iSCSI vs. NFS
http://www.racktopsystems.com/choosing-nfs-over-iscsi/
This is a perennial subject when choosing shared storage for virtualization of VDI.
The common wisdom is that iSCSI is faster than NFS and NFS is easier to manage than iSCSI.
By default, iSCSI writes are async (writeback cache enabled) and NFS writes are sync. This goes a long way towards explaining the common impression that iSCSI (block storage) is faster than NFS (file storage).
With ZFS storage servers, with an iSCSI setup with VM's, setting sync=always
is the correct way to go for data integrity, but it may be slower.
With ZFS storage servers, you should implement a fast SSD (or better) SLOG device (per pool) which significantly speeds up sync writes.
In reality, the decision to use one or the other method of storage access is not so simple. It may take (somewhat tedious) testing in your own environment in addition to some significant research on your part to develop your own understanding.
Facts:
This author is more familiar with NFS
iSCSI is block storage
NFS storage is file storage
NFS is easier to manage
Transactional applications need better storage performance
Sync writes are required
Databases
Virtualization
HA Notes: