Configure Independent Hardware iSCSI Adapter for SAN Boot

If your ESXi host uses an independent hardware iSCSI adapter, such as QLogic HBA, you can configure the adapter to boot from the SAN.

This procedure discusses how to enable the QLogic iSCSI HBA to boot from the SAN. For more information and more up-to-date details about QLogic adapter configuration settings, see the QLogic website.

Prerequisites

Because you start with booting from the VMware installation media, set up your host to boot from CD/DVD-ROM.

Procedure

1. Insert the installation CD/DVD in the CD/DVD-ROM drive and reboot the host.
2. Use the BIOS to set the host to boot from the CD/DVD-ROM drive first.
3. During server POST, press Crtl+q to enter the QLogic iSCSI HBA configuration menu.
4. Select the I/O port to configure.
   By default, the Adapter Boot mode is set to Disable.
5. Configure the HBA.
   1. From the Fast!UTIL Options menu, select Configuration Settings > Host Adapter Settings.
   2. (Optional) Configure the following settings for your host adapter: initiator IP address, subnet mask, gateway, initiator iSCSI name, and CHAP.
6. Configure iSCSI settings.
   See Configure iSCSI Boot Settings.
7. Save your changes and restart the system.