WinTarget can still be purchased to turn a "normal" Windows Server into a
iSCSI target.

rgds,
Edwin.


"G Park 3" wrote in message
news:0443A047-350D-470E-A3D3-6D326DC0D648@microsoft.com...
> Since most of us are using Windows as our file servers today (maybe direct
> attached, maybe NAS or SAN backed) I'd like to not have to purchase a
> dedicated storage version to get iSCSI support from Windows Servers.
>
> Can someone let me know very clearly - from all of the years in front of
the
> monitor I have terrible eyesight and interpersonal social skills - if
Windows
> Servers will also be able to be iSCSI targets or just the storage edition.
>
> I had a good experience with WinTarget and was bummed to see it borged and
> would like to stay with MS and commodity hardware to work on some basic
> shared storage stuff.
>
> Regards,
> gp
>
> --
> George Park

Sorry, wintarget can no longer be purchased except in very limited cases
(some existing customers, some previous vendors). The current plan of record
is only to release as part of the Windows Storage Server family. We hear
your concerns and will let this group know if something changes.

"Edwin vMierlo" wrote in message
news:Oouhj7x0GHA.4796@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> WinTarget can still be purchased to turn a "normal" Windows Server into a
> iSCSI target.
>
> rgds,
> Edwin.
>
>
> "G Park 3" wrote in message
> news:0443A047-350D-470E-A3D3-6D326DC0D648@microsoft.com...
>> Since most of us are using Windows as our file servers today (maybe
>> direct
>> attached, maybe NAS or SAN backed) I'd like to not have to purchase a
>> dedicated storage version to get iSCSI support from Windows Servers.
>>
>> Can someone let me know very clearly - from all of the years in front of
> the
>> monitor I have terrible eyesight and interpersonal social skills - if
> Windows
>> Servers will also be able to be iSCSI targets or just the storage
>> edition.
>>
>> I had a good experience with WinTarget and was bummed to see it borged
>> and
>> would like to stay with MS and commodity hardware to work on some basic
>> shared storage stuff.
>>
>> Regards,
>> gp
>>
>> --
>> George Park
>
>

for those who still need an alternative while Microsoft is holding WinTarget
off the market, you might have a look here : http://www.rocketdivision.com/

(I don't know the product, just an alternative)

rgds,
Edwin.

Jeff,
Microsoft should have an alternative, and not only to WSS, also for
standalone Windows servers
Can you bring that to product-management/marketing ?
thanks,
Edwin.


"Jeff Goldner [MS]" wrote in message
news:u%230SJTC3GHA.1796@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> Sorry, wintarget can no longer be purchased except in very limited cases
> (some existing customers, some previous vendors). The current plan of
record
> is only to release as part of the Windows Storage Server family. We hear
> your concerns and will let this group know if something changes.
>
> "Edwin vMierlo" wrote in message
> news:Oouhj7x0GHA.4796@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> > WinTarget can still be purchased to turn a "normal" Windows Server into
a
> > iSCSI target.
> >
> > rgds,
> > Edwin.
> >
> >
> > "G Park 3" wrote in message
> > news:0443A047-350D-470E-A3D3-6D326DC0D648@microsoft.com...
> >> Since most of us are using Windows as our file servers today (maybe
> >> direct
> >> attached, maybe NAS or SAN backed) I'd like to not have to purchase a
> >> dedicated storage version to get iSCSI support from Windows Servers.
> >>
> >> Can someone let me know very clearly - from all of the years in front
of
> > the
> >> monitor I have terrible eyesight and interpersonal social skills - if
> > Windows
> >> Servers will also be able to be iSCSI targets or just the storage
> >> edition.
> >>
> >> I had a good experience with WinTarget and was bummed to see it borged
> >> and
> >> would like to stay with MS and commodity hardware to work on some basic
> >> shared storage stuff.
> >>
> >> Regards,
> >> gp
> >>
> >> --
> >> George Park
> >
> >
>
>

The whole idea - at least in my perception - of iSCSI is to provide SAN at a
cost that is lower than FCA. Going one step further, having Windows as your
target operating system seems a bit on the steep side cost wise. I have
investigated this and come to the conclusion that the target is just as well
off with an open solution - prefeably free - that meets two basic
requirements:

1) Stable and high performing iSCSI implementation
2) Able to "expose" a raw disk (not a file on a file system) via iSCSI in
such a way that the disk in question can be moved to the server that acts as
initiator and function there as a directly attached disk with data intact.

After a few rounds I ended up ith the iSCSI Enterprise Target on fedora core
5 Linux. In this config I am able to take an Adptec 2820 - an 8-channel SATA
RAID 5 controller - and create a 1.4TB LUN, hook i up to a Windows 2003 with
iSCSI, format it with NTFS and get good performance. Should the Linux box go
ballistic, moving the controller and the disks to the Windows server works
fine, and all the data is there. It actually works. I tried it with the
initiator running in one of my virtual servers running in ESX 2.5, and the
performance is about the same as the locally attached disks. I use a
dedicated 1GB wire for the iSCSI.

Comments?

All the best,

--
Per Frejvall [1063126]
Saltsjöbaden, Sweden
RC1 Clean
P4 2.8GHz, 2GB RAM, 2x36GB SCSI-160 on AHA29160
Radeon 9800 Pro with MS WDDM
"G Park 3" wrote in message
news:0443A047-350D-470E-A3D3-6D326DC0D648@microsoft.com...
> Since most of us are using Windows as our file servers today (maybe direct
> attached, maybe NAS or SAN backed) I'd like to not have to purchase a
> dedicated storage version to get iSCSI support from Windows Servers.
>
> Can someone let me know very clearly - from all of the years in front of
> the
> monitor I have terrible eyesight and interpersonal social skills - if
> Windows
> Servers will also be able to be iSCSI targets or just the storage edition.
>
> I had a good experience with WinTarget and was bummed to see it borged and
> would like to stay with MS and commodity hardware to work on some basic
> shared storage stuff.
>
> Regards,
> gp
>
> --
> George Park