Adding the iSCSI targets for AIX hosts

Add the iSCSI targets for AIX hosts so that they can be discovered through a properly configured network interface.

These steps are to be followed after the AIX software initiator is configured.

To add the iSCSI targets during the device configuration, follow these steps:

Note:

The system does not support Ethernet port aggregation. Therefore, host-based multipath driver support for system LUNs is necessary to provide active-active controller use. Operating systems such as Linux, Windows, and VMware can configure iSCSI with multiple paths to system LUNs by using iSCSI interconnects. However, AIX MPIO does not support multiple paths to system LUNs by using iSCSI interconnects.

This statement does not mean that LUN redundancy across controller failure is not supported over iSCSI for AIX hosts. If a controller fails, the surviving controller takes over all the IP addresses and the iSCSI target that is configured on the failing controller. The AIX host then reconnects with the failed over iSCSI targets on the surviving controller and continues with its IO operations. Controller failure therefore does not disrupt operations when AIX hosts communicate to the system through iSCSI.

  1. Edit the /etc/iscsi/targets file to add the iSCSI target portal details for all system nodes that the host must log on to.
    Each uncommented line in the file represents an iSCSI target and is in the following format.
    192.168.1.7     3260      iqn.1986-03.com.ibm:2145.sahyadri.node1
    Note: As part of the "no iSCSI MPIO" restriction, it is not valid to have the same target IQN multiple times in the targets file, even with different IP addresses. If the same target exists multiple times, comment out the duplicate targets in order for the process to run.
  2. After you edit the /etc/iscsi/targets file, type the following command:
    cfgmgr -v -l iscsi0

    This command causes the driver to attempt to log on to each of the targets that are listed in the /etc/iscsi/targets file and to define a new hard disk (hdisk) for each LUN on the targets that are found.

  3. Review the discovered hard disks by issuing the following command:
    lsdev -c disk
    The system volumes appear in the output in the following format:
    hdisk2   Available               IBM 2145 iSCSI Disk Drive
    Note: If the appropriate disks are not discovered, review the configuration of the initiator, the target, and any iSCSI gateways to ensure that they are correct. Run the cfgmgr command again.