Verify WWN Usage by ESXi Host

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article helps to verify if a specific WWN is actively in use by an ESXi host.

Environment

vSphere 7.x

vSphere 8.x

Resolution

To verify World Wide Name (WWN) usage by an ESXi host, you can utilise the vSphere Client or the ESXi Shell.

Using the vSphere Client:

• Log in to the vSphere Client and select the ESXi host you wish to inspect.
• Navigate to the Configure tab.
• Under the "Storage" section, select Storage Devices or FC HBAs.
• If you selected "Storage Devices," you can then select a specific storage device and view its properties to find the WWN information. If you selected "FC HBAs," look for the "WWN" column, which will list the WWNs for each Fibre Channel HBA port.

Using the ESXi Shell (SSH):

• Enable SSH on the ESXi host if it's not already enabled.
• Connect to the ESXi host using an SSH client.
• Execute the following command to list Fibre Channel HBAs and their WWNs:

 

 

esxcli storage san fc list

This command will provide a list of all Fibre Channel HBAs detected on the host, including their respective WWN values.

• Alternatively, to get detailed information about a specific HBA and its WWN, use the following command, replacing <adapter_name> with the actual name of the HBA (e.g., vmhba0):

 

 

    esxcli storage san fc get -d <adapter_name>

These methods allow for the verification of WWN usage by ESXi host HBAs, which is crucial for Fibre Channel storage connectivity and zoning configurations.