6.0.1

Guidelines for Using iSCSI Port Binding in ESXi
You can use multiple VMkernel adapters bound to iSCSI to have multiple paths to an iSCSI array that
broadcasts a single IP address.
When you use port binding for multipathing, follow these guidelines:
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iSCSI ports of the array target must reside in the same broadcast domain and IP subnet as the VMkernel
adapters.
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All VMkernel adapters used for iSCSI port binding must reside in the same broadcast domain and IP
subnet.
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All VMkernel adapters used for iSCSI connectivity must reside in the same virtual switch.
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Port binding does not support network routing.
Do not use port binding when any of the following conditions exist:
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Array target iSCSI ports are in a dierent broadcast domain and IP subnet.
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VMkernel adapters used for iSCSI connectivity exist in dierent broadcast domains, IP subnets, or use
dierent virtual switches.
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Routing is required to reach the iSCSI array.
Create Network Connections for iSCSI
Congure connections for the trac between the software or dependent hardware iSCSI adapters and the
physical network adapters.
The following tasks discuss the iSCSI network conguration with a vSphere standard switch.
If you use a vSphere distributed switch with multiple uplink ports, for port binding, create a separate
distributed port group per each physical NIC. Then set the team policy so that each distributed port group
has only one active uplink port. For detailed information on vSphere distributed switches, see the vSphere
Networking documentation.
Procedure
1 Create a Single VMkernel Adapter for iSCSI on page 92
Connect the VMkernel, which runs services for iSCSI storage, to a physical network adapter.
2 Create Additional VMkernel Adapters for iSCSI on page 92
Use this task if you have two or more physical network adapters for iSCSI and you want to connect all
of your physical adapters to a single vSphere standard switch. In this task, you add the physical
adapters and VMkernel adapters to an existing vSphere standard switch.
3 Change Network Policy for iSCSI on page 93
If you use a single vSphere standard switch to connect multiple VMkernel adapters to multiple
network adapters, set up network policy so that only one physical network adapter is active for each
VMkernel adapter.
4 Bind iSCSI and VMkernel Adapters on page 94
Bind an iSCSI adapter with a VMkernel adapter.
5 Review Port Binding Details on page 94
Review networking details of the VMkernel adapter that is bound to the iSCSI adapter.
Chapter 10 Configuring iSCSI Adapters and Storage
VMware, Inc. 91