iSCSI HBAs

[Danny Braniss]

> Matthew Jacob wrote:
> > Why do you think an iSCSI HBA would be of any benefit to anything
> > other than the target mode side as a server?
> 
> 
> Mostly for deploying servers that are diskless, quickly.  No need to
> depend on another server (other than the iSCSI target) to get servers up
> without a lot of fusing around.  Diskless + the software initiator seems
> like a lot of fusing around to get one server up.  I mean I could be
> wrong, I'm not really sure how the FreeBSD software initiator works or
> if it's actual optimized and stable.  If it's as easy as setting up a
> DHCP and TFTP server just to boot the kernel, then mount the iSCSI
> volume, that might be an option.  But right now, if an iSCSI HBA driver
> was available it might be the more reliable way to go.  Again, I could
> be way off base.  We use FreeBSD in all of our server clusters now, most
> via RAID1 mirrors on every server, I'd like to stay with FreeBSD, but
> sometimes it's lack of support for new server beneficial drivers make
> that choice hard to make.

we have been running diskless clients for a few hundred work stations, so
i think i have some experience :-)
	1- setting a diskless freebsd is far easier than linux
	2- it's by far much easier to manage.
btw, the majority of ws are running linux.
being involved with the iSCSI initiator for FreeBSD, I can't see where
this can help for a diskless host, or in other words, what's
wrong with NFS?
also, the TOE cards are not that cheep either :-)
my 2c,
	danny