Storage adapters provide connectivity for your ESXi host to a specific storage unit or network. ESXi supports different classes of adapters, including SCSI, NVMe, iSCSI, RAID, Fibre Channel, Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE), and Ethernet. ESXi accesses the adapters directly through device drivers in the VMkernel.

Depending on the type of storage you use, you might need to enable and configure a storage adapter on your host.

You can display details for the available storage adapters and review their information.

Prerequisites

You must enable certain adapters, for example software iSCSI, before you can view their information. To configure adapters, see Configuring iSCSI and iSER Adapters and Storage with ESXi.

Procedure

  1. In the vSphere Client, navigate to the ESXi host.
  2. Click the Configure tab.
  3. Under Storage, click Storage Adapters.
  4. Use the icons to perform storage adapter tasks.

    Availability of specific icons depends on the storage configuration.

    Icon Description
    Add Software Adapter Add a storage adapter. Applies to software iSCSI.
    Refresh Refresh information about storage adapters, topology, and file systems on the host.
    Rescan Storage Rescan all storage adapters on the host to discover newly added storage devices or VMFS datastores.
    Rescan Adapter Rescan the selected adapter to discover newly added storage devices.
  5. To view details for a specific adapter, select the adapter from the list.
  6. Use tabs under Adapter Details to access additional information and modify properties for the selected adapter.
    Tab Description
    Properties Review general adapter properties that typically include a name and model of the adapter and unique identifiers formed according to specific storage standards. For some types of adapters, you can use this tab to configure additional properties, for example, authentication.
    Devices View storage devices the adapter can access. Use the tab to perform basic device management tasks. See Display Storage Devices for an Adapter.
    Paths List and manage all paths the adapter uses to access storage devices.
    Targets (Fibre Channel and iSCSI) Review and manage targets accessed through the adapter.
    Network Port Binding (iSCSI only) Configure port binding for software and dependent hardware iSCSI adapters.
    Advanced Options (iSCSI only) Configure advanced parameters for iSCSI.