Hosts

A host (also called an initiator) represents a server or client that connects to StorONE block storage — over iSCSI, Fibre Channel, or NVMeOF — so that a volume can be mapped to it. Creating a host registers the identifiers StorONE uses to recognize that server when it connects: its Fibre Channel WWPNs, its iSCSI IQN, or its NVMe NQN, depending on which protocol it uses.

A host only needs the identifier(s) for the protocol(s) it actually uses — you don't need to fill in all three. For related host management — grouping several hosts together, and pairing a host with its counterpart on a remote system for replication — see Host Groups and Pairing.

Creating a host

Using the web interface

1. Open Application Volumes > Hosts and choose Create.
2. Under Name and IP, enter the host's name and, optionally, its IP address or DNS name.
3. Under Identifiers, enter whichever of WWPNs (Fibre Channel), IQN (iSCSI), or NQN (NVMeOF) match how this host connects.
4. If using iSCSI, optionally set a CHAP secret under iSCSI CHAP Settings.
5. Confirm to create the host.

Using the CLI

hosts create <name> [--ip=<name>] (--wwpns=<wwn...>| (--iqn=<iqn> [--chapSecret=<chapSecret>]) | --nqn=<nqn>)

Option	Description
<name>	The name of the new initiator/host.
--ip=<name>	The IP address or DNS name of the initiator/host.
--wwpns=<wwn...>	List of Fibre Channel world wide port names.
--iqn=<iqn>	iSCSI qualified name.
--chapSecret=<chapSecret>	iSCSI CHAP secret.
--nqn=<nqn>	NVMe qualified name.

Examples

Create a Fibre Channel host with two WWPNs:

hosts create db-server1 --wwpns 21:00:00:24:ff:5a:1b:2c 21:00:00:24:ff:5a:1b:2d

Create an iSCSI host with a CHAP secret:

hosts create app-server1 --ip 10.20.1.15 --iqn iqn.1998-01.com.example:app-server1 --chapSecret "a-strong-chap-secret"

Create an NVMeOF host:

hosts create nvme-server1 --nqn nqn.2014-08.com.example:nvme:app1

Editing a host

You can also use this command to edit a host group by giving the group's name — in that case, only its membership (--groupedHosts) can be changed; the identifier fields don't apply to a group and are ignored.

Using the web interface

1. Open Application Volumes > Hosts, select the host (or host group), and choose Edit.
2. For a single host, update the fields you need under Name and IP and Identifiers (and iSCSI CHAP Settings for iSCSI).
3. For a host group, update its membership under Grouped Hosts.
4. Confirm the change.

Using the CLI

hosts edit <name> [--newname=<name>] [--ip=<name>] [--wwpns=<wwn...>| (--iqn=<iqn> [--chapSecret=<chapSecret>]) | --nqn=<nqn>] [--groupedHosts=<name...>] [--force]

Option	Description
<name>	The name of the initiator/host or host group to edit.
--newname=<name>	New name for the initiator/host.
--ip=<name>	New IP address or DNS name.
--wwpns=<wwn...>	New list of Fibre Channel world wide port names.
--iqn=<iqn>	New iSCSI qualified name.
--chapSecret=<chapSecret>	iSCSI CHAP secret.
--nqn=<nqn>	New NVMe qualified name.
--groupedHosts=<name...>	Host-group edits only: the names of the initiators/hosts belonging to the host group.
--force	Skip the confirmation prompt.

Examples

Rename a host:

hosts edit db-server1 --newname db-server1-old

Update a host's IQN after re-imaging it:

hosts edit app-server1 --iqn iqn.1998-01.com.example:app-server1-new

Change a host group's membership:

hosts edit db-cluster --groupedHosts db-server1 db-server2 db-server3

Deleting a host

A host can't be deleted while any volumes are still mapped to it, or while it's still a member of a host group — remove those first.

Using the web interface

1. Open Application Volumes > Hosts, select the host, and choose Delete.
2. Confirm the deletion.

Using the CLI

hosts delete <name> [--force]

Option	Description
<name>	The name of the initiator/host to delete.
--force	Skip the confirmation prompt.

Example

hosts delete db-server1-old

Listing hosts

Using the web interface

Open Application Volumes > Hosts. Use the toolbar to show each host's IP address and/or the volumes mapped to it.

Using the CLI

hosts list [<name>] [--mapping] [--ip]

Option	Description
<name>	Filter by host name.
--mapping	Show volumes that are mapped to those hosts.
--ip	Show the IP of the hosts.

Examples

List every host:

hosts list

List a specific host along with its IP and mapped volumes:

hosts list db-server1 --ip --mapping

Adding or removing WWPNs (CLI only)

A quick way to add or remove Fibre Channel WWPNs on an existing host without replacing its whole identifier list via hosts edit.

Using the CLI

hosts wwpn add <name> --wwpns=<wwn...>
hosts wwpn delete <name> --wwpns=<wwn...>

Option	Description
<name>	The name of the initiator.
--wwpns=<wwn...>	List of Fibre Channel world wide port names to add or remove.

Examples

Add a WWPN to a host that just had a new HBA port installed:

hosts wwpn add db-server1 --wwpns 21:00:00:24:ff:5a:1b:2e

Remove a decommissioned WWPN:

hosts wwpn delete db-server1 --wwpns 21:00:00:24:ff:5a:1b:2c

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Next: Host Groups and Pairing — grouping hosts together and pairing them with a remote system for replication.