iSCSI and newbie questions

[bella1]

Hello to everyone,

 

 

I am completely new to the world of servers (only yesterday I installed Windows server 2012) and have a few questions that could not find any answers online. My questions mainly relate to iscsi.

 

 

My setup: One machine with Windows 8.1 (main pc which is my initiator) and windows server on a machine where I am using for now as storage and backup.

 

 

My questions are:

 

 

1) I set up the server 2012 and created a "mirrored" "thin" storage pool.

I then created an iscsi virtual disk using the "Dynamically expanding" disk option.

Then I connected it via the initiator in the Windows 8.1 machine. Before initializing and formatting the newly found hdd on windows 8.1, there is the option to use the drive as "simple,stripped,mirrored,dynamic disk" volume. I chose simple volume.

 

 

I am greatly confused of the end result in the varying possible scenarios that can be created having all this options at hand. Does the server configuration always take precedent?

 

 

For example, what are the implications for if I create a 2 "mirrored thin" storage pools, use "dynamically expanding" for both the iscsi setup, and then use mirrored again for enabling the iscsi vhds in windows 8? Does Windows 8 create a mirrored disk while the server also creates a mirrored disk?

 

 

2) If I enable CHAP while setting up iscsi, does that mean that, that in case the windows 8 machine is infected with a virus (going to extremes just for this example) i.e. ransom-ware does this mean that the files in the iscsi windows 8 machine cannot be infected?

 

3) Is "thick" provisioning when setting up a "storage pool and "fixed size" when setting up iSCSI the same thing?

 

Regards!