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I have a Dell PowerEdge server with Windows Server 2019 that has an iSCSI target set up with 30 iSCSI LUNs. The HDDs are set up in a RAID-6. I have some IP cameras that have the ability to record directly to an iSCSI target that I can't get to record to this iSCSI storage. According to the datasheet for them, they specifically state that they support recording to iSCSI storage on a RAID-5 array. My question is - is the RAID level of the storage where the LUNs are stored presented to a client over iSCSI? The old server that this is replacing did have a RAID-5, and was recording, and now I'm wondering if the RAID-6 array may be being presented to the camera, which has no idea how to write to a RAID-6.

David
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    "support recording to iSCSI storage on a RAID-5 array" is a rather bizarre statement. Please quote the datasheet verbatim. – Michael Hampton Feb 08 '21 at 23:05
  • This is copy/pasted directly from the datasheet: "The iSCSI RAID5 storage support enables the cameras to function as a conventional DVR". The camera model is fairly old, cicra 2005/2006, predating RAID-6 becoming common and as such I'm wondering if it might be able to detect over iSCSI that the storage is something other than RAID-5 and therefore not able to write to it. – David Feb 08 '21 at 23:15
  • Yeah, that still makes absolutely no sense. Does it not say anything else about it? – Michael Hampton Feb 08 '21 at 23:16
  • Not about their iSCSI support, just that one sentence. – David Feb 08 '21 at 23:18
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    iSCSI is 1:1 connection to transfer blocks between an initiator and a target, you won't be able to connect the DVR and also a server to the same iSCSI backend at the same time, so I'm not sure the value add here, to access the video you must connect via the DVR system. The raid level does not matter. Are you working with a Bosch Security DVR? Looks like this supports basic ip/password auth, once connected it should show all LUNs allocated to you, basic host acl should be fine to test it out. – Jacob Evans Feb 08 '21 at 23:49
  • "I have some IP cameras that have the ability to record directly to an iSCSI target". Whoever connects to an iSCSI target and wants to write something onto it, needs to have exclusive access (unless you have some form of clustering in place). Thus, please clarify: are the IP cameras directly writing on the iSCSI LUNs, or does the server act as a man-in-the-middle? – Massimo Feb 12 '21 at 19:52

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is the RAID level of the storage where the LUNs are stored presented to a client over iSCSI?

No.

The iSCSI initiator (client) sees a LUN presented as a simple drive for block storage. It can't see what's really behind it, whether RAID, HDDs, SSDs, SAS, SATA, ... (I'm assuming you've created the LUN images on the RAID 6 array by "To create an iSCSI virtual disk, start the New iSCSI Virtual Disk Wizard".)

First, you need to make sure that the network connectivity is AOK (ping the target from initiator or vice versa). Add the target to the initiator. Make sure the target sees the initiator. Grant the initiator access to the desired LUN(s) in "Access servers". Check whether the initiator can mount the LUN(s).

Zac67
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  • +1 - The client hasn't the faintest clue about the RAID level or any other physical details of what is backing the LUN. – mfinni Feb 12 '21 at 23:02
  • I would agree. Initiator doesn't know about the Array configured. In case of HW RAID arrays, OS usually doesn't know about the array level. Everything is handled on the controller level. In any case, I think it is worth running tests before putting it in production, as mentioned above. – Stuka Feb 14 '21 at 10:19