ESXi patch update resets host iSCSI initiator name to default

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• A patch update was applied to all ESXi hosts in a cluster using vSphere Lifecycle Manager.

• After the update, some ESXi hosts had their software iSCSI initiator IQN reset to the default value, while others retained their original, customized IQN.

• As a result of the initiator name change, the affected ESXi hosts lost access to the iSCSI storage devices.

• A Host Profile is applied to all ESXi hosts in the cluster, with a customized iSCSI initiator IQN defined in the profile.

• On the impacted hosts, the Host Profile fails to apply successfully. When attempting to manually remediate or apply the Host Profile, an error is encountered
  
  

Validation Steps:

• Ensure that the iSCSI initiator IQN defined in the Host Profile complies with the format outlined in RFC 32720
  
  To verify Host Profile customization, Navigate to Host > Configure > System > Host Profile on the affected ESXi host.
  
  Click Edit Host Customizations.
   
  
  
  Use the filter to search for the property containing iqn
  
  Validate whether the IQN value is set correctly as per the intended customization and standard.

 

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 7.x

VMware vSphere ESXi 8.x

Cause

The iSCSI initiator IQN defined in the Host Profile was in an invalid format. During the ESXi host upgrade, this invalid format caused the system to fail to restore the iSCSI configuration from the Host Profile. As a result, the ESXi host auto-generated a new default IQN, which led to the loss of connectivity to iSCSI storage devices.

Cause Validation

Review the /var/log/jumpstart-esxcli-stdout.log file on the impacted ESXi host. You will find errors indicating that the iSCSI configuration could not be restored during the upgrade due to an invalid initiator name format.

2025-03-20T10:05:14.941Z StorageInfo: Error while setting iscsI name : iscsiException: status(c0000000) : Invalid parameter; Message= IMA VMW SetNodeName
2025-03-20T10:05:16.0202 StorageInfoImpl: isCsI boot lun is not mounted
2025-03-20T10:05:16.023Z DeviceIserConfig: Restoring iser devices
2025-03-20T10:05:16.080Z Method invocation failed: execute boot storage restore -- iscsi-boot-lun failed
2025-03-20T10:05:16.080Z software-iscsi: Failed to restore iscsI configurations from the config store: iscsiException: status (c0000000) : Invalid parameter; Message= IMA_VMW SetNodeName

In this case it was found that the Host Profile had the initiator name defined using 'Iqn' instead of the required lowercase 'iqn'. As the IQN string is case-sensitive and must conform to RFC 32720 standards, the Host Profile application failed during the upgrade process.

Resolution

To resolve the issue, correct the format of the iSCSI initiator name in the Host Profile to comply with RFC 32720 standards:

Edit the Host Profile:

• Navigate to Host Profiles in the vSphere Client.

• Select the applicable Host Profile and click Edit Host Customizations.

• Locate the field where the iSCSI initiator name is defined. Correct the IQN Format

  Note: Ensure the IQN begins with lowercase iqn (not Iqn) and follows the proper syntax

After correcting the initiator name, reapply the Host Profile to the affected ESXi host(s).

Verify that the profile applies successfully without errors and that iSCSI storage connectivity is restored.