Vmware ESX General iSCSI Troubleshooting Tips

Vmware ESX General iSCSI Troubleshooting Tips:

-iSCSI Software Initiator must be enabled (or an iSCSI HBA installed)
-iSCSI Target IPs have to be entered in the iSCSI Initiator Properties
-iSCSI Client Port must be open in the firewall (port 3260)
-iSCSI Alias cannot be greater than 32 characters if used with the Dell MD3000i (The Alias defaults to the FQDN of the ESX host)

-If Chap Authentication is enabled, the credentials must be entered correctly and this must be the same for all iSCSI targets/devices (you can only enter a single password for iSCSI Software Initiators)

-BOTH a Vmkernel Port and Service Console Port must be configured on the same subnet as the iSCSI Target IP's (It is customary to have these both in a designated virtual switch for iSCSI)

-If there is more than one Nic teamed on the vSwitch with the iSCSI Vmkernel port, it is sometimes best to reduce this to a single Nic for troubleshooting

-From CLI on the ESX Host, you should be able to both "ping" and "vmkping" the iSCSI Target IP's (ping checks Service Console port, vmkping checks Vmkernel port)

-If ping and vmkping connectivity cannot be established with the iSCSI Target IP's, investigate networking and/or possible issues with the iSCSI Target (e.g. Dell MD3000i, Equallogic,  EMC, etc)

-If connectivity cannot be established and Vlans are configured, remove all Vlan configurations and try again
-Viewing iSCSI Sessions on the iSCSI Target (e.g. MD3000i) is a good way of confirming whether there are any active iSCSI connections

The above tips should point you to the right direction.

Hope this helps
Huzeifa Bhai