Create an iSCSI gateway and volume in the CSG console - Cloud Storage Gateway

This topic describes how to create an Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) gateway, add a cache disk, and create an iSCSI volume in the Cloud Storage Gateway (CSG) console.

Prerequisites

An Alibaba Cloud account is created. Real-name verification is complete for the Alibaba Cloud account.
Note
We recommend that you create a RAM user and log on to the CSG console as the RAM user.
CSG is activated.
If CSG is not activated, follow the on-screen instructions in the CSG console to activate CSG.
A virtual private cloud (VPC) is available in the region where you want to create the iSCSI gateway. For more information, see Create a VPC with an IPv4 CIDR block.
An Elastic Compute Service (ECS) instance is created on the VPC in the region where you want to create the file gateway.
Note
If your on-premises host is connected to the VPC over an Express Connect circuit, you can also perform the steps by using the host.
An Object Storage Service (OSS) bucket is created.
Important
iSCSI gateways support only Standard and Infrequent Access (IA) OSS buckets. iSCSI gateways do not support OSS buckets for which back-to-origin routing is configured.

Create an iSCSI gateway

On the Gateways page of the CSG console, click Create.

In the wizard, configure parameters as described in the following table and retain default settings for other parameters.

Configuration example

Step	Parameter	Description
Gateway Information	Name	Specify a name for the gateway. The name must be 1 to 60 characters in length, and can contain letters, digits, periods (.), underscores (_), and hyphens (-). It must start with a letter.
	Location	Select Alibaba Cloud.
	Region	Select the region in which you want to create the iSCSI gateway.
	Type	The type of the gateway that you want to create. Select iSCSI Gateway.
Gateway Configurations	Edition	The gateway edition. Select Basic, Standard, Enhanced, or Performance Optimized.
	VPC	Select the VPC on which you want to deploy the gateway. Note The VPC must be the one in which your ECS instance or on-premises host is located.
	VSwitch	Select the vSwitch that is connected to the gateway. Note The vSwitch must be the one that is connected to your ECS instance or on-premises host. If no gateway resource is available in the zone where the specified vSwitch resides, create a vSwitch in another zone in the region.
Billing Information	Billing Method	Select Pay-as-you-go or Subscription. For more information, see Billable items and billing methods. If you select Subscription, you are redirected to the buy page after the gateway is created. You need to complete the payment to start using the gateway. For more information, see Purchase a gateway.
Billing Information	Expiration Policy	Select an expiration policy for the gateway. You can select Switch to Pay-as-you-go or Release.

Important

After you create an iSCSI gateway that is deployed on Alibaba Cloud, the system completes the deployment in 5 to 10 minutes. If the Running state is displayed in the Status column, the gateway is deployed and activated.

Add a cache disk

On the Gateways page, click the ID of the iSCSI gateway. On the page that appears, click Caches > Create Cache.
Specify cache disk specifications by using Cache Calculator or Custom Cache settings.
- Cache Calculator: Cache disk settings are automatically recommended based on your application requirements.
- Custom Cache: You need to manually configure a cache disk type and capacity.
  Note
  - Capacity
    The supported capacity range of a cache disk varies with the gateway edition:
    Basic: 20 GB to 4,096 GB
    Standard: 20 GB to 8,192 GB
    Enhanced or Performance Optimized: 20 GB to 3,2768 GB
  - Type
    You can select Ultra Disk, Standard SSD, or ESSD. We recommend that you select ESSD.
  If you add a cache disk to a subscription gateway, you are redirected to the cache disk purchase page. For more information, see Purchase a cache disk.

Create an iSCSI volume

On the Gateways page, click the ID of the iSCSI gateway. On the page that appears, click Volumes > Create.

In the wizard, configure the parameters described in the following table.

Configuration example

Step	Parameter	Description
Bucket Settings	OSS Endpoint	Select an endpoint for the region in which the bucket is located.
	Bucket Name	Specify the name of the bucket. An iSCSI gateway does not support a bucket in the Archive storage class or with a back-to-origin routing configuration.
	Use SSL to Connect Bucket	If you select Yes, the bucket is connected over SSL.
Basic Information	Volume Name	Specify a name for the volume. The name must be 1 to 32 characters in length, and can contain lowercase letters and digits. The name must start with a lowercase letter.
	Recover	Select whether to recover the volume based on the specified OSS bucket. Valid values: Yes: When the OSS bucket has been used as the backend storage of the volume, the system attempts to recover the volume based on the metadata in the bucket, such as the size of the volume. No: The system uses the associated OSS bucket to create a volume.
	Capacity	If you set Recover to No, you must set the Capacity parameter. The capacity must be greater than or equal to 1 GB and less than or equal to 256 TB.
	Mode	The mode that the gateway uses to read and write files. Valid values: Write Through Mode: In Write Through mode, data reads and writes are sent directly to the OSS bucket. Cache Mode: In Cache mode, data reads and writes are preferentially performed in the on-premises cache disk. Generally, iSCSI gateways have better read and write performance in Cache mode.
	Cache	If you set Mode to Cache Mode, you must select a cache disk. Note Make sure that you have added a cache disk to the iSCSI gateway. Otherwise, no cache disk is available.
	Storage Allocation Unit	If you set Recover to No, you must set the Storage Allocation Unit parameter. The supported allocation unit sizes are 8K, 16K, 32K, 64K, and 128K. The default allocation unit size is 32K.
	Authorization	The one-way Challenge-Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP) authentication. If you select CHAP from the Authorization drop-down list, you must set the following parameters: CHAP Username of Initiator: Enter a CHAP username. CHAP Password of Initiator: Enter a CHAP password. The password must be 12 to 16 characters in length.

Use the iSCSI volume. For more information, see Use iSCSI volumes.