iSCSI Testing Services FAQ

For general information about our laboratory and membership, see the UNH-IOL FAQ.

About Us

About Us
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What is the UNH-IOL iSCSI Testing Service?

The iSCSI Testing Service is a world class test house for iSCSI products. The testing service brings together members and industry to foster interoperability among iSCSI products and increase the market feasibility of iSCSI technology.

Like other UNH-IOL Testing Services, iSCSI is fully funded by our member companies. Members of the iSCSI Testing Service are industry leaders who have shown a commitment to the interoperability of iSCSI technologies and have agreed to contribute to the iSCSI test bed. The iSCSI Testing Service was founded in 2001. The schedule for testing is through our membership program.

The iSCSI Testing Service can be viewed as an extension of your own in-house test lab. Effective utilization of the services offered by the iSCSI Testing Service can decrease your time to market by identifying potential interoperability issues early in the development process.

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What services do we offer?

The iSCSI Testing Service offers the following benefits to our members:

  • Industry recognized third party verification of your products
  • Full access to one of the most well-equipped and recognized networking labs in the world
  • Access to the iSCSI test bed
  • Cutting edge test equipment and our customized test tools
  • Knowledgeable and friendly staff
  • Assistance in duplicating and solving issues seen in the field
  • Extensive interoperability and conformance test suites
  • Industry recognized testing reports and expert feedback
  • Remote testing of your device(s) anywhere in the world
  • Free participation in Plugfests hosted by the iSCSI Testing Services
  • Full access to all services for a single annual membership fee
  • Increased marketing coverage through our website and use of our logo
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Who are the current active members of the iSCSI Testing Service?

A complete list of all the current active members of the iSCSI Testing Service can be found on our members page.

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What are the membership requirements?

A membership in the iSCSI Testing Service provides access to all iSCSI test suites, the test bed, and group test events. There are three basic membership requirements:

  1. A commitment to abide by the terms set forth in the UNH-IOL Usage Agreement and the iSCSI Charter.
  2. Payment of the annual membership fee.
  3. Addition of a representative piece of equipment to the iSCSI test bed for no less than 18 months.
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What security measures are in place to protect my equipment?

Physical security of the equipment and intellectual property housed at the UNH-IOL is one of our primary concerns. From Section 7.0 "Security of Physical Equipment" of the iSCSI Charter:

"Access to other member(s) device(s) or component(s) is allowed only via a specific network interface(s) defined by the member for gathering iSCSI interoperability information. Information that can be obtained via the network is deemed interoperability information. Physical access to another members' equipment will be via UNH-IOL personnel only."

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How can involvement in the iSCSI Testing Service save my company money?

The primary financial benefit of the iSCSI Testing Service is our extensive conformance and interoperability test services; as a member, you can benefit from our expertise and eliminate the costs of developing such tests internally. Our test suite procedures and methodologies have been reviewed and accepted by the member community, ensuring a uniform interpretation of the standard and the implementation of our tests.

Also, we have an interoperability test bed of iSCSI devices. The services we provide attract the latest developments in iSCSI technology from all our members, ensuring that our test bed remains on the cutting edge. This test bed is available to your company (as a member) to verify proper operation of your iSCSI products.

Finally, your engineers do not need to be physically present at our lab during scheduled testing. We can perform testing autonomously, greatly reducing your travel and labor expenses. In addition, we offer remote testing services which allows us to test your device without it being physically located in our facility.

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How do I become a member?

Read the UNH-IOL Usage Agreement and the iSCSI Charter, then complete, sign and send us a Membership Application along with payment or purchase order for the membership fee. Once we have received the membership application and payment or a purchase order, you can begin taking advantage of membership services.

Details regarding the representative equipment aspect of membership are determined on a case-by-case basis. For more information, please contact Peter Scruton, the iSCSI manager, through our Contact Us.

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How much does it cost to join the iSCSI Testing Service?

The current fees for all active UNH-IOL Testing Services can be found on our annual fees page.

Annual membership provides access to the iSCSI test suites, test bed, and group test events.

We also provide "overtime" testing which is performed outside the UNH-IOL's normal business hours. Overtime testing is offered at an additional fee to members only, in instances where short turnaround times are required. Overtime testing is offered on request and is dependent on the availability of UNH-IOL staff to perform the testing.

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What equipment is in the iSCSI test bed?

A complete list of the equipment in our test bed can be found on our equipment page. For details on specific equipment, including the software and firmware versions that are being used, please Contact Us.

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Where is the list of the upcoming Group Test Periods (a.k.a. Plugfests)?

Upcoming UNH-IOL Plugfests are announced on our Events page.

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Do I need to be present during scheduled testing?

No. Attendance is not required in order for us to perform scheduled testing. However, members who attend often find it easier to troubleshoot interoperability issues as they are discovered.

Members who attend are not limited to our test suites; they are welcome and encouraged to perform their own testing utilizing our test bed as an extension of their own in-house test lab.

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Who will see the results of the testing performed on my product?

Confidentiality of results is of the utmost importance to us. All test results are documented in formal UNH-IOL test reports which are provided solely to the members whose devices are tested. Results are not shared among consortium members, and are not publicly released by the UNH-IOL.

Report recipients are free to distribute copies of their test reports at their discretion, provided they adhere to the guidelines described in Section 6.2.1 of the UNH-IOL Usage Agreement.

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How do I schedule testing?

Testing can be scheduled using our on-line request page. Alternatively, you can contact us to check for availability and discuss specific requirements that you may have.

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How many weeks can I schedule in a year?

Test weeks are reserved on a first-come, first served basis. Members in good standing may have, at most, one active reservation per membership at any given point in time. In other words, additional weeks may not be reserved until the currently reserved week has been used. This allows for fair access to all consortium members. The number of weeks that any one member may use in one year is limited only by the number of total consortium members, and the overall frequency of requests.

For cases where members wish to bypass the existing scheduling mechanism when time-critical services are required, overtime testing is also available. For more information regarding this service, see Section 4.1.3 of the iSCSI Charter.