vCLI: Managing iSCSI Storage
As I want to get deeper into VMware CLI (vCLI) I deciced to make a summary of the vSphere Command-Line Interface Installation and Scripting Guide. Every chapter will be a separate blog post.
This summary is meant for my documentation but feel free to make use of it.
In this blog post: Managing iSCSI Storage
Setting up Software iSCSI
- Determine the HBA type and retrieve the HBA ID (you will get something back like vmhba32)
vicfg-iscsi –adapter –list - Enable the Software iSCSI client
vicfg-iscsi –swiscsi –enable
You can check the status with
vicfg-iscsi –swiscsi –list - If you want you can set the iSCSI name (IQN) or alias
vicfg-iscsi -I -n <iscsi_name> <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi –iscsiname –name <iscsi_name> <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi -I -a <alias_name> <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi –iscsiname –alias <alias_name> <adapter_name> - Add a dynamic discovery address or a static discovery address
Dynamic: vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> –discovery –add –ip <ip_addr | domain_name> <adapter_name>
Static: vicfg-iscsi <conn_options> –static –add –ip <ip_addr | domain_name> –name <iscsi_name <adapter_name> - If you want to use CHAP authentication
vicfg-iscsi –authentication –level <level> –method <auth_method>
–auth_username <auth_u_name> –auth_password <auth_password>
[–ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [-name <iscsi_name]]
<adapter_name> - If you want to use mutual CHAP run the vicfg-iscsi -A command again with the -b option. Best practice is to use a different username and password.
For the <level> you can use:- chapProhibited to disable host CHAP authentication
- chapRequired to enable host CHAP authentication
- For additional iSCSI paremeters use vicfg-iscsi -W
- Rescan the host with vicfg-rescan
Setting up Dependent Hardware iSCSI
- Determine the HBA type and retrieve the HBA ID (you will get something back like vmhba32)
vicfg-iscsi –adapter –list - If you want you can set the iSCSI name (IQN) or alias
vicfg-iscsi -I -n <iscsi_name> <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi –iscsiname –name <iscsi_name> <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi -I -a <alias_name> <adapter_name>
vicfg-iscsi –iscsiname –alias <alias_name> <adapter_name> - Set up port binding
- Identify the VMkernel port of the dependent hardware iSCSI adapter.
esxcli <conn_options> swiscsi vmknic list -d <vmhba> - Connect the dependent hardware iSCSI initiator to the iSCSI VMkernel ports by running the
following command for each port.
esxcli <conn_options> swiscsi nic add -n <port_name> -d <vmhba> - Verify that the ports were added to the dependent hardware iSCSI initiator.
esxcli <conn_options> swiscsi nic list -d <vmhba> - Rescan the dependent hardware iSCSI initiator.
vicfg-rescan <conn_options> <vmhba>
- Identify the VMkernel port of the dependent hardware iSCSI adapter.
- The rest of the steps are the same as from step 4 Software iSCSI
Setting up independent Hardware iSCSI
- Determine the HBA Type and HBA ID
vicf-iscsi –adapter –list - Configure the HBA by running vicfg-iscsi -N with one or more of the following options:
- –list (list network adapters)
- –ip <ip address> (sets the HBA IPv4 address)
- –subnetmask <subnetmask> (Sets the HBA subnetmask)
- –gateway <default gateway> (Set the default gateway)
- –set ARP=TRUE|FALSE (enable or disable ARP redirect)
Of course you can use these option in one command line
- The rest is the same as from step 3 Software iSCSI
vicfg-iscsi Command syntax
| -A –authentication | -c <level> -m <auth_method> -b -u <ma_username> -w <ma_password> [-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [-n <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name> –level <level> –method <auth_method> –mutual –auth_username <ma_username> –auth_password <ma_password> [–ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [–name <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name> |
Enables mutual authentication. You must enable authentication before you can enable mutual authentication. |
| -A –authentication | -c <level> -m <auth_method> -u <auth_u_name> -w <a_password> [-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [-n <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name> –level <level> –method <auth_method> –auth_username <auth_u_name> –auth_password <auth_password> [–ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [–name <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name> |
Enables authentication using the specified options. |
| -A –authentication | -l <adapter_name> –list <adapter_name> |
Lists supported authentication methods. |
| -D –discovery | -a -i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname[:<portnum>] <adapter_name> –add –ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] <adapter_name> |
Adds a dynamic discovery address. |
| -D –discovery | -l <adapter_name> –list <adapter_name> |
Lists dynamic discovery addresses. |
| -D –discovery | -r -i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname>[:<portnum>] <adapter_name> –remove –ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] <adapter_name> |
Removes a dynamic discovery address. |
| -H | -l [<adapter_name>] –list [<adapter_name>] |
Lists all iSCSI adapters or a specified adapter. |
| -L –lun | -l <adapter_name> –list <adapter_name> |
Lists LUN information. |
| -L –lun | -l -t <target_ID> <adapter_name> –list –target_id <target_id> <adapter_name> |
Lists LUN information for a specific target. |
| -N –network (Independent hardware iSCSI only) | -l <adapter_name> –list <adapter_name> |
Lists network properties. |
| -N –network (Independent hardware iSCSI only) | -i <ip_addr> <adapter_name> –ip <ip_addr> <vmhba> |
Sets the HBA IPv4 address to ip_addr. |
| -N –network (Independent hardware iSCSI only) | -s <subnet_mask> <adapter_name> –subnetmask <subnet_mask> <adapter_name> |
Sets the HBA network mask to subnet_mask. |
| -N –network (Independent hardware iSCSI only) | -g <default_gateway> <adapter_name> –gateway <default_gateway> <adapter_name> |
Sets the HBA gateway to default_gateway. |
| -N –network (Independent hardware iSCSI only) | -i <ip_addr> -s <subnet mask> -g <default_gateway> <adapter_name> –ip <ip_addr> –subnetmask <subnet_mask> –gateway <default_gateway> <adapter_name> |
Sets the IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway in one command. |
| -p –pnp (Independent hardware iSCSI only) | -l <adapter_name> –list <adapter_name> |
Lists physical network portal options. |
| -p –pnp (Independent hardware iSCSI only) | -M <mtu_size> <adapter_name> –mtu <mtu-size> <adapter_name> |
Sets physical network portal options. |
| -I –iscsiname | -a <alias_name> <adapter_name> –alias <alias_name> <adapter_name> |
Sets the iSCSI initiator alias. |
| -I –iscsiname | -n <iscsi_name> <adapter_name> –name <iscsi_name> <adapter_name> |
Sets the iSCSI initiator name. |
| -I –iscsiname | -l <adapter_name> –list <adapter_name> |
Lists iSCSI initiator options. |
| -M –mtu | -p -M <mtu_size> <adapter_name> –pnp –mtu <mtu-size> <adapter_name> |
Sets MTU size. Used with the –pnp option. |
| -S –static | -l <adapter_name> –list <adapter_name> |
Lists static discovery addresses. |
| -S –static | -r -i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] -n <target_name> <adapter_name> –remove –ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] -name <target_name> <adapter_name> |
Removes a static discovery address. |
| -S –static | -a -i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] -n <target_name> <adapter_name> –add –ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] -name <target_name> <adapter_name> |
Adds a static discovery address. |
| -P –phba | -l <adapter_name> –list <adapter_name> |
Lists external, vendor‐specific properties of an iSCSI adapter. |
| -T –target | -l <adapter_name> –list <adapter_name> |
Lists target information. |
| -W ‐‐parameter | -l [-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [-n <iscsi_name]] <adapter_name> –list [–ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [–name <iscsi_name]] <adapter_name> |
Lists iSCSI parameter information. |
| -W ‐‐parameter | -l -k [-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [-n <iscsi_name]] <adapter_name> –list –detail [–ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [–name <iscsi_name]] <adapter_name> |
Lists iSCSI parameter details. |
| -W ‐‐parameter | -W -j <name>=<value> -i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:port_num>] [-n <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name> –parameter –set <name>=<value> –ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:port_num>] [–name <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name> |
Sets iSCSI parameters. |
| -W ‐‐parameter | -W -o <param_name> -i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:port_num>] [-n <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name> -parameter –reset <param_name> -ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:port_num>] [-name <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name> |
Returns parameters in discovery target or send target to default inheritance behavior. |
| -z –reset_auth | -a -z -m <auth_method> -b [-i <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [-n <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name> –authentication –reset_auth –method <auth_method> [–ip <stor_ip_addr|stor_hostname> [:<portnum>] [–name <iscsi_name>]] <adapter_name> |
Resets target level authentication properties to be inherited from adapter level. Used with the –authentication option. |
Michael Wilmsen is a experienced VMware Architect with more than 20 years in the IT industry. Main focus is VMware vSphere, Horizon View and Hyper Converged with a deep interest into performance and architecture.
Michael is VCDX 210 certified, has been rewarded with the vExpert title from 2011, Nutanix Tech Champion and a Nutanix Platform Professional.
