[Info-vax] iSCSI on OpenVMS ?

[Stephen Hoffman]

On 2013-01-09 22:04:44 +0000, Peter 'EPLAN' LANGSTOeGER said:

> ...So, this [iSCSI TDK is] a demo kit. Why is it included with vanilla 
> OpenVMS then?

While I can think of a couple of scenarios, you'll want to ask HP 
OpenVMS Engineering that question.  If you get an answer, post it.

> ...When it is no longer supported, then it must have been supported 
> previously. Right?

That is not a certainty.[1]

Some of the QuickSpecs 
<http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/quickspecs/12413_na/12413_na.html> 
do list "iSCSI ready for the following operating systems", including 
OpenVMS, and 
<http://bizsupport1.austin.hp.com/bizsupport/TechSupport/Document.jsp?objectID=c01539853&printver=true> 
indicates there might be support for OpenVMS.  There's one reference to 
iSCSI in the whole of the OpenVMS V8.4 SPD 
<http://h71000.www7.hp.com/doc/spdalphaintegrity84.pdf> and that 
reference appears to indicate that the iSCSI path for the particular 
combo widget is not supported.  This 
<http://de.openvms.org/TUD2011/OpenVMS_Storage_Updates.pdf> (from 
~2011) includes "Note: OpenVMS doesn’t support iSCSI", and some HP 
OpenVMS contact info.

>From what I can tell, I would not assume it's supported.  But whether 
iSCSI is officially supported now — or whether it'll be supported in 
the future — is a question for HP OpenVMS Engineering.   This whole 
area looks decidedly murky, the more I dig into it.

The iSCSI TDK implementation was listed as a "low performing, test 
ver." in one HP presentation, and I wouldn't expect that performance to 
improve without a whole lot of work, and possibly not without the 
addition of dedicated host-based iSCSI hardware.

Try it.  See if it works.  YMMV.  Indoor use only. Choking hazard.  
Machine may start or stop without warning.  Subject to change without 
notice.  Check with the vendor.  Etc.

————
[1]FWIW, there's been various stuff latent in VMS (sometimes for years, 
or even decades) that hasn't been (and isn't) supported.

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