Installing the VSS Hardware Provider for the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target on Windows Server 2008

Overview In this article, we’ll describe the process to install the VSS Hardware Provider (and, incidentally, the VDS Hardware Provider) for the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target, which is part of Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003 (WUDSS 2003). This package, referred to as “Microsoft iSCSI Software Target Client” supports both Windows Server 2003 and Windows … Continue reading Installing the VSS Hardware Provider for the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target on Windows Server 2008 →

Installing the VDS Hardware Provider for the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target on Windows Server 2008

Overview In this article, we’ll describe the process to install the VDS Hardware Provider (and, incidentally, the VSS Hardware Provider) for the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target, which is part of Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003 (WUDSS 2003). This package, referred to as “Microsoft iSCSI Software Target Client” supports both Windows Server 2003 and Windows … Continue reading Installing the VDS Hardware Provider for the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target on Windows Server 2008 →

Exposing native SCSI as virtual IDE in Hyper-V. Should you tell Virginia that there is a SAN?

I hear a lot of comments about the fact that Hyper-V can expose SCSI disks (either directly attached SCSI disks or LUNs on SAN) to child partitions (also known as guests) as IDE disks. Before you go telling little Virginia that, “Yes, there is a SAN”, you might want to consider how abstracting that fact … Continue reading Exposing native SCSI as virtual IDE in Hyper-V. Should you tell Virginia that there is a SAN? →

The Basics of Windows Server 2008 Storage Explorer

1 – What is Storage Explorer Storage Explorer is a new tool in Windows Server 2008 to help you understand how your server SAN storage is configured. It provides information about the storage fabrics (Fibre Channel and iSCSI) and also about the configuration of each server. This new tool can greatly help you understand your … Continue reading The Basics of Windows Server 2008 Storage Explorer →

RAID configuration options for WSS and the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target

It’s very common for a server running Windows Storage Server (WSS) with the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target or Windows Unified Data Storage Server (WUDSS) to include a RAID controller and many hard drives in the box. I got a question on exactly how to configure RAID volumes for this kind of setup. The standard “it … Continue reading RAID configuration options for WSS and the Microsoft iSCSI Software Target →

SNW Demo: Windows Server 2008 Core, Hyper-V and Failover Clustering – with screenshots

I spent last week in Orlando, Florida, working at the Microsoft booth in the Storage Networking World. I delivered one of the demos there and my demo included the following technologies: Windows Unified Data Storage Server 2003 iSCSI Software Target Windows Server 2008 Core Install Windows Server 2008 iSCSI Initiator Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V Windows Server 2008 … Continue reading SNW Demo: Windows Server 2008 Core, Hyper-V and Failover Clustering – with screenshots →

SNIA Tutorials cover a wealth of Storage knowledge (SNW Spring 2008 Update)

I’m always amazed by the vast amount of knowledge being posted online for free download. If you are an IT Professional who deals with Storage (or if you manage one of them), check out the high-quality tutorials just posted online by the Storage Network Industry Association (SNIA). These peer-reviewed, vendor-neutral tutorials, offered by the SNIA Education … Continue reading SNIA Tutorials cover a wealth of Storage knowledge (SNW Spring 2008 Update) →

SNIA Tutorials cover a wealth of Storage knowledge

This blog post has been updated. Check the latest version at http://blogs.technet.com/josebda/archive/2008/04/11/snia-tutorials-cover-a-wealth-of-storage-knowledge-snw-spring-2008-update.aspx ---- I’m always amazed by the vast amount of knowledge being posted online for free download. For those in the Storage business, check out the high-quality tutorials offered by the Storage Network Industry Association (SNIA). These peer-reviewed, vendor-neutral tutorials, offered by the SNIA … Continue reading SNIA Tutorials cover a wealth of Storage knowledge →

More on Storage Options for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, you can expose storage to a Hyper-V guest in many different ways. After getting some feedback to that initial post, there are two frequent comments that I wanted to address. You can boot a Hyper-V guest from an iSCSI LUN I wanted to highlight that you can … Continue reading More on Storage Options for Windows Server 2008 Hyper-V →

Restart the VDS service after installing a VDS Provider

In Windows Server 2003 (RTM, SP1, R2, SP2) and Windows Server 2008, you might run into an issue while trying to install a new VDS Hardware Provider. If you simply install the new VDS provider and immediately run DISKRAID.EXE, you will get the message telling you that: “DiskRAID was unable to find any VDS hardware … Continue reading Restart the VDS service after installing a VDS Provider →