Create virtual SAN using StarWind Software

StarWind Software:

StarWind iSCSI SAN allows you to build your own SAN for your virtual servers. Here in this topic I will take you step by step to build your own shared storage for your server.

• Download a trail version from StarWind website: http://www.starwindsoftware.com/starwind  
•  Install StarWind Software, and its an easy next next finish inistallation.  
• Double click on the StarWind tray icon to open the StarWind management console. 
• Add your local host machine as a server by clicking the icon “1”. “Add new host” windows will apear, so keep the dafault  localhost ip “127.0.0.1” and the port “3261” then click ok.    

• Click icon “2” to connect to your server, a login windows will appear. The default login/password: root/starwind.

• To create your own virtual device, click icon “3” or right click “Targets > Add Target”.

• Add Target wizard will appear,type your target alias.

• Choose “Hard Disk > Basic Virtual > Image File device > Create new virtual disk”.

• Click “…” to browse your disks then choose the location of your image and its size.

• Choose  “Allow multiple concurent iSCSI connection (clustring)” to allow servral hosts to connect to this image concurntly. 
• For the caching mode keep the default then click “Next”, then wizard will display a summary window for your setting, click “Next”, then “Finish”.

Now there is nothing to do with starwind and we will connect to this disk by using iSCSI Initiator.

• Start iScsi Initiator “Start Menu > Admonistrative Tools > iSCSI Initiator”.

• Click Discovery tab > Add button.

• Type the ip addr of the your iSCSI array (StarWind Software machine) and keep the default port then click ok.

 
 Note: you will need to open this port on your firewall.

•  To connect to your target, click Target tab then click Log On.

• If you want your server to connect to this volume automatically when your system boots,  choose the “Automatically Restore This Connection When The System Boots “ check box.

• Now everything is ok.

•  you can click ok and exit the program.

One final step is needed to make your virtual SAN avaiable, you will need to initialize and format your disk, so:

• Open “Disk Management”  under (Server Manager > Storage > Disk Management).
•  Click it and make it online then click again to initialize it.
•  Format the disk as NTFS.