Table of ContentsView in Frames

(iSCSI) Getting the initiator node name

You must supply the iSCSI initiator node name when you set up igroups. To make this process go smoothly, it is a good practice to write down the node name now. Before you record the node name, you might want to change it. By default, a node name ends with a string of random numbers. Changing this part of the name to something such as the host name can make the node name easier to use.

About this task

Each node name must be unique. Do not change multiple node names to the same name.

If you decide to change the node name, you can only change the RandomNumber portion of the name that appears at the end. The first part of a node name starts with iqn and uses a standard format that you cannot change. For example, if your node name is iqn.2005-03.com.RedHat:012345, you could change the last six numbers to a word or phrase so that the name becomes iqn.2005-03.com.RedHat:Toaster.

Steps

  1. Use a text editor to open the file containing the node names.
    If you are using... Open the following file...
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 series, 6 series, and 5 series, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 series, or SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 series /etc/initiatorname.iscsi
  2. If you want to change the default name, edit the line in the file containing the node name.
    You can only replace the RandomNumber portion of the name. When you replace this, make sure you follow the node name rules:
    • A node name can be up to 223 characters.
    • Uppercase characters are always mapped to lowercase characters.
    • A node name can contain alphabetic characters (a to z), numbers (0 to 9), and the following three special characters:
      • Period ( . )
      • Hyphen ( - )
        Note: The underscore character ( _ ) is not supported.
      • Colon ( : )
    Note: If the node name does not exist, you can create one by adding a line to the file containing node names. Use the same format shown below for modifying a node name.
    If you are using... Then...
    Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 series, 6 series, and 5 series, Oracle VM, and Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization Locate the node name (InitiatorName=iqn.2005-03.com.RedHat:RandomNumber) you want to modify and change the RandomNumber part of the name to a unique value.

    The following line shows an example of a modified node name: InitiatorName=iqn.2005-03.com.RedHat:linux-host1

    Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 series Locate the node name (InitiatorName=iqn.1987-05.com.cisco:RandomNumber) you want to modify and change the RandomNumber part of the name to a unique value.

    The following line shows an example of a modified node name: InitiatorName=iqn.1987-05.com.cisco:linux-host1

    SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 series or Server 11 Locate the node name (InitiatorName=iqn.1996-04.de.suse:RandomNumber) you want to modify and change the RandomNumber part of the name to a unique value.

    The following line shows an example of a modified node name: InitiatorName=iqn.1996-04.de.suse:linux-host1

    Citrix XenServer 6 series

    The initiatorname.iscsi file in /etc/iscsi is not present in the earlier version of Citrix XenServer releases. To set the IQN, use the following command:

    xe host-param-set uuid=UUID_of_the_host other-config:iscsi_iqn=IQN_In_the_Standard_format.

    The following line shows an example of a modified IQN:

    xe host-param-set uuid=163c53be-8de5-4035-8770-fbe012ab1f56 other-config:iscsi_iqn=iqn.2013-06.com.example:netapp123
  3. Write down the node name so that you can easily enter it when you configure the storage system.
  4. If you modified the file, make sure you save it before you close it.