Feature-based Comparison of iSCSI Target Implementations

Small Computer System Interface (SCSI) is a set of protocols used for communication and data transfer between I/O devices like computers and storage devices. SCSI standards include various commands, interfaces and protocols that are required to communicate with devices such as hard disks, DVD and printers. iSCSI is a storage standard for exposing and utilizing data storage devices over network using TCP/IP protocol. iSCSI provides remote data operations by performing SCSI commands over TCP/IP networks. This paper explains the features of various iSCSI Target Frameworks currently in use, such as SCSI Target Framework (STGT), Generic SCSI Target Subsystems for Linux (SCST), Linux I/O Target (LIO), iSCSI Enterprise Target (IET). The paper also presents a comparison of the features of these implementations.