Chapter 3. Planning 61
Figure 3-8   Storwize V7000 iSCSI overview
Both onboard Ethernet ports of a Storwize V7000 node can be configured for iSCSI. For each 
instance of an iSCSI target node (that is, each Storwize V7000 node), you can define two 
IPv4 and two IPv6 addresses or iSCSI network portals:
/SM590000If the optional 10 Gbps Ethernet feature is installed, you can use them for iSCSI traffic.
/SM590000Generally, enable jumbo frames in your iSCSI storage network.
/SM590000iSCSI IP addresses can be configured for one or more nodes.
/SM590000Decide whether you implement authentication for the host to Storwize V7000 iSCSI 
communication. The Storwize V7000 supports the Challenge Handshake Authentication 
Protocol (CHAP) authentication methods for iSCSI.
3.7.1  iSCSI protocol
The iSCSI connectivity is a software feature that is provided by the Storwize V7000 code. The 
iSCSI protocol is a block-level protocol that encapsulates SCSI commands into Transmission 
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) packets. Therefore, iSCSI uses IP network rather 
than requiring the Fibre Channel infrastructure. The iSCSI standard is defined by Request For 
Comments (RFC) 3720.
For more information about iSCSI protocol, see iSCSI Implementation and Best Practices on 
IBM Storwize Storage Systems, SG24-8327.
3.7.2  Topology and IP addressing
For more information about examples of topology and addressing schemes that can be used 
for iSCSI connectivity, see 3.5, “Planning IP connectivity” on page 48. 
If you plan to use node’s 1 Gbps Ethernet ports for iSCSI host attachment, dedicate Ethernet 
port one for the Storwize V7000 management and port two for iSCSI use. This way, port two 
can be connected to a separate network segment or virtual local area network (VLAN) 
dedicated to iSCSI traffic.