Expand Dahua XVR Storage Capacity with an ASUSTOR NAS

COURSE OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this course you should be able to:

1. Create an iSCSI LUN on an ASUSTOR NAS and add it to a Dahua XVR as storage space.

PREREQUISITES
Course Prerequisites:
NAS 308 Introduction to iSCSI

Students are expected to have a working knowledge of:
N/A

OUTLINE

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1. Introduction to iSCSI
iSCSI, (Internet Small Computer System Interface), is an Internet Protocol (IP)-based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities. It offers high expandability and low implementation costs. Through existing network infrastructure and iSCSI you can use your NAS to expand existing storage space or have it act as a backup destination.
iSCSI consists of two ends, a target and an initiator. The initiator (on your computer) functions as an iSCSI client and is used to search for iSCSI hosts and to set up targets. Targets are storage resources that are located on an iSCSI server. An iSCSI target is often a dedicated network-connected hard disk storage device (ASUSTOR NAS).
Note: A single target should not be simultaneously connected to multiple clients or initiators.

2. Creating an iSCSI LUN on Your ASUSTOR NAS
In the following example we will take you through the process of creating an iSCSI volume on an ASUSTOR NAS and then connecting it to a Dahua XVR.

STEP 1

Log into ADM and open [Storage Manager]. Click on the [Create] button under the iSCSI section.

STEP 2

The Create New iSCSI Device window will now appear. Select the [An iSCSI target with one LUN] radio button and click [Next].

STEP 3

Enter a name for your Target and then click [Next].

STEP 4
Select the [No authentication required] radio button and click [Next].
In our example we have chosen not to use authentication. However, if you wish to verify a user's identity you can choose to use CHAP authentication. If you choose to use CHAP authentication, a CHAP password must first be entered from the initiator for verification before it can connect to the target.

STEP 5
Select the [Create a new iSCSI LUN] radio button. Fill in a name for your LUN and select a size for it. Once, you're done click [Next].
Note: A LUN (logical unit number) represents an individually addressable (logical) SCSI device that is part of a physical SCSI device (target). In an iSCSI environment, LUNs are essentially numbered disk drives. An initiator negotiates with a target to establish connectivity to a LUN. LUNs represent slices of your hard disks.

STEP 6

Look over a final summary of your settings. Once you're done, confirm these settings by clicking [Finish].

STEP 7
You will now see the new target that you have created.

3. Adding an iSCSI LUN to a Dahua XVR
3.1 Connecting to an ASUSTOR iSCSI LUN
In the example below, we will connect a Dahua XVR to an iSCSI volume on an ASUSTOR NAS.

STEP 1
Log into the Dahua XVR, select [Setup] > [Storage] and click on [iSCSI].

STEP 2
Enter your ASUSTOR NAS’s IP address and then click on [Set Path].
If you have chosen to use CHAP authentication when setting up iSCSI, please also input the username and password you have configured. You will only be able to connect once authentication is successful.

STEP 3
Select the iSCSI volume you wish to use and then click on [OK].


STEP 4
Click on the [Add] button and then click on the [Save] button to complete configurations.


3.2 Formatting Your Hard Disk
After successfully adding the iSCSI volume, you will need to format your hard disk before using it.

STEP 1
Select the [Setup] tab followed by [Storage] and [HDD Manager].

STEP 2
Select the iSCSI pool you have just added and then click on the [Format] button.
*Please note that this step will remove all data in the iSCSI LUN.

STEP 3
Check that “Normal” is shown in the [Status] column.

3.3 Configuring Recordings
After formating your disk, you can being to configure the paths where camera recordings will be saved.

STEP 1
Select [Setup] > [Storage] > [Advance] and select the [HDD] tab. If you have more than one hard disk you will be able to assign hard disk group numbers for them here.

STEP 2
Select the [Main Stream] tab. Here you will be able to configure the hard disk that the main stream recordings for each camera will be stored on.

STEP 3

Select the [Sub Stream] tab. Here you will be able to configure where the recordings for the sub streams of each camera will be stored.

STEP 4

Select the [Snapshot] tab. Here you will be able to specify where the snapshots for each camera will be stored.

STEP 5

Select [Record] from the left hand panel. Here you will be able to configure the recordings for the streams and snapshots of each camera.

STEP 6

Select [Schedule] from the left hand panel. Here you will be able to configure the recording mode and schedule for each camera.