The SCSI Target Mode Driver component is a platform agnostic module used on embedded applications running Linux and other operating systems. It provides infrastructure for the access to the storage interface hardware (Host Bus Adapter) within a general-purpose operating system. The BSI SCSI Target Mode Driver implements the functionality of what is known as the SCSI transport services layer. The SCSI transport layer can be a traditional parallel SCSI, SAS, Fiber Channel or iSCSI. Commands, status and data are sent and received via the Target Mode Driver API.
“WinDriver was selected to provide platform portability for our storage interface hardware driver components for the most popular GPOS” says Terry Spear, BSI’s CTO. “The BSI software is designed to be platform independent supporting both embedded real time (RTOS) and general purpose operating systems (GPOS). WinDriver was the enabling technology to allow our software to be platform independent in the latest generation GPOSs. It also allowed our embedded storage interface driver products to be quickly ported to Linux and Solaris.”
“Our alternative to using WinDriver was to build a traditional OS specific driver for each storage interface HBA we wanted to support. This created a “m x n” problem of the number of unique drivers we would have to create and support. As a cost savings move, BSI used WinDriver to reduce the “m x n” to “n”.”
BSI’s user level applications as the Virtual Disk Software (VDS) and Virtual Tape Library (VTL) use the Target Mode Driver to access the hardware on the supported operating systems.