tdi is not precluded in a specific implementation the core architecture may be based on the microsoft miniport driver model as implemented with standard session mode drivers in the case of supporting the microsoft tdi interface and associated tcp ip stack the core runs as a microsoft port driver minimal iscsi functionality may be provided by the api so as to facilitate portability and allowing as much iscsi protocol handling as possible to be provided in the core e g support for dual mode initiator and target and iscsi immediate data in a specific implementation the core includes multiple iscsi core modules that implement the iscsi protocol and the driver uses interfaces to the microsoft operating system flare transport driver and layered drivers the network stack and hardware offload devices the modules include the following an initialization manager inm manages and controls initialization for all the modules a session manager ssn manages and maintains context for iscsi sessions a connection manager cxm manages and maintains context for iscsi connections an exchange manager exm manages and maintains context for iscsi 10 operations an operating system wrapper osw api implements a multi protocol dual mode driver interface supporting the operating system tcd and layered drivers api 160 implements the hardware offload or software interface to which the core is attached fig2 illustrates three sample implementations.