How to Activate the Software iSCSI Adapter.

Steps to Activate the Software iSCSI Adapter in the vSphere Client:

1	Log in to the vSphere Client, and select a host from the inventory panel.
2	Click the Configuration tab and click Storage Adapters in the Hardware panel.
3	Click Add and select Software iSCSI Adapter. The software iSCSI adapter appears on the list of storage adapters
4	Select the iSCSI adapter from the list and click Properties.
5	Click Configure
6	Make sure that the adapter is enabled and click OK.

After enabling the adapter, the host assigns the default iSCSI name to it. If you change the default name, follow iSCSI naming conventions..

Steps to Activate the Software iSCSI Adapter in the vSphere Web Client:

1	Browse to the host in the vSphere Web Client navigator.
2	Click the Manage tab, and click Storage.
3	Click Storage Adapters, and click Add.
4	Select Software iSCSI Adapter and confirm that you want to add the adapter.

The software iSCSI adapter (vmhba#) is enabled and appears on the list of storage adapters. After enabling the adapter, the host assigns the default iSCSI name to it. If you need to change the default name, follow iSCSI naming conventions.

Steps to Activate the Software iSCSI Adapter via CLI:

1	SSH to the ESXi host and login as root
2	Run the command: esxcfg-swiscsi -e
3	To verify if the software iSCSI is enabled, run the command: esxcfg-swiscsi -q

Reference: VMware vSphere 5.1 Documentation Center