Skip to content
Miscellaneous
/
ICSI Software Initiator configuration

iSCSI Software Initiator Configuration

Introduction

The iSCSI Software Initiator allows you to configure an iSCSI target device to be used as a boot source. The BIOS current configuration object contains a link to a separate resource of type HpeiSCSISoftwareInitiator. The BIOS current configuration resource and the iSCSI Software Initiator current configuration resources are read-only. To change iSCSI settings, you need to follow another link to the Settings resource, which allows PUT and PATCH operations.

The iSCSI target configurations are represented in an iSCSISources property, that is an array of objects, each containing the settings for a single target. The size of the array represents the total number of iSCSI boot sources that can be configured at the same time. Many mutable properties exist, including iSCSIAttemptInstance, which can be set to a unique integer in the range [1, N], where N is the boot sources array size. By default, this instance number is 0 for all objects, indicating that the object should be ignored when configuring iSCSI.

Each object also contains two read-only properties—StructuredBootString and UEFIDevicePath, which are only populated after the target has been successfully configured as a boot source. More information about each property is available in the corresponding schema. The iSCSI initiator name is represented by the iSCSIInitiatorName property.

An additional read-only property, iSCSINicSources, is only shown in the iSCSI current configuration resource. This property is an array of strings representing the possible NIC instances that can be used as targets for iSCSI boot configuration. To confirm which NIC device each string corresponds to, it is recommended to cross-reference two other resources.

  • A resource of type HpeBiosMapping can be found through a Mappings link in the BIOS current configurations resource. Within its BiosPciSettingsMappings property is an array of mappings between BIOS-specific device strings (such as the NIC source string) and a CorrelatableID string that can be used to refer to the same device in non-BIOS contexts.
  • A collection of HpeServerPciDevices may be found through a PCIDevices link in the ComputerSystem resource. To find the specific PCI device corresponding to the NIC instance, you can search for the CorrelatableID that usually matches a UEFIDevicePath. Once you find the HpeServerPciDevice resource, you have access to all the human-readable properties useful for describing a NIC source.

Changing the iSCSISources and iSCSIInitiatorName settings can be done through PATCH operations, very similar to how HpeBios settings are changed. However, whereas all BIOS settings are located in a single flat object, iSCSI settings are nested into arrays and sub-objects. When doing a PATCH operation, use empty objects ({}) in place of those boot source objects that you do not want to alter.

The following example covers a situation where you have configured two iSCSI boot sources, and you would like to edit some existing settings, and add a third source.

  1. Iterate through /redfish/v1/Systems and choose a member ComputerSystem. Find a child resource of type HpeiSCSISoftwareInitiator that allows PATCH operations.

    • {ilo-address}/redfish/v1/Systems/1/BIOS/iSCSI/Settings

  2. Inspect the existing iSCSISources array. You need to inspect the iSCSIAttemptInstance property of each object to find the boot sources you are prefer to change.

  3. Create a new JSON object with the iSCSISources property.

    • Use an empty object in the position of instance 1 to indicate that it should not be modified. Use an object in the position of instance 2 containing the properties that should be modified. All omitted properties remain unmodified.

    • To add a new boot source, find any position of instance 0 and replace it with an object containing all the new settings, and most importantly, a new unique value of iSCSIAttemptInstance.

  4. Change the iSCSI software initiator settings.

    • PATCH {ilo-address}/redfish/v1/Systems/1/BIOS/iSCSI/Settings
Previous page
Next page