In
computer data storage
Computer data storage is a technology consisting of computer components and recording media that are used to retain digital data. It is a core function and fundamental component of computers.
The central processing unit (CPU) of a comput ...
, a SCSI initiator is the endpoint that initiates a
SCSI
Small Computer System Interface (SCSI, ) is a set of standards for physically connecting and transferring data between computers and peripheral devices. The SCSI standards define commands, protocols, electrical, optical and logical interface ...
session, that is, sends a SCSI command. The initiator usually does not provide any
Logical Unit Numbers (LUNs).
On the other hand, a SCSI target is the endpoint that does ''not'' initiate sessions, but instead waits for initiators' commands and provides required
input/output
In computing, input/output (I/O, or informally io or IO) is the communication between an information processing system, such as a computer, and the outside world, possibly a human or another information processing system. Inputs are the signals ...
data transfers. The target usually provides to the initiators one or more
LUNs, because otherwise no read or write command would be possible.
Detailed information
Typically, a
computer
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations ( computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These prog ...
is an initiator and a
data storage device
Data storage is the recording (storing) of information (data) in a storage medium. Handwriting, phonographic recording, magnetic tape, and optical discs are all examples of storage media. Biological molecules such as RNA and DNA are consi ...
is a target. As in a
client–server architecture, an initiator is analogous to the client, and a target is analogous to the server. Each SCSI address (each identifier on a SCSI
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
) displays behavior of initiator, target, or (rarely) both at the same time. There is nothing in the SCSI protocol that prevents an initiator from acting as a target or vice versa.
SCSI initiators are sometimes wrongly called '' controllers''. See the
SCSI host adapter article for a more detailed description of initiator's operation.
Other protocols
''Initiator'' and ''target'' terms are applicable not only to traditional
parallel SCSI
Parallel SCSI (formally, SCSI Parallel Interface, or SPI) is the earliest of the interface implementations in the SCSI family. SPI is a parallel bus; there is one set of electrical connections stretching from one end of the SCSI bus to the othe ...
, but also to
Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP),
iSCSI
Internet Small Computer Systems Interface or iSCSI ( ) is an Internet Protocol-based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities. iSCSI provides block-level access to storage devices by carrying SCSI commands over a TCP/IP ...
(see
iSCSI target),
HyperSCSI HyperSCSI is an outdated computer network protocol for accessing storage by sending and receiving SCSI commands. It was developed by researchers at the Data Storage Institute in Singapore in 2000 to 2003.
HyperSCSI is unlike iSCSI in that it bypas ...
, (in some sense)
SATA
SATA (Serial AT Attachment) is a computer bus interface that connects host bus adapters to mass storage devices such as hard disk drives, optical drives, and solid-state drives. Serial ATA succeeded the earlier Parallel ATA (PATA) standard t ...
,
ATA over Ethernet (AoE),
InfiniBand
InfiniBand (IB) is a computer networking communications standard used in high-performance computing that features very high throughput and very low latency. It is used for data interconnect both among and within computers. InfiniBand is also use ...
,
DSSI and many other storage networking protocols.
Address versus port
In most of these protocols, an address (whether it is initiator or target) is roughly equivalent to physical device's port. Situations where a single physical port hosts multiple addresses, or where a single address is accessible from one device's multiple ports are not very common, . Even when using
multipath I/O to achieve
fault tolerance
Fault tolerance is the property that enables a system to continue operating properly in the event of the failure of one or more faults within some of its components. If its operating quality decreases at all, the decrease is proportional to the ...
, the
device driver
In computing, a device driver is a computer program that operates or controls a particular type of device that is attached to a computer or automaton. A driver provides a software interface to hardware devices, enabling operating systems and o ...
switches between different targets or initiators statically bound on physical ports, instead of sharing a static address between physical ports.
See also
*
Master/slave (technology)
Master/slave is a model of asymmetric communication or control where one device or process (the "master") controls one or more other devices or processes (the "slaves") and serves as their communication hub. In some systems, a master is select ...
*
SCSI architectural model
*
iSCSI target
SCSI
Computer storage devices
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