Microsoft supports Microsoft SQL Server 2000 and Microsoft SQL Server 2005 when it is deployed on Internet small computer system interface (iSCSI) technology components that have received the "Designed for Windows" Logo Program qualification. SQL Server installations that use iSCSI will require these iSCSI hardware devices in addition to the network adapters that are required for typical network communications.

iSCSI is a SCSI transport protocol for mapping block-oriented storage data over TCP/IP networks. When you deploy SQL Server in an iSCSI environment, Microsoft recommends that you use appropriate caution. The involvement of a network may introduce components that are not typically viewed as high speed I/O paths.

Microsoft operating systems present the iSCSI devices as ordinary drives. To users and applications, including SQL Server 2000 and SQL Server 2005, the remote destination is encapsulated. To maximize throughput, use caution to make sure that the computer that is running SQL Server is configured to maximize caching activities, and make sure that the latency that is involved with the iSCSI traffic is minimized. For more information about iSCSI technology and iSCSI support, visit the following Microsoft Web site: