Attaching a iSCSI volume to ESXi 3.5 on a M605 Blade server,

Access through the ESX firewall needs to be openned first. Otherwise you don't see anything. I can't remember exactly where it is but i think in the configuration tab then networking then firewall.

A guide is here: http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_35/esx_3/r35u2/vi3_35_25_u2_iscsi_san_cfg.pdf

This i've done, and can get iSCSI setup as a Software initaitor, however on the M605 we have two Broadcom 5709s cards with TOE and I should be able to use this as a HBA for iSCSI connections. but I need to install the broadcom iSCSI initator driver in ESX some how

ESXi contains all the drivers for all supported hardware.

Are these just nICs?  ESXi doesn't support true HBA's.    Or at leats I think it doesn't.

Per VMware, the 5709S isn't supported if you check the VMware hardware compatibility list. The 'plain' 5709 is though.

Is the iSCSI TOE part removable from this card? If so you might be able to use it as a regular NIC.

If you actually have the 5708S, that one is listed by VMware, but only as a NIC.

Does your 5709S show under network adapters maybe? If so you'll probably need to use it as a NIC instead of an HBA. Except for some of the Qlogic iSCSI HBAs I don't think VMware ESX/ESXi supports very many iSCSI HBAs.

I  have similar issues with the BCM 5709 under ESX 3.5 and Win2003, both in regard to iSCSI.

In ESX I have gotten it to work connecting to an EMC CX3. But it doesn't use the iSCSI off-loading chip, but only software-iSCSI within ESX. Which makes it rather slow.

In Win2003 I have not been able to get it to work at all, since there's no procedure/document that tells me exactly what to do to get it working. I checked with EMC, Dell and Broadcom. Dell tells me it should work, but they don't know how. They are the ones that advised me to get the 5709 cards for iSCSI in the first place.

There are many variants of the 5709. Some have built in iSCSI, others need an activation key and some don't have iSCSI off-loading at all.

ESX doesn't list any 5709 as iSCSI, only as NIC. With the built in Software-iSCSI initiator you can get it to work, but without off-loading. Chances are I'm switching to Qlogic iSCSI HBA's for ESX. For Windows I'm still having a go, since I read an article in Dell Solutions magazine by Broadcom explaining the advantage of Broadcom iSCSI off-loading. Too bad it doesn't tell me how to set it up. Once again, Dell doesn't seem to know either.

I've got it to work only as a Software Initiator, in ESX 3.5 and Win2003, however what chipset do you have? BCM 5709 or BCM 5709S there is a difference, I have the BCM 5709S and i've been told in the ESX v4 (vSphere) it is fully supported, same as most Qlogic ones, so will see the preformace bost if so, however i'm finding things fast the way they are.

Have you tried the Broadcoms initiator software? even try to setup as Boot from iSCSI as that has to be a feature on-board the NIC

so like the qlogic, now that esx has entered its 4th verioin vShpere, it now supports (so i,m told) broadcom 5709S on the dell blade M605

has anyone had any sucess with using the adapater for iscsi traffic offload, as in not the vmware iscsi software adapter?