using iSCSI LUN / Target as additional volume in XPE

[myhtpc]

Hi everyone,

 

Is it possible to include an external iSCSI LUN (nap-it or another XPE with iSCSI Target configured) as additional Volume within XPE?

 

Does XPE Have an iSCSI Initiator on Board?

 

My idea is to Set up XPE in a VM and playing in a second VM new verssions (4.3) without risking my data while using Data from stable XPE-VM via iSCSI

 

Any thoughs on this would be great

[Rand__]

I am interested in that also -

I managed to connect to my iscsi target on a napp-it server via iscsiadm;

but that drive does not show up in the Synology volume manager.

 

Does anyone know what has to be done to enable a new disk for management via Syno Gui?

 

For reference i am using this:

 

/usr/syno/etc/rc.iscsi start

iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p

iscsiadm --mode node --targetname --portal --login

 

This triggers hotplug daemon (i believe) to access the drive:

from /var/log/messages

 

Nov 1 22:47:43 kernel: [ 581.742397] sd_format_disk_name()=isda

Nov 1 23:11:49 kernel: [ 119.860213] syno_disk_type_get: SYNO_DISK_ISCSI

Nov 1 23:11:49 kernel: [ 119.860263] sd_probe: index=676

Nov 1 23:11:49 kernel: [ 119.860300] got iSCSI disk[0]

Nov 1 23:11:49 kernel: [ 119.860335] sd_format_disk_name()=isda

Nov 1 23:11:49 iscsid: connection1:0 is operational now

Nov 1 23:11:56 kernel: [ 127.120054] Wrong cpu core: 35822

 

So then i have a drive, its in /proc/partitions, i can access is with fdisk/sfdisk/parted but i cant get it to show up in syno volume manager

[myhtpc]

any ideas?

[KnowledgeIsPower]

The only reason DSM has the iSCSI kernel modules to act as an initiator is for Time Backup pkg which snapshots dataset to a iSCSI target it mounts on itself (local backup) or from over the network (network backup) and then does the backup from that target. Look at DSM builds before Time Backup was released, they are not there.

 

You can set it up manually too like:

 

insmod /usr/lib/modules/libiscsi.ko

insmod /usr/lib/modules/libiscsi_tcp.ko

insmod /usr/lib/modules/iscsi_tcp.ko

 

echo "InitiatorName=iqn.2001-11.dsm.initiatorname" > /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi

 

and then start iscsid daemon

 

I suspect DSM knows not to enumerate the /dev/isd* devices as regular HDD. I would look toward compiling and loading normal iSCSI kernel modules?

[Rand__]

Well,

 

/usr/syno/bin/synodiskport -iscsi

 

enumerates the iscsi drives;

I've tried modifying calls to /usr/syno/bin/synodiskport -sata (eg. in install.sh) to enumerate all sata/sas/iscsi drives;

I have even gotten a proper fd (autoraid) partition on it (synopart),

 

but i cant get neither LSI based sata nor sas nor iscsi drives to be reckognized

[KnowledgeIsPower]

I am pretty sure that there is some coding in DSM that says "do not allow /dev/isd* devices to be enumerated for volume creation or hdd management or any other service but Time Backup".

 

Like I said, these kernel modules were added at the same time as Time Backup was and if you observe the system during Time Backup operation you will see that it mounts an iSCSI LUN and takes a snapshot and work on the LUN so that it knows what changes during the backup and so there are data access problems while backing up live data.

 

This is just what I observed when analyzing how Time Backup works.

 

Anyone try loading some standard debian kernel modules for the iSCSI initiator?