Intel® Ethernet Data Center Bridging (DCB) Service (iSCSI) FAQ

Documentation

Install & Setup

000007134

07/06/2022

Answers frequently asked questions about Intel® Ethernet Data Center Bridging (DCB) service for iSCSI with Intel® Ethernet Server Adapters.

Note

Intel® Ethernet Data Center Bridging (DCB) service for iSCSI is not compatible with Microsoft Server 2012* Native NIC Teaming
Intel Ethernet DCB service for iSCSI is incompatible with Microsoft Server 2012 NIC Teaming, also known as Load Balancing/Failover (LBFO).

  • Do not create an LBFO team using Intel® Ethernet 10 gigabit ports when Intel Ethernet DCB service for iSCSI is installed.
  • Do not install Intel Ethernet DCB service for iSCSI if Intel Ethernet 10 gigabit ports are part of an LBFO team.

Install failures and persistent link loss may occur if Intel Ethernet DCB service for iSCSI and LBFO are used on the same port.

 

Which Intel® Ethernet Server Adapters support iSCSI using DCB?

  • Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540-T1
  • Intel® Ethernet Converged Network Adapter X540-T2
  • Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter X520-DA2
  • Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter X520-SR1
  • Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter X520-SR2
  • Intel® Ethernet Server Adapter X520-T2

What software do I need for iSCSI using DCB?

Intel® Network Connections software versions 15.8.1 and later support ISCSI using DCB.

Which operating systems are supported?

  • Windows Server 2012*
  • Windows Server 2008 R2*
  • Windows Server 2008* SP2
  • Linux* kernel version 2.6.39 and later using Open-iSCSI
Note Data Center Bridging (DCB) and Virtual Machine Queues (VMQ) are not compatible. If you enable both DCB and VMQ, communications will fail. Intel plans to support VMQ with DCB in a future software release.

 

Do Intel® Ethernet Adapters work with Windows Server* 2012 native support for DCB?

Yes. You must install Intel® PROSet for Windows* device manager to enable support for DCB in Windows Server* 2012. No additional Intel® Network Connections DCB software components are required.

How do I install the DCB for iSCSI software in Windows*?

Select iSCSI using Data Center Bridging in the Setup Options screen of the Intel® Network Connections installation wizard.

Setup Options screen

Note ISCSI using Data Center Bridging feature selection is only available when an Intel® Ethernet Adapter supporting the feature is installed.

 

Can I enable DCB for both iSCSI and FCoE on the same port?

Yes. Network bandwidth will be shared between iSCSI, FCoE, and other LAN traffic according to the bandwidth assigned to each priority group.

Related topics
FAQ: Intel® Ethernet DCB Service for FCoE
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6*: iscsi-initiator-utils bug fix and enhancement update
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.1*: Technical Notes: iscsi-initiator-utils
Open-iSCSI