iSCSI best practices
iSCSI best practices
Best practice #1: Plan your network. It’s seems to be obvious, but some people just let it grow and expand uncontrollably, what can cause many problems in future. In most cases it is too hard and costly to modify a working network, even in a small office, without mentioning big networks. So, plan, how many users will work with data, what they will do and how many data will be stored at the network storage as a result of their activities. If you understand that storage capacity needs will grow – anticipate this situation and choose a solution that provides you with flexible storage capacity.Best practice #2: Split traffic. Separate your iSCSI SAN channel from user traffic channel by building a VLAN inside of an existing LAN, or deploying another one, totally separated. It will be guarantee for safety of your business-critical data, transmitting through the network. iSCSI storage must use its own network, especially in data centers and companies, which can be seen with the naked eye.
Best practice #3: Use Jumbo frames. They can contain up to 9.000 bites, in contrast to 1.500 default Ethernet frames. It affects performance positively because the amount of frames for transferring is less. Don’t forget, that iSCSI protocol encapsulates SCSI command to IP packets, that is why less frames – higher performance. Also remember that every hardware unit in the network must support Jumbo frames, of course.
Best practice #4: Consider iSCSI security. Use multipathing to avoid single point of failure in the iSCSI SAN, IPsec tunneling to encrypt IP connections, and CHAP to authenticate the peer of a connection. It’s a default set for guaranteeing security, but final decision is up to you as system administrator.
Best practice #5: Use network interfaces which support TOE (TCP/IP Offload Engine). It can reduce CPU load by replacing it on network interface’s chips. TOE will cost you more, but will be really helpful for network performance purposes.
Best practice #6: Choose dedicated software and corresponding hardware configuration. Every manufacturer describes necessary configurations, but it would be better to formulate your own conception. When you know your plans about iSCSI performance, you understand its needs clearly.
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