RE: iSCSI: Some proposed vendor-specific (X-) keys

[Robert Snively <rsnively@Brocade.COM>]

I am not in favor of replicating a standard
SCSI function that is not part of the link
protocol outside the SCSI command set.  What this
does is fragment the driver designs in a way that
might prevent the usual SCSI driver interoperation with
parallel SCSI, SBP, FC, and SRP SCSI devices.
You would then need non-standard SCSI drivers for
iSCSI devices.

Bob


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ken Sandars [mailto:ksandars@eurologic.com]
> Sent: Thursday, June 06, 2002 8:43 AM
> To: Ips Reflector (E-mail)
> Subject: iSCSI: Some proposed vendor-specific (X-) keys
> 
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> Can all you implementers out there consider this proposal 
> please? This is 
> intended to be an aid to interoperability. Obviously once the spec is 
> approved and everyone is fully complient there will be no 
> need for this.
> 
> This proposal is in no means intended to go into the 
> specification (unless 
> people REALLY want it), so feel free to skip this message now ;-)
> 
> I suggest three vendor specific declarative keys which 
> MAY/SHOULD be sent 
> during the login phase (during the operational parameter 
> negotiation stage):
> 
> X-vendor
> X-product
> X-revision
> 
> These all contains strings, eg:
> 
> X-vendor=fredsIscsiShop
> X-product=YetAnotherIscsiTarget
> X-revision=1.003
> 
> These keys follow the SCSI inquiry command fields in terms of 
> names, and are 
> used to identify the iSCSI node's information.
> 
> What does this achieve? I'm looking for an opportunity to 
> provide automated 
> interoperability between systems which are not yet fully complient.
> 
> But I hear you think, "But why don't they just fix them?", 
> and I have to 
> agree.
> 
> However, there are a number of iSCSI products which work 
> wonderfully well 
> already out there (as long as you don't excite one of their 
> quirks). If you 
> find out what you are connecting with during login, you can 
> decide what 
> things you should or shouldn't do with it.
> 
> 
> -- 
> Ken Sandars
> Eurologic Systems Ltd
> ksandars@eurologic.com
>