[ TIP OF THE DAY ] What if the Software iSCSI LUNs disappear.

If the Software iSCSI LUNs disappear after rebooting or upgrading the ESXi host. How do you add them back? This happens when the iSCSI configuration is corrupted. To fix it, you must reinitialize the iSCSI configuration.

1. Log in to the ESX/ESXi host as the root user.
2. Run this command to disable the Software iSCSI initiator:
# esxcfg-swiscsi -d

3. Must rename all files in the /etc/vmware/vmkiscsid folder
run these commands: EXAMPLE.
# mv initiatorname.iscsi initiatorname.iscsi.old
# mv iscsid.conf iscsid.conf.old
# mv vmkiscsid.db vmkiscsid.db.old

4. Reboot the ESX/ESXi host.
5. Re-enable the Software iSCSI initiator:

# esxcfg-swiscsi -e

6. A new software iSCSI initiator ID is generated. This IQN needs to be added to the SAN.
7. Scan for disks available by the Software iSCSI interface

If iSCSI re-initialization still does not allow the host to detect the LUNs, try rebooting the physical network switch. Done!