Many network cards have various feature settings that can improve performance. Not all of these features are available on all network adapters. Jumbo Frames, TCP Checksum Offload and Large Send Offload can be enabled to improve performance. Windows Server 2003 is the first Windows platform that supports network adapters that include hardware TCP Checksum Offload and Large Send Offload features.
In the case of Microsoft Windows Server-based iSCSI target solutions, the network interface adapter settings should be examined on both the iSCSI initiator and the iSCSI target solution. It may be possible to have one side of the iSCSI communication highly optimized and the other side not optimized, resulting in reduced performance. The network features discussed in this section should be examined on the iSCSI initiator and, where possible, the iSCSI target. Implementations and impacts of these features on the iSCSI target may vary.
Network switches should have Jumbo Frames enabled. Flow control may also need to be enabled in the switch and network adapters if there is heavy network congestion. Enterprise switches are generally designed to be used in higher-traffic networks and are better choices than low-cost switches for iSCSI traffic.
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