An independent hardware iSCSI adapter is a specialized third-party adapter capable of accessing iSCSI storage over TCP/IP. This iSCSI adapter handles all iSCSI and network processing and management for your ESXi system.
Prerequisites
- Verify whether the adapter must be licensed.
- Install the adapter on your ESXi host.
For information about licensing, installation, and firmware updates, see vendor documentation.
The process of setting up the independent hardware iSCSI adapter includes these steps.
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| View Independent Hardware iSCSI Adapters | View an independent hardware iSCSI adapter and verify that it is correctly installed and ready for configuration. |
| Modify General Properties for iSCSI or iSER Adapters | If needed, change the default iSCSI name and alias assigned to your iSCSI adapters. For the independent hardware iSCSI adapters, you can also change the default IP settings. |
| Edit Network Settings for Hardware iSCSI | Change default network settings so that the adapter is configured properly for the iSCSI SAN. |
| Configure Dynamic or Static Discovery for iSCSI and iSER on ESXi Host | Set up dynamic discovery. With dynamic discovery, each time the initiator contacts a specified iSCSI storage system, it sends the SendTargets request to the system. The iSCSI system responds by supplying a list of available targets to the initiator. In addition to the dynamic discovery method, you can use static discovery and manually enter information for the targets. |
| Set Up CHAP for iSCSI or iSER Storage Adapter | If your iSCSI environment uses the Challenge Handshake Authentication Protocol (CHAP), configure it for your adapter. |
| Enable Jumbo Frames for Independent Hardware iSCSI | If your iSCSI environment supports Jumbo Frames, enable them for the adapter. |
