Configuring multisession on the Microsoft Windows operating system

Microsoft Windows operating system supports multisession connections.

About this task

Discover the iSCSI targets, and then complete the following steps to configure a multisession connection.

Note: The following Microsoft Multipath I/O (MPIO) timer key values are recommended when using multisession on Microsoft Windows and using the Microsoft iSCSI Multipath DSM:

PathVerifyEnabled

This flag enables path verification by MPIO on all paths every N seconds (where N depends on the value set in the PathVerificationPeriod panel). The type is Boolean and must be filled out with either 0 (disable) or 1 (enable). The value is set to Disabled by default. You must change the value to Enabled.

PathVerificationPeriod

This setting indicates the period, in seconds, within which MPIO is expected to complete path verification. This field is accepted only if PathVerifyEnabled is True. This default value is 30 seconds. The maximum value that is allowed is MAXULONG. You must set this value to 60 seconds.

PDORemovePeriod

This setting controls the amount of time, in seconds, that the multipath pseudo-LUN remains in system memory, even after all paths to the device are lost. The default is 20 seconds. The maximum value that is allowed is MAXULONG. You must set this value to 60 seconds.

Detailed information about the procedure to set these values is available by searching for "Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator Version 2.08" from the following website:

www.microsoft.com/downloads

To create a multisession connection, complete the following steps.

Procedure

Select the Targets tab from iSCSI Initiator Properties, and click Log On.
From Log On to Target, select Enable multi-path, and then select one of the following two options.
- Click OK.
  Repeat this procedure to create multiple sessions. Each time that you repeat this procedure, a new session is established between the initiator and the target.
- Click Advanced, then make the following selections:
  - At Local Adapter, click Microsoft iSCSI Initiator.
  - At Source IP, click the host IP from which your target portal can be pinged.
  - At Target Portal, click Default.
  Click OK.

What to do next

To delete a multisession session, select the Targets tab from iSCSI Initiator Properties, and click Details. Place a check mark in the box of each identifier connection to be ended, and then click Log off and OK.

Note: Multiple sessions are not supported for Microsoft Clustering with iSCSI or iSER.