vsphere-esxi-vcenter-server-55-storage-guide

vSphere StorageInstall ESXi to iSCSI TargetWhen setting up your host to boot from iBFT iSCSI, install the ESXi image to the target LUN.Prerequisites• Configure iSCSI boot firmware on your boot NIC to point to the target LUN that you want to use as theboot LUN.• Change the boot sequence in the BIOS so that iSCSI precedes the DVD-ROM.• If you use Broadcom adapters, set Boot to iSCSI target to Disabled.Procedure1 Insert the installation media in the CD/DVD-ROM drive and restart the host.2 When the installer starts, follow the typical installation procedure.3 When prompted, select the iSCSI LUN as the installation target.The installer copies the ESXi boot image to the iSCSI LUN.4 After the system restarts, remove the installation DVD.Boot ESXi from iSCSI TargetAfter preparing the host for an iBFT iSCSI boot and copying the ESXi image to the iSCSI target, perform theactual boot.Prerequisites• Configure the iSCSI boot firmware on your boot NIC to point to the boot LUN.• Change the boot sequence in the BIOS so that iSCSI precedes the boot device.• If you use Broadcom adapters, set Boot to iSCSI target to EnabledProcedure1 Restart the host.The host boots from the iSCSI LUN using iBFT data. During the first boot, the iSCSI initialization scriptsets up default networking. The network setup is persistent after subsequent reboots.2 (Optional) Adjust networking configuration using the vSphere Web Client.Networking Best PracticesTo boot the ESXi host from iSCSI using iBFT, you must properly configure networking.To achieve greater security and better performance, have redundant network adapters on the host.How you set up all the network adapters depends on whether your environment uses shared or isolatednetworks for the iSCSI traffic and host management traffic.Shared iSCSI and Management NetworksConfigure the networking and iSCSI parameters on the first network adapter on the host. After the hostboots, you can add secondary network adapters to the default port group.112 VMware, Inc.