HP Broadcom iSCSI Boot for NC37xx/NC380x Adapters User Guide

Overview 4
Overview
iSCSI boot for Windows overview
The HP iSCSI boot feature allows a server to boot from a remote disk that supports Microsoft iSCSI
Software Initiator (known as the iSCSI target) on a Storage Area Network (SAN) without having to
directly attach a boot disk.
Booting from a remote disk on a SAN allows the boot process to be centralized and consolidates
equipment resources. Unlike other implementations, iSCSI boot does not require a separate DHCP server
or a PXE server.
Accelerated iSCSI Boot
HP Accelerated iSCSI capability can also be used with HP iSCSI boot. All accelerated iSCSI commands
are handled by the adapter's iSCSI HBA driver. For more information on this feature, see the HP ProLiant
Accelerated iSCSI for Windows User Guide.
Limitations
• A system crash might result if you bring down a network adapter that is iSCSI-boot enabled. The
Windows Server 2003 SP2 operating system prevents you from disabling iSCSI-booted adapters.
• File system access lapses (due to unplugging the cable) for time critical "keep alive" processes
(svchost) might cause reboots.
• Network adapter property changes (for example, Link Speed) can cause unrecoverable
configuration changes, which might prevent booting.
• iSCSI target configuration changes (for example, Adapter Name) causes boot failure if you do not
change the iSCSI boot configuration as well.
• Adapter failover during the software installation or the boot phase is not possible.
• Discovery protocols, such as Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol, Internet Storage Name Service,
and Service Location Protocol are not supported on iSCSI boot installs or during the boot phase.
• iSCSI LUN is not detected with NC373T during the Windows 2003 x64 operating system
installation or with NC373m during the Windows 2003 x32 operating system installation.
• NC373F does not boot on iSCSI targets with the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.5 x64 operating system.
System requirements
The following system requirements support HP iSCSI boot for Windows.
Supported operating systems
• Windows Server 2008