The Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 provides storage (disks) over a TCP/IP network. It turns a computer running Windows Server into a storage device which provides shared block storage. iSCSI Software Target is an optional Windows Server component that provides centralized, software-based and hardware-independent iSCSI disk subsystems in storage area networks (SANs). One scenario involved using Microsoft  iSCSI Software Target in a “two-node Failover Cluster,” with 92  Hyper-V virtual machines storing data to one of the nodes. Finally, Microsoft iSCSI Software  Target 3.3 supports the remote booting of diskless computers “from a  single operating system image using iSCSI.”

You can use Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 to perform a variety of storage-related tasks, including the following:

• Provide shared storage for Hyper-V to enable high availability and live migration
• Consolidate storage for multiple application servers (i.e. Microsoft SQL Server or Hyper-V)
• Provide shared storage for applications hosted on a Windows failover cluster
• Enable diskless computers to boot remotely from a single operating system image using iSCSI

The Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 is an economical solution suited for a development or test environment and a small, medium, or branch office production environment. It enables storage consolidation and sharing on a Windows Server by implementing the iSCSI (Internet Small Computer Systems Interface) protocol, which supports SCSI-block access to a storage device over a TCP/IP network. For details on how to manage iSCSI targetsYou can use Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 to perform a variety of storage-related tasks, including the following:

• Provide shared storage for Hyper-V to enable high availability and live migration
• Consolidate storage for multiple application servers (i.e. Microsoft SQL Server or Hyper-V)
• Provide shared storage for applications hosted on a Windows failover cluster
• Enable diskless computers to boot remotely from a single operating system image using iSCSI

The Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3 is an economical solution suited for a development or test environment and a small, medium, or branch office production environment. It enables storage consolidation and sharing on a Windows Server by implementing the iSCSI (Internet Small Computer Systems Interface) protocol, which supports SCSI-block access to a storage device over a TCP/IP network. For details on how to manage iSCSI targets, click here

To download The Microsoft iSCSI Software Target 3.3, click here. Microsoft is recommending using Service Pack 1 with Windows  Server 2008 R2 for this release of Microsoft iSCSI Software Target. The product  can be installed in a Hyper-V virtual machine. It doesn’t work with a core  installation of Windows Server 2008 R2.