An iSCSI initiator, sometimes referred to as an iSCSI client, accesses storage on any iSCSI target to which it is assigned. Each iSCSI initiator can be assigned zero or more iSCSI targets. After an iSCSI initiator is assigned to an iSCSI target, it can log on to the iSCSI target. Any disks assigned to that iSCSI target are then accessible by the iSCSI initiator. For additional information about how iSCSI targets provide and limit iSCSI initiator access to virtual disks, see Creating and Managing iSCSI Targets.
You can use Microsoft iSCSI Software Initiator or another iSCSI initiator to provide the functionality required to access iSCSI targets. Managing iSCSI initiator access also requires understanding and setting up components appropriate to the access requirements. This includes managing security, error detection, and network connections, as well as setting up Internet Storage Name Service (iSNS) server access, as appropriate.
If you set up failover clustering, iSCSI initiators access the iSCSI target using the IP address resource or network name resource of the highly available instance you configured. For more information about the resource group, see Configuring iSCSI Storage for High Availability.