Frequently Asked Question

Overview

SAN (Storage Area Network) is an effective solution for enterprises to overcome the challenges of dealing with more complex projects, especially with increasingly larger file sizes in recent years. Due to the fact that the entry-costs of SAN is considerably higher compared to the majority of networking storage protocols, small business industries are tending towards iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface) as an alternative way to optimize limited computer equipment and lower budget when implementing SAN into their business environment.
This article will guide you through the steps of using the iSCSI solution offered by Synology NAS on a Mac-based computer.

1. Before you start

This article assumes that you have done the following tasks:

• Set up Synology NAS
• Installed Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM, web-based operating system of Synology NAS)
• Created a volume
• Created iSCSI Targets

2. Mount iSCSI Targets on Mac computers

Please note that at the time this article was written, there is no Apple-branded iSCSI Initiator software for current Lion or Snow Leopard operating systems. There are iSCSI Initiator Tools available from third parties. This guide will utilize an iSCSI Initiator (globalSAN) to mount iSCSI Target as an example.
To achieve best reliability of accessing virtual storage, it's best to eject the iSCSI Target prior to having either the Mac computer going to sleep, or having the hard drives on Synology NAS entering hibernation mode. Alternatively, the power management of Synology NAS and Mac computer can be disabled to avoid ejecting the iSCSI Target.

1. Go to System Preference and open globalSAN.
2. Click on the lock icon to make changes, and then click on the + icon > Portal/Group.
3. Enter the IP address or DNS name of the Synology NAS that is hosting iSCSI Targets, and then click Add.
4. Click on the + icon > Target to browse iSCSI Targets of the Synology NAS.
5. Select the desired iSCSI Target and click Connect.
6. If CHAP is used, do the following to enter its information before connecting to the iSCSI Targets.
   • Click Authentication.
   • Select Challenge Handshake Authentication (CHAP), and then enter the information in the user and Target authentication fields. Click OK to apply the settings.
7. You will see that the connection is now active.

3. Format iSCSI Targets for use on Mac computers

After an iSCSI Target has been mounted on a Mac computer, it has to be formatted before it can be used. A prompt will appear for you to initialize the newly installed hard drive.

1. Click Initialize to proceed.
2. Do the following to proceed with hard drive partitioning:
   • Select the new iSCSI virtual disk.
   • Click on the Partition tab.
   • Select a volume scheme.
   • Enter a name for the volume.
   • Click Apply to save the settings.
3. Click Partition to start. The system will take a few moments to process the partitioning of the new drive.
4. Once finished, you will see that a new volume has been created.
5. You will also see this new volume on the desktop, indicating that the new drive is ready to be used.

4. Dismount iSCSI Targets on Mac computers

In this section, we will guide administrators to safely dismount or eject iSCSI Targets from Mac computers. Before proceeding, please save and close all applications or open documents associated to iSCSI Target.

1. Eject the iSCSI Target from the desktop or from Finder.
2. Go to System Preferences and open globalSAN, and click Target.
3. Click on the arrow icon, and select the iSCSI Target to be dismounted.
4. Click Disconnect.
5. Once the iSCSI Target has been successfully dismounted or ejected, you will no longer be able to access it on your Mac computer.