You must activate your software iSCSI adapter so that your host can use it to access iSCSI storage. A software iSCSI adapters is VMware code that is built into the VMkernel. With the software iSCSI adapter, you can use iSCSI technology without specialized hardware.

You can activate only one software iSCSI adapter.

Procedure
1

Log in to the vSphere Web Client.

2

Select the ESXi-A host in the inventory.

3

Click the Manage tab, and click Storage.

4

Click Storage Adapters, and click the Add new storage adapter icon.

5

Select Software iSCSI Adapter and confirm that you want to add the adapter.

6

In the Adapter Details panel, click Enable.

The software iSCSI adapter appears on the list of storage adapters. After enabling the adapter, the host assigns a default iSCSI name to it, such as vmhba#.

What to do next

Create a VMkernel adapter and a standard switch to associate with the iSCSI software adapter. The iSCSI adapter handles iSCSI processing while communicating with the network adapter.

Next topic: Create a VMkernel Adapter for iSCSI