iSCSI 1-July-02
IPS Julian Satran
Internet Draft Kalman Meth
draft-ietf-ips-iscsi-14.txt IBM
Category: standards-track
Costa Sapuntzakis
Cisco Systems
Mallikarjun Chadalapaka
Hewlett-Packard Co.
Efri Zeidner
SANGate
iSCSI
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Status of this Memo
This document is an Internet-Draft and fully conforms to all provi-
sions of Section 10 of [RFC2026].
Internet-Drafts are working documents of the Internet Engineering
Task Force (IETF), its areas, and its working groups. Note that other
groups may also distribute working documents as Internet-Drafts.
Internet-Drafts are draft documents valid for at most six months and
may be updated, replaced, or made obsolete by other documents at any
time. It is inappropriate to use Internet- Drafts as reference mate-
rial or to cite them except as "work in progress."
The list of Internet-Drafts can be accessed at http://www.ietf.org/
ietf/1id-abstracts.txt.
The list of Internet-Draft Shadow Directories can be accessed at
http://www.ietf.org/shadow.html.
Abstract
The Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) is a popular family of
protocols for communicating with I/O devices, especially storage
devices. This document describes a transport protocol for SCSI that
works on top of TCP. The iSCSI protocol aims to be fully compliant
with the rules laid out in the SCSI Architecture Model - 2 [SAM2]
document. The current version of iSCSI is 0.
Acknowledgements
This protocol was developed by a design team that, beside the
authors, included Daniel Smith, Ofer Biran, Jim Hafner and John
Hufferd (IBM), Mark Bakke (Cisco), Randy Haagens (HP), Matt Wakeley
(Agilent, now Sierra Logic), Luciano Dalle Ore (Quantum), Paul Von
Stamwitz (Adaptec, now TrueSAN Networks).
Also, a large group of people contributed to this work through their
review, comments and valuable insights. We are grateful to all them.
We are especially grateful to those who found the time and patience
to take part in our weekly phone conferences and intermediate meet-
ings in Almaden and Haifa, so helping to shape this document: Prasen-
jit Sarkar, Meir Toledano, John Dowdy, Steve Legg, Alain Azagury
(IBM), Dave Nagle (CMU), David Black (EMC), John Matze (Veritas - now
with Okapi Software), Steve DeGroote, Mark Schrandt (NuSpeed), Gabi
Hecht (Gadzoox), Robert Snively and Brian Forbes (Brocade), Nelson
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Nachum (StorAge), Uri Elzur (Broadcom). Many more helped clean and
improve this document within the IPS working group. We are espe-
cially grateful to David Robinson and Raghavendra Rao (Sun), Charles
Monia, Joshua Tseng (Nishan), Somesh Gupta (Silverback), Michael
Krause, Pierre Labat, Santosh Rao, Matthew Burbridge, Bob Barry, Rob-
ert Elliott, Nick Martin (HP), Stephen Bailey (Sandburst), Steve
Senum, Ayman Ghanem, Dave Peterson (Cisco), Barry Reinhold (Trebia
Networks), Bob Russell (UNH), Eddy Quicksall (iVivity, Inc.), Bill
Lynn and Michael Fischer (Adaptec), Vince Cavanna, Pat Thaler (Agi-
lent), Jonathan Stone (Stanford), Luben Tuikov (Splentec), Paul Konig
(?), Michael Krueger (Windriver), Martins Krikis (Intel), Doug Otis
(Sanlight), Robert Griswold and Bill Moody (Crossroads), Yaron Klein
(Sanrad). The recovery chapter was enhanced with help from Stephen
Bailey (Sandburst), Somesh Gupta (Silverback) and Venkat Rangan
(Rhapsody Networks). Eddy Quicksall contributed some examples and
began the Definitions Section. Michael Fischer and Bob Barry started
the Acronyms Section. Last, but not least, thanks to Ralph Weber for
keeping us in line with T10 (SCSI) standardization.
We would like to thank Steve Hetzler for his unwavering support and
for coming up with such a good name for the protocol, Micky Rodeh,
Jai Menon, Clod Barrera and Andy Bechtolsheim for helping this work
happen.
This document has to be considered together with the "Naming & Dis-
covery"[NDT], "Boot"[BOOT] and "Securing iSCSI, iFCP and FCIP"[SEC-
IPS] documents.
The "Naming & Discovery" document is authored by:
Mark Bakke (Cisco), Jim Hafner, John Hufferd, Kaladhar Voru-
ganti (IBM), Marjorie Krueger (Hewlett-Packard).
.
The "Boot" document is authored by:
Prasenjit Sarkar (IBM), Duncan Missimer (HP) and Costa Sapuntz-
akis (Cisco).
The "Securing iSCSI, iFCP and FCIP" document is authored by:
Bernard Aboba(Microsoft), Joshua Tseng (Nishan), Jesse Walker
(Intel), Venkat Rangan (Rhapsody Networks), Franco Travos-
tino (Nortel Networks).
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We are grateful to all them for their good work and for helping us
correlate this document with the ones they produced.
Change Log
The following changes were made from draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-13 to
draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-14:
- Text cleanup
- Clarification on COLD RESET - required by SAM
- fixed in 9.5 recommendation on empty data (was inconsistent
with R2T)
- 9.4.6.2 text reffers only to firstburstsize changed error
code to "incorrect amount of data"
- changed size to length everywhere
- Reinstated I bit in text request (typo)
- StatSN is retransmitted R2T should be the new value
- Fixed DefaultTime2Wait and changed selection function format
in Section 11
The following changes were made from draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-12 to
draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-13:
- Text cleanup
- Limited decimal encoding to 64 bit integers
- Logout Request reason code moved to byte 1
- Renamed MaxRecvPDULength to MaxRecvDataSegmentLength
- Large Numbers allowed only if explicitely stated
- CHAP is the mandatory to implement in-band authentication and
SRP is optional
- A negotiation answer is permitted only if all key=value pairs
are complete. A flag indicates completion.
- Clearing effects appendix simplified - SCSI effects are now
part of [SPC3]
- Made explicit a rule a bout checking when committing a nego-
tiation
- Added code 4 for Asynch Message - request negotiation
The following changes were made from draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-11 to
draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-12:
- Clarify the use of A bit and DataACK at the end of data
- Clarified checking to be done for abort task and removed Ref-
erenced task tag from task management response
- Range separator is tilde.
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- Fixed the paragraph numbering in the appendices.
- Clarified the expected target behavior in a lost F-bit sce-
nario when responding to Abort Task Set/Clear Task Set.
- Added the TargetPortalGroupTag key as a Login/operational
key, and its usage semantics were added to Section 4.3 Login
Phase.
- Clarified the language in Section 6.1.2 Allegiance Reassign-
ment and Section 6.2 Usage Of Reject PDU in Recovery.
- Clarified the states corresponding to full-feature phase
operation in connection and session state diagrams in Chap-
ter 5.
- Delivering all negotiated unsolicited data are mandatory
- Delivering all the data for an R2T is mandatory
- Added a timeout guidance section to Chapter 8
- Added normative naming text (previously in NDT)
- Clarified no duplicate parameter for login
- Added a minimum required to support to text length (16k/64k)
- Changed the name of TSID to TSIH to better reflect its mean-
ing
- Security - IPsec transport mode is MAY and authentication
MUST be used when encryption is used
- Added to logout a section clarifying the actions to be taken
on task termination by the target
- Removed CRN
- Changed default time2wait & retain to better express typical
ratio
- Changes SCSI port element separator to comma
- Async Event data format same as for SCSI response
The following changes were made from draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-10 to
draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-11:
- ACA is SHOULD
- New format for ISID that allows factory presets
- New wording in section 9.5.4 that makes it clear that initia-
tor must discard discontiguous data PDUs during reassignment.
- Removed Parameter1 field definition for "drop the session"
Async Message.
- In state transitions chapter, added Logout timeout to the
event set causing T17, and removed the "session close" event
from the event set for T6. Changed "status class" to Status-
Class.
- Clarified that for ErrorRecoveryLevel < 2, a restart Login
PDU terminates all the tasks.
- Clarified the various subcases of interpretation for
Time2Retain and Time2Wait in the Logout Response section.
- Added a new section in the recovery chapter on connection
timeout management.
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- The LogoutLoginMinTime and LogoutLoginMaxTime keys are
respectively renamed to DefaultTime2Wait and
DefaultTime2Retain, because they are used only on non-Logout
events and also to better align with the notion of Time2Wait
and Time2Retain that the draft already defines.
- Added the new Appendix on clearing effects.
- Retired the X-bit in Login PDU to make the bit position
reserved. Moved the content under X-bit description to a new
section 4.3.4 that describes "connection reinstatement".
- Added text to section 6.1.2 that clarifies the expectations
on targets during allegiance reassignment.
- Minor changes in error recovery algorithms to change NextC-
mdSN to CmdSN in the Session data structure.
- Added a new section 4.3.5 defining the term "session rein-
statement".
- Added a new transition N11 to target session state diagram,
to address the session reinstatement event. Enhancing the
event set for N3(T) and N6(I & T) for the same event. Add-
ing the same event to the event sets for target transitions
T8, T13, T15, T16, T17, T18, and M2 (I & T).
- Addressed the case of active TTTs when ABORT TASK SET/CLEAR
TASK SET is in progress in section 9.5 and section 9.6.
- Added a new Section 9.6.2 Task Management actions on task
sets that describes the exact timeline of events on a task
set task management function.
- Clarified the usage of ITT for DataACK type of SNACK.
- Added error code for inexistent session to login response
- Changed the FIM SHOULD to should(!)
- Added a TTT field for Data-In when A bit is 1 and to the cor-
responding SNACK. To make it consistent changed slightly the
layout of Data-IN, SCSI Response and SNACK.
- Clarified the use of LUN with all PDUs holding TTT
- Removed the ? value from negotiations
- Unified text negotiations (login, ffp and formats) in one
chapter
- Clarified AHSLength and DataLength for all PDUs
- Clarified use of Reject
- Replaced Protocol Error with Negotiation Failure in negotia-
tions
- Removed FFP command before login from Reject Causes
- Added Invalid Request During Login to Login Errors
- Added tape text
- Clarified Security Text
- Aligned marker negotiations with the overall negotiations and
added numeric range to the negotiation forms
- Changed target network architecture example in Overview
- Clarified T bit use in Login Reject
- Version back to 00
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The following changes were made from draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-09 to
draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-10:
- Clarifying MaxOutstandingR2T
- Widening the scope of Reject reason code 0x09 to mean
"Invalid PDU field".
- Changes in the "iSCSI connection termination" section to make
the terminology usage consistent with the rest of the draft.
- Adding transition T18 in standard connection state diagram,
and its description.
- Other minor wording changes in the state transitions chap-
ter to address "session close" case and others.
- Adding a new state Q5(IN_CONTINUE) to the target session
state diagram to resolve transitions N8 and N9 off Q2.
- Removed the AHS drop bit feature.
- Removed the qualifier field in Task Management Response PDU,
and added a new response "Function authorization failed".
- Clarified the fate of regular SCSI reservations on a session
timeout, compared to a transient session failure.
- Added wording in R2T section to address the case of receiv-
ing a smaller write data sequence than was asked for in an
R2T.
- Changes and fixes in recovery algorithms to be consistent
with the rest of the draft.
- Changed the "Invalid SNACK" Reject reason code to "Invalid
data ACK" because the invalid SNACK is already covered under
"Protocol error". Also treating DataSN and R2TSN equiva-
lently in this case.
- Change in the SNACK section to require a Reject "Protocol
error" on an invalid SNACK.
- Time2Retain 0 in Logout Response indicates connection/ses-
sion can't recover
- Coordinate DataSequenceInOrder with Error recovery level and
MaxOutstandingR2T, also stating that only the last read/write
sequence is recoverable under digest error recovery if
DataSequenceInOrder=Yes
- Alias designation format appendix is again out(!) - T10 has
decided it will go in SPC
- Task Management synchronization moved to the target (task
management response given after task management action and
confirmed delivery of all previous responses)
- Removed the don't care value in numerical negotiations
- Changed Marker negotiation to allow it to be closed in one
round
- Marker position is not dependent of the length of the login
phase
- Statement made that reserved bits do not have to be checked
at the beginning of Chapter 9
- InitialR2T, BidiInitialR2T and ImmediateData changed to LO
- I bit (equivalent) in responses made 0
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- Added a "double response" version for the ? key value to
- ? value can be used only outside Login
- added :, [ and ] as allowed in key values
- allow 0 in LogoutLoginMax and Min
- after task reassign no SNACK mandated, the function must be
performed by target with information made available by reas-
sign
- removed the third party command section - SCSI now handles
everything needed (including iSCSI aliasing)
The following changes were made from draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-08 to
draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-09:
- Added Task management response "task management function not
supported"
- Negotiation (numeric) responder driven
- Added vendor specific data to reject
- Allow logout in discovery sessions
- Variable DataPDULength - renamed MaxRecvPDULength
- Key=value pairs can span PDU boundaries
- Uniform treatment of text exchange resets
- Reintroduced DataACK as a special form of SNACK
- Extended ISID in the Login Request
- Removed 0 as a "no limit value" (residue from mode pages)
- Reintroduced LogoutLoginMinTime
- Digests moved to Operational Keys
- Removed X bit in all commands and replaced it in Login and
added a cleaning rule to CmdSN numbering
- Several simplifications in state transition section - stan-
dard connection and session state diagrams are separately
described for initiators and targets
- Several minor technical and language changes in the error
recovery section
- Added Irrelevant to negotiations
- Clarification to logout behavior
- Clarification to command ordering
- On SCSI timeout task abort instead of session failure
- Changed version to 0x03 - ALL VERSION NUMBERS are temporary
up to "Rafting" (take them with a grain of salt)
The following changes were made from draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-07 to
draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-08:
- Clarified the use of initiator task tag with regard to the
SCSI tag in Section 9.2.1.7 Initiator Task Tag
- Added a clarification to Section 2.2.2.1 Command Numbering
and Acknowledging - response to a command should not precede
acknowledgment.
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- Added clarification to Section 9.7 SCSI Data-out & SCSI Data-
in - good status in Data-In must be supported by initiators
- Clarified InitiatorName is required at login in Section 4.3.1
Login Phase Start
- Another clarification for SecurityContextComplete in Section
4.3.2 iSCSI Security Negotiation
- Added "command not supported in this session type" to reject
reasons
- Discovery session implies MaxConnections = 1
- Second appearance of TargetAddress deleted
- Padding forbidden for non-end-of-sequence data PDUs
- Removed Boot and Copenhagener Session types
- Changed explanation of ExpDataSN
- Removed/corrected response 05 in Section 9.4.3 Response
- Brought Section 2.2.6 iSCSI Names in line with NDT draft
- Fixed the syntax in accordance with [RFC2372] and [RFC2373]
- Removed forgotten references to the default iSCSI target
- Counters back to Reject Response
- Clarification - SendTargets admissible only in full feature
phase
- Changed name of DataOrder and DataDeliveryOrder to DataSe-
quenceOrder and DataPDUInOrder and clarified appendix text
- Padding bytes SHOULD be sent as 0 (instead of MUST be 0)
- UA attention behavior for various resets deleted - replaced
with reference to SAM2
- Removed AccessID
- OpParmReset generalized
- Clarified the definition of full-feature phase in Section
2.2.4 iSCSI Full Feature Phase
- Added new Reject reason codes, tabular listing and a pointer
to Section 9.14.4 Implicit termination of tasks
- Added additional Reject usage semantics on CmdSN and DataSN
to Section 9.14.4 Implicit termination of tasks
- Added a new Logout Response code for failure
- Renamed BUSY as RECOVERY_START, removed RECOVERY_DONE, and
merged T11 and T14 transitions into T11-(1,2) in Section 5
State Transitions.
- Corrected initiator handling of format errors
- Clarified usage of command replay
- Removed the delivery in same order as presented from Text
Response
- Clarified RefCmdSN function fro abort task
- Corrected length field for AHS of type Extended CDB
- Removed LUN from text management response
- Clarified F bit for Bidirectional commands
- Removed the Async iSCSI event "target reset"
- Removed wording in Section 9.6 Task Management Function
Response linking SCSI mode pages to Async Messages
- Changed the ASC/ASCQ values to better mean "not enough unso-
licited data"
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- Names examples include date
- Removed references to S bit in Section 9.4 SCSI Response
- Fixed NOP to simplify and avoid it consuming CmdSN
- Fixed CRC and examples
- Added the T, CSG & NSG fields to Login Command & Response,
rewrote Chapter 3, changed all examples in Appendix C. -
Login Phase Examples - to fit the above changes
- Key=value confined to one response
- Add command restart/replay to task management
- Removed cryptographic digests
- Removed "proxy required" status code
- Re-named and fixed descriptions of status codes
- Re-formatted login examples for clarity
- SCSI/iSCSI parameters - fixed Section 3 SCSI Mode Parameters
for iSCSI, out DataPDULength, DataSequenceOrder
- Changed all sense keys to aborted command in the table in
Section 9.4.2 Status
- Rearranged requests to have all SCSI related grouped etc.
- Fixed Task Management Function Request ABORT TASK and removed
the part about it in Chapter 8.
- Reintroduced aliases (the data format) in an appendix. The
aliasing mechanism once part of iSCSI is part of [SPC]
- Login negotiations - using only login request response
(instead of former login and text)
- F bit in login changed name to T bit
- Stated defaults for mode parameters in chapter 3
- Updated Chapter 7 to reflect the current consensus on secu-
rity
- Changed all sense keys to aborted command in the table in
2.4.2
- Minor language clarifications in sections 1.2.3, 1.2.5,
1.2.6, 1.2.8.
- Added a new Reject reason code "Task in progress" and clari-
fied language in the same section.
- Added more description to the session state transitions in
Chapter 5.
- Several changes in Chapter 6 corresponding to the new task
management function "reassign". Other language changes in
Chapter 6 for better description. Format errors are mandated
to cause session failures.
- Renamed the erstwhile error recovery levels as error recov-
ery classes, and renamed "within-session" recovery to "con-
nection recovery" to better reflect the mechanics.
- Added Section 6.13 Error Recovery Hierarchy to define the
error recovery hierarchy.
- Modifications to error recovery algorithms in Appendix F.
- Added a new Reject reason code "Invalid SNACK", added DataSN
to Reject PDU.
- Changed Section 9.17 Reject to use the "Invalid SNACK" rea-
son code.
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- Removed a Logout reason code in Section 9.14 Logout Request
to be consistent with Section 9.9 Asynchronous Message.
- Collapsed the two event fields in Async Event and added ven-
dor specific event
- Immediate data can be negotiated anytime (consistency)
- Removed replay as a protocol notion and all references to it
- SNACK RunLength 0 means all
- Cleaning the bookmark mechanism for text
- New T10 approved ASC/ASQ codes
- Added a incipient definitions section - thanks to Eddy Quick-
sall
- Change OpParmReset from Yes/No to default/current
- Added Base64 to encode large strings
- The 255 limit for key values is now "unless specified other-
wise"
- Cleaned SNACK format
- Removed ExpR2TSN from SCSI command response it is too late
- MaxBurstSize/FirstBurstSize back as key=value
- Removed LogoutLoginMinTime (value provided in exchange)
- Clear language on component function in generating ISID/TSID
- Negotiation breaking is done through abort/reject
- Removed all iSCSI mode pages
The following changes were made from draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-06 to
draft-ietf-ips-iSCSI-07:
- Clarified the "fate" of immediate commands and resources man-
dated (1.2.2.1) and introduced a reject-code for rejected
immediate commands
- Clarify CmdSN handling and checking order for ITT and CmdSN
1.2.2.1
- Added a statement to the effect that a receiver must be able
to accept 0 length Data Segments to 2.7.6. Added also a
statement to 2.2.1 that a zero-length data segment implies a
zero-length digest
- SCSI MODE SELECT will not really set the parameters (will not
cause an error either). The parameters will be set exclu-
sively with text mode and can be retrieved with either text
or Mode-SENSE. This enables us to disable their change after
the Login negotiation. Also added to the negotiation (1.2.4)
the value "?" with special meaning of enquiry
- Changed "task" to "command" wherever relevant
- EMDP usage in line with other SCSI protocols. EMDP governs
how a target may request data and deliver. Similar to FCP a
separate (protocol) parameter governs data PDU ordering
within Sequence (DataPDUInOrder). Cleaned wording of
DataOrder. Fixed final bit to define sequences in input
stream.
- Added a "persistent state" part (1.2.8)
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- Some Task Management commands may require authorization or
may not be implemented. If not authorized they will return as
if executed with a qualifier indicating "not authorized" or
"not implemented" (clear LU and the resets)
- Task management commands and responses are "generalized" to
all iSCSI tagged commands (they are named now Task Manage-
ment command and response). Their behavior with respect to
their CmdSN is clarified and mandated
- The logic to update ExpCmdSN etc. moved to 1.2.2.1
- Explicitly specified that a target can "initiate" negotiat-
ing a parameter (offering)(1.2.4)
- Returned the "direction" bit and a set of codes similar to
version 05
- Introduced a "special" session type (CopyManagerSession) to
be used between a Copy Manager and all of its target; it may
help define authentication and limit the type f commands to
be executed in such a session
- Added 8.4 - How to Abort Safely a Command that Was Not
Received
- Fixed the Logout Text
- AHSLength is now the first field in the AHS
- Fixed wording in 2.35 indicating AHS is mandatory for Bi-
directional commands
- All key=value responses have to be explicit (none, not-under-
stood etc.); no more selection by hiatus
- Targets can also offer key=value pairs (i.e., initiate nego-
tiation) stated explicitly in 2.9.3
- Logout has a CmdSN field
- The Status SNACK can be discarded if the target has no such
recovery
- Some parameters have been removed and replaced by "reason-
able" defaults (read arbitrary defaults!); many others can't
be changed anymore while the session is in full-feature phase
- NOP-Out specifies how LUN is generated when used (copied from
NOP-In)
- Initial Marker-Less Interval is not a parameter anymore
- A response with F=1 during negotiation may not contain
key=value pairs that may require additional answers from the
initiator
- Clarified the meaning of the F bit on Write commands with
regard to immediate and unsolicited data; F bit 0 means that
unsolicited data will follow while F bit 1 means that this is
the last of them (if any)
- You can have both immediate and unsolicited Data-Out PDUs
- DataPDULength and FirstBurstSize of 0 are allowed and mean
unlimited length
- Task management command behavior relative to their own CmdSN
is now stated in no uncertain terms (they are mandated to
execute as if issued at CmdSN and, in case of aborts and
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clear/reset no additional response/status is expected for
those commands after the task management command response
- DataSN field in R2T renamed as R2TSN (better reflects seman-
tics) and SNACK explicitly says that it requests Data or R2T.
- A session can have only one outstanding text request (not
sequence)
- Text for Login Response 0301 changed (removed the mainte-
nance mention)
- Clarified when ExpDataSN is reserved in SCSI Response
- Clarified the text and parameter (timers) for iSCSI event
- Padding bytes should be 0 (2.1)
- TotalAHSLength in 2.1.1.1 includes padding
- DataSegmentLength in 2.1.1.2 excludes padding
- Clarified bits in AHS type
- Limit for key/value string lengths (63, 255) in 2.8.3
- Added an example of SCSI event to Asynchronous Message
- Changed "Who" to "Who can send" in appendix
- Clarified meaning of parameters on 2.18.1 - Asynchronous Mes-
sage - iSCSI Event
- Clarified the required initiator behavior at logout (not
sending other commands) and how one expects the TCP close to
be performed in 2.14
- Added a Login Response code indicating that a session can't
include a given connection (0208)
- Clarified transition to full feature phase (per session and
per connection and the role of the leading connection) in
1.2.5
- Corrected "one outstanding text request per connection"
instead of "per session"
- For the Login Response TSID must be valid only if Login is
accepted and the F bit is 1
- Added examples illustrating DataSN and R2TSN (from Eddy
Quicksall)
- Added more text to the task management command 2.5
- Removed EnableACA and its dependents (in task management) and
stated the requirement for a Unit Attention conform to SAM2
- iSCSI Target Name if used on a connection other than the
first must be the same as on the first (4.1)
- Fixed the examples in the Login appendix to correspond to the
new keys
- Fixed SCSI Response Flags and made them consistent with the
Data-In PDU
- All specified keys except X-* MUST be accepted (2.8.3)
- Hexadecimal notation is 0xab123cd (not 0x'ab123cd')
- Clarified CmdSN usage in immediate commands and the meaning
of "execution engine" in 1.2.2.1
- Reject response that prevent the creation of a SCSI task or
result in a SCSI task being terminated must be followed by a
SCSI Response with a Check Condition status 2.19.1
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- Additional Runs (AddRuns) dropped from the SNACK request (too
complex). With it disappeared also the implicit acknowledge-
ment of sequences "between runs"
- PDUs delivered because of SNACK will be exact replicas of the
original PDUs (including all flags) 2.16
- Added CommandReplaySupport key to negotiate support for full
command replay (a command can be replayed after the status
has been issued but has not been acknowledged) and a reject
cause of unsupported command reply
- Added CommandFailoverSupport key to negotiate support for
command allegiance change (command retry on another connec-
tion)
- Status SNACK for an acknowledged status is a protocol error
(cause for reject)
- Reject cause "Command In Progress" when requesting replay
before status is issued and while command is running
- Premature SNACKs are silently discarded (2.16)
- Status SNACK has to supported only if within command or
within connection recovery is supported. If within session
recovery is supported SNACK can be discarded and followed by
an Async. Message requesting logout
- StatSN added to Logout Response
- Added "CID not found" to Logout Response reason codes
- Async Message - iSCSI event 2 (request logout) has to be sent
on the connection to be dropped. Wording fixed.
- Naming changes - iqn (stands for iSCSI qualified name) intro-
duced as a replacement to fqn. Iqn prefixes also reversed
names
- text in 8.3 revised (task management implementation mecha-
nism)
- Fixed bit 7 byte 1 in Task Management response to 1 (consis-
tency)
- Clarified in 1.2.2 behavior when "command window" is 0 (MaxC-
mdSN = ExpCmdSN -1)
- Added state transitions part (new part 6)
- Refreshed recovery chapter (new part 7)
- Added an appendix with detailed recovery mechanisms (Appen-
dix E)
- Added session types a brief explanation in part 1
- Added DiscoverySession key and SendTargets appendix
- SCSI response made to fit having both a Status and a Response
field. Needed for target errors that result in a check condi-
tion and ACA. In line with SAM2 that requires both fields
(former versions where modeled on FCP).
- The security appendix list SRP as mandatory to implement
- Clarified initial CmdSN and the role of TSID as a serializer
- Long Text Responses - additional fields added to the text
request and text response
- Added a SCSI to iSCSI concept mapping section 1.5
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- Clarified SNACK wording to indicate that in general command.
Request, iSCSI command and iSCSI command have the same mean-
ing. Also status, response or numbered response.
- Changed InitStatSN and clarified how it increases
- Added requirement for a 0x00 delimiter after each key=value
- Added binary negotiations (Yes|No) explicitly to 1.2.4
- All keys and values in the spec are case sensitive (stated in
the text request)
- Changed the "operational parameters sent before the secu-
rity. MAY be discarded" into MUST be discarded
- Changed the login reject 0201 to read - Security Negotiation
Failed
- Added to 2.3.1 a paragraph about mandatory consistencies
- Stated clearly that F bit pairing is "local" (per/pair) and
not per negotiation
- Clarified dependent parameter status
- Added CRC Example
- Added OpParmReset=Yes
- SecurityContextComplete is mandatory if any option offered
- Added a warning about the implications of not sending all
unsolicited data to part 8
- Added a recommendation to send unsolicited data at First-
BurstSize and a response (error) for targets not supporting
less
- Many more minor editorial changes, clarifications, typos etc.
- Responses in same position in SCSI response, logout, task
etc.
Julian Satran Expires February 2003 15
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Status of this Memo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Change Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1. Definitions and Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
1.1 Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
1.2 Acronyms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
1.3 Conventions used in this document . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
1.3.1 Word Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
1.3.2 Half-Word Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
1.3.3 Byte Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
2. Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
2.1 SCSI Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
2.2 iSCSI Concepts and Functional Overview . . . . . . . . . . . .33
2.2.1 Layers and Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
2.2.2 Ordering and iSCSI Numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
2.2.2.1 Command Numbering and Acknowledging . . . . . . . . .35
2.2.2.2 Response/Status Numbering and Acknowledging . . . . .38
2.2.2.3 Data Sequencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
2.2.3 iSCSI Login . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
2.2.4 iSCSI Full Feature Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
2.2.5 iSCSI Connection Termination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
2.2.6 iSCSI Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
2.2.6.1 iSCSI Name Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
2.2.6.2 iSCSI Name Encoding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
2.2.6.3 iSCSI Name Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
2.2.6.3.1 Type "iqn." (iSCSI Qualified Name) . . . . . . .47
2.2.6.3.2 Type "eui." (IEEE EUI-64 format) . . . . . . . .48
2.2.7 Persistent State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
2.2.8 Message Synchronization and Steering . . . . . . . . . . .49
2.2.8.1 Rationale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
2.2.8.2 Synchronization (sync) and Steering Functional Model 50
2.2.8.3 Sync and Steering and Other Encapsulation Layers . .52
2.2.8.4 Sync/Steering and iSCSI PDU Length . . . . . . . . .53
2.3 iSCSI Session Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
2.4 SCSI to iSCSI Concepts Mapping Model . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
2.4.1 iSCSI Architecture Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
2.4.2 SCSI Architecture Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
2.4.3 Consequences of the Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
2.4.3.1 I_T Nexus State . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
2.4.3.2 SCSI Mode Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
2.5 Request/Response Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
2.5.1 Request/Response types carrying SCSI payload . . . . . . .61
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2.5.1.1 SCSI-Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
2.5.1.2 SCSI-Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
2.5.1.3 Task Management Function Request . . . . . . . . . .62
2.5.1.4 Task Management Function Response . . . . . . . . . .63
2.5.1.5 SCSI Data-out and SCSI Data-in . . . . . . . . . . .63
2.5.1.6 Ready To Transfer (R2T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
2.5.2 Requests/Responses carrying SCSI and iSCSI Payload . . . .64
2.5.2.1 Asynchronous Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
2.5.3 Requests/Responses carrying iSCSI Only Payload . . . . . .65
2.5.3.1 Text Request and Text Response . . . . . . . . . . .65
2.5.3.2 Login Request and Login Response . . . . . . . . . .65
2.5.3.3 Logout Request and Response . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
2.5.3.4 SNACK Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
2.5.3.5 Reject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
2.5.3.6 NOP-Out Request and NOP-In Response . . . . . . . . .67
3. SCSI Mode Parameters for iSCSI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
4. Login and Full Feature Phase Negotiation . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
4.1 Text Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
4.2 Text Mode Negotiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72
4.2.1 List negotiations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
4.2.2 Simple-value negotiations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75
4.3 Login Phase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
4.3.1 Login Phase Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
4.3.2 iSCSI Security Negotiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80
4.3.3 Operational Parameter Negotiation During the Login Phase .81
4.3.4 Connection reinstatement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
4.3.5 Session reinstatement, closure and timeout . . . . . . . .83
4.3.5.1 Loss of Nexus notification . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
4.3.6 Session continuation and failure . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
4.4 Operational Parameter Negotiation Outside the Login Phase . . .84
5. State Transitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
5.1 Standard Connection State Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86
5.1.1 Standard Connection State Diagram for an Initiator . . . .86
5.1.2 Standard Connection State Diagram for a Target . . . . . .88
5.1.3 State Descriptions for Initiators and Targets . . . . . .90
5.1.4 State Transition Descriptions for Initiators and Targets .91
5.2 Connection Cleanup State Diagram for Initiators and Targets . .95
5.2.1 State Descriptions for Initiators and Targets . . . . . .96
5.2.2 State Transition Descriptions for Initiators and Targets .97
5.3 Session State Diagrams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98
5.3.1 Session State Diagram for a Target . . . . . . . . . . . .99
5.3.2 State Descriptions for Initiators and Targets . . . . . 101
5.3.3 State Transition Descriptions for Initiators and Targets 101
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6. iSCSI Error Handling and Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
6.1 Retry and Reassign in Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
6.1.1 Usage of Retry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
6.1.2 Allegiance Reassignment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
6.2 Usage Of Reject PDU in Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
6.3 Connection timeout management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
6.3.1 Timeouts on transport exception events . . . . . . . . . 106
6.3.2 Timeouts on planned decommissioning . . . . . . . . . . 106
6.4 Format Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
6.5 Digest Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
6.6 Sequence Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
6.7 SCSI Timeouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
6.8 Negotiation Failures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
6.9 Protocol Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
6.10 Connection Failures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
6.11 Session Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
6.12 Recovery Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
6.12.1 Recovery Within-command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
6.12.2 Recovery Within-connection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
6.12.3 Connection Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
6.12.4 Session Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
6.13 Error Recovery Hierarchy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
7. Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
7.1 iSCSI Security Mechanisms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
7.2 In-band Initiator-Target Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . 119
7.2.1 CHAP Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
7.2.2 SRP Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
7.3 IPsec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
7.3.1 Data Integrity and Authentication . . . . . . . . . . . 121
7.3.2 Confidentiality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
7.3.3 Policy, Security Associations and Key Management . . . . 122
8. Notes to Implementers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
8.1 Multiple Network Adapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
8.1.1 Conservative Reuse of ISIDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
8.1.2 iSCSI Name, ISID and TPGT Use . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
8.2 Autosense and Auto Contingent Allegiance (ACA) . . . . . . . 127
8.3 iSCSI timeouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
8.4 Command Retry and Cleaning Old Command Instances . . . . . . 127
8.5 Synch and Steering Layer and Performance . . . . . . . . . . 127
8.6 Considerations for State-dependent devices . . . . . . . . . 128
8.6.1 Determining the proper ErrorRecoveryLevel . . . . . . . 128
9. iSCSI PDU Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
9.1 iSCSI PDU Length and Padding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
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9.2 PDU Template, Header, and Opcodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
9.2.1 Basic Header Segment (BHS) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
9.2.1.1 I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
9.2.1.2 Opcode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
9.2.1.3 Opcode-specific Fields . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
9.2.1.4 TotalAHSLength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
9.2.1.5 DataSegmentLength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
9.2.1.6 LUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
9.2.1.7 Initiator Task Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
9.2.2 Additional Header Segment (AHS) . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
9.2.2.1 AHSType . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
9.2.2.2 AHSLength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
9.2.2.3 Extended CDB AHS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
9.2.2.4 Bidirectional Expected Read-Data Length AHS . . . . 135
9.2.3 Header Digest and Data Digest . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
9.2.4 Data Segment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
9.3 SCSI Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
9.3.1 Flags and Task Attributes (byte 1) . . . . . . . . . . . 137
9.3.2 CmdSN - Command Sequence Number . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
9.3.3 ExpStatSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
9.3.4 Expected Data Transfer Length . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
9.3.5 CDB - SCSI Command Descriptor Block . . . . . . . . . . 139
9.3.6 Data Segment - Command Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
9.4 SCSI Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
9.4.1 Flags (byte 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
9.4.2 Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
9.4.3 Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
9.4.4 Residual Count . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
9.4.5 Bidirectional Read Residual Count . . . . . . . . . . . 143
9.4.6 Data Segment - Sense and Response Data Segment . . . . . 143
9.4.6.1 SenseLength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
9.4.6.2 Sense Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
9.4.7 ExpDataSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
9.4.8 StatSN - Status Sequence Number . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
9.4.9 ExpCmdSN - Next Expected CmdSN from this Initiator . . . 145
9.4.10 MaxCmdSN - Maximum CmdSN from this Initiator . . . . . 145
9.5 Task Management Function Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
9.5.1 Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
9.5.2 LUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
9.5.3 Referenced Task Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
9.5.4 RefCmdSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
9.5.5 ExpDataSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
9.6 Task Management Function Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
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9.6.1 Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
9.6.2 Task Management actions on task sets . . . . . . . . . . 153
9.7 SCSI Data-out & SCSI Data-in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
9.7.1 F (Final) Bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
9.7.2 A (Acknowledge) bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
9.7.3 Target Transfer Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
9.7.4 StatSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
9.7.5 DataSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
9.7.6 Buffer Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
9.7.7 DataSegmentLength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
9.7.8 Flags (byte 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
9.8 Ready To Transfer (R2T) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
9.8.1 R2TSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
9.8.2 StatSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
9.8.3 Desired Data Transfer Length and Buffer Offset . . . . . 162
9.8.4 Target Transfer Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
9.9 Asynchronous Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
9.9.1 AsyncEvent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
9.9.2 AsyncVCode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
9.9.3 Sense Data and iSCSI Event Data . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
9.9.3.1 SenseLength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
9.10 Text Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
9.10.1 F (Final) Bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
9.10.2 C (Continue) Bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
9.10.3 Initiator Task Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
9.10.4 Target Transfer Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
9.10.5 Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
9.11 Text Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
9.11.1 F (Final) Bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
9.11.2 C (Continue) Bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
9.11.3 Initiator Task Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
9.11.4 Target Transfer Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
9.11.5 StatSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
9.11.6 Text Response Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
9.12 Login Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
9.12.1 T (Transit) Bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
9.12.2 C (Continue) Bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
9.12.3 CSG and NSG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
9.12.4 Version-max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
9.12.5 Version-min . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
9.12.6 ISID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
9.12.7 TSIH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
9.12.8 Connection ID - CID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
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9.12.9 CmdSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
9.12.10 ExpStatSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
9.12.11 Login Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
9.13 Login Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
9.13.1 Version-max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
9.13.2 Version-active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
9.13.3 TSIH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
9.13.4 StatSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
9.13.5 Status-Class and Status-Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
9.13.6 T (Transit) bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
9.13.7 C (Continue) Bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
9.13.8 Login Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
9.14 Logout Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
9.14.1 Reason Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
9.14.2 CID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
9.14.3 ExpStatSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
9.14.4 Implicit termination of tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
9.15 Logout Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
9.15.1 Response . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
9.15.2 Time2Wait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
9.15.3 Time2Retain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
9.16 SNACK Request . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
9.16.1 Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
9.16.2 BegRun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
9.16.3 RunLength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
9.17 Reject . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
9.17.1 Reason . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
9.17.2 DataSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
9.17.3 StatSN, ExpCmdSN and MaxCmdSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
9.17.4 Complete Header of Bad PDU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
9.18 NOP-Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
9.18.1 Initiator Task Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
9.18.2 Target Transfer Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
9.18.3 Ping Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
9.19 NOP-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
9.19.1 Target Transfer Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
9.19.2 StatSN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
9.19.3 LUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
10. iSCSI Security Keys and Authentication Methods . . . . . . . . 204
10.1 AuthMethod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
10.2 Kerberos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
10.3 Simple Public-Key Mechanism (SPKM) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206
10.4 Secure Remote Password (SRP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
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10.5 Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) . . . . . 208
11. Login/Text Operational Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
11.1 HeaderDigest and DataDigest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210
11.2 MaxConnections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
11.3 SendTargets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
11.4 TargetName . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
11.5 InitiatorName . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
11.6 TargetAlias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
11.7 InitiatorAlias . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
11.8 TargetAddress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
11.9 TargetPortalGroupTag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
11.10 InitialR2T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
11.11 BidiInitialR2T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
11.12 ImmediateData . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
11.13 MaxRecvDataSegmentLength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
11.14 MaxBurstLength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
11.15 FirstBurstLength . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
11.16 DefaultTime2Wait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
11.17 DefaultTime2Retain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
11.18 MaxOutstandingR2T . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
11.19 DataPDUInOrder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
11.20 DataSequenceInOrder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
11.21 ErrorRecoveryLevel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
11.22 SessionType . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
11.23 The Vendor Specific Key Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
12. IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
References and Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
Authors' Addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
Appendix A. Sync and Steering with Fixed Interval Markers . . . . . 229
A.1 Markers At Fixed Intervals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
A.2 Initial Marker-less Interval . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
A.3 Negotiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
OFMarker, IFMarker 230
OFMarkInt, IFMarkInt 231
Appendix B. Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
B.2 Write Operation Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
B.3 R2TSN/DataSN use Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234
B.4 CRC Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
Appendix C. Login Phase Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Appendix D. SendTargets Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Appendix E. Algorithmic Presentation of Error Recovery Classes . . 254
E.2 Within-command Error Recovery Algorithms . . . . . . . . . . 255
Procedure Descriptions 255
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Initiator Algorithms 256
Target Algorithms 258
E.3 Within-connection Recovery Algorithms . . . . . . . . . . . 260
Procedure Descriptions 260
Initiator Algorithms 261
Target Algorithms 264
E.4 Connection Recovery Algorithms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
Procedure Descriptions 264
Initiator Algorithms 265
Target Algorithms 267
Appendix F. Clearing effects of various events on targets . . . . . 269
F.1 Clearing effects on iSCSI objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
F.2 Clearing effects on SCSI objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
Full Copyright Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276
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1. Definitions and Acronyms
1.1 Definitions
- Alias: An alias string can also be associated with an iSCSI Node.
The alias allows an organization to associate a user-friendly string
with the iSCSI Name. However, the alias string is not a substitute
for the iSCSI Name.
- CID (Connection ID): Connections within a session are identified by
a connection ID. It is a unique ID for this connection within the
session for the initiator. It is generated by the initiator and pre-
sented to the target during login requests and during logouts that
close connections.
- Connection: A connection is a TCP connection. Communication between
the initiator and target occurs over one or more TCP connections. The
TCP connections carry control messages, SCSI commands, parameters,
and data within iSCSI Protocol Data Units (iSCSI PDUs).
- iSCSI Device: A SCSI Device using an iSCSI delivery subsystem
- iSCSI Initiator Name: The iSCSI Initiator Name specifies the world-
wide unique name of the initiator.
- iSCSI Initiator Node: The "initiator".
- iSCSI Layer: This layer builds/receives iSCSI PDUs and relays/
receives them to/from one or more TCP connections that form an initi-
ator-target "session".
- iSCSI Name: The name of an iSCSI initiator or iSCSI target.
- iSCSI Node: The iSCSI Node represents a single iSCSI initiator or
iSCSI target. There are one or more iSCSI Nodes within a Network
Entity. The iSCSI Node is accessible via one or more Network Por-
tals. An iSCSI Node is identified by its iSCSI Name. The separation
of the iSCSI Name from the addresses used by and for the iSCSI node
allows multiple iSCSI nodes to use the same addresses, and the same
iSCSI node to use multiple addresses.
- iSCSI Target Name: The iSCSI Target Name specifies the worldwide
unique name of the target.
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- iSCSI Target Node: The "target".
- iSCSI Task: An iSCSI task is an iSCSI request for which a response
is expected.
- iSCSI Transfer Direction: The iSCSI transfer direction is defined
with regard to the initiator. Outbound or outgoing transfers are
transfers from the initiator to the target, while inbound or incoming
transfers are from the target to the initiator.
- I_T nexus: According to [SAM2], the I_T nexus is a relationship
between a SCSI Initiator Port and a SCSI Target Port. For iSCSI, this
relationship is a session, defined as a relationship between an iSCSI
Initiator's end of session (SCSI Initiator Port) and the iSCSI Tar-
get's Portal Group. The I_T nexus can be identified by the conjunc-
tion of the SCSI port names; that is, the I_T nexus identifier is the
tuple (iSCSI Initiator Name + 'i'+ ISID, iSCSI Target Name + 't'+
Portal Group Tag).
- Network Entity: The Network Entity represents a device or gateway
that is accessible from the IP network. A Network Entity must have
one or more Network Portals, each of which can be used to gain access
to the IP network by some iSCSI Nodes contained in that Network
Entity.
- Network Portal: The Network Portal is a component of a Network
Entity that has a TCP/IP network address and that may be used by an
iSCSI Node within that Network Entity for the connection(s) within
one of its iSCSI sessions. A Network Portal in an initiator is iden-
tified by its IP address. A Network Portal in a target is identified
by its IP address and its listening TCP port.
- Originator - in a negotiation or exchange the party that initiates
the negotiation or exchange.
- PDU (Protocol Data Unit): The initiator and target divide their
communications into messages. The term "iSCSI protocol data unit"
(iSCSI PDU) is used for these messages.
- Portal Groups: iSCSI supports multiple connections within the same
session; some implementations will have the ability to combine con-
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nections in a session across multiple Network Portals. A Portal Group
defines a set of Network Portals within an iSCSI Node that collec-
tively supports the capability of coordinating a session with connec-
tions spanning these portals. Not all Network Portals within a Portal
Group need participate in every session connected through that Por-
tal Group. One or more Portal Groups may provide access to an iSCSI
Node. Each Network Portal as utilized by a given iSCSI Node belongs
to exactly one portal group within that node.
- Portal Group Tag: This simple unsigned-integer between 1 and 65535
identifies the Portal Group within an iSCSI Node. All Network Por-
tals with the same portal group tag in the context of a given iSCSI
Node are in the same Portal Group.
- Responder: In a negotiation or exchange, the party that responds to
the originator of the negotiation or exchange.
- SCSI Device: This is the SAM2 term for an entity that contains
other SCSI entities. For example, a SCSI Initiator Device contains
one or more SCSI Initiator Ports and zero or more application cli-
ents; a SCSI Target Device contains one or more SCSI Target Ports and
one or more logical units. For iSCSI, the SCSI Device is the compo-
nent within an iSCSI Node that provides the SCSI functionality. As
such, there can be at most one SCSI Device within a given iSCSI Node.
Access to the SCSI Device can only be achieved in an iSCSI normal
operational session. The SCSI Device Name is defined to be the iSCSI
Name of the node and its use is mandatory in the iSCSI protocol.
- SCSI Layer: This builds/receives SCSI CDBs (Command Descriptor
Blocks) and relays/receives them with the remaining command execute
parameters to/from the iSCSI Layer.
- Session: The group of TCP connections that link an initiator with a
target, form a session (loosely equivalent to a SCSI I-T nexus). TCP
connections can be added and removed from a session. Across all con-
nections within a session, an initiator sees one "target image".
- SSID (Session ID): A session between an iSCSI initiator and an
iSCSI target is defined by a session ID that is a tuple composed of
an initiator part (ISID) and a target part (Target Portal Group Tag).
The ISID is explicitly specified by the initiator at session estab-
lishment. The Target Portal Group Tag is implied by the initiator
through the selection of the TCP end-point at connection establish-
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ment. The TargetPortalGroupTag key may also be returned by the tar-
get as a confirmation during session establishment.
- SCSI Initiator Port: This maps to the endpoint of an iSCSI normal
operational session. An iSCSI normal operational session is negoti-
ated through the login process between an iSCSI initiator node and an
iSCSI target node. At successful completion of this process, a SCSI
Initiator Port is created within the SCSI Initiator Device. The SCSI
Initiator Port Name and SCSI Initiator Port Identifier are both
defined to be the iSCSI Initiator Name together with (a) a label that
identifies it as an initiator port name/identifier and (b) the ISID
portion of the session identifier.
- SCSI Port: This is the SAM2 term for an entity in a SCSI Device
that provides the SCSI functionality to interface with a service
delivery subsystem or transport. For iSCSI, the definition of the
SCSI Initiator Port and the SCSI Target Port are different.
- SCSI Port Name: A name made up as UTF-8 characters and includes the
iSCSI Name + 'i' or 't' + ISID or Portal Group Tag.
- SCSI Target Port: This maps to an iSCSI Target Portal Group.
- SCSI Target Port Name and SCSI Target Port Identifier: These are
both defined to be the iSCSI Target Name together with (a) a label
that identifies it as a target port name/identifier and (b) the por-
tal group tag.
- Target Portal Group Tag: a numerical identifier (16 bit) for an
iSCSI Target Portal Group
- TSIH (Target Session Identifying Handle): The TSIH is a target
assigned tag for a session with a specific named initiator. The tar-
get generates it during session establishment and its internal for-
mat and content are not defined by this protocol except for the value
0 that is reserved and used by the initiator to indicate a new ses-
sion. It is given to the target during additional connection estab-
lishment for the same session.
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1.2 Acronyms
Acronym Definition
--------------------------------------------------------------
3DES Triple Data Encryption Standard
ACA Auto Contingent Allegiance
AEN Asynchronous Event Notification
AES Advanced Encryption Standard
AH Additional Header
AHS Additional Header Segment
API Application Programming Interface
ASC Additional Sense Code
ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange
ASCQ Additional Sense Code Qualifier
BHS Basic Header Segment
CBC Cipher Block Chaining
CDB Command Descriptor Block
CHAP Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol
CID Connection ID
CO Connection Only
CRC Cyclic Redundancy Check
CRL Certificate Revocation List
CSG Current Stage
CSM Connection State Machine
DES Data Encryption Standard
DNS Domain Name Server
DOI Domain of Interpretation
ESP Encapsulating Security Payload
EUI Extended Unique Identifier
FFP Full Feature Phase
FFPO Full Feature Phase Only
Gbps GigaBits per Second
HBA Host Bus Adapter
HMAC Hashed Message Authentication
IANA Internet Assigned Numbers Authority
ID Identifier
IDN Internationalized Domain Name
IEEE Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers
IETF Internet Engineering Task Force
IKE Internet Key Exchange
I/O Input - Output
IO Initialize Only
IP Internet Protocol
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IPsec Internet Protocol Security
IPv4 Internet Protocol Version 4
IPv6 Internet Protocol Version 6
IQN iSCSI Qualified Name
ISID Initiator Session ID
ITN Initiator Task Name
ITT Initiator Task Tag
KRB5 Kerberos V5
LFL Lower Functional Layer
LTDS Logical-Text-Data-Segment
LO Leading Only
LU Logical Unit
LUN Logical Unit Number
MAC Message Authentication Codes
NA Not Applicable
NIC Network Interface Card
NOP No Operation
NSG Next Stage
OS Operating System
PDU Protocol Data Unit
PKI Public Key Infrastructure
R2T Ready To Transfer
R2TSN Ready To Transfer Sequence Number
RDMA Remote Direct Memory Access
SAM SCSI Architecture Model
SAM2 SCSI Architecture Model - 2
SAN Storage Area Network
SCSI Small Computer Systems Interface
SN Sequence Number
SNACK Selective Negative Acknowledgment - also
Sequence Number Acknowledgement for data
SPKM Simple Public-Key Mechanism
SRP Secure Remote Password
SSID Session ID
SW Session Wide
TCB Task Control Block
TCP Transmission Control Protocol
TPGT Target Portal Group Tag
TSIH Target Session Identifying Handle
TTT Target Transfer Tag
UFL Upper Functional Layer
ULP Upper Level Protocol
URN Uniform Resource Names
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UTF Universal Transformation Format
WG Working Group
1.3 Conventions used in this document
In examples, "I->" and "T->" show iSCSI PDUs sent by the initiator
and target respectively.
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in this
document are to be interpreted as described in RFC2119.
iSCSI messages - PDUs - are represented by diagrams as in the follow-
ing example:
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0| Basic Header Segment (BHS) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
----------
+| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
The diagrams include byte and bit numbering.
The following representation and ordering rules are observed in this
document:
- Word Rule
- Half-word Rule
- Byte Rule
1.3.1 Word Rule
A word holds 4 consecutive bytes and whenever having a numeric con-
tent the word is considered an unsigned number in base 2 positional
representation with the lowest numbered byte (e.g., byte 0) bit 0
representing 2**31, bit 1 representing 2**30 and through Lowest num-
bered byte + 3 (e.g., byte 3) bit 7 representing 2**0.
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Decimal and hexadecimal representation of word values map this repre-
sentation to decimal or hexadecimal positional notation.
1.3.2 Half-Word Rule
A half-word holds 2 consecutive bytes and whenever having a numeric
content the half-word is considered an unsigned number in base 2
positional representation with the lowest numbered byte (e.g., byte
0) bit 0 representing 2**16, bit 1 representing 2**15 and through
Lowest numbered byte + 1 (e.g., byte 1) bit 7 representing 2**0.
Decimal and hexadecimal representation of word values map this repre-
sentation to decimal or hexadecimal positional notation.
1.3.3 Byte Rule
For every PDU bytes are sent and received in increasing numbering
order (network order).
Whenever a byte has a numerical content it is considered an unsigned
number in base 2 positional representation with bit 0 representing
2**7, bit 1 representing 2**6 and through bit 7 representing 2**0.
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2. Overview
2.1 SCSI Concepts
The SCSI Architecture Model-2 [SAM2] describes, in detail, the archi-
tecture of the SCSI family of I/O protocols. This section provides a
brief background of the SCSI architecture and is intended to famil-
iarize readers with its terminology.
At the highest level, SCSI is a family of interfaces for requesting
services from I/O devices, including hard drives, tape drives, CD and
DVD drives, printers, and scanners. In SCSI terminology, an individ-
ual I/O device is called a "logical unit" (LU).
SCSI is a client-server architecture. Clients of a SCSI interface are
called "initiators". Initiators issue SCSI "commands" to request ser-
vice from a logical unit. The "device server" on the logical unit
accepts SCSI commands and processes them.
A "SCSI transport" maps the client-server SCSI protocol to a spe-
cific interconnect. Initiators are one endpoint of a SCSI transport.
The "target" is the other endpoint. A target can contain multiple
Logical Units (LUs). Each Logical Unit has an address within a tar-
get called a Logical Unit Number (LUN).
A SCSI task is a SCSI command or possibly a linked set of SCSI com-
mands. Some LUs support multiple pending (queued) tasks, but the
queue of tasks is managed by the target. The target uses an initia-
tor provided "task tag" to distinguish between tasks. Only one com-
mand in a task can be outstanding at any given time.
Each SCSI command results in an optional data phase and a required
response phase. In the data phase, information can travel from the
initiator to target (e.g., WRITE), target to initiator (e.g., READ),
or in both directions. In the response phase, the target returns the
final status of the operation, including any errors. A response ter-
minates a SCSI command.
Command Descriptor Blocks (CDB) are the data structures used to con-
tain the command parameters that an initiator hands to a target. The
CDB content and structure is defined by [SAM] and device-type spe-
cific SCSI standards.
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2.2 iSCSI Concepts and Functional Overview
The iSCSI protocol is a mapping of the SCSI remote procedure invoca-
tion model (see [SAM]) over the TCP protocol. SCSI commands are car-
ried by iSCSI requests and SCSI responses and status are carried by
iSCSI responses. iSCSI also uses the request response mechanism for
iSCSI protocol mechanisms.
For the remainder of this document, the terms "initiator" and "tar-
get" refer to "iSCSI initiator node" and "iSCSI target node", respec-
tively (see Section 2.4.1 iSCSI Architecture Model) unless otherwise
qualified.
In keeping with similar protocols, the initiator and target divide
their communications into messages. This document uses the term
"iSCSI protocol data unit" (iSCSI PDU) for these messages.
For performance reasons, iSCSI allows a "phase-collapse". A command
and its associated data may be shipped together from initiator to
target, and data and responses may be shipped together from targets.
The iSCSI transfer direction is defined with respect to the initia-
tor. Outbound or outgoing transfers are transfers from an initiator
to a target, while inbound or incoming transfers are from a target to
an initiator.
An iSCSI task is an iSCSI request for which a response is expected.
In this document "iSCSI request", "iSCSI command", request, or
(unqualified) command have the same meaning. Also, unless otherwise
specified, status, response, or numbered response have the same mean-
ing.
2.2.1 Layers and Sessions
The following conceptual layering model is used to specify initiator
and target actions and how they relate to transmitted and received
Protocol Data Units:
-The SCSI layer builds/receives SCSI CDBs (Command Descriptor
Blocks) and relays/receives them with the remaining command
execute parameters (cf. SAM2) to/from ->.
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-The iSCSI layer that builds/receives iSCSI PDUs and relays/
receives them to/from one or more TCP connections that form
an initiator-target "session".
Communication between the initiator and target occurs over one or
more TCP connections. The TCP connections carry control messages,
SCSI commands, parameters, and data within iSCSI Protocol Data Units
(iSCSI PDUs). The group of TCP connections that link an initiator
with a target, form a session (loosely equivalent to a SCSI I-T nexus
- see Section 2.4.2 SCSI Architecture Model). A session is defined by
a session ID that is composed of an initiator part and a target part.
TCP connections can be added and removed from a session. Connections
within a session are identified by a connection ID (CID).
Across all connections within a session, an initiator sees one "tar-
get image". All target identifying elements, such as LUN, are the
same. A target also sees one "initiator image" across all connec-
tions within a session. Initiator identifying elements, such as the
Initiator Task Tag are global across the session regardless of the
connection on which they are sent or received.
iSCSI targets and initiators MUST support at least one TCP connec-
tion and MAY support several connections in a session. For error
recovery purposes, targets and initiators that support a single
active connection in a session may have to support two connections
during recovery.
2.2.2 Ordering and iSCSI Numbering
iSCSI uses Command and Status numbering schemes and a Data sequenc-
ing scheme.
Command numbering is session-wide and is used for ordered command
delivery over multiple connections. It can also be used as a mecha-
nism for command flow control over a session.
Status numbering is per connection and is used to enable missing sta-
tus detection and recovery in the presence of transient or permanent
communication errors.
Data sequencing is per command or part of a command (R2T triggered
sequence) and is used to detect missing data and/or R2T PDUs due to
header digest errors.
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Typically, fields in the iSCSI PDUs communicate the Sequence Numbers
between the initiator and target. During periods when traffic on a
connection is unidirectional, iSCSI NOP-Out/In PDUs may be utilized
to synchronize the command and status ordering counters of the tar-
get and initiator.
2.2.2.1 Command Numbering and Acknowledging
iSCSI supports ordered command delivery within a session. All com-
mands (initiator-to-target PDUs) are numbered.
Many SCSI activities are related to a task (SAM2). The task is iden-
tified by the Initiator Task Tag for the life of the task.
Commands in transit from the initiator to the target are numbered by
iSCSI; the number is carried by the iSCSI PDU as CmdSN (Command-
Sequence-Number). The numbering is session-wide. Outgoing iSCSI PDUs
carry this number. The iSCSI initiator allocates CmdSNs with a 32-bit
unsigned counter (modulo 2**32). Comparisons and arithmetic on CmdSN
use Serial Number Arithmetic as defined in [RFC1982] where
SERIAL_BITS = 32.
Commands meant for immediate delivery are marked with an immediate
delivery flag; they also carry CmdSN. CmdSN does not advance for com-
mands marked for immediate delivery.
Command numbering starts with the first login request on the first
connection of a session (the leading login on the leading connec-
tion) and command numbers are incremented by 1 for every non-immedi-
ate command issued afterwards.
If immediate delivery is used with task management commands, these
commands may reach the target before the tasks on which they are sup-
posed to act. For this reason the task management command MUST carry
the current CmdSN as a marker of their position in the stream of com-
mands. The initiator and target must ensure that the task management
commands act as specified by SAM2. For example, both commands and
responses appear as if delivered in order. Whenever CmdSN for an
outgoing PDU is not specified by an explicit rule CmdSN will carry
the current value of the local CmdSN register (see later in this sec-
tion).
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The means by which one may request immediate delivery for a command
or by which iSCSI decides by itself to mark a PDU for immediate
delivery are beyond the scope of this document.
The number of commands used for immediate delivery is not limited and
their delivery to execution is not acknowledged through the number-
ing scheme. Immediate commands can be rejected by the iSCSI target
due to lack of resources. An iSCSI target MUST be able to handle at
least one immediate task management command and one immediate non-
task-management iSCSI command per connection at any time.
With the exception of the commands marked for immediate delivery, the
iSCSI target layer MUST deliver the commands for execution in the
order specified by CmdSN. Commands marked for immediate delivery may
be handed over by the iSCSI target layer for execution as soon as
detected. iSCSI may avoid delivering some commands for execution if
required by a prior SCSI or iSCSI action (e.g., CLEAR TASK SET Task
Management request received before all the commands on which it was
supposed to act). Delivery for execution means delivery to the SCSI
execution engine or an iSCSI-SCSI protocol specific execution engine
(e.g., for text requests).
On any given connection, the iSCSI initiator MUST send the commands
in increasing order of CmdSN, except for commands that are retrans-
mitted due to digest error recovery and connection recovery.
The initiator and target are assumed to have the following three reg-
isters that are unique session wide and that define the numbering
mechanism:
- CmdSN - the current command Sequence Number, advanced by 1
on each command shipped except for commands marked for imme-
diate delivery. CmdsN always contains the number to be
assigned next.
- ExpCmdSN - the next expected command by the target. The tar-
get acknowledges all commands up to, but not including, this
number. The initiator has to mark the acknowledged commands
as such as soon as a PDU with the corresponding ExpCmdSN is
received. The target iSCSI layer sets the ExpCmdSN to the
largest non-immediate CmdSN that it can deliver for execu-
tion plus 1 (no holes in the CmdSN sequence).
- MaxCmdSN - the maximum number to be shipped. The queuing
capacity of the receiving iSCSI layer is MaxCmdSN - ExpCmdSN
+ 1.
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iSCSI 1-July-02
ExpCmdSN and MaxCmdSN are derived from target-to-initiator PDU
fields. Comparisons and arithmetic on ExpCmdSN and MaxCmdSN MUST use
Serial Number Arithmetic as defined in [RFC1982] where SERIAL_BITS =
32.
The target MUST NOT transmit a MaxCmdSN that is less than ExpCmdSN-1.
For non-immediate commands, the CmdSN field can take any value from
ExpCmdSN to MaxCmdSN inclusive. The target MUST silently ignore any
non-immediate command outside of this range or non-immediate dupli-
cates within the range. Note that the CmdSN carried by immediate com-
mands may lie outside the ExpCmdSN to MaxCmdSN range (e.g., if the
initiator has previously sent a non-immediate command carrying the
CmdSN equal to MaxCmdSN - i.e., target window is closed). For group
task management commands issued as immediate commands CmdSN indi-
cates the scope of the group action (e.g., on ABORT TASK SET - what
commands get aborted).
MaxCmdSN and ExpCmdSN fields are processed by the initiator as fol-
lows:
-If the PDU MaxCmdSN is less than the PDU ExpCmdSN-1 (in Serial
Arithmetic Sense), they are both ignored.
-If the PDU MaxCmdSN is greater than the local MaxCmdSN (in
Serial Arithmetic Sense) it updates the local MaxCmdSN; oth-
erwise, it is ignored.
-If the PDU ExpCmdSN is greater than the local ExpCmdSN (in
Serial Arithmetic Sense) it updates the local ExpCmdSN; oth-
erwise, it is ignored.
This sequence is required because updates may arrive out of order
being that they travel on different TCP connections.
iSCSI initiators and targets MUST support the command numbering
scheme.
A numbered iSCSI request will not change its allocated CmdSN, regard-
less of the number of times and circumstances in which it is reis-
sued (see Section 6.1.1 Usage of Retry). At the target, it is assumed
that CmdSN is relevant only while the command has not created any
state related to its execution (execution state); afterwards, CmdSN
becomes irrelevant. Testing for the execution state (represented by
identifying the Initiator Task Tag) is assumed to precede any other
action at the target, and is followed by ordering and delivery if no
execution state is found or delivery if an execution state is found.
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If an initiator issues a command retry for a command with CmdSN R on
a connection when the session CmdSN register is Q, it MUST NOT
advance the CmdSN past R + 2**31 -1 unless the connection is no
longer operational (has returned to the FREE state - see Section 5.1
Standard Connection State Diagrams), or the connection has been rein-
stated (see Section 4.3.4 Connection reinstatement), or a non-immedi-
ate command with CmdSN equal or greater than Q was issued on the same
connection and the reception of the command is acknowledged by the
target (see Section 8.4 Command Retry and Cleaning Old Command
Instances).
A target MUST NOT issue a command response or DATA-In PDU with sta-
tus before acknowledging the command. However, the acknowledgement
can be included in the response or Data-in PDU itself.
2.2.2.2 Response/Status Numbering and Acknowledging
Responses in transit from the target to the initiator are numbered.
The StatSN (Status Sequence Number) is used for this purpose. StatSN
is a counter maintained per connection. ExpStatSN is used by the ini-
tiator to acknowledge status. The status sequence number space is 32-
bit unsigned-integers and the arithmetic operations are the regular
mod(2**32) arithmetic.
Status numbering starts with the Login response to the first Login
request of the connection. The Login response includes an initial
value for status numbering (any initial value is valid).
To enable command recovery, the target MAY maintain enough state
information to enable data and status recovery after a connection
failure. A target can discard all the state information maintained
for recovery after the status delivery is acknowledged through Exp-
StatSN.
A large absolute difference between StatSN and ExpStatSN may indi-
cate a failed connection. Initiators undertake recovery actions if
the difference is greater than an implementation defined constant
that SHOULD NOT exceed 2**31-1.
Initiators and Targets MUST support the response-numbering scheme.
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2.2.2.3 Data Sequencing
Data and R2T PDUs, transferred as part of some command execution,
MUST be sequenced. The DataSN field is used for data sequencing. For
input (read) data PDUs, DataSN starts with 0 for the first data PDU
of an input command and advances by 1 for each subsequent data PDU.
For output data PDUs, DataSN starts with 0 for the first data PDU of
a sequence (the initial unsolicited sequence or any data PDU sequence
issued to satisfy an R2T) and advances by 1 for each subsequent data
PDU. R2Ts are also sequenced per command. For example, the first R2T
has an R2TSN of 0 and advances by 1 for each subsequent R2T. For
bidirectional commands, the target uses the DataSN/R2TSN to sequence
Data-In and R2T PDUs in one continuous sequence (undifferentiated).
Unlike command and status, data PDUs and R2Ts are not acknowledged by
a field in regular outgoing PDUs. Data-In PDUs can be acknowledged
on demand by a special form of the SNACK PDU. Data and R2T PDUs are
implicitly acknowledged by status. The DataSN/R2TSN field enables the
initiator to detect missing data or R2T PDUs.
For any given read or bidirectional command, a target MUST issue less
than 2**32 combined R2T and Data-In PDUs. Any output data sequence
MUST contain less than 2**32 Data-Out PDUs.
2.2.3 iSCSI Login
The purpose of the iSCSI login is to enable a TCP connection for
iSCSI use, authenticate the parties, negotiate the session's parame-
ters and mark the connection as belonging to an iSCSI session.
A session is used to identify all the connections with a given initi-
ator that belong to the same I_T nexus to a target. (See Section
2.4.2 SCSI Architecture Model for more details on how a session
relates to an I_T nexus).
The targets listen on a well-known TCP port or other TCP port for
incoming connections. The initiator begins the login process by con-
necting to one of these TCP ports.
As part of the login process, the initiator and target MAY wish to
authenticate each other and set a security association protocol for
the session. This can occur in many different ways and is subject to
negotiation.
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In order to protect the TCP connection, an IPsec security associa-
tion MAY be established before the Login request. Using IPsec secu-
rity for iSCSI is specified in Chapter 7 and in [SEC-IPS].
The iSCSI Login Phase is carried through Login requests and
responses. Once suitable authentication has occurred and operational
parameters have been set, the initiator may start to send SCSI com-
mands. How the target chooses to authorize an initiator is beyond the
scope of this document. A more detailed description of the Login
Phase can be found in Chapter 4.
The login PDU includes the ISID part of the session ID (SSID). The
target portal group servicing the login is implied by the selection
of the connection end-point. For a new session, the TSIH is zero. As
part of the response, the target generates a TSIH.
During session establishment, the target identifies the SCSI initia-
tor port (the "I" in the "I_T nexus") through the value pair (Initia-
torName, ISID) (InitiatorName is described later in this section).
Any persistent state (e.g., persistent reservations) on the target
that is associated with a SCSI initiator port is identified based on
this value pair. Any state associated with the SCSI target port (the
"T" in the "I_T nexus") is identified externally by the TargetName
and portal group tag (see Section 2.4.1 iSCSI Architecture Model) and
internally in an implementation dependent way. As ISID is used to
identify a persistent state, it is subject to reuse restrictions (see
Section 2.4.3 Consequences of the Model).
Before the Full Feature Phase is established, only Login Request and
Login Response PDUs are allowed. Any other PDU, when received at ini-
tiator or target, is a protocol error and MUST result in the connec-
tion being terminated. Login requests and responses MUST be used
exclusively during Login. On any connection the login phase MUST
immediately succeed TCP connection establishment and a single Login
Phase is allowed before tearing down a connection.
2.2.4 iSCSI Full Feature Phase
Once the initiator is authorized to do so, the iSCSI session is in
the iSCSI Full Feature Phase. A session is in Full Feature Phase
after successfully finishing the Login Phase on the first (leading)
connection of a session. A connection is in Full Feature Phase if
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iSCSI 1-July-02
the session is in Full Feature Phase and the connection login has
completed successfully. An iSCSI connection is not in Full Feature
Phase a) when it does not have an established transport connection,
or b) when it has a valid transport connection, but a successful
login was not performed or the connection is currently logged out. In
a normal Full Feature Phase, the initiator may send SCSI commands and
data to the various LUs on the target by wrapping them in iSCSI PDUs
that go over the established iSCSI session.
For an iSCSI request issued over a TCP connection, the corresponding
response and/or requested PDU(s) MUST be sent over the same connec-
tion. We call this "connection allegiance". If the original connec-
tion fails before the command is completed, the connection allegiance
of the command may be explicitly reassigned to a different transport
connection as described in detail in Section 6.1 Retry and Reassign
in Recovery.
For SCSI commands that require data and/or a parameter transfer, the
(optional) data and the status for the command MUST be sent over the
same TCP connection to which the SCSI command is currently alle-
giant, illustrating the above rule.
Thus, if an initiator issues a READ command, the target MUST send the
requested data, if any, followed by the status to the initiator over
the same TCP connection that was used to deliver the SCSI command. If
an initiator issues a WRITE command, the initiator MUST send the
data, if any, for that command over the same TCP connection that was
used to deliver the SCSI command. The target MUST return Ready To
Transfer (R2T), if any, and the status over the same TCP connection
that was used to deliver the SCSI command. Retransmission requests
(SNACK PDUs) and the data and status that they generate MUST also use
the same connection.
However, consecutive commands that are part of a SCSI linked command-
chain task MAY use different connections. Connection allegiance is
strictly per-command and not per-task. During the iSCSI Full Feature
Phase, the initiator and target MAY interleave unrelated SCSI com-
mands, their SCSI Data, and responses over the session.
Outgoing SCSI data (initiator to target user data or command parame-
ters) is sent as either solicited data or unsolicited data. Solic-
ited data are sent in response to R2T PDUs. Unsolicited data can be
sent as part of an iSCSI command PDU ("immediate data") or in sepa-
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iSCSI 1-July-02
rate iSCSI data PDUs. An initiator may send unsolicited data up to
FirstBurstLength as immediate (up to the negotiated maximum PDU
length), in a separate PDU sequence or both. All subsequent data MUST
be solicited. The maximum length of an individual data PDU or the
immediate-part of the first unsolicited burst MAY be negotiated at
login.
Targets operate in either solicited (R2T) data mode or unsolicited
(non R2T) data mode. The maximum amount of unsolicited data that can
be sent with a command is negotiated at login. A target MAY sepa-
rately enable immediate data without enabling the more general (sepa-
rate data PDUs) form of unsolicited data.
Unsolicited data on write are meant to reduce the effect of latency
on throughput (no R2T is needed to start sending data). In addi-
tion, immediate data are meant to reduce the protocol overhead (both
bandwidth and execution time).
An iSCSI initiator MAY choose to send no unsolicited data, only imme-
diate data or FirstBurstLength bytes of unsolicited data with a com-
mand. If any non-immediate unsolicited data are sent, the total
unsolicited data MUST be either the negotiated amount or all the data
if the total amount is less than the negotiated amount for unsolic-
ited data.
An initiator MUST honor an R2T data request for a valid outstanding
command (i.e., carrying a valid Initiator Task Tag) and deliver all
the requested data provided the command is supposed to deliver outgo-
ing data and the R2T specifies data within the command bounds. The
initiator actions on receiving an R2T request that specifies data all
or part outside the command bounds is unspecified.
It is considered an error for an initiator to send unsolicited data
PDUs to a target that operates in R2T mode (only solicited data are
allowed). It is also an error for an initiator to send more data,
whether immediate or as separate PDUs, than the iSCSI limit for first
burst.
A target SHOULD NOT silently discard data and then request retrans-
mission through R2T. Initiators SHOULD NOT keep track of the data
transferred to or from the target (scoreboarding); targets perform
residual count calculation. Incoming data for initiators is always
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implicitly solicited. SCSI data packets are matched to their corre-
sponding SCSI commands by using Tags specified in the protocol.
Initiator tags for pending commands are unique initiator-wide for a
session. Target tags are not strictly specified by the protocol. It
is assumed that target tags are used by the target to tag (alone or
in combination with the LUN) the solicited data. Target tags are gen-
erated by the target and "echoed" by the initiator. The above mecha-
nisms are designed to accomplish efficient data delivery and a large
degree of control over the data flow.
iSCSI initiators and targets MUST also enforce some ordering rules.
Unsolicited data MUST be sent on every connection in the same order
in which commands were sent. A target that receives data out of order
MAY terminate the session.
2.2.5 iSCSI Connection Termination
An iSCSI connection may be terminated by use of a transport connec-
tion shutdown, or a transport reset. Transport reset is assumed to
be an exceptional event.
Graceful TCP connection shutdowns are done by sending TCP FINs. A
graceful transport connection shutdown SHOULD be initiated by either
party only when the connection is not in iSCSI Full Feature Phase. A
target MAY terminate a Full Feature Phase connection on internal
exception events, but it SHOULD announce the fact through an Asyn-
chronous Message PDU. Connection termination with outstanding com-
mands may require recovery actions.
If a connection is terminated while in Full Feature Phase, connec-
tion cleanup (section 5) is required as a prelude to recovery. By
doing connection cleanup before starting recovery, the initiator and
target can avoid receiving stale PDUs after recovery.
2.2.6 iSCSI Names
Both targets and initiators require names for the purpose of identi-
fication, and so that iSCSI storage resources can be managed regard-
less of location (address). An iSCSI node name is also the SCSI
device name of an iSCSI device. The iSCSI name of a SCSI device is
the principal object used in authentication of targets to initiators
and initiators to targets. This name is also used to identify and
manage iSCSI storage resources.
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iSCSI names must be unique within the operation domain of the end
user. However, because the operation domain of an IP network is
potentially worldwide, the iSCSI name formats are architected to be
world wide unique. To assist naming authorities in the construction
of world wide unique names, iSCSI provides two name formats for dif-
ferent types of naming authorities.
iSCSI names are associated with iSCSI nodes, not iSCSI network
adapter cards, to ensure the replacement of network adapter cards
does not require reconfiguration of all SCSI and iSCSI resource allo-
cation information.
Some SCSI commands require that protocol-specific identifiers be com-
municated within SCSI CDBs. See Section 2.4.2 SCSI Architecture Model
for the definition of the SCSI port name/identifier for iSCSI ports.
An initiator may discover the iSCSI Target Names to which it has
access, along with their addresses, using the SendTargets text
request, or other techniques discussed in [NDT].
2.2.6.1 iSCSI Name Requirements
Each iSCSI node, whether an initiator or target, MUST have an iSCSI
name.
Initiators and targets MUST support the receipt of iSCSI names of up
to the maximum length of 255 bytes.
The initiator MUST present both its iSCSI Initiator Name and the
iSCSI Target Name to which it wishes to connect in the first login
request of a new session or connection. The only exception is if a
discovery session (see Section 2.3 iSCSI Session Types) is to be
established; the iSCSI Initiator Name is still required, but the
iSCSI Target Name may be ignored.
iSCSI names must adhere to the following requirements:
a) iSCSI names must be globally unique. No two initiators or
targets should have the same name.
b) iSCSI names must be permanent. An iSCSI initiator or target
has the same name for its lifetime.
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iSCSI 1-July-02
c) iSCSI names do not imply a location or address. An iSCSI ini-
tiator or target can move, or have multiple addresses. A change
of address does not imply a change of name.
d) iSCSI names must not rely on a central name broker; the nam-
ing authority must be distributed.
e) iSCSI names must support integration with existing unique nam-
ing schemes.
f) iSCSI names must rely on existing naming authorities. iSCSI
does not have to create its own naming authority.
The encoding of an iSCSI name also has some requirements:
a) iSCSI names must have a single encoding method when transmit-
ted over various protocols.
b) iSCSI names must be relatively simple to compare. The algo-
rithm for comparing two iSCSI names for equivalence must not rely
on any external server.
c) iSCSI names must be composed of displayable characters only.
iSCSI names should be kept as simple as possible. They must pro-
vide for the use of international character sets, and must not be
case sensitive. Whitespace characters are not allowed.
d) iSCSI names must be transport-friendly. They must be trans-
ported using both binary and ASCII-based protocols.
An iSCSI name really names a logical software entity, and is not tied
to a port or other hardware that can be changed. For instance, an
initiator name should name the iSCSI initiator node, not a particu-
lar NIC or HBA. When multiple NICs are used, they should generally
all present the same iSCSI initiator name to the targets, because
they are just paths to the same SCSI layer. In most operating sys-
tems, the named entity is the operating system image.
A target name should similarly not be tied to hardware interfaces
which can be changed. A target name should identify the logical tar-
get, and must be the same for the target regardless of the physical
portion being addressed. This assists iSCSI initiators in determin-
ing that two targets it has discovered are really two paths to the
same target.
The iSCSI name is designed to fulfill the functional requirements for
Uniform Resource Names (URN) [RFC1737]. For example, it is required
that the name have a global scope, independent of address or loca-
tion, and that it be persistent and globally unique. Names must be
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iSCSI 1-July-02
extensible, and scale with the use of naming authorities. The encod-
ing of the name should be readable by a human, as well as be machine-
readable. See [RFC1737] for further requirements.
2.2.6.2 iSCSI Name Encoding
An iSCSI name MUST be a UTF-8 encoding of a string of Unicode charac-
ters, with the following properties:
- it is in Normalization Form C (see "Unicode Normalization
Forms" [UNICODE])
- it contains only the following characters:
- ASCII dash ('-'=U+002d)
- ASCII dot ('.'=U+002e)
- ASCII colon (':'=U+003a)
- Any character allowed by the output of the iSCSI
stringprep template (described in [STPREP-iSCSI])
- when encoded in UTF-8, it is no larger than 255 bytes
The stringprep process is described in [STPREP]; iSCSI's use of the
stringprep process is described in [STPREP-iSCSI]. Stringprep is a
method designed by the Internationalized Domain Name (IDN) working
group to translate human-typed strings into a format that can be com-
pared as opaque strings. Strings must not include punctuation, spac-
ing, diacritical marks, or other characters that could get in the way
of readability. The stringprep process also converts strings into
equivalent strings of lower-case characters.
Note that in most cases, the Stringprep process does not need to be
implemented if the names are generated using only lower-case (any
character set) alpha-numeric characters.
Once iSCSI names encoded in UTF-8 are "normalized" (there is one and
only one representation for each possible name), they may be safely
compared byte-for-byte.
2.2.6.3 iSCSI Name Structure
An iSCSI name consists of two parts - a type designator followed by a
unique name string.
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The iSCSI name does not define any new naming authorities. Instead,
it supports two existing ways of designating naming authorities: an
iSCSI-Qualified Name, using domain names to identify a naming author-
ity, and the EUI format, where the IEEE Registration Authority
assists in the formation of world wide unique names (EUI-64 format).
The type designator strings that may currently be used are:
iqn. - iSCSI Qualified name
eui. - Remainder of the string is an IEEE EUI-64 identi-
fier, in ASCII-encoded hexadecimal.
As these two naming authority designators will suffice in nearly
every case for both software and hardware-based entities, the cre-
ation of additional type designators is prohibited. One of these two
type strings MUST be used when constructing an iSCSI name; any type
string not listed here is not allowed, as they cannot be guaranteed
to be unique.
2.2.6.3.1 Type "iqn." (iSCSI Qualified Name)
This iSCSI name type can be used by any organization which owns a
domain name. This naming format is useful when an end user or ser-
vice provider wishes to assign iSCSI names for targets and/or initia-
tors.
To generate names of this type, the person or organization generat-
ing the name must own a DNS domain name. This domain name does not
have to be active, and does not have to resolve to an address; it
just needs to be reserved to prevent others from generating iSCSI
names using the same domain name.
Because a domain name can expire, be acquired by another entity, and
might be used to generate iSCSI names by both owners, the domain name
must be additionally qualified by a date during which the naming
authority owned the domain name. A date code is provided as part of
the "iqn." format for this reason.
The iSCSI qualified name string consists of:
- The string "iqn.", used to distinguish these names from
"eui." formatted names.
- A date code, in yyyy-mm format. This date MUST be a date
during which the naming authority owned the domain name used
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in this format, and SHOULD be the date on which the domain
name was acquired by this naming authority. This date code
uses the Gregorian calendar. All four digits in the year
must be present. Both digits of the month must be present,
with January == "01" and December == "12". The dash must be
included.
- Another ".".
- The reversed domain name of the naming authority (person or
organization) creating this iSCSI name.
- Another ".".
- Any string, within the character set and length boundaries,
that the owner of the domain name deems appropriate. This
may contain product types, serial numbers, host identifiers,
software keys, or anything else that makes sense to uniquely
identify the initiator or target. Everything after the
reversed domain name, followed by another dot ".", can be
assigned as desired by the owner of the domain name. It is
the responsibility of the entity that is the naming author-
ity to ensure that the iSCSI names it assigns are world wide
unique. For example, "ACME Storage Arrays, Inc.", might own
the domain name "acme.com".
The following are examples of iSCSI qualified names that might be
generated by "ACME Storage Arrays, Inc."
Organization Subgroup Naming Authority
Naming and/or string defined by
Type Date Auth "acme.com" Naming Authority
+--++-----+ +------+ +--------------------------------+
| || | | | | |
iqn.2001-04.com.acme.diskarrays-sn-a8675309
iqn.2001-04.com.acme.storage:tape.sys1.xyz
iqn.2001-04.com.acme.storage.tape:sys1.xyz
2.2.6.3.2 Type "eui." (IEEE EUI-64 format)
The IEEE Registration Authority provides a service for assigning glo-
bally unique identifiers [EUI]. The EUI-64 format is in use as a
global identifier in other network protocols such as Fibre Channel.
See http://standards.ieee.org/regauth/oui/index.shtml - for more
information on registering for EUI identifiers.
The format is "eui." followed by an EUI-64 identifier (16 ASCII-
encoded hexidecimal digits).
Example iSCSI name :
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Type EUI-64 identifier (ASCII-encoded hexadecimal)
+--++--------------+
| || |
eui.02004567A425678D
The IEEE EUI-64 iSCSI name format might be used when a manufacturer
is already registered with the IEEE Registration Authority and uses
EUI-64 formatted world wide unique names for its products.
More examples of name construction are discussed in [NDT].
2.2.7 Persistent State
iSCSI does not require any persistent state maintenance across ses-
sions. However in some cases, SCSI requires persistent identifica-
tion of the SCSI initiator port name (for iSCSI, the InitiatorName
plus the ISID portion of the session identifier). (See Section 2.4.2
SCSI Architecture Model and Section 2.4.3 Consequences of the Model.)
iSCSI sessions do not persist through power cycles and boot opera-
tions.
All iSCSI session and connection parameters are re-initialized on
session and connection creation.
Commands persist beyond connection termination if the session per-
sists and command recovery within the session is supported. However,
when a connection is dropped, command execution, as perceived by
iSCSI (i.e., involving iSCSI protocol exchanges for the affected
task), is suspended until a new allegiance is established by the
'task reassign' task management function. (See Section 9.5 Task Man-
agement Function Request.)
2.2.8 Message Synchronization and Steering
2.2.8.1 Rationale
iSCSI presents a mapping of the SCSI protocol onto TCP. This encapsu-
lation is accomplished by sending iSCSI PDUs of varying lengths.
Unfortunately, TCP does not have a built-in mechanism for signaling
message boundaries at the TCP layer. iSCSI overcomes this obstacle by
placing the message length in the iSCSI message header. This serves
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to delineate the end of the current message as well as the beginning
of the next message.
In situations where IP packets are delivered in order from the net-
work, iSCSI message framing is not an issue and messages are pro-
cessed one after the other. In the presence of IP packet reordering,
(i.e., frames being dropped) legacy TCP implementations store the
"out of order" TCP segments in temporary buffers until the missing
TCP segments arrive, upon which the data must be copied to the appli-
cation buffers. In iSCSI, it is desirable to steer the SCSI data
within these out of order TCP segments into the pre-allocated SCSI
buffers rather than store them in temporary buffers. This decreases
the need for dedicated reassembly buffers as well as the latency and
bandwidth related to extra copies.
Relying solely on the "message length" information from the iSCSI
message header may make it impossible to find iSCSI message bound-
aries in subsequent TCP segments due to the loss of a TCP segment
that contains the iSCSI message length. The missing TCP segment(s)
must be received before any of the following segments can be steered
to the correct SCSI buffers (due to the inability to determine the
iSCSI message boundaries). Because these segments cannot be steered
to the correct location, they must be saved in temporary buffers that
must then be copied to the SCSI buffers.
Different schemes can be used to recover synchronization. One of
these schemes is detailed in Appendix A. - Sync and Steering with
Fixed Interval Markers -. To make these schemes work, iSCSI implemen-
tations have to make sure that the appropriate protocol layers are
provided with enough information to implement a synchronization and/
or data steering mechanism.
2.2.8.2 Synchronization (sync) and Steering Functional Model
We assume that iSCSI is implemented according to the following layer-
ing scheme:
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+------------------------+
| SCSI |
+------------------------+
| iSCSI |
+------------------------+
| Sync and Steering |
| +-------------------+ |
| | TCP | |
| +-------------------+ |
+------------------------+
| Lower Functional Layers|
| (LFL) |
+------------------------+
| IP |
+------------------------+
| Link |
+------------------------+
In this model, LFL can be IPsec (a mechanism changing the IP stream
and invisible to TCP). We assume that Sync and Steering operates just
underneath iSCSI. An implementation may choose to place Sync and
Steering somewhere else in the stack if it can translate the informa-
tion kept by iSCSI in terms valid for the chosen layer.
According to our layering model, iSCSI considers the information it
delivers to the Sync and Steering layer (headers and payloads) as a
contiguous stream of bytes mapped to the positive integers from 0 to
infinity. In practice, though, iSCSI is not expected to handle infi-
nitely long streams; stream addressing will wrap around at 2**32-1.
This model assumes that the iSCSI layer will deliver complete PDUs to
underlying layers in single (atomic) operations. The underlying layer
does not need to examine the stream content to discover the PDU
boundaries. If a specific implementation performs PDU delivery to the
Sync and Steering layer through multiple operations, it MUST bracket
an operation set used to deliver a single PDU in a manner that the
Sync and Steering Layer can understand.
The Sync and Steering Layer (which is OPTIONAL) MUST retain the PDU
end address within the stream for every delivered iSCSI PDU.
To enable the Sync and Steering operation to perform Steering, addi-
tional information, including identifying tags and buffer offsets,
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MUST also be retained for every sent PDU. The Sync and Steering Layer
is required to add enough information to every sent data item (IP
packet, TCP packet or some other superstructure) to enable the
receiver to steer it to a memory location independent of any other
piece.
If the transmission stream is built dynamically, this information is
used to insert Sync and Steering information in the transmission
stream (at first transmission or at re-transmission) either through a
globally accessible table or a call-back mechanism. If the transmis-
sion stream is built statically, the Sync and Steering information is
inserted in the transmission stream when data are first presented to
sync and steering.
The retained information can be released whenever the transmitted
data are acknowledged by the receiver. (in the case of dynamically
built streams, by deletion from the global table or by an additional
callback).
On the outgoing path, the Sync and Steering layer MUST map the outgo-
ing stream addresses from iSCSI stream addresses to TCP stream
sequence numbers.
On the incoming path, the Sync and Steering layer extracts the Sync
and Steering information from the TCP stream. It then helps steer
(place) the data stream to its final location and/or recover iSCSI
PDU boundaries when some TCP packets are lost or received out of
order. The data stream seen by the receiving iSCSI layer is identi-
cal to the data stream that left the sending iSCSI layer. The Sync
and Steering information is kept until the PDUs to which it refers
are completely processed by the iSCSI layer.
On the incoming path, the Sync and Steering layer does not change the
way TCP notifies iSCSI about in-order data arrival. All data place-
ments, in-order or out-of-order, performed by the Sync and Steering
layer are hidden from iSCSI while conventional, in order, data
arrival notifications generated by TCP are passed through to iSCSI.
2.2.8.3 Sync and Steering and Other Encapsulation Layers
We recognize that in many environments the following is a more appro-
priate layering model:
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+----------------------------------+
| SCSI |
+----------------------------------+
| iSCSI |
+----------------------------------+
| Upper Functional Layers (UFL) |
+----------------------------------+
| Sync and Steering |
| +-----------------------------+ |
| | TCP | |
| +-----------------------------+ |
+----------------------------------+
| Lower Functional Layers (LFL) |
+----------------------------------+
| IP |
+----------------------------------+
| Link |
+----------------------------------+
In this model, UFL can be TLS (see[RFC2246]) or some other transport
conversion mechanism (a mechanism that changes the TCP stream, but
that is transparent to iSCSI).
To be effective and act on reception of TCP packets out of order,
Sync and Steering has to be underneath UFL, and Sync and Steering
data must be left out of any UFL transformation (encryption, compres-
sion, padding etc.). However, Sync and Steering MUST take into
account the additional data inserted in the stream by UFL. Sync and
Steering MAY also restrict the type of transformations UFL may per-
form on the stream.
This makes implementation of Sync and Steering in the presence of
otherwise opaque UFLs less attractive.
2.2.8.4 Sync/Steering and iSCSI PDU Length
When a large iSCSI message is sent, the TCP segment(s) that contain
the iSCSI header may be lost. The remaining TCP segment(s) up to the
next iSCSI message must be buffered (in temporary buffers) because
the iSCSI header that indicates to which SCSI buffers the data are to
be steered was lost. To minimize the amount of buffering, it is rec-
ommended that the iSCSI PDU length be restricted to a small value
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(perhaps a few TCP segments in length). During login, each end of the
iSCSI session specifies the maximum iSCSI PDU length it will accept.
2.3 iSCSI Session Types
iSCSI defines two types of sessions:
a) Normal operational session - an unrestricted session.
b) Discovery-session - a session opened only for target discov-
ery; the target MAY accept only text requests with the SendTar-
gets key and a logout request with reason "close the session".
The session type is defined during login with key=value parameter in
the login command.
2.4 SCSI to iSCSI Concepts Mapping Model
The following diagram shows an example of how multiple iSCSI Nodes
(targets in this case) can coexist within the same Network Entity
and can share Network Portals (IP addresses and TCP ports). Other
more complex configurations are also possible. See Section 2.4.1
iSCSI Architecture Model for detailed descriptions of the components
of these diagrams.
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+-----------------------------------+
| Network Entity (iSCSI Client) |
| |
| +-------------+ |
| | iSCSI Node | |
| | (Initiator) | |
| +-------------+ |
| | | |
| +--------------+ +--------------+ |
| |Network Portal| |Network Portal| |
| | 10.1.30.4 | | 10.1.40.6 | |
+-+--------------+-+--------------+-+
| |
| IP Networks |
| |
+-+--------------+-+--------------+-+
| |Network Portal| |Network Portal| |
| | 10.1.30.21 | | 10.1.40.3 | |
| | TCP Port 3260| | TCP Port 3260| |
| +--------------+ +--------------+ |
| | | |
| ----------------- |
| | | |
| +-------------+ +--------------+ |
| | iSCSI Node | | iSCSI Node | |
| | (Target) | | (Target) | |
| +-------------+ +--------------+ |
| |
| Network Entity (iSCSI Server) |
+-----------------------------------+
2.4.1 iSCSI Architecture Model
This section describes the part of the iSCSI architecture model that
has the most bearing on the relationship between iSCSI and the SCSI
Architecture Model.
a) Network Entity - represents a device or gateway that is acces-
sible from the IP network. A Network Entity must have one or more
Network Portals (see item d), each of which can be used by some
iSCSI Nodes (see item (b)) contained in that Network Entity to
gain access to the IP network.
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b) iSCSI Node - represents a single iSCSI initiator or iSCSI tar-
get. There are one or more iSCSI Nodes within a Network Entity.
The iSCSI Node is accessible via one or more Network Portals (see
item d). An iSCSI Node is identified by its iSCSI Name (see Sec-
tion 2.2.6 iSCSI Names and Chapter 11). The separation of the
iSCSI Name from the addresses used by and for the iSCSI node
allows multiple iSCSI nodes to use the same addresses, and the
same iSCSI node to use multiple addresses.
c) An alias string could also be associated with an iSCSI Node.
The alias allows an organization to associate a user friendly
string with the iSCSI Name. However, the alias string is not a
substitute for the iSCSI Name.
d) Network Portal - a component of a Network Entity that has a
TCP/IP network address and that may be used by an iSCSI Node
within that Network Entity for the connection(s) within one of its
iSCSI sessions. In an initiator, it is identified by its IP
address. In a target, it is identified by its IP address and its
listening TCP port.
e) Portal Groups - iSCSI supports multiple connections within the
same session; some implementations will have the ability to com-
bine connections in a session across multiple Network Portals. A
Portal Group defines a set of Network Portals within an iSCSI Node
that collectively supports the capability of coordinating a ses-
sion with connections that span these portals. Not all Network
Portals within a Portal Group need to participate in every ses-
sion connected through that Portal Group. One or more Portal
Groups may provide access to an iSCSI Node. Each Network Portal,
as utilized by a given iSCSI Node, belongs to exactly one portal
group within that node. Portal Groups are identified within an
iSCSI Node by a portal group tag, a simple unsigned-integer
between 1 and 65535 (see Section 11.3 SendTargets). All Network
Portals with the same portal group tag in the context of a given
iSCSI Node are in the same Portal Group.
Both iSCSI Initiators and iSCSI Targets have portal groups, though
only the iSCSI Target Portal Groups are used directly in the iSCSI
protocol (e.g., in SendTargets). See Section Section 8.1.1 Conser-
vative Reuse of ISIDs for references to the Initiator Portal
Groups.
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f) Portals within a Portal Group are expected to have similar
hardware characteristics, as SCSI port specific mode pages
may affect all portals within a portal group. (See Section 2.4.3.2
SCSI Mode Pages).
The following diagram shows an example of one such configuration on a
target and how a session that shares Network Portals within a Portal
Group may be established.
----------------------------IP Network---------------------
| | |
+----|---------------|-----+ +----|---------+
| +---------+ +---------+ | | +---------+ |
| | Network | | Network | | | | Network | |
| | Portal | | Portal | | | | Portal | |
| +--|------+ +---------+ | | +---------+ |
| | | | | | |
| | Portal | | | | Portal |
| | Group 1 | | | | Group 2 |
+--------------------------+ +--------------+
| | |
+--------|---------------|--------------------|---------------------+
| | | | |
| +----------------------------+ +-----------------------------+ |
| | iSCSI Session (Target side)| | iSCSI Session (Target side) | |
| | | | | |
| | (TSIH = 56) | | (TSIH = 48) | |
| +----------------------------+ +-----------------------------+ |
| |
| iSCSI Target Node |
| (within Network Entity, not shown) |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
2.4.2 SCSI Architecture Model
This section describes the relationship between the SCSI Architec-
ture Model [SAM2] and constructs of the SCSI device, SCSI port and
I_T nexus, and the iSCSI constructs, described above.
This relationship implies implementation requirements in order to
conform to the SAM2 model and other SCSI operational functions. These
requirements are detailed in Section 2.4.3 Consequences of the Model.
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The following list outlines mappings of SCSI architectural elements
to iSCSI.
a) SCSI Device - the SAM2 term for an entity that contains
other SCSI entities. For example, a SCSI Initiator Device
contains one or more SCSI Initiator Ports and zero or more
application clients. A SCSI Target Device contains one or
more SCSI Target Ports and one or more logical units. For
iSCSI, the SCSI Device is the component within an iSCSI Node
that provides the SCSI functionality. As such, there can be
one SCSI Device, at most, within a given iSCSI Node. Access
to the SCSI Device can only be achieved in an iSCSI normal
operational session (see Section 2.3 iSCSI Session Types).
The SCSI Device Name is defined to be the iSCSI Name of the
node and its use is mandatory in the iSCSI protocol.
b) SCSI Port - the SAM2 term for an entity in a SCSI Device
that provides the SCSI functionality to interface with a ser-
vice delivery subsystem or transport. For iSCSI, the defini-
tion of SCSI Initiator Port and SCSI Target Port are
different.
SCSI Initiator Port: This maps to one endpoint of an iSCSI
normal operational session (see Section 2.3 iSCSI Session
Types). An iSCSI normal operational session is negotiated
through the login process between an iSCSI initiator node and
an iSCSI target node. At successful completion of this pro-
cess, a SCSI Initiator Port is created within the SCSI Initi-
ator Device. The SCSI Initiator Port Name and SCSI Initiator
Port Identifier are both defined to be the iSCSI Initiator
Name together with (a) a label that identifies it as an ini-
tiator port name/identifier and (b) the ISID portion of the
session identifier.
SCSI Target Port: This maps to an iSCSI target Portal Group.
The SCSI Target Port Name and the SCSI Target Port Identi-
fier are both defined to be the iSCSI Target Name together
with (a) a label that identifies it as a target port name/
identifier and (b) the portal group tag.
The SCSI Port Name is mandatory in iSCSI. When used in SCSI
parameter data, the SCSI port name MUST be encoded as:
- The iSCSI Name in UTF-8 format, followed by
- a comma separator (1 byte), followed by
- the ASCII character 'i' (for SCSI Initiator Port) or the
ASCII character 't' (for SCSI Target Port), followed by
- a comma separator (1 byte), followed by
- zero to 3 null pad bytes so that the complete format is a
multiple of four bytes long, followed by
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- the 6byte value of the ISID (for SCSI initiator port) or the
2byte value of the portal group tag (for SCSI target port) in
network byte order (BigEndian).
SCSI port names have a maximum length of 264 bytes for initi-
ator ports, 260 bytes for target ports, and must be a multi-
ple of four bytes long. The ASCII character 'i' or 't' is the
label that identifies this port as either a SCSI Initiator
Port or a SCSI Target Port. This ASCII character also pro-
vides the interpretation and length of the remaining six
bytes (initiator) or two bytes (target).
c) I_T nexus - a relationship between a SCSI Initiator Port and
a SCSI Target Port, according to [SAM2]. For iSCSI, this
relationship is a session, defined as a relationship between
an iSCSI Initiator's end of the session (SCSI Initiator Port)
and the iSCSI Target's Portal Group. The I_T nexus can be
identified by the conjunction of the SCSI port names. That
is, the I_T nexus identifier is the tuple (iSCSI Initiator
Name + 'i' + ISID, iSCSI Target Name + 't' + Portal Group
Tag).
NOTE: The I_T nexus identifier is not equal to the session
identifier (SSID).
2.4.3 Consequences of the Model
This section describes implementation and behavioral requirements
that result from the mapping of SCSI constructs to the iSCSI con-
structs defined above. Between a given SCSI initiator port and a
given SCSI target port, only one I_T nexus (session) can exist. That
is, no more than one nexus relationship (parallel nexus) is allowed.
Therefore, between a given iSCSI initiator node and an iSCSI target
node, at any given time, only one session can exist with the same
session identifier (SSID).
These assumptions lead to the following conclusions and requirements:
ISID RULE: Between a given iSCSI Initiator and iSCSI Target Portal
Group (SCSI target port), there can be only one session with a given
value for ISID that identifies the SCSI initiator port. See Section
9.12.6 ISID.
The structure of the ISID that contains a naming authority component
(see Section 9.12.6 ISID and [NDT]) provides a mechanism to facili-
tate compliance with the ISID rule (See also Section 8.1.1 Conserva-
tive Reuse of ISIDs).
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The iSCSI Initiator Node is expected to manage the assignment of
ISIDs prior to session initiation. The "ISID RULE" does not preclude
the use of the same ISID from the same iSCSI Initiator with differ-
ent Target Portal Groups on the same iSCSI target or on other iSCSI
targets (see Section 8.1.1 Conservative Reuse of ISIDs). Allowing
this would be analogous to a single SCSI Initiator Port having rela-
tionships (nexus) with multiple SCSI target ports on the same SCSI
target device or SCSI target ports on other SCSI target devices. It
is also possible to have multiple sessions with different ISIDs to
the same Target Portal Group. Each such session would be considered
to be with a different initiator even when the sessions originate
from the same initiator device. The same ISID may be used by a dif-
ferent iSCSI initiator because it is the iSCSI Name together with the
ISID that identifies the SCSI Initiator Port.
NOTE: A consequence of the ISID RULE and the specification for the
I_T nexus identifier is that two nexus with the same identifier
should never exist at the same time.
TSIH RULE: The iSCSI Target selects a non-zero value for the TSIH at
session creation (when an initiator presents a 0 value at Login).
After being selected the same TSIH value MUST be used whenever initi-
ator or target refer to the given session and a TSIH is required.
2.4.3.1 I_T Nexus State
Certain nexus relationships contain an explicit state (e.g., initia-
tor-specific mode pages) that may need to be preserved by the target
(or more correctly stated, the device server in a logical unit)
through changes or failures in the iSCSI layer (e.g., session fail-
ures). In order for that state to be restored, the iSCSI initiator
should re-establish its session (re-login) to the same Target Portal
Group using the previous ISID. That is, it should perform session
recovery as described in Chapter 6. This is because the SCSI initia-
tor port identifier and the SCSI target port identifier (or relative
target port) form the datum that the SCSI logical unit device server
uses to identify the I_T nexus.
2.4.3.2 SCSI Mode Pages
If the SCSI logical unit device server does not maintain initiator-
specific mode pages, and an initiator makes changes to port-specific
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mode pages, the changes may affect all other initiators logged in to
that iSCSI Target through the same Target Portal Group.
Changes via mode pages to the behavior of a portal group via one
iSCSI Target Node should not affect the behavior of this portal group
with respect to other iSCSI Target Nodes, even if the underlying
implementation of a portal group serves multiple iSCSI Target Nodes
in the same Network Entity.
2.5 Request/Response Summary
This section lists and briefly describes all the iSCSI PDU types
(request and responses).
All iSCSI PDUs are built as a set of one or more header segments
(basic and auxiliary) and zero or one data segments. The header group
and the data segment may be followed by a CRC (digest).
The basic header segment has a fixed length of 48 bytes.
2.5.1 Request/Response types carrying SCSI payload
2.5.1.1 SCSI-Command
This request carries the SCSI CDB and all the other SCSI execute com-
mand procedure call (see [SAM2]) IN arguments such as task
attributes, Command Sequence Number, Expected Data Transfer Length
for one or both transfer directions (the latter for bidirectional
commands), and Task Tag. The I_T_L nexus is derived by the initiator
and target from the LUN field in the request and the I_T nexus
implicit in the session identification.
In addition, the SCSI-command PDU carries information required for
the proper operation of the iSCSI protocol - the command sequence
number (CmdSN) and the expected status number on the connection it is
issued (ExpStatSN).
Part or all of the SCSI output (write) data associated with the SCSI
command may be sent as part of the SCSI-Command PDU as a data seg-
ment.
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2.5.1.2 SCSI-Response
The SCSI-Response carries all the SCSI execute-command procedure call
(see [SAM2]) OUT arguments and the SCSI execute-command procedure
call return value.
It contains the residual counts from the operation if any, and an
indication of whether the counts represent an overflow or an under-
flow, and the SCSI status if the status is valid or a response code
(a non-zero return value for the execute-command procedure call) if
the status is not valid.
For a valid status that indicates that the command is executed but
resulted in a exception (e.g., a SCSI CHECK CONDITION), the PDU data
segment contains the associated sense data.
Some data segment content may also be associated (in the data seg-
ment) with a non-zero response code.
In addition, the SCSI-Response PDU carries information required for
the proper operation of the iSCSI protocol - the number of Data-In
PDUs that a target has sent (to enable the initiator to check that
all have arrived) - ExpDataSN, the Status Sequence Number on this
connection - StatSN and the next Expected Command Sequence Number at
the target - ExpCmdSN, the Maximum CmdSN acceptable at the target
from this initiator.
2.5.1.3 Task Management Function Request
The task management function request provides an initiator with a way
to explicitly control the execution of one or more SCSI Tasks or
iSCSI functions. The PDU carries a function identifier (which task
management function to perform) and enough information to unequivo-
cally identify the task or task-set on which to perform the action
even if the task(s) to act upon has not yet arrived or has been dis-
carded due to an error.
The referenced tag identifies an individual task if the function
refers to an individual task.
The I_T_L nexus identifies task sets and is carried by the LUN (and
implied by the session identification).
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For task sets, the CmdSN of the task management function request
helps identify the tasks upon which to act, namely all tasks associ-
ated with a LUN and having a CmdSN preceding the task management
function request CmdSN.
The task management function request execution is completely per-
formed at the target, (i.e., any coordination between responses to
the tasks affected and the task management function request response
is done by the target).
2.5.1.4 Task Management Function Response
The Task Management Function Response carries an indication of func-
tion completion for a Task Management Function Request including how
it completed (response and qualifier) and additional information for
failure responses.
After the task management response indicating task management func-
tion completion, the initiator will not receive any additional
responses from the affected tasks.
2.5.1.5 SCSI Data-out and SCSI Data-in
The SCSI Data-out and SCSI Data-in are the main vehicles by which
SCSI data payload is carried between initiator and target. Data pay-
load is associated with a specific SCSI command through the Initia-
tor Task Tag. For the target convenience, outgoing solicited data
also carries a Target Transfer Tag (copied from R2T) and the LUN.
Each PDU contains the payload length and the data offset relative to
the buffer address contained in the SCSI exec command procedure call.
In each direction, the data transfer is split into "sequences". An
end-of-sequence is indicated by the F bit.
An outgoing sequence is either unsolicited (only the first sequence
can be unsolicited) or is a complete payload sent in response to an
R2T "prompt".
Input sequences are built to enable the direction switching for bidi-
rectional commands.
For input the target may request positive acknowledgement of input
data. This is limited to sessions that support error recovery and is
implemented through the A bit in the SCSI Data-in PDU header.
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Data-in and Data-out PDUs also carry the DataSN to enable the initia-
tor and target to detect missing PDUs (discarded due to an error).
StatSN is also carried by the Data-In PDUs.
To enable a SCSI command to be executed involving a minimum number of
messages, the last SCSI Data-in PDU passed for a command may also
contain the status if the status indicates termination with no excep-
tions (no sense or response involved).
2.5.1.6 Ready To Transfer (R2T)
R2T is the mechanism by which the SCSI target "prompts" the initia-
tor for output data. R2T passes the offset of the requested data rel-
ative to the buffer address from the execute command procedure call
and the length of the solicited data to the initiator.
To help the SCSI target to associate resulting Data-out with an R2T,
the R2T carries the Target Transfer Tag copied by the initiator in
the solicited SCSI Data-out PDUs. There are no protocol specific
requirements with regard to the value of these tags, but it is
assumed that together with the LUN, they will enable the target to
associate data with an R2T.
R2T also carries information required for proper operation of the
iSCSI protocol, such as an R2TSN (to enable an initiator to detect a
missing R2T), StatSN, ExpCmdSN and MaxCmdSN.
2.5.2 Requests/Responses carrying SCSI and iSCSI Payload
2.5.2.1 Asynchronous Message
Asynchronous Messages are used to carry SCSI asynchronous events
(AEN) and iSCSI asynchronous messages.
When carrying an AEN, the event details are reported as sense data in
the data segment.
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2.5.3 Requests/Responses carrying iSCSI Only Payload
2.5.3.1 Text Request and Text Response
Text requests and responses are designed as a parameter negotiation
vehicle and as a vehicle for future extension.
In the data segment key=value, Text Requests/Responses carry text
information with a simple syntax.
Text Request/Responses may form extended sequences using the same
Initiator Task Tag. The initiator uses the F (Final) flag bit in the
text request header to indicate its readiness to terminate a
sequence. The target uses the F (Final) flag bit in the text response
header to indicate its consent to sequence termination.
Text Request/Responses also use the Target Transfer Tag to indicate
continuation of an operation or a new beginning. A target that wishes
to continue an operation will set the Target Transfer Tag in a Text
Response to a value different from the default 0xffffffff. An initia-
tor willing to continue will copy this value into the Target Trans-
fer Tag of the next Text Request. If the initiator wants to reset the
target (start fresh) it will set the Target Transfer Tag to
0xffffffff.
Although a complete exchange is always started by the initiator, spe-
cific parameter negotiations may be initiated by the initiator or
target.
2.5.3.2 Login Request and Login Response
Login Requests and Responses are used exclusively during the Login
Phase of each connection to set up the session and connection parame-
ters (the Login Phase consists of a sequence of login requests and
responses carrying the same Initiator Task Tag).
A connection is identified by an arbitrarily selected connection-ID
(CID) that is unique within a session.
Similar to the Text Requests and Responses, Login Requests/Responses
carry key=value text information with a simple syntax in the data
segment.
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The Login Phase proceeds through several stages (security negotia-
tion, operational parameter negotiation) that are selected with two
binary coded fields in the header - the "current stage" (CSG) and the
"next stage" (NSG) with the appearance of the latter being signaled
by the "transit" flag (T).
The first Login Phase of a session plays a special role (it is called
the leading login) and some header fields are determined by the lead-
ing login (e.g., the version number, the maximum number of connec-
tions, the session identification etc.).
The command counting initial value is also set by the leading login.
Status counting for each connection is initiated by the connection
login.
A login request may indicate an implied logout (cleanup) of the con-
nection to be logged in (we call this a connection restart) by using
the same Connection ID (CID) as an existing connection, in the login
request header, as well as the same session identifying elements of
the session to which the old connection was associated.
2.5.3.3 Logout Request and Response
Logout Requests and Responses are used for the orderly closing of
connections for recovery or maintenance. The logout request may be
issued following a target prompt (through an asynchronous message) or
at an initiators initiative. When issued on the connection to be
logged out no other request may follow it.
The Logout response indicates that the connection or session cleanup
is completed and no other responses will arrive on the connection (if
received on the logging-out connection). The Logout Response indi-
cates also how long the target will keep on holding resources for
recovery (e.g., command execution that continues on a new connec-
tion) in Time2Retain and how long the initiator must wait before pro-
ceeding with recovery in Time2Wait.
2.5.3.4 SNACK Request
With the SNACK Request, the initiator requests retransmission of num-
bered-responses or data from the target. A single SNACK request cov-
ers a contiguous set of missing items called a run of a given type of
items (the type is indicated in a type field in the PDU header). The
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run is composed of an initial item (StatSN, DataSN, R2TSN) and the
number of missed Status, Data, or R2T PDUs. For long data-in
sequences, the target may request (at predefined minimum intervals) a
positive acknowledgement for the data sent. A SNACK request with a
type field that indicates ACK and the number of Data-In PDUs acknowl-
edged conveys this positive acknowledgement.
2.5.3.5 Reject
Reject enables the target to report an iSCSI error condition (proto-
col, unsupported option etc.) that uses a Reason field in the PDU
header and includes the complete header of the bad PDU in the Reject
PDU data segment.
2.5.3.6 NOP-Out Request and NOP-In Response
This request/response pair may be used by an initiator and target as
a "ping" mechanism to verify that a connection/session is still
active and all its components are operational. Such a ping may be
triggered by the initiator or target. The triggering party indicates
that it wants a reply by setting a value different from the default
0xffffffff in the corresponding Initiator/Target Transfer Tag.
NOP-In/NOP-Out may also be used "unidirectional" to convey to the
initiator/target command, status or data counter values when there is
no other "carrier" and there is a need to update the initiator/tar-
get.
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3. SCSI Mode Parameters for iSCSI
There are no iSCSI specific mode pages.
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4. Login and Full Feature Phase Negotiation
4.1 Text Format
The initiator and target send a set of key=value pairs encoded in
UTF-8 Unicode. All the text keys and text values specified in this
document are to be presented and interpreted in the case they appear
in this document. They are case sensitive.
The following character symbols are used in this document for text
items:
(a-z, A-Z) - letters
(0-9) - digits
" " (0x20) - space
"." (0x2e) - dot
"-" (0x2d) - minus
"+" (0x2b) - plus
"@" (0x40) - commercial at
"_" (0x5f) - underscore
"=" (0x3d) - equal
":" (0x3a) - colon
"/" (0x2f) - solidus or slash
"[" (0x5b) - left bracket
"]" (0x5d) - right bracket
nul (0x00) - nul separator
"," (0x2c) - comma
"~" (0x7e) - tilde
Key=value pairs may span PDU boundaries. An initiator or target that
sends partial key=value text within a PDU indicates that more text
follows by setting the C bit in the Text/Login Request or Text/Login
Response to 1. Data segments in a series of PDUs having the C bit set
to 1 and ending with a PDU having the C bit set to 0 or including a
single PDU having the C bit set to 0 have to be considered as form-
ing a single logical-text-data-segment (LTDS).
Every key=value pair, including the last or only pair in a LTDS, MUST
be followed by one null (0x00) delimiter.
A key-name is whatever precedes the first = in the key=value pair.
The term key is used frequently in this document with the meaning of
key-name.
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A value is whatever follows the first = in the key=value pair up to
the end of the key=value pair.
The following definitions will be used in the rest of this document:
key-name: a string of one or more characters consisting of let-
ters, digits, dot, minus, plus, commercial at, and under-
score, A key-name MUST begin with a capital letter an must
not exceed 63 characters.
text-value: a string of 0 or more characters consisting of let-
ters, digits, dot, minus, plus, commercial at, underscore,
slash, left bracket, right bracket and colon.
iSCSI-name-value: a string of one or more characters consist-
ing of minus, dot, colon and any character allowed by the
output of the iSCSI string-prep template as specified in
[STPREP-iSCSI] (see also Section 2.2.6.2 iSCSI Name Encod-
ing).
iSCSI-local-name-value: an UTF-8 string; no nul characters are
allowed in the string. This encoding is to be used for local-
ized (internationalized) aliases.
boolean-value: the string "Yes" or "No".
hex-constant: hexadecimal constant encoded as a string start-
ing with "0x" or "0X" followed by 1 or more digits or the
letters a, b, c, d, e, f, A, B, C, D, E and F. Hex-constants
are used to encode numerical values or binary strings. When
used to encode numerical values the excessive use of leading
0 digits is discouraged and the string following 0X (or 0x)
represents a base16 number starting with the most signifi-
cant base16 digit, followed by all other digits in decreas-
ing significance order and ending with the least-significant
base16 digit. When used to encode binary strings hexadecimal
constants have an implicit byte-length that includes 4 bits
for every hexadecimal digit of the constant, including lead-
ing zeroes (i.e., a hex-constant of n hexadecimal digits has
a byte-length of (the integer part of) (n+1)/2).
decimal-constant: an unsigned decimal number - the digit 0 or a
string of 1 or more digits starting with a non-zero digit.
This encoding is not used for numerical values equal or
greater than 2**64. Decimal-constants are used to encode
numerical values or binary strings. When used to encode
binary strings decimal constants have an implicit byte-length
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that is the minimum number of bytes needed to represent the
base2 encoding of the decimal number.
base64-constant: base64 constant encoded as a string starting
with "0b" or "0B" followed by 1 or more digits or letters or
plus or slash or equal. The encoding is done according to
[RFC2045] and each character, except equal, represents a
base64 digit or a 6-bit binary string. Base64-constants are
used to encode numerical-values or binary strings. When used
to encode numerical values the excessive use of leading 0
digits (encoded a A) is discouraged and the string following
0B (or 0b) represents a base64 number starting with the most
significant base64 digit, followed by all other digits in
decreasing significance order and ending with the least-sig-
nificant base64 digit; the least significant base64 digit may
be optionally followed by pad digits (encoded as equal) that
are not considered as part of the number. When used to encode
binary strings base64-constants have an implicit byte-length
that includes 6 bits for every character of the constant
excluding trailing equals (i.e., a base64-constant of n
base64 characters excluding the trailing equals has a byte-
length of ((the integer part of) (n*3/4)). N.B. correctly
encoded base64 strings cannnot have n values of 1, 5 ...
k*4+1.
numerical-value: an unsigned integer less than 2**64 encoded as
a decimal-constant or a hex constant. Unsigned integer arith-
metic applies to numeric-values.
large-numerical-value: an unsigned integer larger than or equal
to 2**64 encoded as a hex constant, or base64-constant.
Unsigned integer arithmetic applies to large-numeric-values.
numeric-range: two numerical-values separated by a tilde where
the value to the right of tilde must not be lower that the
value to the left.
regular-binary-value: a binary string less than 64 bits encoded
as a decimal constant, hex constant or base64-constant. The
length of the string is either specified by the key defini-
tion or is implicit byte-length of the encoded string.
large-binary-value: a binary string encoded as a hex-constant
or base64-constant. The length of the string is either speci-
fied by the key definition or is implicit byte-length of the
encoded string.
binary-value: a regular-binary-value or a large-binary-value.
Operations on binary values are key specific.
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simple-value: text-value, iSCSI-name-value, boolean-value,
numeric-value, a numeric-range or a binary-value.
list-of-values: a sequence of text-values separated by comma.
If not otherwise specified, the maximum length of a simple-value (not
its encoded representation) is 255 bytes not including the delimiter
(comma or zero byte).
Any iSCSI target or initiator MUST support receiving at least 16384
bytes of key=value data in a negotiation sequence except when indi-
cating support for very long authentication items by offering or
selecting authentication methods such as public key certificates in
which case they MUST support receiving at least 64 kilobytes of
key=value data.
4.2 Text Mode Negotiation
During login, and thereafter, some session or connection parameters
are either declared or negotiated through an exchange of textual
information.
The initiator starts the negotiation and/or declaration through a
Text/Login request and indicates when it is ready for completion (by
setting to 1 and keeping to 1 the F bit in a Text Request or the T
bit in the Login Request). As negotiation text may span PDU bound-
aries a Text/Login Request or Text/Login Response PDU having the C
bit set to 1 MUST NOT have the F/T bit set to 1.
A target or initiator receiving a Text/Login Request respective Text/
Login Response with the C bit set to 1 MUST answer with a Text/Login
Response or Text/Login Request with no data segment (DataSeg-
mentLength 0).
A target or initiator SHOULD NOT use a Text/Login Response or Text/
Login Request with no data segment (DataSegmentLength 0) unless
explicitly required by a general or a key-specific negotiation rule.
The format of a declaration is:
Declarer-> <key>=<valuex>
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The general format of text negotiation is:
Originator-> <key>=<valuex>
Responder-> <key>=<valuey>|NotUnderstood|Irrelevant|Reject
The originator or declarer can either be the initiator or the target
and the responder can either be the target or initiator, respec-
tively. Targets are not limited to respond to key=value pairs as
offered by the initiator. The target may offer key=value pairs of its
own.
All negotiations are explicit (i.e., the result MUST be based only on
newly exchanged or declared values). There are no implicit offers. If
an explicit offer is not made then a reply cannot be expected. Con-
servative design requires also that default values should not be
relied upon when use of some other value has serious consequences.
The value offered or declared can be a numerical-value, a numerical-
range defined by lower and upper value - both integers separated by
tilde, a binary value, a text-value, a iSCSI-name-value, an iSCSI-
local-name-value, a boolean-value (Yes or No), or a list of comma
separated text-values. A range or a large-numerical-value MAY ONLY be
offered if it is explicitly allowed for a key. An iSCSI-name-value
and an iSCSI-local-name-value can be used only where explicitly
allowed. A selected value can be an numerical-value, a large-numeri-
cal-value, a text-value or a boolean-value.
If a specific key is not relevant for the current negotiation, the
responder may answer with the constant "Irrelevant" for all types of
negotiation. However the negotiation is not considered as failed if
the response is "Irrelevant".
Any key not understood by the responder may be ignored by the
responder without affecting the basic function. However, the Text
Response for a key not understood MUST be key=NotUnderstood.
The constants "None", "Reject", "Irrelevant", and "NotUnderstood" are
reserved and must only be used as described here.
Reject or Irrelevant are legitimate negotiation options where allowed
but their excessive use is discouraged. A negotiation is considered
complete when the responder has sent the key value pair even if the
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value is "Reject", "Irrelevant", or "NotUnderstood. Sending the key
again would be a re-negotiation
Some basic key=value pairs are described in Chapter 11. All keys in
Chapter 11, except for the X- extension format, MUST be supported by
iSCSI initiators and targets and MUST NOT be answered with NotUnder-
stood.
Implementers may introduce new keys by prefixing them with X- fol-
lowed by their (reversed) domain name. For example the entity owning
the domain acme.com can issue:
X-com.acme.bar.foo.do_something=3
Whenever parameter action or acceptance are dependent on other param-
eters, the dependency rules and parameter sequence must be specified
with the parameters.
Negotiations MUST be handled as atomic operations - i.e., all negoti-
ated values get into effect after the negotiation concludes in agree-
ment or are ignored if the negotiation fails.
Some parameters may be subject to integrity rules (e.g., parameter-x
must not exceed parameter-y or parameter-u not 1 implies parameter-v
to be Yes). Whenever required integrity rules are specified with the
keys. Checking for compliance with the integrity rule MUST NOT be
performed before all the negotiation parameters are available (the
existent and newly negotiated). An iSCSI target MUST perform integ-
rity checking before committing new values for parameters. An initia-
tor MAY perform integrity checking.
4.2.1 List negotiations
In list negotiation, the originator sends a list of values (which may
include "None") in its order of preference.
The responding party MUST respond with the same key and the first
value that it supports (and is allowed to use for the specific origi-
nator) selected from the originator list.
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The constant "None" MUST always be used to indicate a missing func-
tion. However, None is a valid selection only if it is explicitly
offered.
If a responder does not understand any particular value in a list it
MUST ignore it. If a responder does support, understand or is allowed
to use none of the offered options with a specific originator, it may
use the constant "Reject" or terminate the negotiation. The selec-
tion of a value not offered is considered a negotiation failure and
is handled as a protocol error.
4.2.2 Simple-value negotiations
For simple-value negotiations, the responding party MUST respond with
the same key. The value it selects, based on the selection rule spe-
cific to the key, becomes the negotiation result. For a numerical
range the value selected must be an integer within the offered range
or "Reject" (if the range is unacceptable). An offer of a value not
admissible (e.g., not within the specified bounds) MAY be answered
with the constant "Reject" or the responder MAY select an admissible
value. The selection, by the responder, of a value not admissible
under the selection rules is considered a negotiation failure and is
handled accordingly. The selection rules are key-specific.
For boolean negotiations (keys taking the values Yes or No), the
responding party MUST respond with the same key and the result of the
negotiation when the received value does not determine that result by
itself. The last value transmitted becomes the negotiation result.
The rules for selecting the value with which to respond are expressed
as Boolean functions of the value received and the value that the
responding party would have selected if given a choice.
Specifically, the two cases in which responses are OPTIONAL are:
- The boolean function is "AND" and the value "No" is received.
The outcome of the negotiation is "No".
- The boolean function is "OR" and the value "Yes" is received.
The outcome of the negotiation is "Yes".
Responses are REQUIRED in all other cases, and the value chosen and
sent by the responder becomes the outcome of the negotiation.
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4.3 Login Phase
The Login Phase establishes an iSCSI session between an initiator and
a target. It sets the iSCSI protocol parameters, security parame-
ters, and authenticates the initiator and target to each other.
The Login Phase is implemented via login request and responses only.
The whole Login Phase is considered as a single task and has a sin-
gle Initiator Task Tag (similar to the linked SCSI commands).
The default MaxRecvDataSegmentLength is used during Login.
The Login Phase sequence of requests and responses proceeds as fol-
lows:
- Login initial request
- Login partial response (optional)
- More Login requests and responses (optional)
- Login Final-Response (mandatory)
The initial login request of any connection MUST include the Initia-
torName key=value pair. The initial login request of the first con-
nection of a session MAY also include the SessionType key=value pair.
For any connection within a session whose type is not "Discovery",
the first login request MUST also include the TargetName key=value
pair.
The Login Final-response accepts or rejects the Login request.
The Login Phase MAY include a SecurityNegotiation stage and a Login-
OperationalNegotiation stage and MUST include at least one of them,
but the included stage MAY be empty except for the mandatory names.
The login requests and responses contain a field that indicates the
negotiation stage (SecurityNegotiation or LoginOperationalNegotia-
tion). If both stages are used, the SecurityNegotiation MUST precede
the LoginOperationalNegotiation.
Some operational parameters can be negotiated outside login through
text request/response.
Security MUST be completely negotiated within the Login Phase. How to
use underlying IPsec security is specified in Chapter 7 and in [SEC-
IPS].
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In some environments, a target or an initiator is not interested in
authenticating its counterpart. It is possible to bypass authentica-
tion through the Login request and response.
The initiator and target MAY want to negotiate authentication parame-
ters. Once this negotiation is completed, the channel is considered
secure.
Most of the negotiation keys are only allowed in a specific stage.
The SecurityNegotiation keys appear in Chapter 10 and the LoginOpera-
tionalNegotiation keys appear in Chapter 11. Only a limited set of
keys (marked as Any-Stage in Chapter 11) may be used in any of the
two stages.
Any given Login request or response belongs to a specific stage; this
determines the negotiation keys allowed with the request or response.
Stage transition is performed through a command exchange (request/
response) that carries the T bit and the same current stage code.
During this exchange, the next stage is selected by the target and
MUST NOT exceed the value stated by the initiator. The initiator can
request a transition whenever it is ready, but a target can respond
with a transition only after one is offered by the initiator.
In a negotiation sequence, the T bit settings in one pair of login
request-responses have no bearing on the T bit settings of the next
pair. An initiator that has a T bit set to 1 in one pair and is
answered with a T bit setting of 0 may issue the next request with T
bit set to 0.
When a transition is requested by the initiator and acknowledged by
the target both initiator and target switch to the selected stage.
Targets MUST NOT submit parameters that require an additional initia-
tor login request in a login response with the T bit set to 1.
Stage transitions during login (including entering and exit) are pos-
sible only as outlined in the following table:
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+-----------------------------------------------------------+
|From To -> | Security | Operational | FullFeature |
| | | | | |
| V | | | |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| (start) | yes | yes | no |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| Security | no | yes | yes |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| Operational | no | no | yes |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+
The Login Final-Response that accepts a Login Request can come only
as a response to a Login request with the T bit set to 1, and both
the request and response MUST have FullFeaturePhase in the NSG field.
Neither the initiator nor the target should attempt to declare or
negotiate a parameter more than once during login except for
responses to specific keys that explicitly allow repeated key decla-
rations (e.g. TargetAddress). If detected by the target this MUST
result in a Login reject (initiator error). The initiator MUST drop
the connection
4.3.1 Login Phase Start
The Login Phase starts with a login request from the initiator to the
target. The initial login request includes:
-Protocol version supported by the initiator.
-iSCSI Initiator Name and iSCSI Target Name
-ISID, TSIH and connection Ids.
-The negotiation stage that the initiator is ready to enter.
A login may create a new session or it may add a connection to an
existing session. Between a given iSCSI Initiator Node (selected only
by an InitiatorName) and a given iSCSI target defined by an iSCSI
TargetName and a Target Portal Group Tag login results are defined by
the following table:
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+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|ISID | TSIH | CID | Target action |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|new | non-zero | any | fail the login |
| | | | ("session does not exist") |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|new | zero | any | instantiate a new session |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|existing | zero | any | do session reinstatement |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|existing | valid | new | add a new connection to |
| | existing | | the session |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|existing | valid |existing| do connection reinstatement|
| | existing | | |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|existing | invalid | any | fail the login |
| | | | ("session does not exist") |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
Optionally, the login request may include:
-Security parameters OR
-iSCSI operational parameters AND/OR
-The next negotiation stage that the initiator is ready to
enter.
The target can answer the login in the following ways:
-Login Response with Login reject. This is an immediate rejec-
tion from the target that causes the connection to terminate
and the session to terminate if this is the first (or only)
connection of a new session. The T bit and the CSG and NSG
fields are reserved.
-Login Response with Login accept as a final response (T bit
set to 1 and the NSG in both request and response are set to
FullFeaturePhase). The response includes the protocol ver-
sion supported by the target and the session ID, and may
include iSCSI operational or security parameters (that depend
on the current stage).
-Login Response with Login Accept as a partial response (NSG
not set to FullFeaturePhase in both request and response)
that indicates the start of a negotiation sequence. The
response includes the protocol version supported by the tar-
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get and either security or iSCSI parameters (when no secu-
rity mechanism is chosen) supported by the target.
If the initiator decides to forego the SecurityNegotiation stage, it
issues the Login with the CSG set to LoginOperationalNegotiation and
the target may reply with a Login Response that indicates that it is
unwilling to accept the connection without SecurityNegotiation and
will terminate the connection.
If the initiator is willing to negotiate security, but is unwilling
to make the initial parameter offer and may accept a connection with-
out security, it issues the Login with the T bit set to 1, the CSG
set to SecurityNegotiation, and NSG set to LoginOperationalNegotia-
tion. If the target is also ready to forego security, the Login
response is empty and has T bit set to 1, the CSG set to SecurityNe-
gotiation, and NSG set to LoginOperationalNegotiation.
An initiator that can operate without security and with all the oper-
ational parameters taking the default values issues the Login with
the T bit set to 1, the CSG set to LoginOperationalNegotiation, and
NSG set to FullFeaturePhase. If the target is also ready to forego
security and can finish its LoginOperationalNegotiation, the Login
response has T bit set to 1, the CSG set to LoginOperationalNegotia-
tion, and NSG set to FullFeaturePhase in the next stage.
The first Login Response PDU during the Login Phase from the iSCSI
target SHOULD return the TargetPortalGroupTag key that contains the
tag value of the iSCSI portal group servicing the Login Request PDU.
If the iSCSI target implementation supports altering the portal group
configuration (including adding, deleting, and swapping of portals in
a portal group), it MUST return the TargetPortalGroupTag key carry-
ing the tag value of the servicing portal group. If the reconfigura-
tion of iSCSI portal groups is a concern in a given environment, the
iSCSI initiator MUST use this key to ascertain that it had indeed
initiated the Login Phase with the intended target portal group.
4.3.2 iSCSI Security Negotiation
The security exchange sets the security mechanism and authenticates
the initiator user and the target to each other. The exchange pro-
ceeds according to the authentication method chosen in the negotia-
tion phase and is conducted using the login requests' and responses'
key=value parameters.
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An initiator directed negotiation proceeds as follows:
-The initiator sends a login request with an ordered list of
the options it supports (authentication algorithm). The
options are listed in the initiator's order of preference.
The initiator MAY also send proprietary options.
-The target MUST reply with the first option in the list it
supports and is allowed to use for the specific initiator
unless it does not support any in which case it MUST answer
with "Reject" (see also Section 4.2 Text Mode Negotiation).
The parameters are encoded in UTF8 as key=value. For secu-
rity parameters, see Chapter 10.
-When the initiator considers that it ready to conclude the
SecurityNegotiation stage it sets the T bit to 1 and the NSG
to what it would like the next stage to be. The target will
then set the T bit to 1 and set NSG to the next stage in the
Login response where it finishes sending its security keys.
The next stage selected will be the one the target selected.
If the next stage is FullFeaturePhase, the target MUST
respond with a Login Response with the TSIH value.
If the security negotiation fails at the target, then the target MUST
send the appropriate Login Response PDU. If the security negotiation
fails at the initiator, the initiator SHOULD close the connection.
It should be noted that the negotiation might also be directed by the
target if the initiator does support security, but is not ready to
direct the negotiation (offer options).
4.3.3 Operational Parameter Negotiation During the Login Phase
Operational parameter negotiation during the login MAY be done:
- Starting with the first Login request if the initiator does
not offer any security/ integrity option.
- Starting immediately after the security negotiation if the
initiator and target perform such a negotiation.
Operational parameter negotiation MAY involve several Login request-
response exchanges started and terminated by the initiator. The ini-
tiator MUST indicate its intent to terminate the negotiation by set-
ting the T bit to 1; the target sets the T bit to 1 on the last
response.
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If the target responds to a Login request having the T bit set to 1
with a Login response having the T bit set to 0, the initiator should
keep sending the Login request (even empty) with the T bit set to 1,
while it still wants to switch stage, until it receives the Login
Response having the T bit set to 1.
Some session specific parameters can be specified only during the
Login Phase begun by a login request that contains a zero-valued TSIH
- the leading Login Phase (e.g., the maximum number of connections
that can be used for this session).
A session is operational once it has at least one connection in Full-
FeaturePhase. New or replacement connections can be added to a ses-
sion only after the session is operational.
For operational parameters, see Chapter 11.
4.3.4 Connection reinstatement
Connection reinstatement is the process of initiator logging in with
a ISID-TSIH-CID combination that is possibly active from the tar-
get's perspective - thus implicitly logging out the connection state
machine corresponding to the CID and reinstating a new Full Feature
Phase iSCSI connection in its place (with the same CID). Thus, the
TSIH in the Login PDU MUST be non-zero and CID does not change dur-
ing a connection reinstatement. The Login request performs the logout
function of the old connection if an explicit logout was not per-
formed earlier. In sessions with a single connection, this may imply
the opening of a second connection with the sole purpose of cleaning
up the first. Targets should support opening a second connection even
when they do not support multiple connections in Full Feature Phase.
If the operational ErrorRecoveryLevel is 2, connection reinstatement
enables future task reassignment. If the operational ErrorRecovery-
Level is less than 2, connection reinstatement is the replacement of
the old CID without enabling task reassignment. In this case, all the
tasks that were active on the old CID are internally terminated.
The initiator connection state MUST be CLEANUP_WAIT (section 5.1) for
attempting a connection reinstatement.
In practical terms, beside the implicit logout connection, reinstate-
ment is equivalent to a new connection login.
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4.3.5 Session reinstatement, closure and timeout
Session reinstatement is the process of initiator logging in with an
ISID that is possibly active from the target's perspective - thus
implicitly logging out the session state machine corresponding to the
ISID and reinstating a new iSCSI session in its place (with the same
ISID). Thus, the TSIH in the Login PDU MUST be zero to signal ses-
sion reinstatement. All the tasks that were active on the old ses-
sion are internally terminated on a session reinstatement.
The initiator session state MUST be FAILED (Section 5.3 Session State
Diagrams) for attempting a session reinstatement.
Session closure is an event defined to be either of the following:
- a successful "session close" logout
- a successful "connection close" logout for the last Full Fea-
ture Phase connection when no associated connection states
are waiting for cleanup (Section 5.2 Connection Cleanup State
Diagram for Initiators and Targets) and no associated task
states are waiting for reassignment.
Session timeout is an event defined to occur when the last connec-
tion state timeout happens and no tasks are waiting for reassign-
ment. This takes the session to the FREE state (N6 transition in the
session state diagram).
4.3.5.1 Loss of Nexus notification
iSCSI Layer provides the SCSI layer with the "I_T nexus loss" notifi-
cation when any one of the following events happens:
a) A successful completion of session reinstatement
b) A session closure event
c) A session timeout event
Certain SCSI object clearing actions may result upon this notifica-
tion in the SCSI end nodes, as documented in Appendix F. - Clearing
effects of various events on targets -.
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4.3.6 Session continuation and failure
Session continuation is the process by which the state of a pre-
existing session is continued to be in use by either connection rein-
statement (Section 4.3.4 Connection reinstatement), or by adding a
connection with a new CID. Either of these actions associates the new
transport connection with the pre-existing session state.
Session failure is an event where the last Full Feature Phase connec-
tion reaches the CLEANUP_WAIT (Section 5.2 Connection Cleanup State
Diagram for Initiators and Targets) state, or completes a successful
recovery logout thus causing all active tasks (that are formerly
allegiant to the connection) to start waiting for task reassignment.
4.4 Operational Parameter Negotiation Outside the Login Phase
Some operational parameters MAY be negotiated outside (after) the
Login Phase.
Parameter negotiation in Full Feature Phase is done through Text
requests and responses. Operational parameter negotiation MAY involve
several text request-response exchanges, which the initiator always
starts and terminates and uses the same Initiator Task Tag. The ini-
tiator MUST indicate its intent to terminate the negotiation by set-
ting the F bit to 1; the target sets the F bit to 1 on the last
response.
If the target responds with a text response with the F bit set to 0
to a text request with the F bit set to 1, the initiator should keep
sending the text request (even empty) with the F bit set to 1, while
it still wants to finish the negotiation, until it receives the text
response with the F bit set to 1. Responding to a text request with
the F bit set to 1 with an empty (no key=value pairs) response with
the F bit set to 0 is not an error but is discouraged.
Targets MUST NOT submit parameters that require an additional initia-
tor text request in a text response with the F bit set to 1.
In a negotiation sequence, the F bit settings in one pair of text
request-responses have no bearing on the F bit settings of the next
pair. An initiator that has the F bit set to 1 in a request and is
being answered with an F bit setting of 0 may issue the next request
with the F bit set to 0.
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Whenever the target responds with the F bit set to 0, it MUST set the
Target Transfer Tag to a value other than the default 0xffffffff.
An initiator MAY reset an operational parameter negotiation by issu-
ing a Text request with the Target Transfer Tag set to the value
0xffffffff after receiving a response with the Target Transfer Tag
set to a value other than 0xffffffff. A target may reset an opera-
tional parameter negotiation by answering a Text request with a
Reject PDU.
Neither the initiator nor the target should attempt to declare or
negotiate a parameter more than once during any negotiation sequence
without an intervening reset except for responses to specific keys
that explicitly allow repeated key declarations (e.g. TargetAdress).
If detected by the target this MUST result in a Reject with a reason
of "protocol error". The initiator MUST reset the negotiation as out-
lined above.
Parameters negotiated by a text exchange negotiation sequence become
effective only after the negotiation sequence is completed.
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5. State Transitions
iSCSI connections and iSCSI sessions go through several well-defined
states from the time they are created to the time they are cleared.
An iSCSI connection is a transport connection used for carrying out
iSCSI activity. The connection state transitions are described in
two separate but dependent state diagrams for ease in understand-
ing. The first diagram, "standard connection state diagram",
describes the connection state transitions when the iSCSI connection
is not waiting for or undergoing a cleanup by way of an explicit or
implicit Logout. The second diagram, "connection cleanup state dia-
gram", describes the connection state transitions while performing
the iSCSI connection cleanup.
The "session state diagram" describes the state transitions an iSCSI
session would go through during its lifetime, and it depends on the
states of possibly multiple iSCSI connections that participate in the
session.
5.1 Standard Connection State Diagrams
5.1.1 Standard Connection State Diagram for an Initiator
Symbolic names for States:
S1: FREE
S2: XPT_WAIT
S4: IN_LOGIN
S5: LOGGED_IN
S6: IN_LOGOUT
S7: LOGOUT_REQUESTED
S8: CLEANUP_WAIT
States S5, S6 and S7 constitute the Full Feature Phase operation of
the connection.
The state diagram is as follows:
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-------<-------------+
+--------->/ S1 \<----+ |
T13| +->\ /<-+ \ |
| / ---+--- \ \ |
| / | T2 \ | |
| T8 | |T1 | | |
| | | / |T7 |
| | | / | |
| | | / | |
| | V / / |
| | ------- / / |
| | / S2 \ / |
| | \ / / |
| | ---+--- / |
| | |T4 / |
| | V / | T18
| | ------- / |
| | / S4 \ |
| | \ / |
| | ---+--- | T15
| | |T5 +--------+---------+
| | | /T16+-----+------+ |
| | | / -+-----+--+ | |
| | | / / S7 \ |T12| |
| | | / +->\ /<-+ V V
| | | / / -+----- -------
| | | / /T11 |T10 / S8 \
| | V / / V +----+ \ /
| | ---+-+- ----+-- | -------
| | / S5 \T9 / S6 \<+ ^
| +-----\ /--->\ / T14 |
| ------- --+----+------+T17
+---------------------------+
The following state transition table represents the above diagram.
Each row represents the starting state for a given transition, which
after taking a transition marked in a table cell would end in the
state represented by the column of the cell. For example, from state
S1, the connection takes the T1 transition to arrive at state S2. The
fields marked "-" correspond to undefined transitions.
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+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
|S1 |S2 |S4 |S5 |S6 |S7 |S8 |
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S1| - |T1 | - | - | - | - | - |
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S2|T2 |- |T4 | - | - | - | - |
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S4|T7 |- |- |T5 | - | - | - |
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S5|T8 |- |- | - |T9 |T11 |T15|
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S6|T13 |- |- | - |T14|- |T17|
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S7|T18 |- |- | - |T10|T12 |T16|
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S8| - |- |- | - | - | - | - |
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
5.1.2 Standard Connection State Diagram for a Target
Symbolic names for States:
S1: FREE
S3: XPT_UP
S4: IN_LOGIN
S5: LOGGED_IN
S6: IN_LOGOUT
S7: LOGOUT_REQUESTED
S8: CLEANUP_WAIT
States S5, S6 and S7 constitute the Full Feature Phase operation of
the connection.
The state diagram is as follows:
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-------<-------------+
+--------->/ S1 \<----+ |
T13| +->\ /<-+ \ |
| / ---+--- \ \ |
| / | T6 \ | |
| T8 | |T3 | | |
| | | / |T7 |
| | | / | |
| | | / | |
| | V / / |
| | ------- / / |
| | / S3 \ / |
| | \ / / | T18
| | ---+--- / |
| | |T4 / |
| | V / |
| | ------- / |
| | / S4 \ |
| | \ / |
| | ---+--- T15 |
| | |T5 +--------+---------+
| | | /T16+-----+------+ |
| | | / -+-----+---+ | |
| | | / / S7 \ |T12| |
| | | / +->\ /<-+ V V
| | | / / -+----- -------
| | | / /T11 |T10 / S8 \
| | V / / V \ /
| | ---+-+- ------- -------
| | / S5 \T9 / S6 \ ^
| +-----\ /--->\ / |
| ------- --+----+--------+T17
+---------------------------+
The following state transition table represents the above diagram,
and follows the conventions described for the initiator diagram.
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+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
|S1 |S3 |S4 |S5 |S6 |S7 |S8 |
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S1| - |T3 | - | - | - | - | - |
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S3|T6 |- |T4 | - | - | - | - |
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S4|T7 |- |- |T5 | - | - | - |
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S5|T8 |- |- | - |T9 |T11 |T15|
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S6|T13 |- |- | - |- |- |T17|
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S7|T18 |- |- | - |T10|T12 |T16|
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
S8| - |- |- | - | - | - | - |
---+-----+---+---+---+---+----+---+
5.1.3 State Descriptions for Initiators and Targets
State descriptions for the standard connection state diagram are as
follows:
-S1: FREE
-initiator: State on instantiation, or after successful con-
nection closure.
-target: State on instantiation, or after successful connec-
tion closure.
-S2: XPT_WAIT
-initiator: Waiting for a response to its transport connec-
tion establishment request.
-target: Illegal
-S3: XPT_UP
-initiator: Illegal
-target: Waiting for the Login process to commence.
-S4: IN_LOGIN
-initiator: Waiting for the Login process to conclude, possi-
bly involving several PDU exchanges.
-target: Waiting for the Login process to conclude, possibly
involving several PDU exchanges.
-S5: LOGGED_IN
-initiator: In Full Feature Phase, waiting for all internal,
iSCSI, and transport events.
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-target: In Full Feature Phase, waiting for all internal,
iSCSI, and transport events.
-S6: IN_LOGOUT
-initiator: Waiting for a Logout response.
-target: Waiting for an internal event signaling completion
of logout processing.
-S7: LOGOUT_REQUESTED
-initiator: Waiting for an internal event signaling readi-
ness to proceed with Logout.
-target: Waiting for the Logout process to start after hav-
ing requested a Logout via an Async Message.
-S8: CLEANUP_WAIT
-initiator: Waiting for the context and/or resources to ini-
tiate the cleanup processing for this CSM.
-target: Waiting for the cleanup process to start for this
CSM.
5.1.4 State Transition Descriptions for Initiators and Targets
-T1:
-initiator: Transport connect request was made (ex: TCP SYN
sent).
-target: Illegal
-T2:
-initiator: Transport connection request timed out, or a
transport reset was received, or an internal event of
receiving a Logout response (success) on another connection
for a "close the session" Logout request was received.
-target:Illegal
-T3:
-initiator: Illegal
-target: Received a valid transport connection request that
establishes the transport connection.
-T4:
-initiator: Transport connection established, thus prompting
the initiator to start the iSCSI Login.
-target: Initial iSCSI Login request was received.
-T5:
-initiator: The final iSCSI Login response with a Status-
Class of zero was received.
-target: The final iSCSI Login request to conclude the Login
Phase was received, thus prompting the target to send the
final iSCSI Login response with a Status-Class of zero.
-T6:
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-initiator: Illegal
-target: Timed out waiting for an iSCSI Login, or transport
disconnect indication was received, or transport reset was
received, or an internal event indicating a transport time-
out was received. In all these cases, the connection is to
be closed.
-T7:
-initiator - one of the following evens caused the transi-
tion:
- The final iSCSI Login response was received with a non-
zero Status-Class
- Login timed out
- A transport disconnect indication was received
- A transport reset was received
- An internal event indicating a transport timeout was
received
- An internal event of receiving a Logout response (suc-
cess) on another connection for a "close the session"
Logout request was received.
In all these cases, the transport connection is closed.
-target - one of the following events caused the transition:
- The final iSCSI Login request to conclude the Login
Phase was received, prompting the target to send the final
iSCSI Login response with a non-zero Status-Class
- Login timed out
- Transport disconnect indication was received
- Transport reset was received
- An internal event indicating a transport timeout was
received
- On another connection a "close the session" Logout
request was received.
In all these cases, the connection is to be closed.
-T8:
-initiator: An internal event of receiving a Logout response
(success) on another connection for a "close the session"
Logout request was received, thus closing this connection
requiring no further cleanup.
-target: An internal event of sending a Logout response (suc-
cess) on another connection for a "close the session" Logout
request was received, or an internal event of a successful
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connection/session reinstatement is received, thus prompt-
ing the target to close this connection cleanly.
-T9, T10:
-initiator: An internal event that indicates the readiness to
start the Logout process was received, thus prompting an
iSCSI Logout to be sent by the initiator.
-target: An iSCSI Logout request was received.
-T11, T12:
-initiator: Async PDU with AsyncEvent "Request Logout" was
received.
-target: An internal event that requires the decommissioning
of the connection is received, thus causing an Async PDU
with an AsyncEvent "Request Logout" to be sent.
-T13:
-initiator: An iSCSI Logout response (success) was received,
or an internal event of receiving a Logout response (suc-
cess) on another connection for a "close the session"
Logout request was received.
-target: An internal event was received that indicates suc-
cessful processing of the Logout, which prompts an iSCSI
Logout response (success) to be sent, or an internal event
of sending a Logout response (success) on another connec-
tion for a "close the session" Logout request was received,
or an internal event of a successful connection/session
reinstatement is received. In all these cases, the trans-
port connection is closed.
-T14:
-initiator: Async PDU with AsyncEvent "Request Logout" was
received again.
-target: Illegal
-T15, T16:
-initiator: One or more of the following events caused this
transition:
-Internal event that indicates a transport connection tim-
eout was received thus prompting transport RESET or trans-
port connection closure.
-A transport RESET.
-A transport disconnect indication.
-Async PDU with AsyncEvent "Drop connection" (for this
CID).
-Async PDU with AsyncEvent "Drop all connections".
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-target: One or more of the following events caused this
transition:
-Internal event that indicates a transport connection tim-
eout was received, thus prompting transport RESET or trans-
port connection closure.
-An internal event of a failed connection/session rein-
statement is received.
-A transport RESET.
-A transport disconnect indication.
-Internal emergency cleanup event was received which
prompts an Async PDU with AsyncEvent "Drop connection" (for
this CID), or event "Drop all connections".
-T17:
-initiator: One or more of the following events caused this
transition:
-Logout response (failure, i.e. a non-zero status) was
received, or Logout timed out.
-Any of the events specified for T15 and T16.
-target: One or more of the following events caused this
transition:
-Internal event that indicates a failure of the Logout
processing was received, which prompts a Logout response
(failure, i.e. a non-zero status) to be sent.
-Any of the events specified for T15 and T16.
-T18:
-initiator: An internal event of receiving a Logout response
(success) on another connection for a "close the session"
Logout request was received.
-target: An internal event of sending a Logout response (suc-
cess) on another connection for a "close the session"
Logout request was received, or an internal event of a suc-
cessful connection/session reinstatement is received. In
both these cases, the connection is closed.
The CLEANUP_WAIT state (S8) implies that there are possible iSCSI
tasks that have not reached conclusion and are still considered busy.
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5.2 Connection Cleanup State Diagram for Initiators and Targets
Symbolic names for states:
R1: CLEANUP_WAIT (same as S8)
R2: IN_CLEANUP
R3: FREE (same as S1)
Whenever a connection state machine (e.g., CSM-C) enters the
CLEANUP_WAIT state (S8), it must go through the state transitions
additionally described in the connection cleanup state diagram either
a) using a separate full-feature phase connection (let's call it CSM-
E) in the LOGGED_IN state in the same session, or b) using a new
transport connection (let's call it CSM-I) in the FREE state that is
to be added to the same session. In the CSM-E case, an explicit
logout for the CID that corresponds to CSM-C (either as a connection
or session logout) needs to be performed to complete the cleanup. In
the CSM-I case, an implicit logout for the CID that corresponds to
CSM-C needs to be performed by way of connection reinstatement (sec-
tion 4.3.4) for that CID. In either case, the protocol exchanges on
CSM-E or CSM-I determine the state transitions for CSM-C. Therefore,
this cleanup state diagram is applicable only to the instance of the
connection in cleanup (i.e., CSM-C). In the case of an implicit
logout for example, CSM-C reaches FREE (R3) at the time CSM-I reaches
LOGGED_IN. In the case of an explicit logout, CSM-C reaches FREE (R3)
when CSM-E receives a successful logout response while continuing to
be in the LOGGED_IN state.
An initiator must initiate an explicit or implicit connection logout
for a connection in the CLEANUP_WAIT state, if the initiator intends
to continue using the associated iSCSI session.
The following state diagram applies to both initiators and targets.
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-------
/ R1 \
+--\ /<-+
/ ---+--- \
/ | \ M3
M1 | |M2 |
| | /
| | /
| | /
| V /
| ------- /
| / R2 \
| \ /
| -------
| |
| |M4
| |
| |
| |
| V
| -------
| / R3 \
+---->\ /
-------
The following state transition table represents the above diagram,
and follows the same conventions as in earlier sections.
+----+----+----+
|R1 |R2 |R3 |
-----+----+----+----+
R1 | - |M2 |M1 |
-----+----+----+----+
R2 |M3 | - |M4 |
-----+----+----+----+
R3 | - | - | - |
-----+----+----+----+
5.2.1 State Descriptions for Initiators and Targets
-R1: CLEANUP_WAIT (Same as S8)
-initiator: Waiting for the internal event to initiate the
cleanup processing for CSM-C.
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-target: Waiting for the cleanup process to start for CSM-C.
-R2: IN_CLEANUP
-initiator: Waiting for the connection cleanup process to
conclude for CSM-C.
-target: Waiting for the connection cleanup process to con-
clude for CSM-C.
-R3: FREE (Same as S1)
-initiator: End state for CSM-C.
-target: End state for CSM-C.
5.2.2 State Transition Descriptions for Initiators and Targets
-M1: One or more of the following events was received:
-initiator:
-An internal event that indicates connection state time-
out.
-An internal event of receiving a successful Logout
response on a different connection for a "close the session"
Logout.
-target:
-An internal event that indicates connection state time-
out.
-An internal event of sending a Logout response (success)
on a different connection for a "close the session" Logout
request.
-M2: An implicit/explicit logout process was initiated by the initi-
ator.
-In CSM-I usage:
-initiator: An internal event requesting the connection
(or session) reinstatement was received, thus prompting a
connection (or session) reinstatement Login to be sent tran-
sitioning CSM-I to state IN_LOGIN.
-target: A connection/session reinstatement Login was
received while in state XPT_UP.
-In CSM-E usage:
-initiator: An internal event that indicates that an
explicit logout was sent for this CID in state LOGGED_IN.
-target: An explicit logout was received for this CID in
state LOGGED_IN.
-M3: Logout failure detected
-In CSM-I usage:
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-initiator: CSM-I failed to reach LOGGED_IN and arrived
into FREE instead.
-target: CSM-I failed to reach LOGGED_IN and arrived into
FREE instead.
-In CSM-E usage:
-initiator: CSM-E either moved out of LOGGED_IN, or Logout
timed out and/or aborted, or Logout response (failure) was
received.
-target: CSM-E either moved out of LOGGED_IN, or Logout
timed out and/or aborted, or an internal event that indicates
a failed Logout processing was received. A Logout response
(failure) was sent in the last case.
-M4: Successful implicit/explicit logout was performed.
- In CSM-I usage:
-initiator: CSM-I reached state LOGGED_IN, or an internal
event of receiving a Logout response (success) on another
connection for a "close the session" Logout request was
received.
-target: CSM-I reached state LOGGED_IN, or an internal
event of sending a Logout response (success) on a different
connection for a "close the session" Logout request was
received.
- In CSM-E usage:
-initiator: CSM-E stayed in LOGGED_IN and received a
Logout response (success), or an internal event of receiving
a Logout response (success) on another connection for a
"close the session" Logout request was received.
-target: CSM-E stayed in LOGGED_IN and an internal event
indicating a successful Logout processing was received, or
an internal event of sending a Logout response (success) on a
different connection for a "close the session" Logout
request was received.
5.3 Session State Diagrams
Session State Diagram for an Initiator
Symbolic Names for States:
Q1: FREE
Q3: LOGGED_IN
Q4: FAILED
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State Q3 represents the Full Feature Phase operation of the session.
The state diagram is as follows:
-------
/ Q1 \
+------>\ /<-+
/ ---+--- |
/ | |N3
N6 | |N1 |
| | |
| N4 | |
| +--------+ | /
| | | | /
| | | | /
| | V V /
-+--+-- -----+-
/ Q4 \ N5 / Q3 \
\ /<---\ /
------- -------
State transition table:
+----+----+----+
|Q1 |Q3 |Q4 |
-----+----+----+----+
Q1 | - |N1 | - |
-----+----+----+----+
Q3 |N3 | - |N5 |
-----+----+----+----+
Q4 |N6 |N4 | - |
-----+----+----+----+
5.3.1 Session State Diagram for a Target
Symbolic Names for States:
Q1: FREE
Q2: ACTIVE
Q3: LOGGED_IN
Q4: FAILED
Q5: IN_CONTINUE
State Q3 represents the Full Feature Phase operation of the session.
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The state diagram is as follows:
-------
+------------------>/ Q1 \
/ +-------------->\ /<-+
| | ---+--- |
| | ^ | |N3
N6 | |N11 N9| V N1 |
| | +------ |
| | / Q2 \ |
| | \ / |
| --+---- +--+--- |
| / Q5 \ | |
| \ / N10 | |
| +-+---+------------+ |N2 /
| ^ | | | /
|N7| |N8 | | /
| | | | V /
-+--+-V V----+-
/ Q4 \ N5 / Q3 \
\ /<-------------\ /
------- -------
State transition table:
+----+----+----+----+----+
|Q1 |Q2 |Q3 |Q4 |Q5 |
-----+----+----+----+----+----+
Q1 | - |N1 | - | - | - |
-----+----+----+----+----+----+
Q2 |N9 | - |N2 | - | - |
-----+----+----+----+----+----+
Q3 |N3 | - | - |N5 | - |
-----+----+----+----+----+----+
Q4 |N6 | - | - | - |N7 |
-----+----+----+----+----+----+
Q5 |N11 | - |N10 |N8 | - |
-----+----+----+----+----+----+
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5.3.2 State Descriptions for Initiators and Targets
-Q1: FREE
-initiator: State on instantiation or after cleanup.
-target: State on instantiation or after cleanup.
-Q2: ACTIVE
-initiator: Illegal
-target: The first iSCSI connection in the session transi-
tioned to IN_LOGIN, waiting for it to complete the login
process.
-Q3: LOGGED_IN
-initiator: Waiting for all session events.
-target: Waiting for all session events.
-Q4: FAILED
-initiator: Waiting for session recovery or session continua-
tion.
-target: Waiting for session recovery or session continua-
tion.
-Q5: IN_CONTINUE
-initiator: Illegal
-target: Waiting for session continuation attempt to reach a
conclusion.
5.3.3 State Transition Descriptions for Initiators and Targets
-N1:
-initiator: At least one transport connection reached the
LOGGED_IN state.
-target: The first iSCSI connection in the session had
reached the IN_LOGIN state.
-N2:
-initiator: Illegal
-target: At least one iSCSI connection reached the LOGGED_IN
state.
-N3:
-initiator: Graceful closing of the session via session clo-
sure (Section 4.3.6 Session continuation and failure).
-target: Graceful closing of the session via session closure
(Section 4.3.6 Session continuation and failure). Or a suc-
cessful session reinstatement cleanly closed the session.
-N4:
-initiator: A session continuation attempt succeeded.
-target: Illegal
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-N5:
-initiator: Session failure (Section 4.3.6 Session continua-
tion and failure) occurred.
-target: Session failure (Section 4.3.6 Session continuation
and failure) occurred.
-N6:
-initiator: Session state timeout occurred, or a session
reinstatement cleared this session instance. This results
in the freeing of all associated resources and the session
state is discarded.
-target: Session state timeout occurred, or a session rein-
statement cleared this session instance. This results in
the freeing of all associated resources and the session
state is discarded.
-N7:
-initiator: Illegal
-target: A session continuation attempt is initiated.
-N8:
-initiator: Illegal
-target: The last session continuation attempt failed.
-N9:
-initiator: Illegal
-target: Login attempt on the leading connection failed.
-N10:
-initiator: Illegal
-target: A session continuation attempt succeeded.
-N11:
-initiator: Illegal
-target: A successful session reinstatement cleanly closed
the session.
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6. iSCSI Error Handling and Recovery
For any outstanding SCSI command, it is assumed that iSCSI, in con-
junction with SCSI at the initiator, is able to keep enough informa-
tion to be able to rebuild the command PDU, and that outgoing data
are available (in host memory) for retransmission while the command
is outstanding. It is also assumed that at the target, incoming data
(read data) MAY be kept for recovery or it can be re-read from a
device server.
It is further assumed that a target will keep the "status & sense"
for a command it has executed if it supports status retransmission.
Many of the recovery details in an iSCSI implementation are a local
matter, beyond the scope of protocol standardization. However, some
external aspects of the processing must be standardized to ensure
interoperability. This section describes a general model for recov-
ery in support of interoperability. See Appendix E. - Algorithmic
Presentation of Error Recovery Classes - for further detail. Compli-
ant implementations do not have to match the implementation details
of this model as presented, but the external behavior of such imple-
mentations must correspond to the externally observable characteris-
tics of the presented model.
6.1 Retry and Reassign in Recovery
This section summarizes two important and somewhat related iSCSI pro-
tocol features used in error recovery.
6.1.1 Usage of Retry
By resending the same iSCSI command PDU ("retry") in the absence of a
command acknowledgement or response, an initiator attempts to "plug"
(what it thinks are) the discontinuities in CmdSN ordering on the
target end. Discarded command PDUs, due to digest errors, may have
created these discontinuities.
Retry MUST NOT be used for reasons other than plugging command
sequence gaps. In particular, all PDU retransmission (for data, or
status) requests for a currently allegiant command in progress must
be conveyed to the target using only the SNACK mechanism already
described in Section 2.5.3.4 SNACK Request. This, however, does not
constitute a requirement on initiators to use SNACK.
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If initiators, as part of plugging command sequence gaps as described
above, inadvertently issue retries for allegiant commands already in
progress (i.e., targets did not see the discontinuities in CmdSN
ordering), targets MUST silently discard the duplicate requests if
the CmdSN window had not advanced by then. Targets MUST support the
retry functionality described above.
When an iSCSI command is retried, the command PDU MUST carry the
original Initiator Task Tag and the original operational attributes
(e.g., flags, function names, LUN, CDB etc.) as well as the original
CmdSN. The command being retried MUST be sent on the same connection
as the original command unless the original connection was already
successfully logged out.
6.1.2 Allegiance Reassignment
By issuing a "task reassign" task management request (Section 9.5.1
Function), the initiator signals its intent to continue an already
active command (but with no current connection allegiance) as part of
connection recovery. This means that a new connection allegiance is
established for the command, that associates it to the connection on
which the task management request is being issued.
In reassigning connection allegiance for a command, the targets
SHOULD continue the command from its current state. For example, when
reassigning read commands, the target SHOULD take advantage of Exp-
DataSN field provided by the Task Management Function Request (which
must be set to zero if there was no data transfer) and bring the read
command to completion by sending the remaining data and sending (or
resending) the status. However, targets MAY choose to send/receive
the entire data on a reassignment of connection allegiance, and it is
not considered an error. For all types of commands, a reassignment
request implies that the task is still considered in progress by the
initiator and the target must conclude the task appropriately. This
might possibly involve retransmission of data/R2T/status PDUs as nec-
essary.
It is optional for targets to support the allegiance reassignment.
This capability is negotiated via the ErrorRecoveryLevel text key at
the login time. When a target does not support allegiance reassign-
ment, it MUST respond with a task management response code of "Task
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failover not supported". If allegiance reassignment is supported by
the target, but the task is still allegiant to a different connec-
tion, the target MUST respond with a task management response code of
"Task still allegiant".
6.2 Usage Of Reject PDU in Recovery
Targets MUST NOT implicitly terminate an active task by sending a
Reject PDU for any PDU exchanged during the life of the task. If the
target decides to terminate the task, a Response PDU (SCSI, Text,
Task etc.) must be returned by the target to conclude the task. If
the task had never been active before the Reject (i.e., the Reject is
on the command PDU), targets should not send any further responses
because the command itself is being discarded.
The above rule means that the initiators can eventually expect a
response even on Reject's, if the Reject is not for the command
itself. The non-command Reject's only have diagnostic value in log-
ging the errors, and they can be used for retransmission decisions by
the initiators.
The CmdSN of the rejected command PDU (if it carried one) MUST NOT be
considered received by the target (i.e., a command sequence gap must
be assumed for the CmdSN), even though the CmdSN can be reliably
ascertained in this case.
When a data PDU is rejected and its DataSN can be ascertained, a tar-
get MUST advance ExpDataSN for the current data burst if a recovery
R2T is being generated. The target MAY advance its ExpDataSN if it
does not attempt to recover the lost data PDU.
6.3 Connection timeout management
iSCSI defines two session-global timeout values (in seconds) -
Time2Wait and Time2Retain - that are applicable when an iSCSI Full
Feature Phase connection is taken out of service either intention-
ally or on an exception. Time2Wait is the initial "respite time"
before attempting an explicit/implicit Logout for the CID in ques-
tion or task reassignment for the affected tasks (if any).
Time2Retain is the maximum time after the initial respite interval
that the task and/or connection state(s) is/are guaranteed to be
maintained on the target to cater to a possible recovery attempt. No
recovery attempt should be made before Time2Wait and task reassign-
ment has to be done within the Time2Retain.
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6.3.1 Timeouts on transport exception events
A transport connection shutdown or a transport reset without any
preceding iSCSI protocol interactions informing of the fact causes a
Full Feature Phase iSCSI connection to be abruptly terminated. The
timeout values to be used in this case are the negotiated values of
DefaultTime2Wait (Section 11.16 DefaultTime2Wait) and
DefaultTime2Retain (Section 11.17 DefaultTime2Retain) text keys for
the session.
6.3.2 Timeouts on planned decommissioning
Any planned decommissioning of a Full Feature Phase iSCSI connection
is preceded by either a Logout Response PDU, or an Async Message PDU.
The Time2Wait and Time2Retain field values (section 9.15) in a Logout
Response PDU, and the Parameter2 and Parameter3 fields of an Async
Message (AsyncEvent types "drop the connection" or "drop all the con-
nections"; section 9.9.1) specify the timeout values to be used in
each of these cases.
These timeout values are applicable only for the affected connec-
tion, and the tasks active on that connection. These timeout values
have no bearing on initiator timers (if any) that are already run-
ning on connections or tasks associated with that session.
6.4 Format Errors
The following two explicit violations of PDU layout rules are format
errors:
a) illegal contents of the PDU header (except the Opcode) - for
ex., out-of-range values for certain fields
b) inconsistent contents - for ex., value of one field conflicts
with that of another.
Format errors indicate a major implementation flaw in one of the par-
ties.
When a target or an initiator receives an iSCSI PDU with a format
error, it MUST immediately terminate all transport connections in the
session either with a connection close or with a connection reset and
escalate the format error to session recovery (see Section 6.12.4
Session Recovery).
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6.5 Digest Errors
The discussion of the legal choices in handling digest errors below
excludes session recovery as an explicit option, but either party
detecting a digest error may choose to escalate the error to session
recovery.
When a target or an initiator receives any iSCSI PDU with a header
digest error, it MUST either discard the header and all data up to
the beginning of a later PDU or close the connection. Since the
digest error indicate that the length field of the header may have
been corrupted, the location of the beginning of a later PDU needs to
be reliably ascertained by other means (such as the operation of a
sync and steering layer).
When a target receives any iSCSI PDU with a payload digest error, it
MUST answer with a Reject PDU with a Reason-code of Data-Digest-Error
and discard the PDU.
- If the discarded PDU is a solicited or unsolicited iSCSI data
PDU (for immediate data in a command PDU, non-data PDU rule
below applies), the target MUST do one of the following:
a) Request retransmission with a recovery R2T. [OR]
b) Terminate the task with a response PDU with a CHECK CONDITION
Status and an iSCSI Condition of "protocol service CRC error"
(Section 9.4.6.2 Sense Data). If the target chooses to implement
this option, it MUST wait to receive all the data (signaled by a
Data PDU with the final bit set for all outstanding R2Ts) before
sending the response PDU. A task management command (similar to an
abort task) from the initiator during this wait may also conclude
the task.
- No further action is necessary for targets if the discarded
PDU is a non-data PDU.
When an initiator receives any iSCSI PDU with a payload digest error,
it MUST discard the PDU.
- If the discarded PDU is an iSCSI data PDU, the initiator MUST
do one of the following:
a) Request the desired data PDU through SNACK. In its turn, the
target MUST either resend the data PDU or, reject the SNACK with a
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Reject PDU with a reason-code of "SNACK reject" in which case:
i) if the status had not already been sent for the com-
mand, the target MUST terminate the command with an CHECK CONDI-
TION Status and an iSCSI Condition of "SNACK rejected" (Section
9.4.6.2 Sense Data).
ii) if the status was already sent, no further action
is necessary for the target. Initiator in this case MUST inter-
nally signal the completion with CHECK CONDITION Status and an
iSCSI Condition of "protocol service CRC error" (Section 9.4.6.2
Sense Data) disregarding any received status PDU, but must wait
for the status to be received before doing so.
b) [OR] Abort the task and terminate the command with an error.
- If the discarded PDU is a response PDU, the initiator MUST do
one of the following:
a) Request PDU retransmission with a status SNACK. [OR]
b) Logout the connection for recovery and continue the tasks on a
different connection instance as described in Section 6.1 Retry
and Reassign in Recovery. [OR]
c) Logout to close the connection (abort all the commands associ-
ated with the connection).
- No further action is necessary for initiators if the dis-
carded PDU is an unsolicited PDU (e.g., Async, Reject).
6.6 Sequence Errors
When an initiator receives an iSCSI R2T/data PDU with an out-of-order
R2TSN/DataSN or a SCSI response PDU with an ExpDataSN that implies
missing data PDU(s), it means that the initiator must have hit a
header or payload digest error on one or more earlier R2T/data PDUs.
The initiator MUST address these implied digest errors as described
in Section 6.5 Digest Errors. When a target receives a data PDU with
an out-of-order DataSN, it means that the target must have hit a
header or payload digest error on at least one of the earlier data
PDUs. Target MUST address these implied digest errors as described in
Section 6.5 Digest Errors.
When an initiator receives an iSCSI status PDU with an out-of-order
StatSN that implies missing responses, it MUST address the one or
more missing status PDUs as described in Section 6.5 Digest Errors.
As a side effect of receiving the missing responses, the initiator
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may discover missing data PDUs. If the initiator wants to recover the
missing data for a command, it MUST NOT acknowledge the received
responses that start from the StatSN of the interested command, until
it has completed receiving all the data PDUs of the command.
When an initiator receives duplicate R2TSNs (due to proactive
retransmission of R2Ts by the target) or duplicate DataSNs (due to
proactive SNACKs by the initiator), it MUST discard the duplicates.
6.7 SCSI Timeouts
An iSCSI initiator MAY attempt to plug a command sequence gap on the
target end (in the absence of an acknowledgement of the command by
way of ExpCmdSN) before the ULP timeout by retrying the unacknowl-
edged command, as described in Section 6.1 Retry and Reassign in
Recovery.
On a ULP timeout for a command (that carried a CmdSN of n), the iSCSI
initiator MUST abort the command by either using the Abort Task task
management function request, or a "close the connection" Logout if it
intends to continue the session. In using an explicit Abort, if the
ExpCmdSN is still less than (n+1), the target may see the abort
request while missing the original command itself due to one of the
following reasons:
- The original command was dropped due to digest error.
- The connection on which the original command was sent was
successfully logged out (on logout, the unacknowledged com-
mands issued on the connection being logged out are dis-
carded).
If the abort request is received and the original command is miss-
ing, targets MUST consider the original command with that RefCmdSN to
be received and issue a task management response with the response
code: "Function Complete". This response concludes the task on both
ends.
6.8 Negotiation Failures
Text request and response sequences, when used to set/negotiate oper-
ational parameters, constitute the negotiation/parameter setting. A
negotiation failure is considered one or more of the following:
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- None of the choices or the stated value is acceptable to one
negotiating side.
- The text request timed out, and possibly terminated.
- The text request was answered with a Reject PDU.
The following two rules are to be used to address negotiation fail-
ures:
- During Login, any failure in negotiation MUST be considered a
login process failure and the Login Phase must be termi-
nated, and with it the connection. If the target detects the
failure, it must terminate the login with the appropriate
login response code.
- A failure in negotiation, while in the Full Feature Phase,
will terminate the entire negotiation sequence that may con-
sist of a series of text requests that use the same Initia-
tor Task Tag. The operational parameters of the session or
the connection MUST continue to be the values agreed upon
during an earlier successful negotiation (i.e., any partial
results of this unsuccessful negotiation must be undone).
6.9 Protocol Errors
The authors recognize that mapping framed messages over a "stream"
connection, such as TCP, make the proposed mechanisms vulnerable to
simple software framing errors. On the other hand, the introduction
of framing mechanisms to limit the effects of these errors may be
onerous on performance for simple implementations. Command Sequence
Numbers and the above mechanisms for connection drop and re-estab-
lishment help handle this type of mapping errors.
All violations of iSCSI PDU exchange sequences specified in this
draft are also protocol errors. This category of errors can only be
addressed by fixing the implementations; iSCSI defines Reject and
response codes to enable this.
6.10 Connection Failures
iSCSI can keep a session in operation if it is able to keep/estab-
lish at least one TCP connection between the initiator and the tar-
get in a timely fashion. It is assumed that targets and/or
initiators recognize a failing connection by either transport level
means (TCP), a gap in the command, a response stream that is not
filled for a long time, or by a failing iSCSI NOP (ping). The latter
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MAY be used periodically by highly reliable implementations. Initia-
tors and targets MAY also use the keep-alive option on the TCP con-
nection to enable early link failure detection on otherwise idle
links.
On connection failure, the initiator and target MUST do one of the
following:
- Attempt connection recovery within the session (Section
6.12.3 Connection Recovery).
- Logout the connection with the reason code "closes the con-
nection" (Section 9.14.4 Implicit termination of tasks), re-
issue missing commands, and implicitly terminate all active
commands. This option requires support for the within-connec-
tion recovery class (Section 6.12.2 Recovery Within-connec-
tion).
- Perform session recovery (Section 6.12.4 Session Recovery).
Either side may choose to escalate to session recovery, and the other
side MUST give it precedence. On a connection failure, a target MUST
terminate and/or discard all the active immediate commands regard-
less of which of the above options is used (i.e., immediate commands
are not recoverable across connection failures).
6.11 Session Errors
If all the connections of a session fail and cannot be re-estab-
lished in a short time, or if initiators detect protocol errors
repeatedly, an initiator may choose to terminate a session and estab-
lish a new session.
The initiator takes the following actions:
- It resets or closes all the transport connections.
- It terminates all outstanding requests with an appropriate
response before initiating a new session.
When the session timeout (the connection state timeout for the last
failed connection) happens on the target, it takes the following
actions:
- Resets or closes the TCP connections (closes the session).
- Aborts all Tasks in the task set for the corresponding initi-
ator.
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6.12 Recovery Classes
iSCSI enables the following classes of recovery (in the order of
increasing scope of affected iSCSI tasks):
- Within a command (i.e., without requiring command restart).
- Within a connection (i.e., without requiring the connection
to be rebuilt, but perhaps requiring command restart).
- Connection recovery (i.e., perhaps requiring connections to
be rebuilt and commands to be reissued).
- Session recovery.
The recovery scenarios detailed in the rest of this section are rep-
resentative rather than exclusive. In every case, they detail the
lowest class recovery that MAY be attempted. The implementer is left
to decide under which circumstances to escalate to the next recovery
class and/or what recovery classes to implement. Both the iSCSI tar-
get and initiator MAY escalate the error handling to an error recov-
ery class, which impacts a larger number of iSCSI tasks in any of the
cases identified in the following discussion.
In all classes, the implementer has the choice of deferring errors to
the SCSI initiator (with an appropriate response code), in which case
the task, if any, has to be removed from the target and all the side-
effects, such as ACA, must be considered.
Use of within-connection and within-command recovery classes MUST NOT
be attempted before the connection is in Full Feature Phase.
6.12.1 Recovery Within-command
At the target, the following cases lend themselves to within-command
recovery:
- Lost data PDU - realized through one of the following:
a) Data digest error - dealt with as specified in Section 6.5
Digest Errors, using the option of a recovery R2T.
b) Sequence reception timeout (no data or partial-data-and-no-F-
bit) - considered an implicit sequence error and dealt with as
specified in Section 6.6 Sequence Errors, using the option of a
recovery R2T.
c) Header digest error, which manifests as a sequence reception
timeout, or a sequence error - dealt with as specified in Section
6.6 Sequence Errors, using the option of a recovery R2T.
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At the initiator, the following cases lend themselves to within-com-
mand recovery:
Lost data PDU or lost R2T - realized through one of the follow-
ing:
a) Data digest error - dealt with as specified in Section 6.5
Digest Errors, using the option of a SNACK.
b) Sequence reception timeout (no status) or response reception
timeout - dealt with as specified in Section 6.6 Sequence Errors,
using the option of a SNACK.
c) Header digest error, which manifests as a sequence reception
timeout, or a sequence error - dealt with as specified in Section
6.6 Sequence Errors, using the option of a SNACK.
To avoid a race with the target, which may already have a recovery
R2T or a termination response on its way, an initiator SHOULD NOT
originate a SNACK for an R2T based on its internal timeouts (if any).
Recovery in this case is better left to the target.
The timeout values used by the initiator and target are outside the
scope of this document. Sequence reception timeout is generally a
large enough value to allow the data sequence transfer to be com-
plete.
6.12.2 Recovery Within-connection
At the initiator, the following cases lend themselves to within-con-
nection recovery:
- Requests not acknowledged for a long time. Requests are
acknowledged explicitly through ExpCmdSN or implicitly by
receiving data and/or status. The initiator MAY retry non-
acknowledged commands as specified in Section 6.1 Retry and
Reassign in Recovery.
- Lost iSCSI numbered Response. It is recognized by either
identifying a data digest error on a Response PDU or a Data-
In PDU carrying the status, or by receiving a Response PDU
with a higher StatSN than expected. In the first case, digest
error handling is done as specified in Section 6.5 Digest
Errors using the option of a SNACK. In the second case,
sequence error handling is done as specified in Section 6.6
Sequence Errors, using the option of a SNACK.
At the target, the following cases lend themselves to within-connec-
tion recovery:
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- Status/Response not acknowledged for a long time. The target
MAY issue a NOP-IN (with a valid Target Transfer Tag or oth-
erwise) that carries the next status sequence number it is
going to use in the StatSN field. This helps the initiator
detects any missing StatSN(s) and issue a SNACK for the sta-
tus.
The timeout values used by the initiator and the target are outside
the scope of this document.
6.12.3 Connection Recovery
At an iSCSI initiator, the following cases lend themselves to connec-
tion recovery:
- TCP connection failure. The initiator MUST close the connec-
tion. It then MUST either Logout the failed connection, or
Login with an implied Logout, and reassign connection alle-
giance for all commands still in progress associated with the
failed connection on another connection (that MAY be a newly
established connection) using the "Task reassign" task man-
agement function (see Section 9.5.1 Function). Note that for
an initiator a command is in progress as long as it has not
received a response or a Data-In PDU including status.
N.B. The logout function is mandatory, while a new connec-
tion establishment is mandatory only if the failed connec-
tion was the last or only connection in the session.
- Receiving an Asynchronous Message that indicates one or all
connections in a session has been dropped. The initiator
MUST handle it as a TCP connection failure for the connec-
tion(s) referred to in the Message.
At an iSCSI target, the following cases lend themselves to connec-
tion recovery:
- TCP connection failure. The target MUST close the connection
and if more than one connection is available, the target
SHOULD send an Asynchronous Message that indicates it has
dropped the connection. Then, the target will wait for the
initiator to continue recovery.
6.12.4 Session Recovery
Session recovery should be performed when all other recovery attempts
have failed. Very simple initiators and targets MAY perform session
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recovery on all iSCSI errors and therefore place the burden of recov-
ery on the SCSI layer and above.
Session recovery implies the closing of all TCP connections, inter-
nally aborting all executing and queued tasks for the given initia-
tor at the target, terminating all outstanding SCSI commands with an
appropriate SCSI service response at the initiator, and restarting a
session on a new set of connection(s) (TCP connection establishment
and login on all new connections).
For possible clearing effects of session recovery on SCSI and iSCSI
objects, refer to Appendix F. - Clearing effects of various events on
targets -.
6.13 Error Recovery Hierarchy
The error recovery classes and features described are organized into
a hierarchy for ease in understanding and to limit the myriad of
implementation possibilities, with hopes that this significantly con-
tributes to highly interoperable implementations. The attributes of
this hierarchy are as follows:
a) Each level is a superset of the capabilities of the previous
level. For example, Level 1 support implies supporting all capa-
bilities of Level 0 and more.
b) As a corollary, supporting a higher error recovery level means
increased sophistication and possibly an increase in resource
requirements.
c) Supporting error recovery level "n" is advertised and negoti-
ated by each iSCSI entity by exchanging the text key "ErrorRecov-
eryLevel=n". The lower of the two exchanged values is the
operational ErrorRecoveryLevel for the session.
The following diagram represents the error recovery hierarchy.
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+
/ \
/ 2 \ <-- Connection recovery
+-----+
/ 1 \ <-- Digest failure recovery
+---------+
/ 0 \ <-- Session failure recovery
+-------------+
The following table lists the error recovery capabilities expected
from the implementations that support each error recovery level.
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------+
|ErrorRecoveryLevel | Associated Error recovery capabilities |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------+
| 0 | Session recovery class |
| | (Section 6.12.4 Session Recovery) |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------+
| 1 | Digest failure recovery (See Note below.) |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------+
| 2 | Connection recovery class |
| | (Section 6.12.3 Connection Recovery) |
+-------------------+--------------------------------------------+
Note: Digest failure recovery is comprises two recovery classes:
Within-Connection recovery class (Section 6.12.2 Recovery Within-con-
nection) and Within-Command recovery class (Section 6.12.1 Recovery
Within-command).
Supporting error recovery level "0" is mandatory, while the rest are
optional to implement. In implementation terms, the above striation
means that the following incremental sophistication with each level
is required.
+-------------------+---------------------------------------------+
|Level transition | Incremental requirement |
+-------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| 0->1 | PDU retransmissions on the same connection |
+-------------------+---------------------------------------------+
| 1->2 | Retransmission across connections and |
| | allegiance reassignment |
+-------------------+---------------------------------------------+
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7. Security Considerations
Historically, native storage systems have not had to consider secu-
rity because their environments offered minimal security risks. That
is, these environments consisted of storage devices either directly
attached to hosts or connected via a Storage Area Network (SAN) dis-
tinctly separate from the communications network. The use of storage
protocols, such as SCSI, over IP-networks requires that security con-
cerns be addressed. iSCSI implementations MUST provide means of pro-
tection against active attacks (e.g., pretending to be another
identity, message insertion, deletion, modification, and replaying)
and passive attacks (e.g.,eavesdropping, gaining advantage by analyz-
ing the data sent over the line).
Although technically possible, iSCSI SHOULD NOT be configured with-
out security. iSCSI without security should be confined, in extreme
cases, to closed environments without any security risk.
The following section describes the security mechanisms provided by
an iSCSI implementation.
7.1 iSCSI Security Mechanisms
The entities involved in iSCSI security are the initiator, target,
and the IP communication end points. iSCSI scenarios where multiple
initiators or targets share a single communication end point are
expected. To accommodate such scenarios, iSCSI uses two separate
security mechanisms: In-band authentication between the initiator and
the target at the iSCSI connection level (carried out by exchange of
iSCSI Login PDUs), and packet protection (integrity, authentication,
and confidentiality) by IPsec at the IP level. The two security mech-
anisms complement each other: The in-band authentication provides
end-to-end trust (at login time) between the iSCSI initiator and the
target, while IPsec provides a secure channel between the IP communi-
cation end points.
Further details on typical iSCSI scenarios and the relation between
the initiators, targets, and the communication end points can be
found in [SEC-IPS].
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7.2 In-band Initiator-Target Authentication
During login the target authenticates the initiator and the initia-
tor optionally authenticates the target. The authentication is per-
formed on every new iSCSI connection by an exchange of iSCSI Login
PDUs using a negotiated authentication method.
The authentication method cannot assume an underlying IPsec protec-
tion, because IPsec is optional to use. An attacker should gain as
little advantage as possible by inspecting the authentication phase
PDUs. Therefore, a method using clear text (or equivalent) passwords
is not acceptable; on the other hand, identity protection is not
strictly required.
The authentication mechanism protects against an unauthorized login
to storage resources by using a false identity (spoofing). Once the
authentication phase is completed, if the underlying IPsec is not
used, all PDUs are sent and received in clear. The authentication
mechanism alone (without underlying IPsec) should only be used when
there is no risk of eavesdropping, message insertion, deletion, modi-
fication, and replaying.
Section 10 iSCSI Security Keys and Authentication Methods defines
several authentication methods and the exact steps that must be fol-
lowed in each of them, including the keys and their allowed values in
each step. Whenever an iSCSI initiator gets a response whose keys, or
their values, are not according to the step definition, it MUST abort
the connection. Whenever an iSCSI target gets a response whose keys,
or their values, are not according to the step definition, it MUST
answer with a Login reject with the "Initiator Error" or "Missing
Parameter" status (these statuses are not intended for cryptographi-
cally incorrect value, e.g., the CHAP response, for which "Authenti-
cation Failure" status MUST be specified). The importance of this
rule can be illustrated in CHAP with target authentication (Section
10.5 Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP)) where the
initiator would have been able to conduct a reflection attack by
omitting his response key (CHAP_R), using the same CHAP challenge as
the target and reflecting the target's response back to the target.
In CHAP this is prevented since the target must answer the missing
CHAP_R key with a Login reject with the "Missing Parameter" status.
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7.2.1 CHAP Considerations
Compliant iSCSI implementation MUST implement the CHAP authentication
method [RFC1994] (according to Section 10.5 Challenge Handshake
Authentication Protocol (CHAP) including the target authentication
option).
When CHAP is performed over a non-encrypted channel, it is vulnera-
ble to an off-line dictionary attack. Implementations MUST support
use of up to 128 bits random CHAP secrets, including the means to
generate such secrets and to accept them from an external generation
source. Implementations MUST NOT provide secret generation (or expan-
sion) means other than random generation.
An administrative entity of an environment in which CHAP is used with
a secret that has less than 96 random bits MUST enforce IPsec encryp-
tion (according to the implementation requirements in Section 7.3.2
Confidentiality) to protect the connection. Moreover, in this case
IKE authentication with group pre-shared keys SHOULD NOT be used
unless it is not essential to protect group members against off-line
dictionary attacks by other members.
A compliant implementation SHOULD NOT continue with the login step in
which it should send a CHAP response (CHAP_R - Section 10.5 Chal-
lenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP)) unless it can verify
that either the CHAP secret is at least 96 bits, or that IPsec
encryption is being used to protect the connection.
Originators MUST NOT reuse the CHAP challenge sent by the Responder
for the other direction of a bidirectional authentication. Respond-
ers MUST check for this condition and close the iSCSI TCP connection
if it occurs.
7.2.2 SRP Considerations
The strength of the SRP authentication method (specified in
[RFC2945]) is dependent on the characteristics of the group being
used (i.e., the prime modulus N and generator g). As described in
[RFC2945], N is required to be a Sophie-German prime (of the form N =
2q + 1, where q is also prime) and the generator g is a primitive
root of GF(n). In iSCSI authentication, the prime modulus N MUST be
at least 768 bits.
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Upon receiving N and g from the Target, the Initiator MUST verify
that they match a well-known group that satisfies the above require-
ments and abort the connection if they do not match. Well- known SRP
groups are provided in [SEC-IPS].
7.3 IPsec
The IPsec mechanism is used by iSCSI for packet protection (crypto-
graphic integrity, authentication, and confidentiality) at the IP
level between the iSCSI communicating end points. The following sec-
tions describe the IPsec protocols that must be implemented for data
integrity and authentication, confidentiality, and key management.
Detailed considerations and recommendations for using IPsec for iSCSI
are provided in [SEC-IPS].
7.3.1 Data Integrity and Authentication
Data authentication and integrity is provided by a keyed Message
Authentication Code in every sent packet. This code protects against
message insertion, deletion, and modification. Protection against
message replay is realized by using a sequence counter.
An iSCSI compliant initiator or target MUST provide data integrity
and authentication by implementing IPsec [RFC2401] with ESP [RFC2406]
in tunnel mode and MAY provide data integrity and authentication by
implementing IPsec with ESP in transport mode. The IPsec implementa-
tion MUST fulfill the following iSCSI specific requirements:
- HMAC-SHA1 MUST be implemented [RFC2404].
- AES CBC MAC with XCBC extensions SHOULD be implemented
[AESCBC].
The ESP anti-replay service MUST also be implemented.
At the high speeds iSCSI is expected to operate, a single IPsec SA
could rapidly cycle through the 32-bit IPsec sequence number space.
In view of this, in the future it may be desirable for an iSCSI
implementation that operates at speeds of 1 Gbps or faster to imple-
ment the IPsec sequence number extension [SEQ-EXT].
7.3.2 Confidentiality
Confidentiality is provided by encrypting the data in every packet.
When confidentiality is used it MUST be accompanied by data integ-
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rity and authentication to provide comprehensive protection against
eavesdropping, message insertion, deletion, modification, and replay-
ing.
An iSCSI compliant initiator or target MUST provide confidentiality
by implementing IPsec [RFC2401] with ESP [RFC2406] in tunnel mode and
MAY provide confidentiality by implementing IPsec with ESP in trans-
port mode. with the following iSCSI specific requirements:
- 3DES in CBC mode MUST be implemented [RFC2451].
- AES in Counter mode SHOULD be implemented [AESCTR] (NOTE:
This is still subject to the IPsec WG's standardization
plans).
DES in CBC mode SHOULD NOT be used due to its inherent weakness.
The NULL encryption algorithm MUST also be implemented.
7.3.3 Policy, Security Associations and Key Management
A compliant iSCSI implementation MUST meet the key management
requirements of the IPsec protocol suite. Authentication, security
association negotiation, and key management MUST be provided by
implementing IKE [RFC2409] using the IPsec DOI [RFC2407] with the
following iSCSI specific requirements:
- Peer authentication using a pre-shared key MUST be sup-
ported. Certificate-based peer authentication using digital
signatures MAY be supported. Peer authentication using the
public key encryption methods outlined in IKE sections 5.2
and 5.3[7] SHOULD NOT be used.
- When digital signatures are used to achieve authentication,
an IKE negotiator SHOULD use IKE Certificate Request Pay-
load(s) to specify the certificate authority. IKE negotia-
tors SHOULD check the pertinent Certificate Revocation List
(CRL) before accepting a PKI certificate for use in IKE
authentication procedures.
- Conformant iSCSI implementations MUST support IKE Main Mode
and SHOULD support Aggressive Mode. IKE main mode with pre-
shared key authentication method SHOULD NOT be used when
either the initiator or the target uses dynamically assigned
IP addresses. While pre-shared keys in many cases offer good
security, situations where dynamically assigned addresses are
used force the use of a group pre-shared key, which creates
vulnerability to a man-in-the-middle attack.
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- In the IKE Phase 2 Quick Mode exchanges for creating the
Phase 2 SA, the Identity Payload fields MUST be present.
ID_IPV4_ADDR, ID_IPV6_ADDR (if the protocol stack supports
IPv6) and ID_FQDN Identity payloads MUST be supported;
ID_USER_FQDN SHOULD be supported. The IP Subnet, IP Address
Range, ID_DER_ASN1_DN, ID_DER_ASN1_GN formats SHOULD NOT be
used. The ID_KEY_ID Identity Payload MUST NOT be used.
Manual keying MUST NOT be used because it does not provide the neces-
sary re-keying support.
When IPsec is used the receipt of an IKE Phase 2 delete message
SHOULD NOT be interpreted as a reason for tearing down the iSCSI TCP
connection. If additional traffic is sent on it, a new IKE Phase 2 SA
will be created to protect it.
The method used by the initiator to determine whether the target
should be connected using IPsec is regarded as an issue of IPsec pol-
icy administration, and thus not defined in the iSCSI standard. How-
ever, as iSCSI has an in-band discovery mechanism (discovery session
and SendTargets), the use or non-use of IPsec in any operational ses-
sion is assumed to be identical to that of the discovery session.
If an iSCSI target is discovered via a SendTargets request in a dis-
covery session not using IPsec, the initiator should assume that it
does not need IPsec to establish a session to that target. If an
iSCSI target is discovered using a discovery session that does use
IPsec, the initiator should use IPsec when establishing a session to
that target.
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8. Notes to Implementers
This section notes some of the performance and reliability consider-
ations of the iSCSI protocol. This protocol was designed to allow
efficient silicon and software implementations. The iSCSI task tag
mechanism was designed to enable RDMA at the iSCSI level or lower.
The guiding assumption made throughout the design of this protocol is
that targets are resource constrained relative to initiators.
Implementers are also advised to consider the implementation conse-
quences of the iSCSI to SCSI mapping model as outlined in Section
2.4.3 Consequences of the Model.
8.1 Multiple Network Adapters
The iSCSI protocol allows multiple connections, not all of which need
to go over the same network adapter. If multiple network connections
are to be utilized with hardware support, the iSCSI protocol command-
data-status allegiance to one TCP connection ensures that there is no
need to replicate information across network adapters or otherwise
require them to cooperate.
However, some task management commands may require some loose form of
cooperation or replication at least on the target.
8.1.1 Conservative Reuse of ISIDs
Historically, the SCSI model (and implementations and applications
based on that model) has assumed that SCSI ports are static, physi-
cal entities. Recent extensions to the SCSI model have taken advan-
tage of persistent worldwide unique names for these ports. In iSCSI
however, the SCSI initiator ports are the endpoints of dynamically
created sessions, so the presumption of "static and physical" does
not apply. In any case, the model clauses (particularly, Section
2.4.2 SCSI Architecture Model) provide for persistent, reusable names
for the iSCSI-type SCSI initiator ports even though there does not
need to be any physical entity bound to these names.
To both minimize the disruption of legacy applications and to better
facilitate the SCSI features that rely on persistent names for SCSI
ports, iSCSI implementations should attempt to provide a stable pre-
sentation of SCSI Initiator Ports (both to the upper OS-layers and to
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the targets to which they connect). This can be achieved in an initi-
ator implementation by conservatively reusing ISIDs. In other words,
the same ISID should be used in the Login process to multiple target
portal groups (of the same iSCSI Target or different iSCSI Targets).
The ISID RULE (Section 2.4.3 Consequences of the Model) only prohib-
its reuse to the same target portal group. It does not "preclude"
reuse to other target portal groups.
The principle of conservative reuse "encourages" reuse to other tar-
get portal groups. When a SCSI target device sees the same (Initia-
torName, ISID) pair in different sessions to different target portal
groups, it can identify the underlying SCSI Initiator Port on each
session as the same SCSI port. In effect, it can recognize multiple
paths from the same source.
8.1.2 iSCSI Name, ISID and TPGT Use
The designers of the iSCSI protocol envisioned there being one iSCSI
Initiator Node Name per operating system image on a machine. This
enables SAN resource configuration and authentication schemes based
on a system's identity. It supports the notion that it should be
possible to assign access to storage resources based on "initiator
device" identity.
When there are multiple hardware or software components coordinated
as a single iSCSI Node, there must be some (logical) entity that rep-
resents the iSCSI Node that makes the iSCSI Node Name available to
all components involved in session creation and login. Similarly,
this entity that represents the iSCSI Node must be able to coordi-
nate session identifier resources (ISID for initiators) to enforce
both the ISID and TSIH RULES (see Section Section 2.4.3 Consequences
of the Model).
For targets, because of the closed environment, implementation of
this entity should be straightforward. However, vendors of iSCSI
hardware (e.g., NICs or HBAs) intended for targets, should provide
mechanisms for configuration of the iSCSI Node Name across the por-
tal groups instantiated by multiple instances of these components
within a target.
However, complex targets making use of multiple Target Portal Group
Tags may reconfigure them to achieve various quality goals. The ini-
tiators have two mechanisms at their disposal to discover and/or
check reconfiguring targets - the discovery session type and a key
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returned by the target during login to confirm the TPGT. An initia-
tor should attempt to "rediscover" the target configuration anytime a
session is terminated unexpectedly.
For initiators, in the long term, it is expected that operating sys-
tem vendors will take on the role of this entity and provide stan-
dard APIs that can inform components of their iSCSI Node Name and can
configure and/or coordinate ISID allocation, use and reuse.
Recognizing that such initiator APIs are not available today, other
implementations of the role of this entity are possible. For exam-
ple, a human may instantiate the (common) Node name as part of the
installation process of each iSCSI component involved in session cre-
ation and login. This may be done either by pointing the component to
a vendor-specific location for this datum or to a system-wide loca-
tion. The structure of the ISID namespace (see Section 9.12.6 ISID
and [NDT]) facilitates implementation of the ISID coordination by
allowing each component vendor to independently (of other vendor's
components) coordinate allocation and use and reuse its own parti-
tion of the ISID namespace in a vendor-specific manner. Partitioning
of the ISID namespace within initiator portal groups managed by that
vendor allows each such initiator portal group to act independently
of all other portal groups when selecting an ISID for a login; this
facilitates enforcement of the ISID RULE (see Section 2.4.3 Conse-
quences of the Model) at the initiator.
A vendor of iSCSI hardware (e.g., NICs or HBAs) intended for use in
the initiators must allow, in addition to a mechanism for configur-
ing the iSCSI Node Name, for a mechanism to configure and/or coordi-
nate ISIDs for all sessions managed by multiple instances of that
hardware within a given iSCSI Node. Such configuration might be
either permanently pre-assigned at the factory (in a necessarily glo-
bally unique way), statically assigned (e.g., partitioned across all
the NICs at initialization in a locally unique way), or dynamically
assigned (e.g., on-line allocator, also in a locally unique way). In
the latter two cases, the configuration may be via public APIs (per-
haps driven by an independent vendor's software, such as the OS ven-
dor) or via private APIs driven by the vendor's own software.
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8.2 Autosense and Auto Contingent Allegiance (ACA)
Autosense refers to the automatic return of sense data to the initia-
tor in case a command did not complete successfully. iSCSI initia-
tors and targets MUST support autosense.
ACA helps preserve ordered command execution in the presence of
errors. As iSCSI can have many commands in-flight between initiator
and target, iSCSI initiators and targets SHOULD support ACA.
8.3 iSCSI timeouts
iSCSI recovery actions are often dependent on iSCSI time-outs being
recognized and acted upon before SCSI time-outs. Determining the
right time-outs to use for various iSCSI actions (command acknowl-
edgements expected, status acknowledgements, etc.) is very much
dependent on infrastructure (hardware, links, TCP/IP stack, iSCSI
driver). As a guidance the implementer may use an average Nop-Out/
Nop-In turnaround delay multiplied by a "safety factor" (2-3) as a
good estimate for the basic delay of the iSCSI stack for a given con-
nection.
8.4 Command Retry and Cleaning Old Command Instances
To avoid having old, retried command instances appear in a valid com-
mand window after a command sequence number wrap around, the proto-
col requires (see Section 2.2.2.1 Command Numbering and
Acknowledging) that on every connection on which a retry has been
issued, a non-immediate command be issued and acknowledged within a
2**31-1 commands interval from the CmdSN of the retried command. This
requirement can be fulfilled by an implementation in several ways.
The simplest technique to use is to send a (non-retry) non-immediate
SCSI command (or a NOP if no SCSI command is available for a while)
after every command retry on the connection on which the retry was
attempted. As errors are deemed rare events, this technique is prob-
ably the most effective, as it does not involve additional checks at
the initiator when issuing commands.
8.5 Synch and Steering Layer and Performance
While a synch and steering layer is optional, an initiator/target
that does not have it working against a target/initiator that demands
synch and steering may experience performance degradation caused by
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packet reordering and loss. Providing a synch and steering mecha-
nism is recommended for all high-speed implementations.
8.6 Considerations for State-dependent devices
Sequential access devices operate on the principle that the position
of the device is based on the last command processed. As such, com-
mand processing order and knowledge of whether or not the previous
command was processed is of the utmost importance to maintain data
integrity. As an example, inadvertent retries of SCSI commands when
it is not known if the previous SCSI command was processed is a
potential data integrity risk.
For a sequential access device, consider the scenario where a SCSI
SPACE command to backspace one filemark is issued and then re-issued
due to no status received for the command. If the first SPACE com-
mand was actually processed, the re-issued SPACE command, if pro-
cessed, will cause the position to change. Thus, a subsequent write
operation will write data to the wrong position and any previous data
at that position will be overwritten.
For a medium changer device, consider the scenario where an EXCHANGE
MEDIUM command (the SOURCE ADDRESS and DESTINATION ADDRESS are the
same thus performing a swap) is issued and then re-issued due to no
status received for the command. If the first EXCHANGE MEDIUM com-
mand was actually processed, the re-issued EXCHANGE MEDIUM command,
if processed, will perform the swap again. The net effect is no swap
was performed thus leaving a data integrity exposure.
All commands that change the state of the device (as in SPACE com-
mands for sequential access devices, and EXCHANGE MEDIUM for medium
changer device), MUST be issued as non-immediate commands for deter-
ministic and in order delivery to iSCSI targets.
For many of those state changing commands the execution model also
assumes that the command is executed exactly once. For those com-
mands a retry at SCSI level is not feasible or very difficult and
error recovery at iSCSI level is advisable.
8.6.1 Determining the proper ErrorRecoveryLevel
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The implementation and usage of a specific ErrorRecoveryLevel should
be determined based on the deployment scenarios of a given iSCSI
implementation. Generally, the following factors must be
considered before deciding on the proper level of recovery:
a) Application resilience to I/O failures.
b) Required level of availability in the face of transport con-
nection failures.
c) Probability of transport layer "checksum escape" frequency.
This in turn decides the iSCSI digest failure frequency, and thus
the criticality of iSCSI-level error recovery. The details of
estimating this probability are outside the scope of this docu-
ment.
A consideration of the above factors for SCSI tape devices as an
example suggests that implementations SHOULD use ErrorRecovery-
Level=1 when transport connection failure is not a concern, and
ErrorRecoveryLevel=2 when the connection failure is also of high
likelihood during a backup/retrieval.
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9. iSCSI PDU Formats
All multi-byte integers that are specified in formats defined in this
document are to be represented in network byte order (i.e., big
endian). Any field that appears in this document assumes that the
most significant byte is the lowest numbered byte and the most sig-
nificant bit (within byte or field) is the lowest numbered bit unless
specified otherwise.
Any compliant sender MUST set all bits not defined and all reserved
fields to zero unless specified otherwise. Any compliant receiver
MUST ignore any bit not defined and all reserved fields unless speci-
fied otherwise.
Reserved fields are marked by the word "reserved", some abbreviation
of "reserved" or by "." for individual bits when no other form of
marking is technically feasible.
9.1 iSCSI PDU Length and Padding
iSCSI PDUs are padded to the closest integer number of four byte
words. The padding bytes SHOULD be 0.
9.2 PDU Template, Header, and Opcodes
All iSCSI PDUs have one or more header segments and, optionally, a
data segment. After the entire header segment group a header-digest
MAY follow. The data segment MAY also be followed by a data-digest.
The Basic Header Segment (BHS) is the first segment in all of the
iSCSI PDUs. The BHS is a fixed-length 48-byte header segment. It
MAY be followed by Additional Header Segments (AHS), a Header-Digest,
a Data Segment, and/or a Data-Digest.
The overall structure of an iSCSI PDU is as follows:
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Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0/ Basic Header Segment (BHS) /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48/ Additional Header Segment 1 (AHS) (optional) /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
/ Additional Header Segment 2 (AHS) (optional) /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
----
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
/ Additional Header Segment n (AHS) (optional) /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
----
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
k/ Header-Digest (optional) /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
l/ Data Segment(optional) /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
m/ Data-Digest (optional) /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
All PDU segments and digests are padded to the closest integer num-
ber of four byte words - i.e., all PDU segments and the digests start
at a four byte word boundary and the padding ranges from 0 to 3
bytes. The padding bytes SHOULD be sent as 0.
iSCSI response PDUs do not have AH Segments.
9.2.1 Basic Header Segment (BHS)
The BHS is 48 bytes long. The Opcode and DataSegmentLength fields
appear in all iSCSI PDUs. In addition, when used, the Initiator Task
Tag and Logical Unit Number always appear in the same location in the
header.
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The format of the BHS is:
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|I| Opcode | Opcode-specific fields |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| LUN or Opcode-specific fields |
+ +
12| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20/ Opcode-specific fields /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48
9.2.1.1 I
For request PDUs, the I bit set to 1 is an immediate delivery marker.
9.2.1.2 Opcode
The Opcode indicates the type of iSCSI PDU the header encapsulates.
The Opcodes are divided into two categories: initiator opcodes and
target opcodes. Initiator opcodes are in PDUs sent by the initiators
(request PDUs). Target opcodes are in PDUs sent by the target
(response PDUs).
Initiators MUST NOT use target opcodes and targets MUST NOT use ini-
tiator opcodes.
Initiator opcodes defined in this specification are:
0x00 NOP-Out
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0x01 SCSI Command (encapsulates a SCSI Command Descriptor
Block)
0x02 SCSI Task Management Function Request
0x03 Login Request
0x04 Text Request
0x05 SCSI Data-out (for WRITE operations)
0x06 Logout Request
0x10 SNACK Request
0x1c-0x1e Vendor specific codes
Target opcodes are:
0x20 NOP-In
0x21 SCSI Response -contains SCSI status and possibly sense
information or other response information.
0x22 SCSI Task Management Function Response
0x23 Login Response
0x24 Text Response
0x25 SCSI Data-in -for READ operations.
0x26 Logout Response
0x31 Ready To Transfer (R2T) - sent by target when it is ready
to receive data.
0x32 Asynchronous Message -sent by target to indicate certain
special conditions.
0x3c-0x3e Vendor specific codes
0x3f Reject
All other opcodes are reserved.
9.2.1.3 Opcode-specific Fields
These fields have different meanings for different opcode types.
9.2.1.4 TotalAHSLength
Total length of all AHS header segments in four byte words including
padding, if any.
The TotalAHSLength is used only in PDUs that have an AHS and MUST be
0 in all other PDUs.
9.2.1.5 DataSegmentLength
This is the data segment payload length in bytes (excluding pad-
ding). The DataSegmentLength MUST be 0 whenever the PDU has no data
segment.
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9.2.1.6 LUN
Some opcodes operate on a specific Logical Unit. The Logical Unit
Number (LUN) field identifies which Logical Unit. If the opcode does
not relate to a Logical Unit, this field is either ignored or may be
used in an opcode specific way. The LUN field is 64-bits and should
be formatted in accordance with [SAM2] i.e., LUN[0] from [SAM2] is
BHS byte 8 and so on up to LUN[7] from [SAM2] that is BHS byte 15.
9.2.1.7 Initiator Task Tag
The initiator assigns a Task Tag to each iSCSI task it issues. While
a task exists, this tag MUST uniquely identify the task session-wide.
SCSI may also use the initiator task tag as part of the SCSI task
identifier when the time span during which an iSCSI initiator task
tag must be unique extends over the time span during which a SCSI
task tag must be unique. However, the iSCSI Initiator Task Tag has
to exist and be unique even for untagged SCSI commands.
9.2.2 Additional Header Segment (AHS)
The general format of an AHS is:
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0| AHSLength | AHSType | AHS-Specific |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4/ AHS-Specific /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
x
9.2.2.1 AHSType
The AHSType field is coded as follows:
bit 0-1 - Reserved
bit 2-7 - AHS code
0 - Reserved
1 - Extended CDB
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2 - Expected Bidirectional Read Data Length
3 - 59 Reserved
60- 63 Non-iSCSI extensions
9.2.2.2 AHSLength
This field contains the effective length in bytes of the AHS exclud-
ing AHSType and AHSLength (not including padding). The AHS is padded
to the smallest integer number of 4 byte words (i.e., from 0 up to 3
padding bytes).
9.2.2.3 Extended CDB AHS
The format of the Extended CDB AHS is:
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0| AHSLength (CDBLength-15) | 0x01 | Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4/ ExtendedCDB...+padding /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
x
9.2.2.4 Bidirectional Expected Read-Data Length AHS
The format of the Bidirectional Read Expected Data Transfer Length
AHS is:
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0| AHSLength (0x0005) | 0x02 | Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4| Expected Read-Data Length |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8
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9.2.3 Header Digest and Data Digest
Optional header and data digests protect the integrity of the header
and data, respectively. The digests, if present, are located, respec-
tively, after the header and PDU-specific data and cover both the
proper data as well as the padding bytes.
The digest types are negotiated during the Login Phase.
The separation of the header and data digests is useful in iSCSI
routing applications, where only the header changes when a message is
forwarded. In this case, only the header digest should be re-calcu-
lated.
Digests are not included in data or header length fields.
A zero-length Data Segment also implies a zero-length data-digest.
9.2.4 Data Segment
The (optional) Data Segment contains PDU associated data. Its pay-
load effective length is provided in the BHS field - DataSeg-
mentLength. The Data Segment is also padded to an integer number of 4
byte words.
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9.3 SCSI Command
The format of the SCSI Command PDU is:
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|I| 0x01 |F|R|W|0 0|ATTR | Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| Logical Unit Number (LUN) |
+ +
12| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Expected Data Transfer Length |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| CmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpStatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32/ SCSI Command Descriptor Block (CDB) /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48/ AHS (if any) /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
x/ Header Digest (if any) /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
y/ (DataSegment, Command Data) (if any) /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
z/ Data Digest (if any) /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
9.3.1 Flags and Task Attributes (byte 1)
The flags for a SCSI Command are:
bit 0 (F) set to 1 when no unsolicited SCSI Data-Out PDUs
follow this PDU. For a write, if Expected Data Transfer
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Length is larger than the DataSegmentLength the target may
solicit additional data through R2T.
bit 1 (R) set to 1 when the command is expected to input
data.
bit 2 (W) set to 1 when the command is expected to output
data.
bit 3-4 Reserved
bit 5-7 contains Task Attributes.
Task Attributes (ATTR) have one of the following integer values (see
[SAM2] for details):
0 - Untagged
1 - Simple
2 - Ordered
3 - Head of Queue
4 - ACA
5-7 - Reserved
Setting both the W and the F bit to 0 is an error.
The R and W MAY both be 1 when the corresponding Expected Data Trans-
fer Lengths are 0, but they CANNOT both be 0 when the corresponding
Expected Data Transfer Length and Bidirectional Read Expected Data
Transfer Length are not 0.
9.3.2 CmdSN - Command Sequence Number
Enables ordered delivery across multiple connections in a single ses-
sion.
9.3.3 ExpStatSN
Command responses up to ExpStatSN-1 (mod 2**32) have been received
(acknowledges status) on the connection.
9.3.4 Expected Data Transfer Length
For unidirectional operations, the Expected Data Transfer Length
field contains the number of bytes of data involved in this SCSI
operation. For a unidirectional write operation (W flag set to 1 and
R flag set to 0), the initiator uses this field to specify the num-
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ber of bytes of data it expects to transfer for this operation. For
a unidirectional read operation (W flag set to 0 and R flag set to
1), the initiator uses this field to specify the number of bytes of
data it expects the target to transfer to the initiator. It corre-
sponds to the SAM2 byte count.
For bidirectional operations (both R and W flags are set to 1), this
field contains the number of data bytes involved in the write trans-
fer. For bidirectional operations, an additional header segment MUST
be present in the header sequence that indicates the Bidirectional
Read Expected Data Transfer Length. The Expected Data Transfer
Length field and the Bidirectional Read Expected Data Transfer Length
field correspond to the SAM2 byte count
If the Expected Data Transfer Length for a write and the length of
the immediate data part that follows the command (if any) are the
same, then no more data PDUs are expected to follow. In this case,
the F bit MUST be set to 1.
If the Expected Data Transfer Length is higher than the FirstBurst-
Length (the negotiated maximum amount of unsolicited data the target
will accept), the initiator MUST send the maximum length of unsolic-
ited data OR ONLY the immediate data.
Upon completion of a data transfer, the target informs the initiator
(through residual counts) of how many bytes were actually processed
(sent and/or received) by the target.
9.3.5 CDB - SCSI Command Descriptor Block
There are 16 bytes in the CDB field to accommodate the commonly used
CDBs. Whenever the CDB is larger than 16 bytes, an Extended CDB AHS
MUST be used to contain the CDB spillover.
9.3.6 Data Segment - Command Data
Some SCSI commands require additional parameter data to accompany the
SCSI command. This data may be placed beyond the boundary of the
iSCSI header in a data segment. Alternatively, user data (for exam-
ple, from a WRITE operation) can be placed in the data segment (both
cases are referred to as immediate data). These data are governed by
the general rules for solicited vs. unsolicited data.
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9.4 SCSI Response
The format of the SCSI Response PDU is:
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|.| 0x21 |1|. .|o|u|O|U|.| Response | Status |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| Reserved |
+ +
12| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| StatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32| MaxCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
36| ExpDataSN or Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
40| Bidirectional Read Residual Count |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
44| Residual Count |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
/ Data Segment (Optional) /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Data-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
9.4.1 Flags (byte 1)
bit 1-2 Reserved
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bit 3 - (o) set for Bidirectional Read Residual Overflow. In
this case, the Bidirectional Read Residual Count indicates
the number of bytes that were not transferred to the initia-
tor because the initiator's Expected Bidirectional Read Data
Transfer Length was not sufficient.
bit 4 - (u) set for Bidirectional Read Residual Underflow. In
this case, the Bidirectional Read Residual Count indicates
the number of bytes that were not transferred to the initia-
tor out of the number of bytes expected to be transferred.
bit 5 - (O) set for Residual Overflow. In this case, the Resid-
ual Count indicates the number of bytes that were not trans-
ferred because the initiator's Expected Data Transfer Length
was not sufficient. For a bidirectional operation, the Resid-
ual Count contains the residual for the write operation.
bit 6 - (U) set for Residual Underflow. In this case, the
Residual Count indicates the number of bytes that were not
transferred out of the number of bytes that were expected to
be transferred. For a bidirectional operation, the Residual
Count contains the residual for the write operation.
bit 7 - (0) Reserved
Bits O and U and bits o and u are mutually exclusive.
For a response other than "Command Completed at Target" bits 3-6 MUST
be 0.
9.4.2 Status
The Status field is used to report the SCSI status of the command (as
specified in [SAM2]) and is valid only if the Response Code is Com-
mand Completed at target.
Some of the status codes defined in [SAM2] are:
0x00 GOOD
0x02 CHECK CONDITION
0x08 BUSY
0x18 RESERVATION CONFLICT
0x28 TASK SET FULL
0x30 ACA ACTIVE
0x40 TASK ABORTED
See [SAM2] for the complete list and definitions.
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If a SCSI device error is detected while data from the initiator is
still expected (the command PDU did not contain all the data and the
target has not received a Data PDU with the final bit Set), the tar-
get MUST wait until it receives a Data PDU with the F bit set in the
last expected sequence before sending the Response PDU.
9.4.3 Response
This field contains the iSCSI service response.
iSCSI service response codes defined in this specification are:
0x00 - Command Completed at Target
0x01 - Target Failure
0x80-0xff - Vendor specific
All other response codes are reserved.
The Response is used to report a Service Response. The mapping of the
response code into a SCSI service response code value, if needed, is
outside the scope of this document. However, in symbolic terms
response value 0x00 maps to the SCSI service response of TASK COM-
PLETE or LINKED COMMAND COMPLETE. All other Response values map to
the SCSI service response of SERVICE DELIVERY OR TARGET FAILURE.
If a SCSI Response PDU does not arrive before the session is termi-
nated, the SCSI service response is SERVICE DELIVERY OR TARGET FAIL-
URE.
As non-zero response field indicates a failure to execute the com-
mand in which case the Status and Sense fields are undefined.
9.4.4 Residual Count
The Residual Count field is only valid in the case where either the U
bit or the O bit is set. If neither bit is set, the Residual Count
field SHOULD be zero. If the O bit is set, the Residual Count indi-
cates the number of bytes that were not transferred because the ini-
tiator's Expected Data Transfer Length was not sufficient. If the U
bit is set, the Residual Count indicates the number of bytes that
were not transferred out of the number of bytes expected to be trans-
ferred.
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9.4.5 Bidirectional Read Residual Count
The Bidirectional Read Residual Count field is only valid in the case
where either the u bit or the o bit is set. If neither bit is set,
the Bidirectional Read Residual Count field SHOULD be zero. If the o
bit is set, the Bidirectional Read Residual Count indicates the num-
ber of bytes that were not transferred to the initiator because the
initiator's Expected Bidirectional Read Transfer Length was not suf-
ficient. If the u bit is set, the Bidirectional Read Residual Count
indicates the number of bytes that were not transferred to the initi-
ator out of the number of bytes expected to be transferred.
9.4.6 Data Segment - Sense and Response Data Segment
iSCSI targets MUST support and enable autosense. If Status is CHECK
CONDITION (0x02), then the Data Segment contains sense data for the
failed command.
For some iSCSI responses, the response data segment MAY contain some
response related information, (e.g., for a target failure, it may
contain a vendor specific detailed description of the failure).
If the DataSegmentLength is not 0, the format of the Data Segment is
as follows:
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|SenseLength | Sense Data |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
x/ Sense Data /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
y/ Response Data /
/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
z|
9.4.6.1 SenseLength
Length of Sense Data.
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9.4.6.2 Sense Data
The Sense Data contain detailed information about a check condition
and [SPC] specifies the format and content of the Sense Data.
Certain iSCSI conditions result in the command being terminated at
the target (response Command Completed at Target) with a SCSI Check
Condition Status as outlined in the next table:
+--------------------------+----------+---------------------------+
| iSCSI Condition |Sense | Additional Sense Code & |
| |Key | Qualifier |
+--------------------------+----------+---------------------------+
| Unexpected unsolicited |Aborted | ASC = 0x0c ASCQ = 0x0c |
| data |Command-0B| Write Error |
+--------------------------+----------+---------------------------+
| Incorrect amount of data |Aborted | ASC = 0x0c ASCQ = 0x0d |
| |Command-0B| Write Error |
+--------------------------+----------+---------------------------+
| Protocol Service CRC |Aborted | ASC = 0x47 ASCQ = 0x05 |
| error |Command-0B| CRC Error Detected |
+--------------------------+----------+---------------------------+
| SNACK rejected |Aborted | ASC = 0x11 ASCQ = 0x13 |
| |Command-0B| Read Error |
+--------------------------+----------+---------------------------+
The target reports the "Incorrect amount of data" condition if dur-
ing data output the total data length to output is greater than
FirstBurstLength and the initiator sent unsolicited non-immediate
data but the total amount of unsolicited data is different than
FirstBurstLength. The target reports the same error when the amount
of data sent as a reply to an R2T does not match the amount
requested.
9.4.7 ExpDataSN
The number of Data-In (read) PDUs the target has sent for the com-
mand.
This field is reserved if the response code is not Command Completed
at Target or the command is a write command.
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9.4.8 StatSN - Status Sequence Number
StatSN is a Sequence Number that the target iSCSI layer generates per
connection and that in turn, enables the initiator to acknowledge
status reception. StatSN is incremented by 1 for every response/sta-
tus sent on a connection except for responses sent as a result of a
retry or SNACK. In the case of responses sent due to a retransmis-
sion request, the StatSN MUST be the same as the first time the PDU
was sent unless the connection has since been restarted.
9.4.9 ExpCmdSN - Next Expected CmdSN from this Initiator
ExpCmdSN is a Sequence Number that the target iSCSI returns to the
initiator to acknowledge command reception. It is used to update a
local register with the same name. An ExpCmdSN equal to MaxCmdSN+1
indicates that the target cannot accept new commands.
9.4.10 MaxCmdSN - Maximum CmdSN from this Initiator
MaxCmdSN is a Sequence Number that the target iSCSI returns to the
initiator to indicate the maximum CmdSN the initiator can send. It is
used to update a local register with the same name. If MaxCmdSN is
equal to ExpCmdSN-1, this indicates to the initiator that the target
cannot receive any additional commands. When MaxCmdSN changes at the
target while the target has no pending PDUs to convey this informa-
tion to the initiator, it MUST generate a NOP-IN to carry the new
MaxCmdSN.
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9.5 Task Management Function Request
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|I| 0x02 |1| Function | Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| Logical Unit Number (LUN) or Reserved |
+ +
12| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Referenced Task Tag or 0xffffffff |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| CmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpStatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32| RefCmdSN or Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
36| ExpDataSN or Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
40/ Reserved /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
9.5.1 Function
The Task Management functions provide an initiator with a way to
explicitly control the execution of one or more Tasks (SCSI and iSCSI
tasks). The Task Management function codes are listed below. For a
more detailed description of SCSI task management, see [SAM2].
1 - ABORT TASK - aborts the task identified by the Refer-
enced Task Tag field.
2 - ABORT TASK SET - aborts all Tasks issued via this ses-
sion on the logical unit.
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3 - CLEAR ACA - clears the Auto Contingent Allegiance condi-
tion.
4 - CLEAR TASK SET - aborts all Tasks for the Logical Unit.
5 - LOGICAL UNIT RESET
6 - TARGET WARM RESET
7 - TARGET COLD RESET
8 - TASK REASSIGN - reassigns connection allegiance for the
task identified by the Initiator Task Tag field to this con-
nection, thus resuming the iSCSI exchanges for the task.
For all these functions, the Task Management Function Response MUST
be returned as detailed in Section 9.6 Task Management Function
Response. All these functions apply to the referenced tasks regard-
less of whether they are proper SCSI tasks or tagged iSCSI opera-
tions. Task management requests must act on all the commands having
a CmdSN lower than the task management CmdSN. If the task management
request is marked for immediate delivery it must be considered imme-
diately for execution but the operations involved (all or part of
them) may be postponed to allow the target to receive all relevant
tasks. According to [SAM2] for all the tasks covered by the task man-
agement response (i.e., with CmdSN not higher than the task manage-
ment command CmdSN), additional responses MUST NOT be delivered to
the SCSI layer after the task management response. The iSCSI initia-
tor MAY deliver to the SCSI layer all responses received before the
task management response (i.e., it is a matter of implementation if
the SCSI responses - received before the task management response but
after the task management request was issued - are delivered to the
SCSI layer by the iSCSI layer in the initiator). The iSCSI target
MUST ensure that no responses for the tasks covered by a task manage-
ment function are delivered to the iSCSI initiator after the task
management response.
For ABORT TASK SET and CLEAR TASK SET, the issuing initiator MUST
continue to respond to all valid target transfer tags (received via
R2T, Text Response, NOP-In, or SCSI Data-in PDUs) related to the
affected task set, even after issuing the task management request.
The issuing initiator SHOULD however terminate (i.e. by setting the
F-bit to 1) these response sequences as quickly as possible. The
target on its part MUST wait for responses on all affected target
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transfer tags before acting on either of these two task management
requests. In case all or part of the response sequence is not
received (due to digest errors) for a valid TTT, the target MAY treat
it as a case of within-command error recovery class (section 6.12.1)
if it is supporting ErrorRecoveryLevel >= 1, or alternatively may
drop the connection to complete the requested task set function.
If the connection is still active (it is not undergoing an implicit
or explicit logout), ABORT TASK MUST be issued on the same connec-
tion to which the task to be aborted is allegiant at the time the
Task Management Request is issued. If the connection is implicitly or
explicitly logged out (i.e., no other request will be issued on the
failing connection and no other response will be received on the
failing connection), then an ABORT TASK function request may be
issued on another connection. This Task Management request will then
establish a new allegiance for the command to be aborted as well as
abort it (i.e., the task to be aborted will not have to be retried or
reassigned, and its status, if issued but not acknowledged, will be
reissued followed by the task management response).
For the LOGICAL UNIT RESET function, the target MUST behave as dic-
tated by the Logical Unit Reset function in [SAM2].
The implementation of the TARGET WARM RESET function and the TARGET
COLD RESET function is OPTIONAL and when implemented, should act as
described below. The TARGET WARM RESET function MAY also be subject
to SCSI access controls (see [SPC3]) on the requesting initiator.
When authorization fails at the target, the appropriate response as
described in Section 9.6 Task Management Function Response MUST be
returned by the target. The TARGET COLD RESET function is not sub-
ject to SCSI access controls, but its execution privileges may be
managed by iSCSI
mechanisms such as login authentication.
When executing the TARGET WARM RESET and TARGET COLD RESET func-
tions, the target cancels all pending operations. Both functions are
equivalent to the Target Reset function specified by [SAM2]. They can
affect many other initiators logged in with the servicing SCSI tar-
get port.
The target MUST treat the TARGET COLD RESET function additionally as
a power on event, thus terminating all of its TCP connections to all
initiators (all sessions are terminated). For this reason, the Ser-
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vice Response (defined by [SAM2]) for this SCSI task management func-
tion may not be reliably delivered to the issuing initiator port.
For the TASK REASSIGN function, the target should reassign the con-
nection allegiance to this new connection (and thus resume iSCSI
exchanges for the task). TASK REASSIGN MUST be received by the tar-
get ONLY after the connection on which the command was previously
executing has been successfully logged-out. For additional usage
semantics see Section 6.1 Retry and Reassign in Recovery.
TASK REASSIGN MUST be issued as an immediate command.
9.5.2 LUN
This field is required for functions that address a specific LU
(ABORT TASK, CLEAR TASK SET, ABORT TASK SET, CLEAR ACA, LOGICAL UNIT
RESET) and is reserved in all others.
9.5.3 Referenced Task Tag
The Initiator Task Tag of the task to be aborted for the ABORT TASK
function or reassigned for the TASK REASSIGN function.
For all the other functions this field MUST be set to the reserved
value 0xffffffff.
9.5.4 RefCmdSN
For the ABORT TASK function, initiators MUST always set this to the
CmdSN of the task identified by the Referenced Task Tag field. Tar-
gets must use this field as described in section 9.6.1 when the task
identified by the Referenced Task Tag field is not with the target.
Otherwise this field is reserved.
9.5.5 ExpDataSN
If the function is TASK REASSIGN, which establishes a new connection
allegiance for a previously issued Read or Bidirectional command,
this field will contain the next consecutive input DataSN number
expected by the initiator (no gaps) for the referenced command in a
previous execution. The initiator MUST discard any discontiguous data
PDUs from the previous execution and the target MUST retransmit all
data previously transmitted in Data-in PDUs (if any) starting with
ExpDataSN. The number of retransmitted PDUs, may or may not be the
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same as the original transmission, depending on if there was a change
in MaxRecvDataSegmentLength in the reassignment.
Otherwise, this field is reserved.
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9.6 Task Management Function Response
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|.| 0x22 |1| Reserved | Response | Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
8/ Reserved /
/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| StatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32| MaxCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
36/ Reserved /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
For the functions ABORT TASK, ABORT TASK SET, CLEAR ACA, CLEAR TASK
SET, LOGICAL UNIT RESET, TARGET COLD RESET and TARGET WARM RESET, the
target performs the requested Task Management function and sends a
Task Management Response back to the initiator.
9.6.1 Response
The target provides a Response, which may take on the following val-
ues:
a) 0 - Function Complete
b) 1 - Task does not exist
c) 2 - LUN does not exist.
d) 3 - Task still allegiant.
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e) 4 - Task failover not supported.
f) 5 - Task management function not supported.
g) 6 - Function authorization failed.
h) 255 - Function rejected.
All other values are reserved.
For a discussion on usage of response codes 3 and 4, see Section
6.1.2 Allegiance Reassignment.
For the TARGET COLD RESET and TARGET WARM RESET functions, the tar-
get cancels all pending operations. For the TARGET COLD RESET func-
tion, the target MUST then close all of its TCP connections to all
initiators (terminates all sessions).
The mapping of the response code into a SCSI service response code
value, if needed, is outside the scope of this document. However, in
symbolic terms Response value 0 maps to the SCSI service response
of FUNCTION COMPLETE. All other Response values map to the SCSI ser-
vice response of FUNCTION REJECTED. If a Task Management Function
Response PDU does not arrive before the session is terminated, the
SCSI service response is SERVICE DELIVERY OR TARGET FAILURE
The response to ABORT TASK SET and CLEAR TASK SET MUST be issued by
the target only after all the commands affected have been received by
the target, the corresponding task management functions have been
executed by the SCSI target and the delivery of all responses deliv-
ered until the task management function completion have been con-
firmed (acknowledged through ExpStatSN) by the initiator on all
connections of this session. For the exact timeline of events, refer
Section 9.6.2 Task Management actions on task sets.
For the ABORT TASK function,
a) if the Referenced Task Tag identifies a valid task leading to
a successful termination, targets must return the "Function com-
plete" response.
b) if the Referenced Task Tag does not identify an existing task
but if the CmdSN indicated by the RefCmdSN field in the task man-
agement function request is within the valid CmdSN window (between
MaxCmdSN and ExpCmdSN), targets must consider the CmdSN received
and return the "Function complete" response.
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c) if the Referenced Task Tag does not identify an existing task
and if the CmdSN indicated by the RefCmdSN field in the task man-
agement function request is outside the valid CmdSN window, tar-
gets must return the "Task does not exist" response.
9.6.2 Task Management actions on task sets
The execution of ABORT TASK SET and CLEAR TASK SET task management
function requests consists of the following sequence of events in the
specified order on each of the entities.
The initiator:
a) issues ABORT TASK SET/CLEAR TASK SET request.
b) continues to respond to each target transfer tag received
for the affected task set.
c) receives any responses for the tasks in the affected task
set (may process them as usual because they are guaranteed
to be valid).
d) receives the task set management response, thus concluding
all the tasks in the affected task set.
The target:
a) receives the ABORT TASK SET/CLEAR TASK SET request.
b) waits for all target transfer tags to be responded and also
for all affected tasks in the task set to be received.
c) propagates the command up to and receives the response from
the target SCSI layer.
d) takes note of last-sent StatSN on each of the connections
in the session, and waits for acknowledgement of each StatSN
(may solicit for acknowledgement by way of a NOP-In).
e) sends the task set management response.
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9.7 SCSI Data-out & SCSI Data-in
The SCSI Data-out PDU for WRITE operations has the following format:
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|.| 0x05 |F| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| LUN or Reserved |
+ +
12| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Target Transfer Tag or 0xffffffff |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpStatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
36| DataSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
40| Buffer Offset |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
44| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
/ DataSegment /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Data-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
The SCSI Data-in PDU for READ operations has the following format:
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Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|.| 0x25 |F|A|0 0 0|O|U|S| Reserved |Status or Rsvd |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| LUN or Reserved |
+ +
12| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Target Transfer Tag or 0xffffffff |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| StatSN or Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32| MaxCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
36| DataSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
40| Buffer Offset |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
44| Residual Count |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
/ DataSegment /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Data-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
Status can accompany the last Data-in PDU if the command did not end
with an exception (i.e., the status is "good status" - GOOD, CONDI-
TION MET or INTERMEDIATE CONDITION MET). The presence of status (and
of a residual count) is signaled though the S flag bit. Although
targets MAY choose to send even non-exception status in separate
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responses, initiators MUST support non-exception status in Data-In
PDUs.
9.7.1 F (Final) Bit
For outgoing data, this bit is 1 for the last PDU of unsolicited data
or the last PDU of a sequence that answers an R2T.
For incoming data, this bit is 1 for the last input (read) data PDU
of a sequence. Input can be split into several sequences, each hav-
ing its own F bit. Splitting the data stream into sequences does not
affect DataSN counting on Data-In PDUs. It MAY be used as a "change
direction" indication for Bidirectional operations that need such a
change.
DataSegmentLength MUST not exceed MaxRecvDataSegmentLength for the
direction it is sent and the total of all the DataSegmentLength of
all PDUs in a sequence MUST not exceed MaxBurstLength (or FirstBurst-
Length for unsolicited data). However the number of individual PDUs
in a sequence (or in total) may be higher than the MaxBurstLength (or
FirstBurstLength) to MaxRecvDataSegmentLength ratio (as PDUs may be
limited in length by the sender capabilities). Using DataSeg-
mentLength of 0 may increase beyond what is reasonable the number of
PDUs and should therefore be avoided.
For Bidirectional operations, the F bit is 1 for both the end of the
input sequences as well as the end of the output sequences.
9.7.2 A (Acknowledge) bit
For sessions with ErrorRecoveryLevel 1 or higher, the target sets
this bit to 1 to indicate that it requests a positive acknowledge-
ment from the initiator for the data received. The target should use
the A bit moderately; it MAY set the A bit to 1 only once every Max-
BurstLength bytes or on the last Data-In PDU that concludes the
entire requested read data transfer for the task from the target's
perspective, and MUST NOT do so more frequently than this.
On receiving a Data-In PDU with the A bit set to 1, if there are no
holes in the read data until that Data-In PDU, the initiator MUST
issue a SNACK of type DataACK except when it is able to acknowledge
the status for the task immediately via ExpStatSN on other outbound
PDUs if the status for the task is also received; in this latter case
(acknowledgement through ExpStatSN) sending a SNACK of type DataACK
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in response to the A bit is not mandatory but if it is done it must
not be sent after the status acknowledgement through ExpStatSN. If
the initiator has detected holes in the read data until that Data-In
PDU, it MUST postpone issuing the SNACK of type DataACK until the
holes are filled. An initiator also MUST NOT acknowledge the status
for the task before those holes are filled. A status acknowledge-
ment for a task that generated the Data-In PDUs is considered by the
target as an implicit acknowledgement of the Data-In PDUs if such an
acknowledgement was requested by the target.
9.7.3 Target Transfer Tag
On outgoing data, the Target Transfer Tag is provided to the target
if the transfer is honoring an R2T. In this case, the Target Trans-
fer Tag field is a replica of the Target Transfer Tag provided with
the R2T.
On incoming data, the Target Transfer Tag MUST be provided by the
target if the A bit is set to 1. The Target Transfer Tag and LUN are
copied by the initiator in the SNACK of type DataACK that it issues
as a result of receiving a SCSI Data-in PDU with the A bit set to 1.
The Target Transfer Tag values are not specified by this protocol
except that the value 0xffffffff is reserved and means that the Tar-
get Transfer Tag is not supplied. If the Target Transfer Tag is pro-
vided, then the LUN field MUST hold a valid value and be consistent
with whatever was specified with the command; otherwise, the LUN
field is reserved.
9.7.4 StatSN
This field MUST ONLY be set if the S bit is set to 1.
9.7.5 DataSN
For input (read) or bidirectional Data-In PDUs, the DataSN is the
input PDU number within the data transfer for the command identified
by the Initiator Task Tag.
R2T and Data-In PDUs, in the context of bidirectional commands, share
the numbering sequence (see Section 2.2.2.3 Data Sequencing).
For output (write) data PDUs, the DataSN is the Data-Out PDU number
within the current output sequence. The current output sequence is
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either identified by the Initiator Task Tag (for unsolicited data) or
is a data sequence generated for one R2T (for data solicited through
R2T).
9.7.6 Buffer Offset
The Buffer Offset field contains the offset of this PDU payload data
within the complete data transfer. The sum of the buffer offset and
length should not exceed the expected transfer length for the com-
mand.
The order of data PDUs within a sequence is determined by DataPDU-
InOrder. When set to Yes, it means that PDUs have to be in increas-
ing Buffer Offset order and overlays are forbidden.
The ordering between sequences is determined by DataSequenceInOrder.
When set to Yes, it means that sequences have to be in increasing
Buffer Offset order and overlays are forbidden.
9.7.7 DataSegmentLength
This is the data payload length of a SCSI Data-In or SCSI Data-Out
PDU. The sending of 0 length data segments should be avoided, but
initiators and targets MUST be able to properly receive 0 length data
segments.
The Data Segments of Data-in and Data-out PDUs SHOULD be filled to
the integer number of 4 byte words (real payload) unless the F bit is
set to 1.
9.7.8 Flags (byte 1)
The last SCSI Data packet sent from a target to an initiator for a
SCSI command that completed successfully (with a status of GOOD, CON-
DITION MET, INTERMEDIATE or INTERMEDIATE CONDITION MET) may also
optionally contain the Status for the data transfer. In this case,
Sense Data cannot be sent together with the Command Status. If the
command is completed with an error, then the response and sense data
MUST be sent in a SCSI Response PDU (i.e., MUST NOT be sent in a SCSI
Data packet). For Bidirectional commands, the status MUST be sent in
a SCSI Response PDU.
bit 2-3 - Reserved
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bit 5-6 - used the same as in a SCSI Response. Those bits are
valid only when S is set to 1.
bit 7 S (status)- set to indicate that the Command Status field
contains status. If this bit is set to 1 the F bit MUST also
be set to 1.
The fields StatSN, Status and Residual Count have meaningful content
only if the S bit is set to 1 and their values are defined in Sec-
tion 9.4 SCSI Response.
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9.8 Ready To Transfer (R2T)
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|.| 0x31 |1| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| LUN |
+ +
12| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Target Transfer Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| StatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32| MaxCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
36| R2TSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
40| Buffer Offset |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
44| Desired Data Transfer Length |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
When an initiator has submitted a SCSI Command with data that passes
from the initiator to the target (WRITE), the target may specify
which blocks of data it is ready to receive. The target may request
that the data blocks be delivered in whichever order is convenient
for the target at that particular instant. This information is passed
from the target to the initiator in the Ready To Transfer (R2T) PDU.
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In order to allow write operations without an explicit initial R2T,
the initiator and target MUST have negotiated the key InitialR2T to
No during Login.
An R2T MAY be answered with one or more SCSI Data-out PDUs with a
matching Target Transfer Tag. If an R2T is answered with a single
Data-out PDU, the Buffer Offset in the Data PDU MUST be the same as
the one specified by the R2T and the data length of the Data PDU MUST
be the same as the Desired Data Transfer Length specified in the R2T.
If the R2T is answered with a sequence of Data PDUs, the Buffer Off-
set and Length MUST be within the range of those specified by R2T,
and the last PDU MUST have the F bit set to 1. If the last PDU
(marked with the F bit) is received before the Desired Data Transfer
Length is transferred, a target MAY choose to Reject that PDU with
"Protocol error" reason code. DataPDUInOrder governs the Data-Out
PDU ordering. If DataPDUInOrder is set to Yes, the Buffer Offsets and
Lengths for consecutive PDUs MUST form a continuous non-overlapping
range and the PDUs MUST be sent in increasing offset order.
The target may send several R2T PDUs (up to a negotiated number).
It, therefore, can have a number of pending data transfers. Within a
connection, outstanding R2Ts MUST be fulfilled by the initiator in
the order in which they were received.
DataSequenceInOrder governs the buffer offset ordering in consecu-
tive R2Ts. If DataSequenceInOrder is Yes, then consecutive R2Ts
SHOULD refer to continuous non-overlapping ranges.
9.8.1 R2TSN
R2TSN is the R2T PDU input PDU number within the command identified
by the Initiator Task Tag.
For bidirectional commands R2T and Data-In PDUs share the input PDU
numbering sequence (see Section 2.2.2.3 Data Sequencing).
9.8.2 StatSN
The StatSN field will contain the next StatSN. The StatSN for this
connection is not advanced.
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9.8.3 Desired Data Transfer Length and Buffer Offset
The target specifies how many bytes it wants the initiator to send
because of this R2T PDU. The target may request the data from the
initiator in several chunks, not necessarily in the original order of
the data. The target, therefore, also specifies a Buffer Offset that
indicates the point at which the data transfer should begin, rela-
tive to the beginning of the total data transfer. The Desired Data
Transfer Length MUST NOT be 0 and MUST not exceed MaxBurstLength.
9.8.4 Target Transfer Tag
The target assigns its own tag to each R2T request that it sends to
the initiator. This tag can be used by the target to easily identify
the data it receives. The Target Transfer Tag and LUN are copied in
the outgoing data PDUs and are used by the target only. There is no
protocol rule about the Target Transfer Tag except that the value
0xffffffff is reserved and MUST never be sent by a target in an
R2T.
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9.9 Asynchronous Message
An Asynchronous Message may be sent from the target to the initiator
without corresponding to a particular command. The target specifies
the reason for the event and sense data.
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|.| 0x32 |1| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| LUN |
+ +
12| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| 0xffffffff |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| StatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32| MaxCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
36| AsyncEvent | AsyncVCode | Parameter1 or Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
40| Parameter2 or Reserved | Parameter3 or Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
44| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
/ DataSegment - Sense Data and iSCSI Event Data /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Data-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
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Some Asynchronous Messages are strictly related to iSCSI while oth-
ers are related to SCSI [SAM2].
StatSN counts this PDU as an acknowledgeable event (StatSN is
advanced), which allows for initiator and target state synchroniza-
tion.
9.9.1 AsyncEvent
The codes used for iSCSI Asynchronous Messages (Events) are:
0 - a SCSI Asynchronous Event is reported in the sense data.
Sense Data that accompanies the report, in the data segment,
identifies the condition. The sending of a SCSI Event (Asyn-
chronous Event Reporting in SCSI terminology) is dependent on
the target support for SCSI asynchronous event reporting (see
[SAM2]) as indicated in the standard INQUIRY data (see
[SPC]). Its use may be enabled by parameters in the SCSI Con-
trol mode page (see [SPC]).
1 - target requests Logout. This Async Message MUST be sent on
the same connection as the one requesting to be logged out.
The initiator MUST honor this request by issuing a Logout as
early as possible, but no later than Parameter3 seconds.
Initiator MUST send a Logout with a reason code of "Close the
connection" (if not the only connection) OR "Close the ses-
sion" to close all the connections (if using multiple connec-
tions). Once this message is received, the initiator SHOULD
NOT issue new iSCSI commands. The target MAY reject any new
I/O requests that it receives after this Message with the
reason code "Waiting for Logout". If the initiator does not
Logout in Parameter3 seconds, the target should send an Async
PDU with iSCSI event code "Dropped the connection" if possi-
ble, or simply terminate the transport connection. Parameter1
and Parameter2 are reserved.
2 - target indicates it will drop the connection.
The Parameter1 field indicates the CID of the connection
going to be dropped.
The Parameter2 field (Time2Wait) indicates, in seconds, the
minimum time to wait before attempting to reconnect or reas-
sign.
The Parameter3 field (Time2Retain) indicates the maximum time
allowed to reassign commands after the initial wait (in
Parameter2).
If the initiator does not attempt to reconnect and/or reas-
sign the outstanding commands within the time specified by
Parameter3, or if Parameter3 is 0, the target will terminate
all outstanding commands on this connection; no other
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responses should be expected from the target for the out-
standing commands on this connection in this case.
A value of 0 for Parameter2 indicates that reconnect can be
attempted immediately.
3 - target indicates it will drop all the connections of this
session.
Parameter1 field is reserved.
The Parameter2 field (Time2Wait) indicates, in seconds, the
minimum time to wait before attempting to reconnect.
The Parameter3 field (Time2Retain) indicates the maximum time
allowed to reassign commands after the initial wait (in
Parameter2).
If the initiator does not attempt to reconnect and/or reas-
sign the outstanding commands within the time specified by
Parameter3, or if Parameter3 is 0, the session is termi-
nated. In this case, the target will terminate all outstand-
ing commands in this session; no other responses should be
expected from the target for the outstanding commands in this
session. A value of 0 for Parameter2 indicates that recon-
nect can be attempted immediately.
4 - target requests parameter negotiation on this connection.
The initiator MUST honor this request by issuing a Text
Request (that can be empty) on the same connection as early
as possible, but no later than Parameter3 seconds, unless a
Text Request is already pending on the connection, or by
issuing a Logout Request. If the initiator does not issue a
Text Request the target may reissue the Asynchronous Message
requesting parameter negotiation.
255 - vendor specific iSCSI Event. The AsyncVCode details the
vendor code, and data MAY accompany the report.
All other event codes are reserved.
9.9.2 AsyncVCode
AsyncVCode is a vendor specific detail code that is valid only if the
AsyncEvent field indicates a vendor specific event. Otherwise, it is
reserved.
9.9.3 Sense Data and iSCSI Event Data
For a SCSI Event, this data accompanies the report in the data seg-
ment and identifies the condition.
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For an iSCSI Event, additional vendor-unique data MAY accompany the
Async event. Initiators MAY ignore the data when not understood while
processing the rest of the PDU.
If the DataSegmentLength is not 0, the format of the DataSegment is
as follows:
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|SenseLength | Sense Data |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
x/ Sense Data /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
y/ iSCSI Event Data /
/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
z|
9.9.3.1 SenseLength
Length of Sense Data.
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9.10 Text Request
The Text Request is provided to allow for the exchange of informa-
tion and for future extensions. It permits the initiator to inform a
target of its capabilities or to request some special operations.
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|I| 0x04 |F|C| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| LUN or Reserved |
+ +
12| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Target Transfer Tag or 0xffffffff |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| CmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpStatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32/ Reserved /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
/ DataSegment (Text) /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Data-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
An initiator MUST have at most one outstanding Text Request on a con-
nection at any given time.
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On a connection failure, an initiator must either explicitly abort
any active allegiant text negotiation task or must cause such a task
to be implicitly terminated by the target.
9.10.1 F (Final) Bit
When set to 1, indicates that this is the last or only text request
in a sequence of Text Requests; otherwise, it indicates that more
Text Requests will follow.
9.10.2 C (Continue) Bit
When set to 1, indicates that the text (set of key=value pairs) in
this Text Request is not complete (it will be continued on subse-
quent Text Requests); otherwise, it indicates that this Text Request
ends a set of key=value pairs. A Text Request with the C bit set to 1
MUST have the F bit set to 0.
9.10.3 Initiator Task Tag
The initiator assigned identifier for this Text Request. If the com-
mand is sent as part of a sequence of text requests and responses,
the Initiator Task Tag MUST be the same for all the requests within
the sequence (similar to linked SCSI commands). The I bit for all
requests in a sequence also MUST be the same.
9.10.4 Target Transfer Tag
When the Target Transfer Tag is set to the reserved value 0xffffffff,
it tells the target that this is a new request and the target resets
any internal state associated with the Initiator Task Tag (resets the
current negotiation state).
The target sets the Target Transfer Tag in a text response to a value
other than the reserved value 0xffffffff whenever it indicates that
it has more data to send or more operations to perform that are asso-
ciated with the specified Initiator Task Tag. It MUST do so whenever
it sets the F bit to 0 in the response. By copying the Target Trans-
fer Tag from the response to the next Text Request, the initiator
tells the target to continue the operation for the specific Initia-
tor Task Tag. The initiator MUST ignore the Target Transfer Tag in
the Text Response when the F bit is set to 1.
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This mechanism allows the initiator and target to transfer a large
amount of textual data over a sequence of text-command/text-response
exchanges or to perform extended negotiation sequences.
If the Target Transfer Tag is not 0xffffffff the LUN field MUST be
the one sent by the target in the Text Response.
A target MAY reset its internal negotiation state if an exchange is
stalled by the initiator for a long time or if it is running out of
resources.
Long text responses are handled as in the following example:
I->T Text SendTargets=all (F=1,TTT=0xffffffff)
T->I Text <part 1> (F=0,TTT=0x12345678)
I->T Text <empty> (F=1, TTT=0x12345678)
T->I Text <part 2> (F=0, TTT=0x12345678)
I->T Text <empty> (F=1, TTT=0x12345678)
...
T->I Text <part n> (F=1, TTT=0xffffffff)
9.10.5 Text
The data lengths of a text request MUST NOT exceed the iSCSI target
MaxRecvDataSegmentLength (a per connection and per direction negoti-
ated parameter). The text format is specified in Section 4.2 Text
Mode Negotiation.
Chapter 10 and Chapter 11 list some basic Text key=value pairs, some
of which can be used in Login Request/Response and some in Text
Request/Response.
A key=value pair can span Text request or response boundaries (i.e.,
a key=value pair can start in one PDU and continue on the next - in
other words the end of a PDU does not necessarily signal the end of a
key value pair).
The target responds by sending its response back to the initiator.
The response text format is similar to the request text format.
The text response MAY refer to key=value pairs presented in an ear-
lier text request and the text in the request may refer to earlier
responses.
Chapter 4 details the rules for the Text Requests and Responses.
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Text operations are usually meant for parameter setting/negotia-
tions, but can also be used to perform some long lasting operations.
Text operations that take a long time should be placed in their own
Text request.
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9.11 Text Response
The Text Response PDU contains the target's responses to the initia-
tor's Text request. The format of the Text field matches that of the
Text request.
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|.| 0x24 |F|C| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| LUN or Reserved |
+ +
12| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Target Transfer Tag or 0xffffffff |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| StatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32| MaxCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
36/ Reserved /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
/ DataSegment (Text) /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Data-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
9.11.1 F (Final) Bit
When set to 1, in response to a Text Request with the Final bit set
to 1, the F bit indicates that the target has finished the whole
operation. Otherwise, if set to 0 in response to a Text Request with
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the Final Bit set to 1, it indicates that the target has more work to
do (invites a follow-on text request). A Text Response with the F
bit set to 1 in response to a Text Request with the F bit set to 0 is
a protocol error.
A Text Response with the F bit set to 1 MUST NOT contain key=value
pairs that may require additional answers from the initiator.
A Text Response with the F bit set to 1 MUST have a Target Transfer
Tag field set to the reserved value of 0xffffffff.
A Text Response with the F bit set to 0 MUST have a Target Transfer
Tag field set to a value other than the reserved 0xffffffff.
9.11.2 C (Continue) Bit
When set to 1, indicates that the text (set of key=value pairs) in
this Text Response is not complete (it will be continued on subse-
quent Text Responses); otherwise, it indicates that this Text
Response ends a set of key=value pairs. A Text Response with the C
bit set to 1 MUST have the F bit set to 0.
9.11.3 Initiator Task Tag
The Initiator Task Tag matches the tag used in the initial Text
Request.
9.11.4 Target Transfer Tag
When a target has more work to do (e.g., cannot transfer all the
remaining text data in a single Text Response or has to continue the
negotiation) and has enough resources to proceed, it MUST set the
Target Transfer Tag to a value other than the reserved value of
0xffffffff. Otherwise the Target Transfer Tag MUST be set to
0xffffffff.
When the Target Transfer Tag is not 0xffffffff the LUN field may be
significant.
The initiator MUST copy the Target Transfer Tag and LUN in its next
request to indicate that it wants the rest of the data.
When the target receives a Text Request with the Target Transfer Tag
set to the reserved value of 0xffffffff, it resets its internal
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information (resets state) associated with the given Initiator Task
Tag.
When a target cannot finish the operation in a single Text Response,
and does not have enough resources to continue it rejects the Text
Request with the appropriate Reject code.
A target may reset its internal state associated with an Initiator
Task Tag (the current negotiation state), state expressed through the
Target Transfer Tag if the initiator fails to continue the exchange
for some time. The target may reject subsequent Text Requests with
the Target Transfer Tag set to the "stale" value.
9.11.5 StatSN
The target StatSN register is advanced by each Text Response.
9.11.6 Text Response Data
The data lengths of a text request MUST NOT exceed the iSCSI initia-
tor MaxRecvDataSegmentLength (a per connection and per direction
negotiated parameter).
The text in the Text Response Data is governed by the same rules as
the text in the Text Request Data (see Section 9.10.5 Text).
Although the initiator is the requesting party and controls the
request-response initiation and termination, the target can offer
key=value pairs of its own as part of a sequence and not only in
response to the initiator.
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9.12 Login Request
After establishing a TCP connection between an initiator and a tar-
get, the initiator MUST start a Login Phase to gain further access to
the target's resources.
The Login Phase (see Chapter 4) consists of a sequence of Login
requests and responses that carry the same Initiator Task Tag.
Login requests are always considered as immediate.
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|.| 0x03 |T|C|.|.|CSG|NSG| Version-max | Version-min |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| ISID |
+ +---------------+---------------+
12| | TSIH |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| CID | Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| CmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpStatSN or Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
36| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
40/ Reserved /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48/ DataSegment - Login Parameters in Text request Format /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
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9.12.1 T (Transit) Bit
If set to 1, indicates that the initiator is ready to transit to the
next stage.
If the T bit is set to 1 and NSG is FullFeaturePhase, then this also
indicates that the initiator is ready for the Final Login Response
(see Chapter 4).
9.12.2 C (Continue) Bit
When set to 1, indicates that the text (set of key=value pairs) in
this Login Request is not complete (it will be continued on subse-
quent Login Requests); otherwise, it indicates that this Login
Request ends a set of key=value pairs. A Login Request with the C
bit set to 1 MUST have the T bit set to 0.
9.12.3 CSG and NSG
Through these fields, Current Stage (CSG) and Next Stage (NSG), the
Login negotiation requests and responses are associated with a spe-
cific stage in the session (SecurityNegotiation, LoginOperationalNe-
gotiation, FullFeaturePhase) and may indicate the next stage they
want to move to (see Chapter 4). The next stage value is valid only
when the T bit is 1; otherwise, it is reserved.
The stage codes are:
- 0 - SecurityNegotiation
- 1 - LoginOperationalNegotiation
- 3 - FullFeaturePhase
9.12.4 Version-max
Maximum Version number supported.
All Login requests within the Login Phase MUST carry the same Ver-
sion-max.
The target MUST use the value presented with the first login request.
9.12.5 Version-min
Minimum Version supported. The version number of the current draft is
0x00.
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All Login requests within the Login Phase MUST carry the same Ver-
sion-min. The target MUST use the value presented with the first
login request.
9.12.6 ISID
This is an initiator-defined component of the session identifier and
is structured as follows (see [NDT] and Section 8.1.1 Conservative
Reuse of ISIDs for details):
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0| T | A | B | C |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4| D |
+---------------+---------------+
The T field identifies the format and usage of A, B, C & D as indi-
cated bellow:
T
00b OUI-format
A&B are a 22 bit OUI
(the I/G & U/L omitted)
C&D 24 bit qualifier
01b EN - format (IANA Enterprise Number)
A - reserved
B&C EN (IANA Enterprise Number)
D - Qualifier
10b "Random"
A - reserved
B&C Random
D - Qualifier
11b A,B,C&D Reserved
For the T field values 00b and 01b a combination of A and B (for 00b)
or B and C (for 01b) identifies the vendor or organization whose com-
ponent (software or hardware) generates this ISID. A vendor or orga-
nization with one or more OUIs, or one or more Enterprise Numbers,
MUST use at least one of these numbers and select the appropriate
value for the T field when its components generate ISIDs. An OUI or
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EN MUST be set in the corresponding fields in network byte order
(byte big-endian).
If the T field is 10b, B and C are set to a random 24bit unsigned
integer value in network byte order (byte big-endian). See [NDT] for
how this affects the principle of "conservative reuse".
The Qualifier field is a 16 or 24 bit unsigned integer value that
provides a range of possible values for the ISID within the selected
namespace. It may be set to any value, within the constraints speci-
fied in the iSCSI protocol (see Section 2.4.3 Consequences of the
Model and Section 8.1.1 Conservative Reuse of ISIDs).
The T field of 11 is reserved.
If the ISID is derived from something assigned to a hardware adapter
or interface by a vendor, as a preset default value, it MUST be con-
figurable to a value assigned according to the SCSI port behavior
desired by the system in which it is installed (see Section 8.1.1
Conservative Reuse of ISIDs and Section 8.1.2 iSCSI Name, ISID and
TPGT Use) and the resultant ISID MUST also be persistent over power
cycles, reboot, card swap etc..
9.12.7 TSIH
TSIH must be set in the first Login Request. The reserved value 0
MUST be used on the first connection for a new session. Otherwise
the TSIH sent by the target at the conclusion of successful login of
the first connection for this session MUST be used. The TSIH identi-
fies to the target the associated existing session for this new con-
nection.
All Login requests within a Login Phase MUST carry the same TSIH.
The target MUST check the value presented with the first login
request and act as specified in Section 4.3.1 Login Phase Start.
9.12.8 Connection ID - CID
A unique ID for this connection within the session.
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All Login requests within the Login Phase MUST carry the same CID.
The target MUST use the value presented with the first login request.
A Login request with a non-zero TSIH and a CID equal to that of an
existing connection implies a logout of the connection followed by a
Login (see Section 4.3.4 Connection reinstatement).
9.12.9 CmdSN
CmdSN is either the initial command sequence number of a session (for
the first Login request of a session - the "leading" login) or the
command sequence number in the command stream if the login is for a
new connection in an existing session.
Examples:
- A leading login phase - if the leading login carries the
CmdSN 123 all other login requests in the same login phase
carry the CmdSN 123 and the first non-immediate command in
FullFeaturePhase also carries the CmdSN 123.
- A non-leading login phase - if the current CmdSN at the time
the first login on the connection is issued is 500 - the
login request carries CmdSN=500 the second login request car-
ries a CmdSN not lower than 500 (higher if non-immediate
requests where issued in the session between the first and
the second request in the new login phase) etc..
If the login request is a leading login request the target MUST use
the value presented in CmdSN as the target value for ExpCmdSN.
9.12.10 ExpStatSN
This is ExpStatSN for the old connection.
This field is valid only if the Login request restarts a connection
(see Section 4.3.4 Connection reinstatement).
9.12.11 Login Parameters
The initiator MAY provide some basic parameters in order to enable
the target to determine if the initiator may use the target's
resources and the initial text parameters for the security exchange.
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All the rules specified in Section 9.10.5 Text for text requests/
responses also hold for login requests/responses. Keys and their
explanations are listed in Chapter 10 (security negotiation keys) and
Chapter 11 (operational parameter negotiation keys). All keys in
Chapter 11, except for the X- extension format, MUST be supported by
iSCSI initiators and targets. Keys in Chapter 10 only need to be sup-
ported when the function to which they refer is mandatory to imple-
ment.
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9.13 Login Response
The Login Response indicates the progress and/or end of the Login
Phase.
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|.| 0x23 |T|C|.|.|CSG|NSG| Version-max | Version-active|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| ISID |
+ +---------------+---------------+
12| | TSIH |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| StatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32| MaxCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
36| Status-Class | Status-Detail | Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
40/ Reserved /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48/ DataSegment - Login Parameters in Text request Format /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
9.13.1 Version-max
This is the highest version number supported by the target.
All Login responses within the Login Phase MUST carry the same Ver-
sion-max.
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The initiator MUST use the value presented as a response to the first
login request.
9.13.2 Version-active
Indicates the highest version supported by the target and initiator.
If the target does not support a version within the range specified
by the initiator, the target rejects the login and this field indi-
cates the lowest version supported by the target.
All Login responses within the Login Phase MUST carry the same Ver-
sion-active.
The initiator MUST use the value presented as a response to the first
login request.
9.13.3 TSIH
The TSIH is the target assigned session identifying handle and its
internal format and content are not defined by this protocol except
for the value 0 that is reserved. For a new session, the target MUST
generate a non-zero TSIH and return it in the Login Final-Response
(see Section 4.3 Login Phase). In all other cases, this field should
be set to the TSIH provided by the initiator in the Login Request.
9.13.4 StatSN
For the first Login Response (the response to the first Login
Request), this is the starting status Sequence Number for the connec-
tion. The next response of any kind, including the next login
response, if any, in the same Login Phase, will carry this number +
1. This field is valid only if the Status-Class is 0.
9.13.5 Status-Class and Status-Detail
The Status returned in a Login Response indicates the execution sta-
tus of the Login Phase. The status includes:
Status-Class
Status-Detail
0 Status-Class indicates success.
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A non-zero Status-Class indicates an exception. In this case, Status-
Class is sufficient for a simple initiator to use when handling
exceptions, without having to look at the Status-Detail. The Status-
Detail allows finer-grained exception handling for more sophisti-
cated initiators, as well as better information for logging.
The status classes are as follows:
0 - Success - indicates that the iSCSI target successfully
received, understood, and accepted the request. The number-
ing fields (StatSN, ExpCmdSN, MaxCmdSN) are valid only if
Status-Class is 0.
1 - Redirection - indicates that the initiator must take fur-
ther action to complete the request. This is usually due to
the target moving to a different address. All of the redirec-
tion status class responses MUST return one or more text key
parameters of the type "TargetAddress", which indicates the
target's new address.
2 - Initiator Error (not a format error) - indicates that the
initiator most likely caused the error. This MAY be due to a
request for a resource for which the initiator does not have
permission. The request should not be tried again.
3 - Target Error - indicates that the target sees no errors in
the initiator's login request, but is currently incapable of
fulfilling the request. The initiator may re-try the same
login request later.
The table below shows all of the currently allocated status codes.
The codes are in hexadecimal; the first byte is the status class and
the second byte is the status detail.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------
Status | Code | Description
|(hex) |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Success | 0000 | Login is proceeding OK (*1).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Target Moved | 0101 | The requested iSCSI Target Name (ITN)
Temporarily | | has temporarily moved
| | to the address provided.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Target Moved | 0102 | The requested ITN has permanently moved
Permanently | | to the address provided.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Initiator | 0200 | Miscellaneous iSCSI initiator
Error | | errors.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Authentication| 0201 | The initiator could not be
Failure | | successfully authenticated.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Authorization | 0202 | The initiator is not allowed access
Failure | | to the given target.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Not Found | 0203 | The requested ITN does not
| | exist at this address.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Target Removed| 0204 | The requested ITN has been removed and
| |no forwarding address is provided.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Unsupported | 0205 | The requested iSCSI version range is
Version | | not supported by the target.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Too many | 0206 | Too many connections on this SSID
connections | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Missing | 0207 | Missing parameters (e.g., iSCSI
parameter | | Initiator and/or Target Name).
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Can't include | 0208 | Target does not support session
in session | | spanning to this connection (address)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Session type | 0209 | Target does not support this type of
Not supported | | of session or not from this Initiator.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
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Session does | 020a | Attempt to add a connection
not exist | | to an non-existent session
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Invalid during| 020b | Invalid Request type during Login
login | |
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Target Error | 0300 | Target hardware or software error.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Service | 0301 | The iSCSI service or target is not
Unavailable | | currently operational.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Out of | 0302 | The target has insufficient session,
Resources | | connection, or other resources.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
(*1)If the response T bit is 1 and the NSG is FullFeaturePhase in
both the request and the response the Login Phase is finished and the
initiator may proceed to issue SCSI commands.
If the Status Class is not 0, the initiator and target MUST close the
TCP connection.
If the target wishes to reject the login request for more than one
reason, it should return the primary reason for the rejection.
9.13.6 T (Transit) bit
The T bit is set to 1 as an indicator of the end of the stage. If the
T bit is set to 1 and NSG is FullFeaturePhase, then this is also the
Final Login Response (see Chapter 4). A T bit of 0 indicates a "par-
tial" response, which means "more negotiation needed".
A login response with a T bit set to 1 MUST NOT contain key=value
pairs that may require additional answers from the initiator within
the same stage.
If the status class is 0, the T bit MUST NOT be set to 1 if the T bit
in the request was set to 0.
9.13.7 C (Continue) Bit
When set to 1, indicates that the text (set of key=value pairs) in
this Login Response is not complete (it will be continued on subse-
quent Login Responses); otherwise, it indicates that this Login
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Response ends a set of key=value pairs. A Login Response with the C
bit set to 1 MUST have the T bit set to 0.
9.13.8 Login Parameters
The initiator MAY provide some basic parameters in order to enable
the target to determine if the initiator may use the target's
resources and the initial text parameters for the security exchange.
All the rules specified in Section 9.11.5 StatSN for text requests/
responses also hold for login requests/responses. Keys and their
explanations are listed in Chapter 10 (security negotiation keys) and
Chapter 11 (operational parameter negotiation keys). All keys in
Chapter 11, except for the X- extension format, MUST be supported by
iSCSI initiators and targets. Keys in Chapter 10, only need to be
supported when the function to which they refer is mandatory to
implement.
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9.14 Logout Request
The Logout request is used to perform a controlled closing of a con-
nection.
An initiator MAY use a logout request to remove a connection from a
session or to close an entire session.
After sending the Logout PDU, an initiator MUST NOT send any new
iSCSI requests on the closing connection. If the Logout is intended
to close the session, new iSCSI requests MUST NOT be sent on any of
the connections participating in the session.
When receiving a Logout request with the reason code of "close the
connection" or "close the session", the target MUST abort all pend-
ing commands, whether acknowledged or not, on that connection or ses-
sion respectively. When receiving a Logout request with the reason
code "remove connection for recovery", the target MUST discard all
requests not yet acknowledged that were issued on the specified con-
nection and suspend all data/status/R2T transfers on behalf of pend-
ing commands on the specified connection. The target then issues the
Logout response and half-closes the TCP connection (sends FIN).
After receiving the Logout response and attempting to receive the FIN
(if still possible), the initiator MUST completely close the logging-
out connection. For the terminated commands, no additional responses
should be expected.
A Logout for a CID may be performed on a different transport connec-
tion when the TCP connection for the CID has already been termi-
nated. In such a case, only a logical "closing" of the iSCSI
connection for the CID is implied with a Logout.
All commands that were not terminated or not completed (with status)
and acknowledged when the connection is closed completely can be
reassigned to a new connection if the target supports connection
recovery.
If an initiator intends to start recovery for a failing connection,
it MUST use either the Logout request to "clean-up" the target end of
a failing connection and enable recovery to start, or use the Login
request with a non-zero TSIH and the same CID on a new connection for
the same effect (see Section 9.14.2 CID). In sessions with a single
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connection, the connection can be closed then a new connection
reopened and a restart login can be used for recovery.
A successful completion of a logout request with the reason code of
"close the connection" or "remove the connection for recovery"
results in the discarding of all tasks waiting in the command reor-
dering queue that are allegiant to the connection being logged out.
Those holes in command sequence numbers will have to be handled by
appropriate recovery (see Chapter 6) unless the session is also
closed.
The entire logout discussion in this section is completely applica-
ble also for an implicit Logout effected by way of a connection rein-
statement or session reinstatement. The Logout reason codes for
implicit Logout are specified as below:
Reason code Type of implicit Logout
0 session reinstatement
1 connection reinstatement when
the operational ErrorRecoveryLevel < 2
2 connection reinstatement when
the operational ErrorRecoveryLevel = 2
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Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|I| 0x06 |1| Reason Code | Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
8/ Reserved /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| CID or Reserved | Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| CmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpStatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32/ Reserved /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
9.14.1 Reason Code
Reason Code indicates the reason for Logout as follows:
0 - closes the session. All commands associated with the ses-
sion (if any) are terminated.
1 - closes the connection. All commands associated with connec-
tion (if any) are terminated.
2 - removes the connection for recovery. Connection is closed
and all commands associated with it, if any, are to be pre-
pared for a new allegiance.
All other values are reserved.
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9.14.2 CID
This is the connection ID of the connection to be closed (including
closing the TCP stream). This field is valid only if the reason code
is not "close the session".
9.14.3 ExpStatSN
This is the last ExpStatSN value for the connection to be closed.
9.14.4 Implicit termination of tasks
A target implicitly terminates the active tasks in three cases due to
iSCSI protocol:
a) When a connection is implicitly or explicitly logged out with
the Reason code of "Closes the connection" and there are active
tasks allegiant to that connection.
b) When a connection fails and eventually the connection state
times out (state transition M1 in Section 5.2.2 State Transition
Descriptions for Initiators and Targets) and there are active
tasks allegiant to that connection.
c) When a successful recovery Logout is performed while there are
active tasks allegiant to that connection, and those tasks eventu-
ally time out after the Time2Wait and Time2Retain periods without
allegiance reassignment.
If the tasks terminated in any of the above cases are SCSI tasks,
they MUST be internally terminated with CHECK CONDITION status with a
sense key of unit attention and ASC/ASCQ values of 0x6E/0x00 (COM-
MAND TO LOGICAL UNIT FAILED). Note that this status is meaningful
only for appropriately handling the internal SCSI state aspects such
as queued commands because this status is never communicated back as
a terminating status to the initiator.
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9.15 Logout Response
The logout response is used by the target to indicate if the cleanup
operation for the connection(s) has completed.
After Logout, the TCP connection referred by the CID MUST be closed
at both ends (or all connections must be closed if the logout reason
was session close).
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|.| 0x26 |1| Reserved | Response | Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
8/ Reserved /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| StatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32| MaxCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
36| Reserved |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
40| Time2Wait | Time2Retain |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
44| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
9.15.1 Response
Logout response:
0 - connection or session closed successfully.
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1 - CID not found.
2 - connection recovery not supported (if Logout reason code
was recovery and target does not support it- as indicated by
the ErrorRecoveryLevel.
3 - cleanup failed for various reasons.
9.15.2 Time2Wait
If the Logout response code is 0 and if the operational ErrorRecov-
eryLevel is 2, this is the minimum amount of time, in seconds, to
wait before attempting task reassignment. If the Logout response
code is 0 and if the operational ErrorRecoveryLevel is less than 2,
this field is to be ignored.
This field is invalid if the Logout response code is 1.
If the Logout response code is 2 or 3, this field specifies the mini-
mum time to wait before attempting a new implicit or explicit logout.
If Time2Wait is 0, the reassignment or a new Logout may be attempted
immediately.
9.15.3 Time2Retain
If the Logout response code is 0 and if the operational ErrorRecov-
eryLevel is 2, this is the maximum amount of time, in seconds, after
the initial wait (Time2Wait), the target waits for the allegiance
reassignment for any active task after which the task state is dis-
carded. If the Logout response code is 0 and if the operational
ErrorRecoveryLevel is less than 2, this field is to be ignored.
This field is invalid if the Logout response code is 1.
If the Logout response code is 2 or 3, this field specifies the maxi-
mum amount of time, in seconds, after the initial wait
(Time2Wait),the target waits for a new implicit or explicit logout.
If it is the last connection of a session, the whole session state is
discarded after Time2Retain.
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If Time2Retain is 0, the target had already discarded the connection
(and possibly the session) state along with the task states. No
reassignment or Logout is required in this case.
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9.16 SNACK Request
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|.| 0x10 |1|Rsrvd| Type | Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| LUN or Reserved |
+ +
12| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag or 0xffffffff |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Target Transfer Tag or 0xffffffff |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpStatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32/ Reserved /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
40| BegRun |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
44| RunLength |
+---------------------------------------------------------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
Support for SNACK is mandatory only if the supported ErrorRecovery-
Level of the implementation is greater than zero.
The SNACK request is used to request the retransmission of numbered-
responses, data, or R2T PDUs from the target. The SNACK request
indicates the missed numbered-response or data "run" to the target,
where the run starts with the first missed StatSN, DataSN, or R2TSN
and indicates also the number of missed Status, Data, or R2T PDUs (0
has the special meaning of "all after the initial").
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The numbered-response(s) or R2T(s), requested by a SNACK, MUST be
delivered as exact replicas of the ones the initiator missed except
for the fields ExpCmdSN, MaxCmdSN and ExpDataSN which MUST carry the
current values. R2T(s)requested by SNACK MUST carry also the current
value of StatSN.
The numbered Data-In PDUs, requested by a SNACK with a RunLength dif-
ferent from 0, MUST be delivered as exact replicas of the ones the
initiator missed except the fields ExpCmdSN and MaxCmdSN which MUST
carry the current values.
If the initiator MaxRecvDataSegmenTLength changed Data-In PDUs
requested with RunLength 0 (meaning all PDUs after this number) may
be different from the ones originally sent, in order to reflect
changes in MaxRecvDataSegmentLength. Their DataSN starts with the
requested number and is increased by 1 for each resent Data-In PDU.
If DataSN numbers change and a SCSI-Reponse PDU was sent reflecting
the DataSN before retransmission it MUST be resent to reflect the new
numbers.
Any SNACK that requests a numbered-response, Data, or R2T that was
not sent by the target MUST be rejected with a reason code of "Proto-
col error".
9.16.1 Type
This field encodes the SNACK function as follows:
0-Data/R2T SNACK - requesting retransmission of a Data-In or
R2T PDU.
1-Status SNACK - requesting retransmission of a numbered
response.
2-DataACK - positively acknowledges Data-In PDUs.
All other values are reserved.
Data/R2T SNACK for a command MUST precede status acknowledgement for
the given command.
For Status SNACK and DataACK, the Initiator Task Tag MUST be set to
the reserved value 0xffffffff. In all other cases, the Initiator Task
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Tag field MUST be set to the Initiator Task Tag of the referenced
command.
For DataACK, the Target Transfer Tag has to contain a copy of the
Target Transfer Tag and LUN provided with the SCSI Data-In PDU with
the A bit set to 1. In all other cases, the Target Transfer Tag field
MUST be set to the reserved value of 0xffffffff.
An iSCSI target that does not support recovery within connection MAY
reject the status SNACK with a Reject PDU. If the target supports
recovery within connection, it MAY reject the SNACK after which it
MUST issue an Asynchronous Message PDU with an iSCSI event that indi-
cates "Request Logout".
If an initiator operates at ErrorRecoveryLevel 1 or higher, it MUST
issue a SNACK of type DataACK after receiving a Data-In PDU with the
A bit set to 1. However, if the initiator has detected holes in the
input sequence, it MUST postpone issuing the SNACK of type DataACK
until the holes are filled. An initiator MAY ignore the A bit if it
deems that the bit is being set aggressively by the target (i.e.,
before the MaxBurstLength limit is reached).
The DataACK is used to free resources at the target and not to
request or imply data retransmission.
9.16.2 BegRun
The first missed DataSN, R2TSN, or StatSN or the next expected DataSN
for a DataACK type SNACK request.
9.16.3 RunLength
The number of sequential missed DataSN, R2TSN or StatSN.
RunLength of "0" signals that all Data-In, R2T or Response PDUs car-
rying the numbers equal to or greater than BegRun have to be resent.
The RunLength MUST also be 0 for a DataACK SNACK.
The first data SNACK issued after initiator's MaxRecvDataSeg-
mentLength decreased, for a command issued on the same connection
before the change in MaxRecvDataSegmentLength, MUST use RunLength "0"
to request retransmission of any number of PDUs (including one). The
number of retransmitted PDUs in this case may or may not be the same
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as the original transmission, depending on whether loss was before or
after the MaxRecvDataSegmentLength was changed at the target.
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9.17 Reject
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|.| 0x3f |1| Reserved | Reason | Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8/ Reserved /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| 0xffffffff |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| StatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32| MaxCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
36| DataSN or Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
40| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
44| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
xx/ Complete Header of Bad PDU /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
yy/Vendor specific data (if any) /
/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
zz| Data-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
Reject is used to indicate an iSCSI error condition (protocol, unsup-
ported option etc.).
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9.17.1 Reason
The reject Reason is coded as follows:
+------+-----------------------------------------+------------------+
| Code | Explanation | Can the original |
| (hex)| | PDU be re-sent? |
+------+-----------------------------------------+------------------+
| 0x01 | Reserved | no |
| | | |
| 0x02 | Data (payload) Digest Error | yes (Note 1) |
| | | |
| 0x03 | SNACK Reject | yes |
| | | |
| 0x04 | Protocol Error (e.g., SNACK request for | no |
| | a status that was already acknowledged) | |
| | | |
| 0x05 | Command not supported | no |
| | | |
| 0x06 | Immediate Command Reject - too many | yes |
| | immediate commands | |
| | | |
| 0x07 | Task in progress | no |
| | | |
| 0x08 | Invalid Data ACK | no |
| | | |
| 0x09 | Invalid PDU field | no (Note 2) |
| | | |
| 0x0a | Long Operation Reject - Can't generate | yes |
| | Target Transfer Tag - out of resources | |
| | | |
| 0x0b | Negotiation Reset | no |
| | | |
| 0x0c | Waiting for Logout | no |
+------+-----------------------------------------+------------------+
Note 1: For iSCSI Data-Out PDU retransmission is done only if the
target requests retransmission with a recovery R2T. However, if this
is the data digest error on immediate data, the initiator may choose
to retransmit the whole PDU including the immediate data.
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Note 2: A target should use this reason code for all invalid values
of PDU fields that are meant to describe a task, a response or a
data transfer. Some examples are invalid TTT/ITT, buffer offset, LUN
qualifying a TTT, an invalid sequence number in a SNACK.
All other values for Reason are reserved.
In all the cases in which a pre-instantiated SCSI task is terminated
because of the reject, the target MUST issue a proper SCSI command
response with CHECK CONDITION as described in Section 9.4.3 Response.
In those cases in which a status for the SCSI task was already sent
before the reject no additional status is required. If the error is
detected while data from the initiator is still expected (the com-
mand PDU did not contain all the data and the target has not received
a Data-out PDU with the Final bit 1 for the unsolicted data - if any
and all outstanding R2Ts - if any), the target MUST wait until it
receives the last expected Data-out PDUs with the F bit set to 1
before sending the Response PDU.
For additional usage semantics of Reject PDU, see Section 6.2 Usage
Of Reject PDU in Recovery.
9.17.2 DataSN
This field is valid only if the Reason code is "Protocol error" and
the SNACK was a Data/R2T SNACK. The DataSN/R2TSN is the last valid
sequence number that the target sent for the task.
9.17.3 StatSN, ExpCmdSN and MaxCmdSN
Those fields carry their usual values and are not related to the
rejected command
9.17.4 Complete Header of Bad PDU
The target returns the header (not including digest) of the PDU in
error as the data of the response.
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9.18 NOP-Out
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|I| 0x00 |1| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| LUN or Reserved |
+ +
12| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag or 0xffffffff |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Target Transfer Tag or 0xffffffff |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| CmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpStatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32/ Reserved /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
/ DataSegment - Ping Data (optional) /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Data-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
A NOP-Out may be used by an initiator as a "ping request" to verify
that a connection/session is still active and all its components are
operational. The NOP-In response is the "ping echo".
A NOP-Out is also sent by an initiator in response to a NOP-In.
A NOP-Out may also be used to confirm a changed ExpStatSN if another
PDU will not be available for a long time.
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When used as a ping request, the Initiator Task Tag MUST be set to a
valid value (not the reserved 0xffffffff).
Upon receipt of a NOP-In with the Target Transfer Tag set to a valid
value (not the reserved 0xffffffff), the initiator MUST respond with
a NOP-Out. In this case, the NOP-Out Target Transfer Tag MUST con-
tain a copy of the NOP-In Target Transfer Tag.
When a target receives the NOP-Out with a valid Initiator Task Tag,
it MUST respond with a Nop-In Response (see NOP-In).
9.18.1 Initiator Task Tag
An initiator assigned identifier for the operation.
The NOP-Out must have the Initiator Task Tag set to a valid value
only if a response in the form of NOP-In is requested.
If the Initiator Task Tag contains 0xffffffff, the CmdSN field con-
tains the next CmdSN. However, CmdSN is not advanced and the I bit
must be set to 1.
9.18.2 Target Transfer Tag
A target assigned identifier for the operation.
The NOP-Out MUST have the Target Transfer Tag set only if it is
issued in response to a NOP-In with a valid Target Transfer Tag. In
this case, it copies the Target Transfer Tag from the NOP-In PDU.
When the Target Transfer Tag is set, the LUN field MUST also be cop-
ied from the NOP-In.
9.18.3 Ping Data
Ping data are reflected in the NOP-In Response. The length of the
reflected data are limited to MaxRecvDataSegmentLength. The length of
ping data are indicated by the DataSegmentLength. 0 is a valid value
for the Data Segment Length and indicates the absence of ping data.
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9.19 NOP-In
Byte/ 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0|.|.| 0x20 |1| Reserved |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4|TotalAHSLength | DataSegmentLength |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
8| LUN or Reserved |
+ +
12| |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
16| Initiator Task Tag or 0xffffffff |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
20| Target Transfer Tag or 0xffffffff |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
24| StatSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
28| ExpCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
32| MaxCmdSN |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
36/ Reserved /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
48| Header-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
/ DataSegment - Return Ping Data /
+/ /
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
| Data-Digest (Optional) |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
NOP-In is either sent by a target as a response to a NOP-Out, as a
"ping" to an initiator or as a means to carry a changed ExpCmdSN and/
or MaxCmdSN if another PDU will not be available for a long time (as
determined by the target).
When a target receives the NOP-Out with a valid Initiator Task Tag
(not the reserved value 0xffffffff), it MUST respond with a NOP-In
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with the same Initiator Task Tag that was provided in the NOP-Out
request. It MUST also duplicate up to the first MaxRecvDataSeg-
mentLength bytes of the initiator provided Ping Data. For such a
response, the Target Transfer Tag MUST be 0xffffffff.
When a target sends a NOP-In with the Initiator Task Tag set to
0xffffffff) it MUST NOT send any data in the data segment (DataSeg-
mentLength MUST be 0).
9.19.1 Target Transfer Tag
A target assigned identifier for the operation.
If the target is responding to a NOP-Out, this is set to the reserved
value 0xffffffff.
If the target is sending a NOP-In as a Ping (intending to receive a
corresponding NOP-Out), this field is set to a valid value (not the
reserved 0xffffffff).
If the target is initiating a NOP-In without wanting to receive a
corresponding NOP-Out, this field MUST hold the reserved value of
0xffffffff.
9.19.2 StatSN
The StatSN field will contain always the next StatSN. However, when
the Initiator Task Tag is set to 0xffffffff StatSN for the connec-
tion is not advanced.
9.19.3 LUN
A LUN MUST be set to a correct value when the Target Transfer Tag is
valid (not the reserved value 0xffffffff).
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10. iSCSI Security Keys and Authentication Methods
Only the following keys can be used during the SecurityNegotiation
stage of the Login Phase:
SessionType
InitiatorName
TargetName
InitiatorAlias
TargetAlias
TargetPortalGroupTag
AuthMethod and all keys listed under AuthMethod along with all
of their associated keys.
SessionType, InitiatorName, TargetName, InitiatorAlias, TargetAlias
and TargetPortalGroupTag are described in Chapter 11 as they can be
used also in the OperationalNegotiation stage.
All security keys have connection-wide applicability.
10.1 AuthMethod
Use: During Login - Security Negotiation
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: connection
AuthMethod = <list-of-options>
The main item of security negotiation is the authentication method
(AuthMethod).
The authentication methods that can be used (appear in the list-of-
options) are either those listed in the following table or are ven-
dor-unique methods:
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+------------------------------------------------------------+
| Name | Description |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| KRB5 | Kerberos V5 - defined in [RFC1510] |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| SPKM1 | Simple Public-Key GSS-API Mechanism |
| | defined in [RFC2025] |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| SPKM2 | Simple Public-Key GSS-API Mechanism |
| | defined in [RFC2025] |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| SRP | Secure Remote Password |
| | defined in [RFC2945] |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| CHAP | Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol|
| | defined in [RFC1944] |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
| None | No authentication |
+------------------------------------------------------------+
The AuthMethod selection is followed by an "authentication exchange"
specific to the authentication method selected.
The authentication exchange authenticates the initiator to the tar-
get, and optionally, the target to the initiator. Authentication is
not mandatory to use but must be supported by the target and initia-
tor.
The initiator and target MUST implement CHAP.
10.2 Kerberos
For KRB5 (Kerberos V5) [RFC1510], the initiator MUST use:
KRB_AP_REQ=<KRB_AP_REQ>
where KRB_AP_REQ is the client message as defined in [RFC1510].
If the initiator authentication fails, the target MUST respond with a
Login reject with "Authentication Failure" status. Otherwise, if the
initiator has selected the mutual authentication option (by setting
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MUTUAL-REQUIRED in the ap-options field of the KRB_AP_REQ), the tar-
get MUST reply with:
KRB_AP_REP=<KRB_AP_REP>
where KRB_AP_REP is the server's response message as defined in
[RFC1510].
If mutual authentication was selected and target authentication
fails, the initiator MUST close the connection.
KRB_AP_REQ and KRB_AP_REP are large-binary-values and their binary
length (not the length of the character string that represents them
in encoded form) MUST not exceed 65536 bytes.
10.3 Simple Public-Key Mechanism (SPKM)
For SPKM1 and SPKM2 [RFC2025], the initiator MUST use:
SPKM_REQ=<SPKM-REQ>
where SPKM-REQ is the first initiator token as defined in [RFC2025].
[RFC2025] defines situations where each side may send an error token
that may cause the peer to re-generate and resend its last token.
This scheme is followed in iSCSI, and the error token syntax is:
SPKM_ERROR=<SPKM-ERROR>
However, SPKM-DEL tokens that are defined by [RFC2025] for fatal
errors will not be used by iSCSI. If the target needs to send a SPKM-
DEL token, it will, instead, send a Login "login reject" message with
the "Authentication Failure" status and terminate the connection. If
the initiator needs to send a SPKM-DEL token, it will close the con-
nection.
In the following sections, we assume that no SPKM-ERROR tokens are
required.
If the initiator authentication fails, the target MUST return an
error. Otherwise, if the AuthMethod is SPKM1 or if the initiator has
selected the mutual authentication option (by setting mutual-state
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bit in the options field of the REQ-TOKEN in the SPKM-REQ), the tar-
get MUST reply with:
SPKM_REP_TI=<SPKM-REP-TI>
where SPKM-REP-TI is the target token as defined in [RFC2025].
If mutual authentication was selected and target authentication
fails, the initiator MUST close the connection. Otherwise, if the
AuthMethod is SPKM1, the initiator MUST continue with:
SPKM_REP_IT=<SPKM-REP-IT>
where SPKM-REP-IT is the second initiator token as defined in
[RFC2025]. If the initiator authentication fails, the target MUST
answer with a Login reject with "Authentication Failure" status.
All the SPKM-* tokens are large-binary-values and their binary length
(not the length of the character string that represents them in
encoded form) MUST not exceed 65536 bytes.
10.4 Secure Remote Password (SRP)
For SRP [RFC2945], the initiator MUST use:
SRP_U=<user> TargetAuth=Yes /* or TargetAuth=No */
The target MUST answer with a Login reject with the "Authorization
Failure" status or reply with:
SRP_N=<N> SRP_g=<g> SRP_s=<s>
The initiator MUST either close the connection or continue with:
SRP_A=<A>
The target MUST answer with a Login reject with the "Authentication
Failure" status or reply with:
SRP_B=<B>
The initiator MUST close the connection or continue with:
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SRP_M=<M>
If the initiator authentication fails, the target MUST answer with a
Login reject with "Authentication Failure" status. Otherwise, if the
initiator sent TargetAuth=Yes in the first message (requiring target
authentication), the target MUST reply with:
SRP_HM=<H(A | M | K)>
If the target authentication fails, the initiator MUST close the con-
nection.
Where U, N, g, s, A, B, M, and H(A | M | K) are defined in [RFC2945]
(using the SHA1 hash function, i.e., SRP-SHA1), U is a text string,
N,g,s,A,B,M, and H(A | M | K) are binary-values. The length of
N,g,s,A,B,M in binary form (not the length of the character string
that represents them in encoded form) MUST not exceed 1024 bytes.
Further restrictions on allowed N,g values are specified in Section
7.2 In-band Initiator-Target Authentication.
10.5 Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP)
For CHAP [RFC1994], the initiator MUST use:
CHAP_A=<A1,A2...>
Where A1,A2... are proposed algorithms, in order of preference.
The target MUST answer with a Login reject with the "Authentication
Failure" status or reply with:
CHAP_A=<A> CHAP_I=<I> CHAP_C=<C>
Where A is one of A1,A2... that were proposed by the initiator.
The initiator MUST continue with:
CHAP_N=<N> CHAP_R=<R>
or, if it requires target authentication, with:
CHAP_N=<N> CHAP_R=<R> CHAP_I=<I> CHAP_C=<C>
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If the initiator authentication fails, the target MUST answer with a
Login reject with "Authentication Failure" status. Otherwise, if the
initiator required target authentication, the target MUST reply with
CHAP_N=<N> CHAP_R=<R>
If target authentication fails, the initiator MUST close the connec-
tion.
Where N, (A,A1,A2), I, C, and R are (correspondingly) the Name, Algo-
rithm, Identifier, Challenge, and Response as defined in [RFC1994], N
is a text string, A,A1,A2, and I are numbers, and C and R are binary-
values and their binary length (not the length of the character
string that represents them in encoded form) MUST not exceed 1024
bytes.
For the Algorithm, as stated in [RFC1994], one value is required
to be implemented:
5 (CHAP with MD5)
To guarantee interoperability, initiators SHOULD always offer it as
one of the proposed algorithms.
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11. Login/Text Operational Keys
Some session specific parameters MUST only be carried on the leading
connection and cannot be changed after the leading connection login
(e.g., MaxConnections, the maximum number of connections). This holds
for a single connection session with regard to connection restart.
The keys that fall into this category have the use LO (Leading Only).
Keys that can be used only during login have the use IO (initialize
only) while those that can be used in both the Login Phase and Full
Feature Phase have the use ALL.
Keys that can only be used during Full Feature Phase use FFPO (Full
Feature Phase only).
Keys marked as Any-Stage may appear also in the SecurityNegotiation
stage while all other keys described in this chapter are operational
keys.
Keys that do not require an answer are marked as Declarative
Key scope is indicated as session-wide (SW) or connection-only (CO).
Result function wherever mentioned states the function that can be
applied to check the validity of the responder selection. Minimum
means that the selected value cannot exceed the offered value. Maxi-
mum means that the selected value cannot be lower than the offered
value.
11.1 HeaderDigest and DataDigest
Use: IO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: CO
HeaderDigest = <list-of-options>
DataDigest = <list-of-options>
Default is None for both HeaderDigest and DataDigest.
Digests enable the checking of end-to-end non-cryptographic data
integrity beyond the integrity checks provided by the link layers and
the covering of the whole communication path including all elements
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that may change the network level PDUs such as routers, switches, and
proxies.
The following table lists cyclic integrity checksums that can be
negotiated for the digests and that MUST be implemented by every
iSCSI initiator and target. These digest options only have error
detection significance.
+---------------------------------------------+
| Name | Description | Generator |
+---------------------------------------------+
| CRC32C | 32 bit CRC |0x11edc6f41|
+---------------------------------------------+
| None | no digest |
+---------------------------------------------+
The generator polynomial for this digest is given in hex-nota-
tion(e.g., 0x3b stands for 0011 1011 and the polynomial is
x**5+X**4+x**3+x+1).
When the Initiator and Target agree on a digest, this digest MUST be
used for every PDU in Full Feature Phase.
Padding bytes, when present, in a segment covered by a CRC, should be
set to 0 and are included in the CRC.
The CRC MUST be calculated by a method that produces the same results
as the following process:
- The PDU bits are considered as the coefficients of a polyno-
mial M(x) of degree n-1; bit 7 of the lowest numbered byte is
considered the most significant bit (x^n-1), followed by bit
6 of the lowest numbered byte and through bit 0 of the high-
est numbered byte (x^0).
- The most significant 32 bits are complemented.
- The polynomial is multiplied by x^32 then divided by G(x).
The generator polynomial produces a remainder R(x) of degree
<= 31.
- The coefficients of R(x) are considered a 32 bit sequence.
- The bit sequence is complemented and the result is the CRC.
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- the CRC bits are mapped into the digest word - the x^31 coef-
ficient in bit 7 of the lowest numbered byte of the digest
continuing to through the byte up to the x^24 coefficient in
bit 0 of the lowest numbered byte, continuing with the x^23
coefficient in bit 7 of next byte through x^0 in bit 0 of the
highest numbered byte.
- Computing the CRC over any segment (data or header) extended
to include the CRC built using the generator 0x11edc6f41 will
get always the value 0x1c2d19ed as its final remainder
(R(x)). This value is given here in its polynomial form -
i.e. not mapped as the digest word
Proprietary algorithms MAY also be negotiated for digests. Whenever a
proprietary algorithm is negotiated, "None" or "CRC32C" should be
listed as an option in order to guarantee interoperability.
11.2 MaxConnections
Use: LO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: SW
MaxConnections=<numerical-value-from-1-to-65535>
Default is 1.
Result function is Minimum.
Initiator and target negotiate the maximum number of connections
requested/acceptable.
11.3 SendTargets
Use: FFPO
Senders: Initiator
Scope: SW
For a complete description, see Appendix D. - SendTargets Operation.
11.4 TargetName
Use: IO by initiator ALL by target, Declarative, Any-Stage
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: SW
TargetName=<iSCSI-name-value>
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Examples:
TargetName=iqn.1993-11.com.disk-vendor.diskarrays.sn.45678
TargetName=eui.020000023B040506
The initiator of the TCP connection MUST provide this key to the
remote endpoint in the first login request if the initiator is not
establishing a discovery session. The iSCSI Target Name specifies the
worldwide unique name of the target.
The TargetName key may also be returned by the "SendTargets" text
request (which is its only use when issued by a target).
11.5 InitiatorName
Use: IO, Declarative, Any-Stage
Senders: Initiator
Scope: SW
InitiatorName=<iSCSI-name-value>
Examples:
InitiatorName=iqn.1992-04.com.os-vendor.plan9.cdrom.12345
InitiatorName=iqn.2001-02.com.ssp.users.customer235.host90
InitiatorName=iSCSI
The initiator of the TCP connection MUST provide this key to the
remote endpoint at the first Login of the Login Phase for every con-
nection. The Initiator key enables the initiator to identify itself
to the remote endpoint.
11.6 TargetAlias
Use: ALL, Declarative, Any-Stage
Senders: Target
Scope: SW
TargetAlias=<iSCSI-local-name-value>
Examples:
TargetAlias=Bob-s Disk
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TargetAlias=Database Server 1 Log Disk
TargetAlias=Web Server 3 Disk 20
If a target has been configured with a human-readable name or
description, this name MUST be communicated to the initiator during a
Login Response PDU. This string is not used as an identifier, but can
be displayed by the initiator's user interface in a list of targets
to which it is connected.
11.7 InitiatorAlias
Use: ALL, Declarative, Any-Stage
Senders: Initiator
Scope: SW
InitiatorAlias=<iSCSI-local-name-value>
Examples:
InitiatorAlias=Web Server 4
InitiatorAlias=spyalley.nsa.gov
InitiatorAlias=Exchange Server
If an initiator has been configured with a human-readable name or
description, it may be communicated to the target during a Login
Request PDU. If not, the host name can be used instead. This string
is not used as an identifier, but can be displayed by the target's
user interface in a list of initiators to which it is connected.
This key SHOULD be sent by an initiator within the Login Phase, if
available.
11.8 TargetAddress
Use: ALL, Declarative, Any-Stage
Senders: Target
Scope: SW
TargetAddress=domainname[:port][,portal-group-tag]
The domainname can be specified as either a DNS host name, a dotted-
decimal IPv4 address, or a bracketed IPv6 address as specified in
[RFC2732].
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If the TCP port is not specified, it is assumed to be the IANA-
assigned default port for iSCSI (3260).
If the TargetAddress is returned as the result of a redirect status
in a login response, the comma and portal group tag are omitted.
If the TargetAddress is returned within a SendTargets response, the
portal group tag is required.
Examples:
TargetAddress=10.0.0.1:5003,1
TargetAddress=[1080:0:0:0:8:800:200C:417A],65
TargetAddress=[1080::8:800:200C:417A]:5003,1
TargetAddress=computingcenter.acme.com,23
Use of the portal-group-tag is described in Appendix D. - SendTar-
gets Operation.
11.9 TargetPortalGroupTag
Use: IO by target, Declarative, Any-Stage
Senders: Target
Scope: SW
TargetPortalGroupTag=<numerical-value-from-1-to-65535>
Examples:
TargetPortalGroupTag=1
Target portal group tag is a 16-bit numerical-value that uniquely
identifies a portal group within an iSCSI target node. This key car-
ries the value of the tag of the portal group that is servicing the
Login request. The iSCSI target returns this key to the initiator in
the Login Response PDU to the first Login Request PDU that has the C
bit set to 0.
For the complete usage expectations of this key see Section 4.3 Login
Phase.
11.10 InitialR2T
Use: LO
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Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: SW
InitialR2T=<boolean-value>
Examples:
I->InitialR2T=No
T->InitialR2T=No
Default is Yes.
Result function is OR.
The InitialR2T key is used to turn off the default use of R2T, thus
allowing an initiator to start sending data to a target as if it has
received an initial R2T with Buffer Offset=Immediate Data Length and
Desired Data Transfer Length=(min(FirstBurstLength, Expected
DataTransfer Length) - Received Immediate Data Length).
The default action is that R2T is required, unless both the initia-
tor and the target send this key-pair attribute specifying
InitialR2T=No. Only the first outgoing data burst (immediate data
and/or separate PDUs) can be sent unsolicited (i.e., not requiring an
explicit R2T).
11.11 BidiInitialR2T
Use: LO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: SW
BidiInitialR2T=<boolean-value>
Examples:
I->BidiInitialR2T=No
T->BidiInitialR2T=No
Default is Yes.
Result function is OR.
The BidiInitialR2T key is used to turn off the default use of
BiDiR2T, thus allowing an initiator to send data to a target without
the target having sent an R2T to the initiator for the output data
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(write part) of a Bidirectional command (having both the R and the W
bits set). The default action is that R2T is required, unless both
the initiator and the target send this key-pair attribute specifying
BidiInitialR2T=No. Only the first outgoing data burst (immediate data
and/or separate PDUs) can be sent unsolicited by an R2T.
11.12 ImmediateData
Use: LO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: SW
ImmediateData=<boolean-value>
Default is Yes.
Result function is AND.
The initiator and target negotiate support for immediate data. To
turn immediate data off, the initiator or target must state its
desire to do so. ImmediateData can be turned on if both the initia-
tor and target have ImmediateData=Yes.
If ImmediateData is set to Yes and InitialR2T is set to Yes
(default), then only immediate data are accepted in the first burst.
If ImmediateData is set to No and InitialR2T is set to Yes, then the
initiator MUST NOT send unsolicited data and the target MUST reject
unsolicited data with the corresponding response code.
If ImmediateData is set to No and InitialR2T is set to No, then the
initiator MUST NOT send unsolicited immediate data, but MAY send one
unsolicited burst of Data-OUT PDUs.
If ImmediateData is set to Yes and InitialR2T is set to No, then the
initiator MAY send unsolicited immediate data and/or one unsolicited
burst of Data-OUT PDUs.
The following table is a summary of unsolicited data options:
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+----------+-------------+------------------+--------------+
|InitialR2T|ImmediateData| Unsolicited |Immediate Data|
| | | Data Out PDUs | |
+----------+-------------+------------------+--------------+
| No | No | Yes | No |
+----------+-------------+------------------+--------------+
| No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
+----------+-------------+------------------+--------------+
| Yes | No | No | No |
+----------+-------------+------------------+--------------+
| Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
+----------+-------------+------------------+--------------+
11.13 MaxRecvDataSegmentLength
Use: ALL, Declarative
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: CO
MaxRecvDataSegmentLength=<numerical-value-512-to-(2**24-1)>
Default is 8192 bytes.
The initiator or target declares the maximum data segment length in
bytes it can receive in an iSCSI PDU.
The transmitter (initiator or target) is required to send PDUs with a
data segment not exceeding MaxRecvDataSegmentLength of the receiver.
A target receiver is additionally limited by MaxBurstLength for
solicited data and FirstBurstLength for unsolicited data and an ini-
tiator MUST NOT send solicited PDUs exceeding MaxBurstLength nor
unsolicited PDUs exceeding FirstBurstLength (or FirstBurstLength-
Immediate Data Length if immediate data where sent).
11.14 MaxBurstLength
Use: LO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: SW
MaxBurstLength=<numerical-value-512-to-(2**24-1)>
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Default is 262144 (256 Kbytes).
Result function is Minimum.
The initiator and target negotiate maximum SCSI data payload in bytes
in a Data-In or a solicited Data-Out iSCSI sequence. A sequence of
Data-In or Data-Out PDUs ending with a Data-In or Data-Out PDU with
the F bit set to one.
11.15 FirstBurstLength
Use: LO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: SW
FirstBurstLength=<numerical-value-512-to-(2**24-1)>
Default is 65536 (64 Kbytes).
Result function is Minimum.
The initiator and target negotiate the maximum amount in bytes of
unsolicited data an iSCSI initiator may send to the target during the
execution of a single SCSI command. This covers the immediate data
(if any) and the sequence of unsolicited Data-Out PDUs (if any) that
follow the command.
FirstBurstLength MUST NOT exceed MaxBurstLength.
11.16 DefaultTime2Wait
Use: LO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: SW
DefaultTime2Wait=<numerical-value-0-to-3600>
Default is 2.
Result function is Maximum.
The initiator and target negotiate the minimum time, in seconds, to
wait before attempting an explicit/implicit logout or active task
reassignment after an unexpected connection termination or a connec-
tion reset.
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A value of 0 indicates that logout or active task reassignment can be
attempted immediately.
11.17 DefaultTime2Retain
Use: LO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: SW
DefaultTime2Retain=<numerical-value-0-to-3600>
Default is 20.
Result function is Minimum.
The initiator and target negotiate the maximum time, in seconds after
an initial wait (Time2Wait), before which an active task reassign-
ment is still possible after an unexpected connection termination or
a connection reset.
This value is also the session state timeout if the connection in
question is the last LOGGED_IN connection in the session.
A value of 0 indicates that connection/task state is immediately dis-
carded by the target.
11.18 MaxOutstandingR2T
Use: LO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: SW
MaxOutstandingR2T=<numerical-value-from-1-to-65535>
Default is 1.
Result function is Minimum.
Initiator and target negotiate the maximum number of outstanding R2Ts
per task, excluding any implied initial R2T that might be part of
that task. An R2T is considered outstanding until the last data PDU
(with the F bit set to 1) is transferred, or a sequence reception
timeout (section 6.12.1) is encountered for that data sequence.
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11.19 DataPDUInOrder
Use: LO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: SW
DataPDUInOrder=<boolean-value>
Default is Yes.
Result function is OR.
No is used by iSCSI to indicate that the data PDUs within sequences
can be in any order. Yes is used to indicate that data PDUs within
sequences have to be at continuously increasing addresses and over-
lays are forbidden.
11.20 DataSequenceInOrder
Use: LO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: SW
DataSequenceInOrder=<boolean-value>
Default is Yes.
Result function is OR.
A Data Sequence is a sequence of Data-In or Data-Out PDUs ending with
a Data-In or Data-Out PDU with the F bit set to one. A Data-out
sequence is sent either unsolicited or in response to an R2T.
Sequences cover an offset-range.
If DataSequenceInOrder is set to No, Data PDU sequences may be trans-
ferred in any order.
If DataSequenceInOrder is set to Yes, Data Sequences MUST be trans-
ferred using continuously non-decreasing sequence offsets (R2T buffer
offset for writes, or the smallest SCSI Data-In buffer offset within
a read data sequence).
If DataSequenceInOrder is set to Yes, a target may retry at most the
last R2T, and an initiator may at most request retransmission for the
last read data sequence. For this reason if ErrorRecoveryLevel is not
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0 and DataSequenceInOrder is set to Yes then MaxOustandingR2T MUST be
set to 1.
11.21 ErrorRecoveryLevel
Use: LO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: SW
ErrorRecoveryLevel=<numerical-value-0-to-2>
Default is 0.
Result function is Minimum.
The initiator and target negotiate the recovery level supported.
Recovery levels represent a combination of recovery capabilities.
Each recovery level includes all the capabilities of the lower recov-
ery levels and adds some new ones to them.
In the description of recovery mechanisms, certain recovery classes
are specified. Section 6.13 Error Recovery Hierarchy describes the
mapping between the classes and the levels.
11.22 SessionType
Use: LO, Declarative, Any-Stage
Senders: Initiator
Scope: SW
SessionType= <Discovery|Normal>
Default is Normal.
The Initiator indicates the type of session it wants to create. The
target can either accept it or reject it.
A discovery session indicates to the Target that the only purpose of
this Session is discovery. The only requests a target accepts in this
type of session are a text request with a SendTargets key and a
logout request with reason "close the session".
The discovery session implies MaxConnections = 1 and overrides both
the default and an explicit setting.
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11.23 The Vendor Specific Key Format
Use: ALL
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: specific key dependent
X-reversed.vendor.dns_name.do_something=
Keys with this format are used for vendor-specific purposes. These
keys always start with X-.
To identify the vendor, we suggest you use the reversed DNS-name as a
prefix to the key-proper.
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12. IANA Considerations
The temporary (user) well-known port number for iSCSI connections
assigned by IANA is 3260.
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References and Bibliography
Normative References
[AESCBC] Frankel, S., Kelly, S., Glenn, R., "The AES Cipher
Algorithm and Its Use with IPsec", Internet draft (work in
progress), draft-ietf-ipsec-ciph-aes-cbc-03.txt, November
2001.
[AESCTR] Walker, J., Moskowitz, R., "The AES128 CTR Mode of
Operation and Its Use with IPsec", Internet draft (work in
progress), draft-moskowitz-aes128-ctr-00.txt, September 2001.
[CAM] ANSI X3.232-199X, Common Access Method-3.
[EUI] "Guidelines for 64-bit Global Identifier (EUI-64)",
http://standards.ieee.org/regauth/oui/tutorials/EUI64.html
[OUI] "IEEE OUI and Company_Id Assignments", http://stan-
dards.ieee.org/regauth/oui/index.shtml
[RFC790] J. Postel, ASSIGNED NUMBERS, September 1981.
[RFC791] INTERNET PROTOCOL, DARPA INTERNET PROGRAM PROTOCOL
SPECIFICATION, September 1981.
[RFC793] TRANSMISSION CONTROL PROTOCOL, DARPA INTERNET PROGRAM
PROTOCOL SPECIFICATION, September 1981.
[RFC1035] P. Mockapetris, DOMAIN NAMES - IMPLEMENTATION AND
SPECIFICATION, November 1987.
[RFC1122] Requirements for Internet Hosts-Communication Layer
RFC1122, R. Braden (editor).
[RFC1510] J. Kohl, C. Neuman, "The Kerberos Network Authentica-
tion Service (V5)", September 1993.
[RFC1737] K. Sollins, L. Masinter "Functional Requirements for
Uniform Resource Names".
[RFC1766] H. Alvestrand, "Tags for the Identification of Lan-
guages", March 1995.
[RFC1964] J. Linn, "The Kerberos Version 5 GSS-API Mechanism",
June 1996.
[RFC1982] Elz, R., Bush, R., "Serial Number Arithmetic", RFC
1982, August 1996.
[RFC1994] "W. Simpson, PPP Challenge Handshake Authentication
Protocol (CHAP)", RFC 1994, August 1996.
[RFC2025] C. Adams, "The Simple Public-Key GSS-API Mechanism
(SPKM)", October 1996.
[RFC2026] Bradner, S., "The Internet Standards Process -- Revi-
sion 3", RFC 2026, October 1996.
[RFC2044] Yergeau, F., "UTF-8, a Transformation Format of Uni-
code and ISO 10646", October 1996.
[RFC2045] N. Borenstein, N. Freed, "MIME (Multipurpose Inter-
net Mail Extensions) Part One: Mechanisms for Specifying and
Describing the Format of Internet Message Bodies", November
1996.
[RFC2119] Bradner, S. "Key Words for use in RFCs to Indicate
Requirement Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
Julian Satran Expires February 2003 225
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[RFC2234] D. Crocker, P. Overell Augmented BNF for Syntax Spec-
ifications: ABNF.
[RFC2246] T. Dierks, C. Allen, " The TLS Protocol Version 1.0.
[RFC2373] Hinden, R. and S. Deering, "IP Version 6 Addressing
Architecture", RFC 2373, July 1998.
[RFC2396] T. Berners-Lee, R. Fielding, L. Masinter "Uniform
Resource Identifiers".
[RFC2434] T. Narten, and H. Avestrand, "Guidelines for Writing
an IANA Considerations Section in RFCs.", RFC2434, October
1998.
[RFC2401] S. Kent, R. Atkinson, "Security Architecture for the
Internet Protocol", RFC 2401, November 1998.
[RFC2404] C. Madson, R. Glenn, "The Use of HMAC-SHA-1-96 within ESP
and AH", RFC 2404, November 1998.
[RFC2406] S. Kent, R. Atkinson, "IP Encapsulating Security Payload
(ESP)", RFC 2406, November 1998.
[RFC2407] D. Piper, "The Internet IP Security Domain of Interpre-
tation of ISAKMP", RFC 2407, November 1998.
[RFC2409] D. Harkins, D. Carrel, "The Internet Key Exchange
(IKE)", RFC 2409, November 1998.
[RFC2451] R. Pereira, R. Adams " The ESP CBC-Mode Cipher Algo-
rithms".
[RFC2732] R. Hinden, B. Carpenter, L. Masinter, "Format for
Literal IPv6 Addresses in URL's", RFC 2732, December 1999.
[RFC2945], Wu, T., "The SRP Authentication and Key Exchange
System", September 2000.
[SAM] ANSI X3.270-1998, SCSI-3 Architecture Model (SAM).
[SAM2] T10/1157D, SCSI Architecture Model - 2 (SAM-2).
[SBC] NCITS.306-1998, SCSI-3 Block Commands (SBC).
[SEQ-EXT] Kent, S., "IP Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP)",
Internet draft (work in progress), draft-ietf-ipsec-esp-v3-
01.txt, November 2002.
[SEC-IPS] B. Aboba & team "Securing Block Storage Protocols
over IP", Internet draft (work in progress), draft-ietf-ips-
security-09.txt, February 2002.
[SPC]T10/1416-D, SCSI-3 Primary Commands.
[SPC3]T10/1416-D, SCSI Primary Commands-3.
[STPREP] P. Hoffman, M. Blanchet, "Preparation of Internation-
alized Strings", draft-hoffman-stringprep-00.txt, September,
2001.
[STPREP-iSCSI] M. Bakke, "String Profile for iSCSI Names",
draft-ietf-ips-iscsi-string-prep-00.txt, November 2001.
[UNICODE] Unicode Standard Annex #15, "Unicode Normalization
Forms", http://www.unicode.org/unicode/reports/15
Informative References:
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[BOOT] P. Sarkar & team draft-ietf-ips-iscsi-boot-03.txt (work
in progress)
[COBS] S. Cheshire and M. Baker, Consistent Overhead Byte
Stuffing, IEEE Transactions on Networking, April 1999.
[Castagnoli93] G. Castagnoli, S. Braeuer and M. Herrman "Opti-
mization of Cyclic Redundancy-Check Codes with 24 and 32 Par-
ity Bits", IEEE Transact. on Communications, Vol. 41, No. 6,
June 1993.
[CRC] ISO 3309, High-Level Data Link Control (CRC 32).
[NDT] M. Bakke & team, draft-ietf-ips-iscsi-name-disc-05.txt
(work in progress)
[Schneier] B. Schneier, "Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algo-
rithms, and Source Code in C", 2nd edition, John Wiley &
Sons, New York, NY, 1996.
Authors' Addresses
Julian Satran
IBM, Haifa Research Lab
Haifa University Campus - Mount Carmel
Haifa 31905, Israel
Phone +972.4.829.6264
E-mail: Julian_Satran@il.ibm.com
Kalman Meth
Haifa University Campus - Mount Carmel
MATAM - Advanced Technology Center
Haifa 31905, Israel
Phone +972.4.829.6341
E-mail: meth@il.ibm.com
Costa Sapuntzakis
Cisco Systems, Inc.
170 W. Tasman Drive
San Jose, CA 95134, USA
Phone: +1.408.525.5497
E-mail: csapuntz@cisco.com
Efri Zeidner
SANgate Systems, Inc.
41 Hameyasdim Street
P.O.B. 1486
Even-Yehuda, Israel 40500
Phone: +972.9.891.9555
E-mail: efri@sangate.com
Mallikarjun Chadalapaka
Hewlett-Packard Company
8000 Foothills Blvd.
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Roseville, CA 95747-5668, USA
Phone: +1.916.785.5621
E-mail: cbm@rose.hp.com
Comments may be sent to Julian Satran
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Appendix A. Sync and Steering with Fixed Interval Markers
This appendix presents a simple scheme for synchronization (PDU
boundary retrieval). It uses markers that include synchronization
information placed at fixed intervals in the TCP stream.
A Marker consists of:
Byte / 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
/ | | | |
|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7|
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
0| Next-iSCSI-PDU-start pointer - copy #1 |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
4| Next-iSCSI-PDU-start pointer - copy #2 |
+---------------+---------------+---------------+---------------+
The Marker scheme uses payload byte stream counting that includes
every byte placed by iSCSI in the TCP stream except for the markers
themselves. It also excludes any bytes that TCP counts but are not
originated by iSCSI.
The Marker indicates the offset to the next iSCSI PDU header. The
Marker is eight bytes in length and contains two 32-bit offset fields
that indicate how many bytes to skip in the TCP stream in order to
find the next iSCSI PDU header. The marker uses two copies of the
pointer so that a marker that spans a TCP packet boundary should
leave at least one valid copy in one of the packets.
The inserted value is independent of the marker interval.
The use of markers is negotiable. The initiator and target MAY indi-
cate their readiness to receive and/or send markers during login sep-
arately for each connection. The default is No.
A.1 Markers At Fixed Intervals
A marker is inserted at fixed intervals in the TCP byte stream. Dur-
ing login, each end of the iSCSI session specifies the interval at
which it is willing to receive the marker, or it disables the marker
altogether. If a receiver indicates that it desires a marker, the
sender MAY agree (during negotiation) and provide the marker at the
desired interval. However, in certain environments, a sender not pro-
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viding markers to a receiver wanting markers may suffer an apprecia-
ble performance degradation.
The marker interval and the initial marker-less interval are counted
in terms of the bytes placed in the TCP stream data by iSCSI.
When reduced to iSCSI terms, markers MUST indicate the offset to a 4-
byte word boundary in the stream. The least significant two bits of
each marker word are reserved and are considered 0 for offset compu-
tation.
Padding iSCSI PDU payloads to 4-byte word boundaries simplifies
marker manipulation.
A.2 Initial Marker-less Interval
To enable the connection setup including the Login Phase negotia-
tion, marking (if any) is started only at the first marker interval
after the end of the Login Phase. However, in order to enable the
marker inclusion and exclusion mechanism to work without knowledge of
the length of the Login Phase, the first marker will be placed in the
TCP stream as if the Marker-less interval had included markers.
Thus all markers appear in the stream at locations conforming to the
formula: [(MI + 8) * n - 8] where MI = Marker Interval, n = integer
number.
As an example if the marker interval is 512 bytes and the login ended
at byte 1003 (first iSCSI placed byte is 0) the first marker will be
inserted after byte 1031 in the stream.
A.3 Negotiation
The following operational key=value pairs are used to negotiate the
fixed interval markers. The direction (output or input) is relative
to the initiator.
A.3.1 OFMarker, IFMarker
Use: IO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: CO
OFMarker=<boolean-value>
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IFMarker=<boolean-value>
Default is No.
Result function is AND.
OFMarker is used to turn on or off the initiator to target markers on
the connection. IFMarker is used to turn on or off the target to
initiator markers on the connection.
Examples:
I->OFMarker=Yes,IFMarker=Yes
T->OFMarker=Yes,IFMarker=Yes
Results in the Marker being used in both directions while
I->OFMarker=Yes,IFMarker=Yes
T->OFMarker=Yes,IFMarker=No
Results in Marker being used from the initiator to the target, but
not from the target to initiator.
A.3.2 OFMarkInt, IFMarkInt
Use: IO
Senders: Initiator and Target
Scope: CO
Offering:
OFMarkInt=<numeric-range-from-1-to-65535>
IFMarkInt=<numeric-range-from-1-to-65535>
Responding:
OFMarkInt=<numeric-value-from-1-to-65535>|Reject
IFMarkInt=<numeric-value-from-1-to-65535>|Reject
OFMarkInt is used to set the interval for the initiator to target
markers on the connection. IFMarkInt is used to set the interval for
the target to initiator markers on the connection.
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For the offering the initiator or target indicates the minimum to
maximum interval (in 4-byte words) it wants the markers for one or
both directions. In case it only wants a specific value, only a sin-
gle value has to be specified. The responder selects a value within
the minimum and maximum offered or the only value offered or indi-
cates through the xFMarker key=value its inability to set and/or
receive markers. When the interval is unacceptable the responder
answers with "Reject". Reject is resetting the marker function in
the specified direction (Output or Input) to No.
The interval is measured from the end of a marker to the beginning of
the next marker. For example, a value of 1024 means 1024 words (4096
bytes of iSCSI payload between markers).
The default is 2048.
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Appendix B. Examples
B.1 Read Operation Example
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|Initiator Function| PDU Type | Target Function |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Command request |SCSI Command (READ)>>> | |
| (read) | | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | |Prepare Data Transfer |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Receive Data | <<< SCSI Data-in | Send Data |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Receive Data | <<< SCSI Data-in | Send Data |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Receive Data | <<< SCSI Data-in | Send Data |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | <<< SCSI Response |Send Status and Sense |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Command Complete | | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
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B.2 Write Operation Example
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------+
|Initiator Function| PDU Type | Target Function |
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------+
| Command request |SCSI Command (WRITE)>>>| Receive command |
| (write) | | and queue it |
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------+
| | | Process old commands|
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------+
| | | Ready to process |
| | <<< R2T | WRITE command |
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------+
| Send Data | SCSI Data-out >>> | Receive Data |
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------+
| | <<< R2T | Ready for data |
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------+
| | <<< R2T | Ready for data |
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------+
| Send Data | SCSI Data-out >>> | Receive Data |
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------+
| Send Data | SCSI Data-out >>> | Receive Data |
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------+
| | <<< SCSI Response |Send Status and Sense|
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------+
| Command Complete | | |
+------------------+-----------------------+---------------------+
B.3 R2TSN/DataSN use Examples
Output (write) data DataSN/R2TSN Example
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+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|Initiator Function| PDU Type & Content | Target Function |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Command request |SCSI Command (WRITE)>>>| Receive command |
| (write) | | and queue it |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | | Process old commands |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | <<< R2T | Ready for data |
| | R2TSN = 0 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | <<< R2T | Ready for more data |
| | R2TSN = 1 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Send Data | SCSI Data-out >>> | Receive Data |
| for R2TSN 0 | DataSN = 0, F=0 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Send Data | SCSI Data-out >>> | Receive Data |
| for R2TSN 0 | DataSN = 1, F=1 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Send Data | SCSI Data >>> | Receive Data |
| for R2TSN 1 | DataSN = 0, F=1 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | <<< SCSI Response |Send Status and Sense |
| | ExpDataSN = 0 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Command Complete | | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
Input (read) data DataSN Example
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+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|Initiator Function| PDU Type | Target Function |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Command request |SCSI Command (READ)>>> | |
| (read) | | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | | Prepare Data Transfer|
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Receive Data | <<< SCSI Data-in | Send Data |
| | DataSN = 0, F=0 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Receive Data | <<< SCSI Data-in | Send Data |
| | DataSN = 1, F=0 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Receive Data | <<< SCSI Data-in | Send Data |
| | DataSN = 2, F=1 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | <<< SCSI Response |Send Status and Sense |
| | ExpDataSN = 3 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Command Complete | | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
Bidirectional DataSN Example
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+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|Initiator Function| PDU Type | Target Function |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Command request |SCSI Command >>> | |
| (Read-Write) | Read-Write | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | | Process old commands |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | <<< R2T | Ready to process |
| | R2TSN = 0 | WRITE command |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| * Receive Data | <<< SCSI Data-in | Send Data |
| | DataSN = 0, F=0 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| * Receive Data | <<< SCSI Data-in | Send Data |
| | DataSN = 1, F=1 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| * Send Data | SCSI Data-out >>> | Receive Data |
| for R2TSN 0 | DataSN = 0, F=1 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | <<< SCSI Response |Send Status and Sense |
| | ExpDataSN = 2 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Command Complete | | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
*) Send data and Receive Data may be transferred simultaneously as in
an atomic Read-Old-Write-New or sequential as in an atomic Read-
Update-Write (in the alter case the R2T may follow the received
data).
Unsolicited and immediate output (write) data with DataSN Example
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+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
|Initiator Function| PDU Type & Content | Target Function |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Command request |SCSI Command (WRITE)>>>| Receive command |
| (write) |F=0 | and data |
|+ immediate data | | and queue it |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Send Unsolicited | SCSI Write Data >>> | Receive more Data |
| Data | DataSN = 0, F=1 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | | Process old commands |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | <<< R2T | Ready for more data |
| | R2TSN = 0 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Send Data | SCSI Write Data >>> | Receive Data |
| for R2TSN 0 | DataSN = 0, F=1 | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| | <<< SCSI Response |Send Status and Sense |
| | | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
| Command Complete | | |
+------------------+-----------------------+----------------------+
B.4 CRC Examples
N.B. all Values are Hexadecimal
32 bytes of zeroes:
Byte: 0 1 2 3
0: 00 00 00 00
...
28: 00 00 00 00
CRC: aa 36 91 8a
32 bytes of ones:
Byte: 0 1 2 3
0: ff ff ff ff
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...
28: ff ff ff ff
CRC: 43 ab a8 62
32 bytes of incrementing 00..1f:
Byte: 0 1 2 3
0: 00 01 02 03
...
28: 1c 1d 1e 1f
CRC: 4e 79 dd 46
32 bytes of decrementing 1f..00:
Byte: 0 1 2 3
0: 1f 1e 1d 1c
...
28: 03 02 01 00
CRC: 5c db 3f 11
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Appendix C. Login Phase Examples
In the first example, the initiator and target authenticate each
other via Kerberos:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
InitiatorName=iqn.1999-07.com.os.hostid.77
TargetName=iqn.1999-07.com.acme.diskarray.sn.88
AuthMethod=KRB5,SRP,None
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
AuthMethod=KRB5
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
KRB_AP_REQ=<krb_ap_req>
(krb_ap_req contains the Kerberos V5 ticket and authenticator
with MUTUAL-REQUIRED set in the ap-options field)
If the authentication is successful, the target proceeds with:
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
KRB_AP_REP=<krb_ap_rep>
(krb_ap_rep is the Kerberos V5 mutual authentication reply)
If the authentication is successful, the initiator may proceed
with:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0) FirstBurstLength=0
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0) FirstBurstLength=8192 MaxBurst-
Length=8192
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0) MaxBurstLength=8192
... more iSCSI Operational Parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... more iSCSI Operational Parameters
And at the end:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1)
optional iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1) "login accept"
If the initiator's authentication by the target is not success-
ful, the target responds with:
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T-> Login "login reject"
instead of the Login KRB_AP_REP message, and terminates the
connection.
If the target's authentication by the initiator is not success-
ful, the initiator terminates the connection (without
responding to the Login KRB_AP_REP message).
In the next example only the initiator is authenticated by the tar-
get via Kerberos:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
InitiatorName=iqn.1999-07.com.os.hostid.77
TargetName=iqn.1999-07.com.acme.diskarray.sn.88
AuthMethod=SRP,KRB5,None
T-> Login-PR (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
AuthMethod=KRB5
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
KRB_AP_REQ=krb_ap_req
(MUTUAL-REQUIRED not set in the ap-options field of krb_ap_req)
If the authentication is successful, the target proceeds with:
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
. . .
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1)"login accept"
In the next example, the initiator and target authenticate each other
via SPKM1:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
InitiatorName=iqn.1999-07.com.os.hostid.77
TargetName=iqn.1999-07.com.acme.diskarray.sn.88
AuthMethod=SPKM1,KRB5,None
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
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AuthMethod=SPKM1
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
SPKM_REQ=<spkm-req>
(spkm-req is the SPKM-REQ token with the mutual-state bit in
the options field of the REQ-TOKEN set)
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
SPKM_REP_TI=<spkm-rep-ti>
If the authentication is successful, the initiator proceeds:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
SPKM_REP_IT=<spkm-rep-it>
If the authentication is successful, the target proceeds with:
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
The initiator may proceed:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0) ... iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0) ... iSCSI parameters
And at the end:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1)
optional iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1) "login accept"
If the target's authentication by the initiator is not success-
ful, the initiator terminates the connection (without
responding to the Login SPKM_REP_TI message).
If the initiator's authentication by the target is not success-
ful, the target responds with:
T-> Login "login reject"
instead of the Login "proceed and change stage" message, and
terminates the connection.
In the next example, the initiator and target authenticate each other
via SPKM2:
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I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
InitiatorName=iqn.1999-07.com.os.hostid.77
TargetName=iqn.1999-07.com.acme.diskarray.sn.88
AuthMethod=SPKM1,SPKM2
T-> Login-PR (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
AuthMethod=SPKM2
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
SPKM_REQ=<spkm-req>
(spkm-req is the SPKM-REQ token with the mutual-state bit in
the options field of the REQ-TOKEN not set)
If the authentication is successful, the target proceeds with:
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
The initiator may proceed:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
And at the end:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1)
optional iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1) "login accept"
In the next example, the initiator and target authenticate each other
via SRP:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
InitiatorName=iqn.1999-07.com.os.hostid.77
TargetName=iqn.1999-07.com.acme.diskarray.sn.88
AuthMethod=KRB5,SRP,None
T-> Login-PR (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
AuthMethod=SRP
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
SRP_U=<user>
TargetAuth=Yes
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T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
SRP_N=<N>
SRP_g=<g>
SRP_s=<s>
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
SRP_A=<A>
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
SRP_B=<B>
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
SRP_M=<M>
If the initiator authentication is successful, the target pro-
ceeds:
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
SRP_HM=<H(A | M | K)>
Where N, g, s, A, B, M, and H(A | M | K) are defined in [RFC2945].
If the target authentication is not successful, the initiator
terminates the connection; otherwise, it proceeds.
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
And at the end:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1)
optional iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1) "login accept"
If the initiator authentication is not successful, the target
responds with:
T-> Login "login reject"
Instead of the T-> Login SRP_HM=<H(A | M | K)> message and
terminates the connection.
In the next example, only the initiator is authenticated by the tar-
get via SRP:
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I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
InitiatorName=iqn.1999-07.com.os.hostid.77
TargetName=iqn.1999-07.com.acme.diskarray.sn.88
AuthMethod=KRB5,SRP,None
T-> Login-PR (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
AuthMethod=SRP
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
SRP_U=<user>
TargetAuth=No
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
SRP_N=<N>
SRP_g=<g>
SRP_s=<s>
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
SRP_A=<A>
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
SRP_B=<B>
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
SRP_M=<M>
If the initiator authentication is successful, the target pro-
ceeds:
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
And at the end:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1)
optional iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1) "login accept"
In the next example the initiator and target authenticate each other
via CHAP:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
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InitiatorName=iqn.1999-07.com.os.hostid.77
TargetName=iqn.1999-07.com.acme.diskarray.sn.88
AuthMethod=KRB5,CHAP,None
T-> Login-PR (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
AuthMethod=CHAP
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
CHAP_A=<A1,A2>
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
CHAP_A=<A1>
CHAP_I=<I>
CHAP_C=<C>
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
CHAP_N=<N>
CHAP_R=<R>
CHAP_I=<I>
CHAP_C=<C>
If the initiator authentication is successful, the target pro-
ceeds:
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
CHAP_N=<N>
CHAP_R=<R>
If the target authentication is not successful, the initiator
aborts the connection; otherwise, it proceeds.
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
And at the end:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1)
optional iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1) "login accept"
If the initiator authentication is not successful, the target
responds with:
T-> Login "login reject"
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Instead of the Login CHAP_R=<response> "proceed and change
stage"
message and terminates the connection.
In the next example, only the initiator is authenticated by the tar-
get via CHAP:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=0)
InitiatorName=iqn.1999-07.com.os.hostid.77
TargetName=iqn.1999-07.com.acme.diskarray.sn.88
AuthMethod=KRB5,CHAP,None
T-> Login-PR (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
AuthMethod=CHAP
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
CHAP_A=<A1,A2>
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,0 T=0)
CHAP_A=<A1>
CHAP_I=<I>
CHAP_C=<C>
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
CHAP_N=<N>
CHAP_R=<R>
If the initiator authentication is successful, the target pro-
ceeds:
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
And at the end:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1)
optional iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1) "login accept"
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In the next example, the initiator does not offer any security param-
eters. It therefore may offer iSCSI parameters on the Login PDU with
the T bit set to 1, and the target may respond with a final Login
Response PDU immediately:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1)
InitiatorName=iqn.1999-07.com.os.hostid.77
TargetName=iqn.1999-07.com.acme.diskarray.sn.88
... iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1) "login accept"
... ISCSI parameters
In the next example, the initiator does offer security parame-
ters on the Login PDU, but the target does not choose any
(i.e., chooses the "None" values):
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
InitiatorName=iqn.1999-07.com.os.hostid.77
TargetName=iqn.1999-07.com.acme.diskarray.sn.88
AuthMethod:KRB5,SRP,None
T-> Login-PR (CSG,NSG=0,1 T=1)
AuthMethod=None
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,0 T=0)
... iSCSI parameters
And at the end:
I-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1)
optional iSCSI parameters
T-> Login (CSG,NSG=1,3 T=1) "login accept"
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Appendix D. SendTargets Operation
To reduce the amount of configuration required on an initiator, iSCSI
provides the SendTargets text request. The initiator uses the Send-
Targets request to get a list of targets to which it may have access,
as well as the list of addresses (IP address and TCP port) on which
these targets may be accessed.
To make use of SendTargets, an initiator must first establish one of
two types of sessions. If the initiator establishes the session
using the key "SessionType=Discovery", the session is a discovery
session, and a target name does not need to be specified. Other-
wise, the session is a normal, operational session. The SendTargets
command MUST only be sent during the Full Feature Phase of a normal
or discovery session.
A system that contains targets MUST support discovery sessions on
each of its iSCSI IP address-port pairs, and MUST support the Send-
Targets command on the discovery session. A target MUST return all
path information (IP address-port pairs and portal group tags) for
the targets for which the requesting initiator is authorized.
A target MUST support the SendTargets command on operational ses-
sions; these will only return path information about the target to
which the session is connected, and need not return information about
other target names that may be defined in the responding system.
An initiator MAY make use of the SendTargets as it sees fit.
A SendTargets command consists of a single Text request PDU.
This PDU contains exactly one text key and value. The text key MUST
be SendTargets. The expected response depends upon the value, as
well as whether the session is a discovery or operational session.
The value must be one of:
All
The initiator is requesting that information on all relevant
targets known to the implementation be returned. This value
MUST be supported on a discovery session, and MUST NOT be
supported on an operational session.
<iSCSI-target-name>
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If an iSCSI target name is specified, the session should
respond with addresses for only the named target, if possi-
ble. This value MUST be supported on discovery sessions. A
discovery session MUST be capable of returning addresses for
those targets that would have been returned had value=all
been designated.
<nothing>
The session should respond only with addresses for the target
to which the session is logged in. This MUST be supported
on operational sessions, and MUST NOT return targets other
than the one to which the session is logged in.
The response to this command is a text response that contains a list
of zero or more targets and, optionally, their addresses. Each tar-
get is returned as a target record. A target record begins with the
TargetName text key, followed by a list of TargetAddress text keys,
and bounded by the end of the text response or the next TargetName
key, which begins a new record. No text keys other than TargetName
and TargetAddress are permitted within a SendTargets response.
For the format of the TargetName, see Section 11.4 TargetName.
A discovery session MAY respond to a SendTargets request with its
complete list of targets, or with a list of targets that is based on
the name of the initiator logged in to the session.
A SendTargets response MUST NOT not contain target names if there are
no targets for the requesting initiator to access.
Each target record returned includes zero or more TargetAddress
fields.
Each target record starts with one text key of the form:
TargetName=<target-name-goes-here>
Followed by zero or more address keys of the form:
TargetAddress=<hostname-or-ipaddress>[:<tcp-port>],<portal-
group-tag>
The hostname-or-ipaddress contains a domain name, IPv4 address, or
IPv6 address, as specified for the TargetAddress key.
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Each TargetAddress belongs to a portal group, identified by its
numeric portal group tag (as in Section 11.9 TargetPortalGroupTag).
The iSCSI target name, together with this tag, constitutes the SCSI
port identifier; the tag need be unique only within a given target
name's list of addresses.
Multiple-connection sessions can span iSCSI addresses that belong to
the same portal group.
Multiple-connection sessions cannot span iSCSI addresses that belong
to different portal groups.
If a SendTargets response reports an iSCSI address for a target, it
SHOULD also report all other addresses in its portal group in the
same response.
A SendTargets text response can be longer than a single Text Response
PDU, and makes use of the long text responses as specified.
After obtaining a list of targets from the discovery target session,
an iSCSI initiator may initiate new sessions to log in to the discov-
ered targets for full operation. The initiator MAY keep the discov-
ery session open, and MAY send subsequent SendTargets commands to
discover new targets.
Examples:
This example is the SendTargets response from a single target that
has no other interface ports.
Initiator sends text request that contains:
SendTargets=All
Target sends a text response that contains:
TargetName=iqn.1993-11.com.acme.diskarray.sn.8675309
All the target had to return in the simple case was the target name.
It is assumed by the initiator that the IP address and TCP port for
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this target are the same as used on the current connection to the
default iSCSI target.
The next example has two internal iSCSI targets, each accessible via
two different ports with different IP addresses. The following is
the text response:
TargetName=iqn.1993-11.com.acme.diskarray.sn.8675309
TargetAddress=10.1.0.45:3000,1
TargetAddress=10.1.1.45:3000,2
TargetName=iqn.1993-11.com.acme.diskarray.sn.1234567
TargetAddress=10.1.0.45:3000,1
TargetAddress=10.1.1.45:3000,2
Both targets share both addresses; the multiple addresses are likely
used to provide multi-path support. The initiator may connect to
either target name on either address. Each of the addresses has its
own portal group tag; they do not support spanning multiple-connec-
tion sessions with each other. Keep in mind also that the portal
group tags for the two named targets are independent of one another;
portal group "1" on the first target is not necessarily the same as
portal group "1" on the second.
In the above example, a DNS host name or an IPv6 address could have
been returned instead of an IPv4 address.
The next text response shows a target that supports spanning ses-
sions across multiple addresses, and illustrates further the use of
the portal group tags:
TargetName=iqn.1993-11.com.acme.diskarray.sn.8675309
TargetAddress=10.1.0.45:3000,1
TargetAddress=10.1.1.46:3000,1
TargetAddress=10.1.0.47:3000,2
TargetAddress=10.1.1.48:3000,2
TargetAddress=10.1.1.49:3000,3
In this example, any of the target addresses can be used to reach the
same target. A single-connection session can be established to any
of these TCP addresses. A multiple-connection session could span
addresses .45 and .46 or .47 and .48, but cannot span any other com-
bination. A TargetAddress with its own tag (.49) cannot be combined
with any other address within the same session.
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This SendTargets response does not indicate whether .49 supports mul-
tiple connections per session; it communicated via the MaxConnec-
tions text key upon login to the target.
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Appendix E. Algorithmic Presentation of Error Recovery Classes
This appendix illustrates the error recovery classes using a pseudo-
programming-language. The procedure names are chosen to be obvious
to most implementers. Each of the recovery classes described has ini-
tiator procedures as well as target procedures. These algorithms
focus on outlining the mechanics of error recovery classes, and
ignore all other aspects/cases. Examples of this approach are:
- Handling for only certain Opcode types is shown.
- Only certain reason codes (for example, Recovery in Logout
command) are outlined.
- Resultant cases, such as recovery of Synchronization on a
header digest error are considered out-of-scope in these
algorithms. In this particular example a header digest error
may lead to connection recovery if some type of sync and
steering layer is not implemented.
These algorithms strive to convey the iSCSI error recovery concepts
in the simplest terms, and are not designed to be optimal.
E.1 General Data Structure and Procedure Description
This section defines the procedures and data structures that are com-
monly used by all the error recovery algorithms. The structures may
not be the exhaustive representations of what is required for a typi-
cal implementation.
Data structure definitions -
struct TransferContext {
int TargetTransferTag;
int ExpectedDataSN;
};
struct TCB { /* task control block */
Boolean SoFarInOrder;
int ExpectedDataSN; /* used for both R2Ts, and Data */
int MissingDataSNList[MaxMissingDPDU];
Boolean FbitReceived;
Boolean StatusXferd;
Boolean CurrentlyAllegiant;
int ActiveR2Ts;
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int Response;
char *Reason;
struct TransferContext
TransferContextList[MaxOutStandingR2T];
int InitiatorTaskTag;
int CmdSN;
};
struct Connection {
struct Session SessionReference;
Boolean SoFarInOrder;
int CID;
int State;
int CurrentTimeout;
int ExpectedStatSN;
int MissingStatSNList[MaxMissingSPDU];
Boolean PerformConnectionCleanup;
};
struct Session {
int NumConnections;
int CmdSN;
int Maxconnections;
int ErrorRecoveryLevel;
struct iSCSIEndpoint OtherEndInfo;
struct Connection ConnectionList[MaxSupportedConns];
};
Procedure descriptions -
Receive-a-In-PDU(transport connection, inbound PDU);
check-basic-validity(inbound PDU);
Start-Timer(timeout handler, argument, timeout value);
Build-And-Send-Reject(transport connection, bad PDU, reason code);
E.2 Within-command Error Recovery Algorithms
E.2.1 Procedure Descriptions
Recover-Data-if-Possible(last required DataSN, task control block);
Build-And-Send-DSnack(task control block);
Build-And-Send-Abort(task control block);
SCSI-Task-Completion(task control block);
Build-And-Send-a-Data-Burst(transport connection, R2T PDU,
task control block);
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Build-And-Send-R2T(transport connection, description of data,
task control block);
Build-And-Send-Status(transport connection, task control block);
Transfer-Context-Timeout-Handler(transfer context);
Implementation-specific tunables -
InitiatorDataSNACKEnabled, TargetDataSNACKSupported,
TargetRecoveryR2TEnabled.
Notes:
- Some procedures used in this section, including: Recover-Sta-
tus-if-Possible, Handle-Status-SNACK-request, Evaluate-a-
StatSN are defined in Within-connection recovery algorithms.
- The Response processing pseudo-code, shown in the target
algorithms, applies to all solicited PDUs that carry StatSN -
SCSI Response, Text Response etc.
E.2.2 Initiator Algorithms
Recover-Data-if-Possible(LastRequiredDataSN, TCB)
{
if (InitiatorDataSNACKEnabled) {
if (# of missing PDUs is trackable) {
Note the missing DataSNs in TCB.
Build-And-Send-DSnack(TCB);
} else {
TCB.Reason = "Protocol service CRC error";
}
} else {
TCB.Reason = "Protocol service CRC error";
}
if (TCB.Reason = "Protocol service CRC error") {
Clear the missing PDU list in the TCB.
if (TCB.StatusXferd is not TRUE)
Build-And-Send-Abort(TCB);
}
}
Receive-a-In-PDU(Connection, CurrentPDU)
{
check-basic-validity(CurrentPDU);
if (Header-Digest-Bad) discard, return;
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Retrieve TCB for CurrentPDU.InitiatorTaskTag.
if ((CurrentPDU.type = Data)
or (CurrentPDU.type = R2T)) {
if (Data-Digest-Bad) {
send-data-SNACK = TRUE;
LastRequiredDataSN = CurrentPDU.DataSN;
} else {
if (TCB.SoFarInOrder = TRUE) {
if (current DataSN is expected) {
Increment TCB.ExpectedDataSN.
} else {
TCB.SoFarInOrder = FALSE;
send-data-SNACK = TRUE;
}
} else {
if (current DataSN was considered missing) {
remove current DataSN from missing PDU list.
} else if (current DataSN is higher than expected) {
send-data-SNACK = TRUE;
} else {
discard, return;
}
Adjust TCB.ExpectedDataSN if appropriate.
}
LastRequiredDataSN = CurrentPDU.DataSN - 1;
}
if (send-data-SNACK is TRUE and
task is not already considered failed) {
Recover-Data-if-Possible(LastRequiredDataSN, TCB);
}
if (missing data PDU list is empty) {
TCB.SoFarInOrder = TRUE;
}
if (CurrentPDU.type = R2T) {
Increment ActiveR2Ts for this task.
Build-And-Send-A-Data-Burst(Connection, CurrentPDU, TCB);
}
} else if (CurrentPDU.type = Response) {
if (Data-Digest-Bad) {
send-status-SNACK = TRUE;
} else {
TCB.StatusXferd = TRUE;
Store the status information in TCB.
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if (ExpDataSN does not match) {
TCB.SoFarInOrder = FALSE;
Recover-Data-if-Possible(current DataSN, TCB);
}
if (missing data PDU list is empty) {
TCB.SoFarInOrder = TRUE;
}
send-status-SNACK = Evaluate-a-StatSN(Connection,
CurrentPDU.StatSN);
}
if (send-status-SNACK is TRUE)
Recover-Status-if-Possible(Connection, CurrentPDU);
} else { /* REST UNRELATED TO WITHIN-COMMAND-RECOVERY, NOT SHOWN
*/
}
if ((TCB.SoFarInOrder is TRUE) and
(TCB.StatusXferd is TRUE)) {
SCSI-Task-Completion(TCB);
}
}
E.2.3 Target Algorithms
Receive-a-In-PDU(Connection, CurrentPDU)
{
check-basic-validity(CurrentPDU);
if (Header-Digest-Bad) discard, return;
Retrieve TCB for CurrentPDU.InitiatorTaskTag.
if (CurrentPDU.type = Data) {
Retrieve TContext from CurrentPDU.TargetTransferTag;
if (Data-Digest-Bad) {
Build-And-Send-Reject(Connection, CurrentPDU,
Payload-Digest-Error);
Note the missing data PDUs in MissingDataRange[].
send-recovery-R2T = TRUE;
} else {
if (current DataSN is not expected) {
Note the missing data PDUs in MissingDataRange[].
send-recovery-R2T = TRUE;
}
if (CurrentPDU.Fbit = TRUE) {
if (current PDU is solicited) {
Decrement TCB.ActiveR2Ts.
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}
if ((current PDU is unsolicited and
data received is less than I/O length and
data received is less than FirstBurstLength)
or {current PDU is solicited and the length of
this burst is less than expected)) {
send-recovery-R2T = TRUE;
Note the missing data in MissingDataRange[].
}
}
}
Increment TContext.ExpectedDataSN.
if (send-recovery-R2T is TRUE and
task is not already considered failed) {
if (TargetRecoveryR2TEnabled is TRUE) {
Increment TCB.ActiveR2Ts.
Build-And-Send-R2T(Connection, MissingDataRange, TCB);
} else {
if (current PDU is the last unsolicited)
TCB.Reason = "Not enough unsolicited data";
else
TCB.Reason = "Protocol service CRC error";
}
}
if (TCB.ActiveR2Ts = 0) {
Build-And-Send-Status(Connection, TCB);
}
} else if (CurrentPDU.type = SNACK) {
snack-failure = FALSE;
if (this is data retransmission request) {
if (TargetDataSNACKSupported) {
if (the request is satisfiable) {
Build-And-Send-A-Data-Burst(CurrentPDU, TCB);
} else {
snack-failure = TRUE;
}
} else {
snack-failure = TRUE;
}
if (snack-failure is TRUE) {
Build-And-Send-Reject(Connection, CurrentPDU,
Data-SNACK-Reject);
if (TCB.StatusXferd is not TRUE) {
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TCB.Reason = "SNACK Rejected";
Build-And-Send-Status(Connection, TCB);
}
}
} else {
Handle-Status-SNACK-request(Connection, CurrentPDU);
}
} else { /* REST UNRELATED TO WITHIN-COMMAND-RECOVERY, NOT SHOWN */
}
}
Transfer-Context-Timeout-Handler(TContext)
{
Retrieve TCB and Connection from TContext.
Decrement TCB.ActiveR2Ts.
if (TargetRecoveryR2TEnabled is TRUE and
task is not already considered failed) {
Note the missing data PDUs in MissingDataRange[].
Build-And-Send-R2T(Connection, MissingDataRange, TCB);
} else {
TCB.Reason = "Protocol service CRC error";
if (TCB.ActiveR2Ts = 0) {
Build-And-Send-Status(Connection, TCB);
}
}
}
E.3 Within-connection Recovery Algorithms
E.3.1 Procedure Descriptions
Procedure descriptions:
Recover-Status-if-Possible(transport connection,
currently received PDU);
Evaluate-a-StatSN(transport connection, current StatSN);
Retransmit-Command-if-Possible(transport connection, CmdSN);
Build-And-Send-SSnack(transport connection);
Build-And-Send-Command(transport connection, task control block);
Command-Acknowledge-Timeout-Handler(task control block);
Status-Expect-Timeout-Handler(transport connection);
Build-And-Send-Nop-Out(transport connection);
Handle-Status-SNACK-request(transport connection, status SNACK PDU);
Retransmit-Status-Burst(status SNACK, task control block);
Is-Acknowledged(beginning StatSN, run length);
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Implementation-specific tunables:
InitiatorCommandRetryEnabled, InitiatorStatusExpectNopEnabled, Initi-
atorProactiveSNACKEnabled, InitiatorStatusSNACKEnabled, TargetSta-
tusSNACKSupported.
Notes:
- The initiator algorithms only deal with unsolicited Nop-In
PDUs for generating status SNACKs. Solicited Nop-In PDU has
an assigned StatSN, which, when out-of-order, could trigger
the out-of-order StatSN handling in Within-command algo-
rithms, again leading to Recover-Status-if-Possible.
- The pseudo-code shown may result in the retransmission of
unacknowledged commands in more cases than necessary. This
will not however affect the correctness of the operation
because the target is required to discard the duplicate Cmd-
SNs.
- The procedure Build-And-Send-Async is defined in the Connec-
tion recovery algorithms.
- The procedure Status-Expect-Timeout-Handler describes how
initiators may proactively attempt to retrieve the Status if
they so choose. This procedure is assumed to be triggered
much before the standard ULP timeout.
E.3.2 Initiator Algorithms
Recover-Status-if-Possible(Connection, CurrentPDU)
{
if ((Connection.state = LOGGED_IN) and
connection is not already considered failed) {
if (InitiatorStatusSNACKEnabled) {
if (# of missing PDUs is trackable) {
Note the missing StatSNs in Connection;
Build-And-Send-SSnack(Connection);
} else {
Connection.PerformConnectionCleanup = TRUE;
}
} else {
Connection.PerformConnectionCleanup = TRUE;
}
if (Connection.PerformConnectionCleanup is TRUE) {
Start-Timer(Connection-Cleanup-Handler, Connection, 0);
}
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}
}
Retransmit-Command-if-Possible(Connection, CmdSN)
{
if (InitiatorCommandRetryEnabled) {
Retrieve the InitiatorTaskTag, and thus TCB for the CmdSN.
Build-And-Send-Command(Connection, TCB);
}
}
Evaluate-a-StatSN(Connection, StatSN)
{
send-status-SNACK = FALSE;
if (Connection.SoFarInOrder is TRUE) {
if (current StatSN is the expected) {
Increment Connection.ExpectedStatSN.
} else {
Connection.SoFarInOrder = FALSE;
send-status-SNACK = TRUE;
}
} else {
if (current StatSN was considered missing) {
remove current StatSN from the missing list.
} else {
if (current StatSN is higher than expected){
send-status-SNACK = TRUE;
} else {
discard, return;
}
}
Adjust Connection.ExpectedStatSN if appropriate.
if (missing StatSN list is empty) {
Connection.SoFarInOrder = TRUE;
}
}
return send-status-SNACK;
}
Receive-a-In-PDU(Connection, CurrentPDU)
{
check-basic-validity(CurrentPDU);
if (Header-Digest-Bad) discard, return;
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Retrieve TCB for CurrentPDU.InitiatorTaskTag.
if (CurrentPDU.type = Nop-In) {
if (the PDU is unsolicited) {
if (current StatSN is not expected) {
Recover-Status-if-Possible(Connection, CurrentPDU);
}
if (current ExpCmdSN is not Session.CmdSN) {
Retransmit-Command-if-Possible(Connection,
CurrentPDU.ExpCmdSN);
}
}
} else if (CurrentPDU.type = Reject) {
if (it is a data digest error on immediate data) {
Retransmit-Command-if-Possible(Connection,
CurrentPDU.BadPDUHeader.CmdSN);
}
} else if (CurrentPDU.type = Response) {
send-status-SNACK = Evaluate-a-StatSN(Connection,
CurrentPDU.StatSN);
if (send-status-SNACK is TRUE)
Recover-Status-if-Possible(Connection, CurrentPDU);
} else { /* REST UNRELATED TO WITHIN-CONNECTION-RECOVERY,
* NOT SHOWN */
}
}
Command-Acknowledge-Timeout-Handler(TCB)
{
Retrieve the Connection for TCB.
Retransmit-Command-if-Possible(Connection, TCB.CmdSN);
}
Status-Expect-Timeout-Handler(Connection)
{
if (InitiatorStatusExpectNopEnabled) {
Build-And-Send-Nop-Out(Connection);
} else if (InitiatorProactiveSNACKEnabled){
if ((Connection.state = LOGGED_IN) and
connection is not already considered failed) {
Build-And-Send-SSnack(Connection);
}
}
}
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E.3.3 Target Algorithms
Handle-Status-SNACK-request(Connection, CurrentPDU)
{
if (TargetStatusSNACKSupported) {
if (request for an acknowledged run) {
Build-And-Send-Reject(Connection, CurrentPDU,
Protocol-Error);
} else if (request for an untransmitted run) {
discard, return;
} else {
Retransmit-Status-Burst(CurrentPDU, TCB);
}
} else {
Build-And-Send-Async(Connection, DroppedConnection,
DefaultTime2Wait, DefaultTime2Retain);
}
}
E.4 Connection Recovery Algorithms
E.4.1 Procedure Descriptions
Build-And-Send-Async(transport connection, reason code,
minimum time, maximum time);
Pick-A-Logged-In-Connection(session);
Build-And-Send-Logout(transport connection, logout connection
identifier, reason code);
PerformImplicitLogout(transport connection, logout connection
identifier, target information);
PerformLogin(transport connection, target information);
CreateNewTransportConnection(target information);
Build-And-Send-Command(transport connection, task control block);
Connection-Cleanup-Handler(transport connection);
Connection-Resource-Timeout-Handler(transport connection);
Quiesce-And-Prepare-for-New-Allegiance(session, task control block);
Build-And-Send-Logout-Response(transport connection,
CID of connection in recovery, reason code);
Build-And-Send-TaskMgmt-Response(transport connection,
task mgmt command PDU, response code);
Establish-New-Allegiance(task control block, transport connection);
Schedule-Command-To-Continue(task control block);
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Notes:
- Transport exception conditions, such as unexpected connec-
tion termination, connection reset, and hung connection while
the connection is in the full-feature phase, are all assumed
to be asynchronously signaled to the iSCSI layer using the
Transport_Exception_Handler procedure.
E.4.2 Initiator Algorithms
Receive-a-In-PDU(Connection, CurrentPDU)
{
check-basic-validity(CurrentPDU);
if (Header-Digest-Bad) discard, return;
Retrieve TCB from CurrentPDU.InitiatorTaskTag.
if (CurrentPDU.AsyncEvent = ConnectionDropped) {
Retrieve the AffectedConnection for CurrentPDU.Parameter1.
AffectedConnection.CurrentTimeout = CurrentPDU.Parameter3;
AffectedConnection.State = CLEANUP_WAIT;
Start-Timer(Connection-Cleanup-Handler,
AffectedConnection, CurrentPDU.Parameter2);
} else if (CurrentPDU.AsyncEvent = LogoutRequest)) {
AffectedConnection = Connection;
AffectedConnection.State = LOGOUT_REQUESTED;
AffectedConnection.PerformConnectionCleanup = TRUE;
AffectedConnection.CurrentTimeout = CurrentPDU.Parameter3;
Start-Timer(Connection-Cleanup-Handler,
AffectedConnection, 0);
} else if (CurrentPDU.AsyncEvent = SessionDropped)) {
for (each Connection) {
Connection.State = CLEANUP_WAIT;
Connection.CurrentTimeout = CurrentPDU.Parameter3;
Start-Timer(Connection-Cleanup-Handler,
Connection, CurrentPDU.Parameter2);
}
Session.state = FAILED;
}
} else if (CurrentPDU.type = LogoutResponse) {
Retrieve the CleanupConnection for CurrentPDU.CID.
if (CurrentPDU.Response = failure) {
CleanupConnection.State = CLEANUP_WAIT;
} else {
CleanupConnection.State = FREE;
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}
} else if (CurrentPDU.type = LoginResponse) {
if (this is a response to an implicit Logout) {
Retrieve the CleanupConnection.
if (successful) {
CleanupConnection.State = FREE;
Connection.State = LOGGED_IN;
} else {
CleanupConnection.State = CLEANUP_WAIT;
DestroyTransportConnection(Connection);
}
}
} else { /* REST UNRELATED TO CONNECTION-RECOVERY,
* NOT SHOWN */
}
if (CleanupConnection.State = FREE) {
for (each command that was active on CleanupConnection) {
/* Establish new connection allegiance */
NewConnection = Pick-A-Logged-In-Connection(Session);
Build-And-Send-Command(NewConnection, TCB);
}
}
}
Connection-Cleanup-Handler(Connection)
{
Retrieve Session from Connection.
if (Connection can still exchange iSCSI PDUs) {
NewConnection = Connection;
} else {
Start-Timer(Connection-Resource-Timeout-Handler,
Connection, Connection.CurrentTimeout);
if (there are other logged-in connections) {
NewConnection = Pick-A-Logged-In-Connection(Session);
} else {
NewConnection =
CreateTransportConnection(Session.OtherEndInfo);
Initiate an implicit Logout on NewConnection for
Connection.CID.
return;
}
}
Build-And-Send-Logout(NewConnection, Connection.CID,
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RecoveryRemove);
}
Transport_Exception_Handler(Connection)
{
Connection.PerformConnectionCleanup = TRUE;
if (the event is an unexpected transport disconnect) {
Connection.State = CLEANUP_WAIT;
Connection.CurrentTimeout = DefaultTime2Retain;
Start-Timer(Connection-Cleanup-Handler, Connection,
DefaultTime2Wait);
} else {
Connection.State = FREE;
}
}
E.4.3 Target Algorithms
Receive-a-In-PDU(Connection, CurrentPDU)
{
check-basic-validity(CurrentPDU);
if (Header-Digest-Bad) discard, return;
else if (Data-Digest-Bad) {
Build-And-Send-Reject(Connection, CurrentPDU,
Payload-Digest-Error);
discard, return;
}
Retrieve TCB and Session.
if (CurrentPDU.type = Logout) {
if (CurrentPDU.ReasonCode = RecoveryRemove) {
Retrieve the CleanupConnection from CurrentPDU.CID).
for (each command active on CleanupConnection) {
Quiesce-And-Prepare-for-New-Allegiance(Session, TCB);
TCB.CurrentlyAllegiant = FALSE;
}
Cleanup-Connection-State(CleanupConnection);
if ((quiescing successful) and (cleanup successful)) {
Build-And-Send-Logout-Response(Connection,
CleanupConnection.CID, Success);
} else {
Build-And-Send-Logout-Response(Connection,
CleanupConnection.CID, Failure);
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}
}
} else if (CurrentPDU.type = TaskManagement) {
if (CurrentPDU.function = "TaskReassign") {
if (Session.ErrorRecoveryLevel < 2) {
Build-And-Send-TaskMgmt-Response(Connection,
CurrentPDU, "Task failover not supported");
} else if (task is not found) {
Build-And-Send-TaskMgmt-Response(Connection,
CurrentPDU, "Task not in task set");
} else if (task is currently allegiant) {
Build-And-Send-TaskMgmt-Response(Connection,
CurrentPDU, "Task still allegiant");
} else {
Establish-New-Allegiance(TCB, Connection);
TCB.CurrentlyAllegiant = TRUE;
Schedule-Command-To-Continue(TCB);
}
}
} else { /* REST UNRELATED TO CONNECTION-RECOVERY,
* NOT SHOWN */
}
}
Transport_Exception_Handler(Connection)
{
Connection.PerformConnectionCleanup = TRUE;
if (the event is an unexpected transport disconnect) {
Connection.State = CLEANUP_WAIT;
Start-Timer(Connection-Resource-Timeout-Handler, Connection,
(DefaultTime2Wait+DefaultTime2Retain));
if (this Session has full-feature phase connections left) {
DifferentConnection =
Pick-A-Logged-In-Connection(Session);
Build-And-Send-Async(DifferentConnection,
DroppedConnection, DefaultTime2Wait,
DefaultTime2Retain);
}
} else {
Connection.State = FREE;
}
}
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Appendix F. Clearing effects of various events on targets
F.1 Clearing effects on iSCSI objects
The following tables describe the target behavior on receiving the
events specified in the rows of the table. The second table is
merely an extension of the first table and defines clearing actions
for more objects on the same events. The legend is:
Y = Yes (cleared/discarded/reset on the event specified in
the row). Unless noted otherwise, the clearing action is
applicable only for the issuing initiator port.
N = No (not affected on the event specified in the row, i.e.
stays at previous value).
NA = Not Applicable, or Not Defined.
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+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|IT(1)|IC(2)|CT(5)|ST(6)|PP(7)|
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|connection failure(8)|Y |Y |N |N |Y |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|connection state |NA |NA |Y |N |NA |
|timeout (9) | | | | | |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|session timeout/ |Y |Y |Y |Y |Y(14)|
|closure/reinstatement| | | | | |
|(10) | | | | | |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|session continuation |NA |NA |N(11)|N |NA |
|(12) | | | | | |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|successful connection|Y |Y |Y |N |Y(13)|
|close logout | | | | | |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|session failure (18) |Y |Y |N |N |Y |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|successful recovery |Y |Y |N |N |Y(13)|
|Logout | | | | | |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|failed Logout |Y |Y |N |N |Y |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|connection Login |NA |NA |NA |Y(15)|NA |
|(leading) | | | | | |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|connection Login |NA |NA |N(11)|N |Y |
|(non-leading) | | | | | |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|target cold reset(16)|Y |Y |Y |Y |Y |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|target warm reset(16)|Y |Y |Y |Y |Y |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|LU reset(19) |Y |Y |Y |Y |Y |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|powercycle(16) |Y |Y |Y |Y |Y |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
1.Incomplete TTTs - Target Transfer Tags on which the target is still
expecting PDUs to be received. Examples include TTTs received via
R2T, NOP-IN etc.
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2.Immediate Commands - immediate commands but waiting for execution
on a target, for ex., Abort Task Set.
5.Connection Tasks - tasks that are active on the iSCSI connection in
question.
6.Session Tasks - tasks that are active on the entire iSCSI session,
so is a union of `connection tasks' on all participating connections.
7.Partial PDUs (if any) - PDUs that are partially sent and waiting
for transport window credit to complete the transmission.
8.Connection failure is a connection exception condition -one of
transport connection shutdown, transport connection reset, or trans-
port connection timeout abruptly terminating the iSCSI full-feature
phase connection. A connection failure always takes the connection
state machine to the CLEANUP_WAIT state.
9.Connection state timeout happens if a connection spends more time
than agreed upon during Login negotiation in the CLEANUP_WAIT state,
and this takes the connection to the FREE state (M1 transition in
connection cleanup state diagram).
10.These are defined in Section 4.3.5 Session reinstatement, closure
and timeout.
11.This clearing effect is however "Y" only if it is a connection
reinstatement and the operational ErrorRecoveryLevel is less than 2.
12.Session continuation is as defined in Section 4.3.6 Session con-
tinuation and failure.
13.This clearing effect is valid only if the connection is being
logged-out on a different connection and when the connection being
logged out on the target may have some partial PDUs pending to be
sent. In all other cases, the effect is "NA".
14.This clearing effect is valid only for a "close the session"
logout in a multi-connection session. In all other cases, the effect
is "NA".
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15.Applicable only if this leading connection login is a session
reinstatement. If that is not the case, this is "NA".
16.This operation affects all logged-in initiators.
18.Session failure is as defined in Section 4.3.6 Session continua-
tion and failure.
19.This operation affects all logged-in initiators and the clearing
effects are only applicable to the LU being reset.
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+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|DC(1)|DD(2)|SS(3)|CS(4)|DS(5)|
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|connection failure |N |Y |N |N |N |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|connection state |Y |NA |Y |N |NA |
|timeout | | | | | |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|session timeout/ |Y |Y |Y(7) |Y |NA |
|closure/reinstatement| | | | | |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|session continuation |N(11)|NA*12|NA |N |NA*13|
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|successful connection|Y |Y |Y |N |NA |
|close Logout | | | | | |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|session failure |N |Y |N |N |N |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|successful recovery |Y |Y |Y |N |N |
|Logout | | | | | |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|failed Logout |N |Y(9) |N |N |N |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|connection Login |NA |NA |N(8) |N(8) |NA |
|(leading | | | | | |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|connection Login |N(11)|NA*12|N(8) |N |NA*13|
|(non-leading) | | | | | |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|target cold reset |Y |Y |Y |Y(10)|NA |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|target warm reset |Y |Y |N |N |NA |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|LU reset |N |Y |N |N |N |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
|powercycle |Y |Y |Y |Y(10)|NA |
+---------------------+-----+-----+-----+-----+-----+
1.Discontiguous Commands - commands allegiant to the connection in
question and waiting to be reordered in the iSCSI layer. All "Y"s in
this column assume that the task causing the event (if indeed the
event is the result of a task) is issued as an immediate command,
because the discontiguities can be ahead of the task.
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2.Discontiguous Data - data PDUs received for the task in question
and waiting to be reordered due to prior discontiguities in DataSN.
3.StatSN
4.CmdSN
5.DataSN
7.It clears the StatSN on all the connections.
8.This sequence number is instantiated on this event.
9.A logout failure drives the connection state machine to the
CLEANUP_WAIT state, similar to the connection failure event. Hence,
it has a similar effect on this and several other protocol aspects.
10.This is cleared by virtue of the fact that all sessions with all
initiators are terminated.
11.This clearing effect is "Y" if it is a connection reinstatement.
12.This clearing effect is "Y" only if it is a connection reinstate-
ment and the operational ErrorRecoveryLevel is 2.
13.This clearing effect is "N" only if it is a connection reinstate-
ment and the operational ErrorRecoveryLevel is 2.
F.2 Clearing effects on SCSI objects
The only iSCSI protocol action that can effect clearing actions on
SCSI objects is the "I_T nexus loss" notification (Section 4.3.5.1
Loss of Nexus notification). [SPC3] describes the clearing effects of
this notification on a variety of SCSI attributes. In addition, SCSI
standards documents (such as [SAM2] and [SBC]) define additional
clearing actions that may take place for several SCSI objects on SCSI
events such as LU resets and power-on resets.
Note that because iSCSI defines target cold reset as protocol-equiva-
lent to a target power-cycle, the iSCSI target cold reset must also
be considered as the power-on reset event in interpreting the actions
defined in the SCSI standards.
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When the iSCSI session is reconstructed (thus between the same SCSI
ports with the same nexus identifier) establishing the same I_T nexus
again, all SCSI objects that are defined to not clear on the "I_T
nexus loss" notification event, such as persistent reservations, are
automatically associated to this new session.
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