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KB ID: 1129

Configuring the Software iSCSI Initiator in an ESXi 5.x Host that Contains Multiple NICs

Last Updated: 10/15/2024

Note: This procedure may require a reboot of the ESX host. 

1. 1. Open the Vshpere client and select the ESX host to configure.
      1. Click the Configuration tab
      2. In the Hardware section, select "Networking"
      3. On the far right, select "Add Networking"
         
          

          

   2. Select the radio button for "VMkernel" and click Next.
      
   3. Each vmnic listed represents a physical network adapter on the host. Select the vmnic to be used for iSCSI. This should be a vmnic not used by any other service. Then click Next
      
   4. Give the VMkernel port a label. This should be something easily recognizable. Then click Next.
      
   5. Assign an IP address and subnet mask to the VMkernel. This should be a static IP, but a dynamic IP address will work in most cases. Then click Next.
      
   6. Verify that the VMkernel port name, the IP address and the vmnic are all correct, then click Finish.

      Note: If a dynamic IP address was selected, the IP may not be shown here. If the iSCSI Software Adapter already exists, skip to step 9.
      

   7. In the "Hardware" section select "Storage Adapters" section click Add.
      
   8. On this dialog box click OK.
      
   9. In the "Hardware" section select "Storage Adapter". Make sure the iSCSI Software Adapter is selected and then click "Properties" on the right.
      
   10. On the iSCSI Software Adapter property sheet, click "Configure" on the lower right.
       

       Note: If the "Status" shows as "Enabled", skip to step 13.

   11. Select the checkbox to enable the adapter, then click OK.
       
   12. The reboot prompt may appear. Click OK. This will NOT initiate a reboot. The reboot must be done manually later in the process.
       
   13. Select the "Network Configuration" tab and click Add.
       
   14. Select the VMkernel port that was created earlier and click OK.
       
   15. Verify that the correct port shows up.
       
   16. Select the "Dynamic Discovery" tab and click Add.
       
   17. Type in the IP address for the TeraStation. Leave the port number at the default of 3260 and click OK.

       Note: If the TeraStation has multiple IP addresses it is only necessary to add one of them to the discovery tab.
       

   18. Verify that the correct IP address shows up in the window and click Close.
       
   19. A dialog box should pop up requesting a rescan. Click No.
       

       Note: If you received the reboot prompt earlier, at this point the host must be rebooted. Before an ESX host can be rebooted, it must first be put into maintenance mode. If you did not receive the reboot prompt, skip to step 25.

   20. In the left column, right-click on the host and click Enter Maintenance Mode.
       
   21. The "Confirm Maintenance Mode" dialog box will pop up. Click Yes.
       
   22. Right-click on the host again and select "Reboot".
       
   23. The reboot confirmation dialog box will appear. A reason for the reboot can be included here, but is not required. Click OK.
       
   24. Once you are able to log back in to the Vshpere client, right-click on the host and select "Exit Maintenance Mode".
       
   25. On the "Configuration" tab select "Storage Adapters". Right-click the iSCSI Software Adapter and select "Rescan".
       
   26. You should get a message at the bottom under "Recent Tasks" indicating that the "Rescan HBA" task is running. This can take 3-5 minutes. Be patient.
       
   27. When the rescan is complete, you should see some connected targets and devices listed. The number of devices should equal the number of iSCSI volumes created on the TeraStation. The number of connected targets and paths should be identical to each other, but not necessarily match the number of devices. 
       

       At this point iSCSI is working and connected. Now we'll create a partition to store data. In ESX, this is referred to as a "Datastore".

   28. On the "Configuration" tab in the "Hardware" section select "Storage" and click Add Storage.
       
   29. Select the radio button for "Disk/LUN" and click Next.
       
   30. You should see all the available volumes that were created on the TeraStation listed here. Note that the "Path ID" ends with the name given to the volume on the TeraStation. Select the volume you want to use to create the datastore and click Next.
       
   31. Unless you know for a fact that VMFS-3 is needed, select the radio button for VMFS-5 and click Next (VMFS is the VMware File System).
       
   32. Verify that the information shown is correct and then click Next.
       
   33. Provide a name for the datastore. This name is only used by the system administrator and is completely arbitrary.
       
   34. You can split a volume into multiple datastores, but it is recommended to subdivide the storage on the TeraStation and use the maximum space for each datastore. Click Next.
       
   35. Verify that the information shown is correct, then click Finish.
       
   36. At the bottom of the screen under "Recent Tasks" you should see the "Create VMFS Datastore" task running. Depending on the size of the datastore, this could take several minutes.
       
   37. Once the task is complete, the new datastore should be listed on the "Configuration" tab in the "Storage" section.
       

       At this point the datastore is ready for use.