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Free iSCSI initiator for OS X now available

You'd think, judging on the name alone, that iSCSI was an Apple product -- perhaps an easier-to-use, shiny, beveled version of the original SCSI? If wishing made it so: sadly, it's only an implementation of SCSI over IP, allowing hosts to connect to remote drives, RAIDs, SANs or tape libraries over standard Ethernet connections. While early iSCSI gear was noticeably slow compared to Fibre Channel and other storage fabric connections, the latest stuff is quite snappy, especially when combined with 10G Ethernet connectivity.

Up until now, the only iSCSI initiators (drivers) available for Mac OS X were paid affairs, usually bundled with hardware or management tools. Now, in advance of the anticipated inclusion of iSCSI with Leopard, the good people at Studio Network Solutions have proffered up a free-as-in-beer version of the globalSAN iSCSI initiator for OS X. No support offered, so download and deploy with caution.

[via MacTech]

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Hardware Software Leopard

You'd think, judging on the name alone, that iSCSI was an Apple product -- perhaps an easier-to-use, shiny, beveled version of the original...
 

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Tom

AoE is non routable, where as iSCSI is routable. For a small LAN disk for the home, yes, AoE would be fine and work for most people. However, in the enterprise market, iSCSI is better in most situations, as the routable nature of it allows for some good setups. For example, a company can simply lease space on a shared fibre connection and use VPN to secure it, then attach iSCSI storage on both ends for replication. This is a very common disaster recovery situation. AoE would require a company to lease their own fibre line, and would have to dedicate it to the storage.

Different tools for different jobs.

March 13 2007 at 10:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Michael Rose

Elwood, dude, I don't know what "sea of other definitions" you're talking about. "Proffer" is a synonym for "offer." The definition I quoted is from the Oxford American in my Dictionary.app; the exact same definition is here:

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/proffered

In both cases, no alternative meanings or secondary definitions are listed. If you don't like the word, or if it sounds funny to you, fine, but that doesn't make it incorrect English, bad usage, etc. I'm not "covering up for the inappropriate usage with poor evidence" and your suggestion that I am behaving in a less than honest or grammatically correct fashion is "infuriating." Look that up.

Dan -- interesting items on AoE, perhaps worth a separate post -- however, I believe that market acceptance on both iSCSI and FC is way higher than AoE at this point.

March 13 2007 at 8:49 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Elwood Blues

Michael - Proffered is not correct English. You picked the only definition, in a sea of other definitions, that somewhat sounds OK for your article. You seem to be covering up for the inappropriate use of the word with poor evidence.

March 13 2007 at 8:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Dan Bedford

Great news on the "iSCSI for Mac OS X" front... but can I mention ATA over Ethernet (AoE) as a much better alternative?

Check out this link as a primer of the differences between the two, then follow the links to the left if this strikes your fancy:

http://www.2degreesfrost.com/content/page17/page17.html

March 13 2007 at 6:22 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Michael Rose

"proffered" is correct English, Elwood --

proffer |ˈpräfər| verb [ trans. ] hold out (something) to someone for acceptance; offer : "he proffered his apologies for his overzealous grammarian tendencies."

If anything, the word that has no place is "up."

March 13 2007 at 6:10 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Elwood Blues

The word "proffered" has no place in this article. Please use correct English.

"...Studio Network Solutions have proffered up a..."

March 13 2007 at 5:43 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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