.

Targets which are bound to an IPMP interface will be advertised only via the addresses of that IPMP group. That target will not be reachable via that group's test addresses. Targets bound to interfaces built on top of a LACP aggregation will use the address of that aggregation. If a LACP aggregation is added to an IPMP group, a target can no longer use that aggregation's interface, as that address will become an IPMP test address.