.. _Accessing iSCSI Targets from VMware ESXi:

Accessing iSCSI Targets from VMware ESXi
----------------------------------------

Before using |product_name| volumes with VMware ESXi, you need to configure it to properly work with ALUA Active/Passive storage arrays. It is recommended to switch to the ``VMW_PSP_RR`` path selection policy (PSP) to avoid any issues. For example, on VMware ESXi 6.5:

- to set the default PSP for all devices, run

  ::

       # esxcli storage nmp satp rule add --satp VMW_SATP_ALUA --vendor VSTORAGE \
       --model VSTOR-DISK --psp VMW_PSP_RR -c tpgs_on

- to set the PSP for a specific device, run

  ::

       # esxcli storage core claimrule load

Now you can proceed to create datastores from |product_name| volumes exported via iSCSI. Log in to the VMware ESXi web panel and do the following:

#. In the Navigator, go to the **Storage** > **Adapters** tab and click **Configure iSCSI**.

   .. image:: /images/stor_image90.png
      :align: center
      :class: align-center

#. In the **Configure iSCSI** window, click **Add static target** in the **Static targets** section, fill out target IQNs, IP addresses, and ports. Click **Save configuration**.

   .. image:: /images/stor_image91.png
      :align: center
      :class: align-center

#. Proceed to the **Devices** tab and click **Refresh**. The newly added disk will appear in the list of devices.

   .. image:: /images/stor_image92.png
      :align: center
      :class: align-center

#. Select the disk and click **New datastore**. In the wizard that appears, enter a name for the datastore and select partitioning options. Click **Finish** to actually partition the disk.

   .. warning:: Partitioning the disk will erase all data from it.

The ready-to-use disk will appear in the list of datastores. You can now view its contents it with the datastore browser and provision it to VMs.

.. image:: /images/stor_image93.png
   :align: center
   :class: align-center

.. note:: If your ESXi host loses connectivity to VMFS3 or VMFS5 datastores, follow the instructions in `KB article #2113956 <https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2113956>`__.