Now move to your client machine. For Ubuntu 18.04:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install open-iscsi -y
Configure the initiator name:
sudo nano /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi
Set it manually (must match any ACL you create):
InitiatorName=iqn.1994-05.com.redhat:client1
Now, discover the target:
sudo iscsiadm -m discovery -t sendtargets -p 192.168.100.10:3260
Expected output: 192.168.100.10:3260,1 iqn.2024.com.example:cake18target
Login to the target:
sudo iscsiadm -m node --targetname "iqn.2024.com.example:cake18target" --portal "192.168.100.10:3260" --login
Check the session:
sudo iscsiadm -m session -P 1
You should see a new block device, e.g., /dev/sdb.
If you’re building a virtualized environment or a bare-metal cluster, shared storage is non-negotiable. While NFS is the friendly neighbor, iSCSI is the professional: block-level, efficient, and brutally fast.
Recently, I sat down with Cake OS 18—the stable, ZFS-powered NAS operating system that feels like FreeNAS’s cooler, more deterministic cousin. The goal was simple: spin up an iSCSI target so my Proxmox nodes could stop fighting over local SSDs. iscsi cake 18 install
Here is the proper walkthrough of getting iSCSI working on Cake 18. No fluff, just the frosting.
# Create an RBD pool and image for iSCSI
ceph osd pool create iscsi-pool 64 64
rbd create --size 100G iscsi-pool/disk1
# Install iscsi-initiator-utils
sudo dnf install iscsi-initiator-utils
| Component | Requirement |
|-----------|--------------|
| Ceph cluster | Reef 18.2.x, healthy, with RBD pool |
| Gateway nodes | 1+ dedicated nodes or collocated with MON/MGR (not recommended for prod) |
| OS | RHEL 9 / Rocky 9 / Ubuntu 22.04 (LTS) |
| Networking | Separate frontend (iSCSI initiator) and backend (Ceph cluster) networks recommended |
| Packages | ceph-iscsi, tcmu-runner, targetcli, python3-rtslib |
| Authentication | CHAP optional but recommended |
Before diving into the installation, let's deconstruct the keyword: Now move to your client machine
Combining these gives you a production-ready, resilient iSCSI solution.