ISCSICTL(8)

✨ ISCSICTL(8) ✨

okay bestie so this is the iscsictl manual page — a System Manager's Manual situation, iSCSI initiator edition 💅 buckle up, it's actually not that deep and also extremely deep at the same time.

---

🎀 NAME 🎀

iscsictl — the iSCSI initiator management utility. that's it, that's the vibe.

---

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

iscsictl -A -p portal -t target [-u user -s secret] [-w timeout] [-r]
         [-e on|off]
iscsictl -A -d discovery-host [-u user -s secret] [-r] [-e on|off]
iscsictl -A -a [-c path]
iscsictl -A -n nickname [-c path]
iscsictl -M -i session-id [-p portal] [-t target] [-u user] [-s secret]
         [-e on|off]
iscsictl -M -i session-id [-n nickname [-c path]]
iscsictl -R [-p portal] [-t target]
iscsictl -R -a
iscsictl -R -n nickname [-c path]
iscsictl -L [-v] [-w timeout]

like, ten whole shapes of the same command. iconic honestly 🫶

---

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

The iscsictl utility configures the iSCSI initiator. yes that's the whole point. main character energy only.

here's every option, no cap, nothing skipped:

• --libxo — generate output via libxo(3) in a whole selection of different human and machine readable formats 💖 see xo_options(7) for the deets on the command line arguments.
• -A — Add session. adding era.
• -M — Modify session. glow-up era.
• -R — Remove session. blocking, unfollowing, etc.
• -L — List sessions. the vibes check 👀
• -a — When adding, add all sessions defined in the configuration file. When removing, remove all currently established sessions. all of them. periodt.
• -c path — path to the configuration file. the default is /etc/iscsi.conf.
• -d discovery-host — target host name or address used for SendTargets discovery. when you use it, it adds a temporary discovery session, does the discovery, then adds sessions for each discovered target, and removes the temporary discovery session. poof ✨ gone.
• -e on|off — enable or disable the session. lowkey ignored for discovery sessions, but highkey gets passed down to the normal sessions they add.
• -i session-id — session ID, as displayed by iscsictl -v.
• -n nickname — the nickname of a session defined in the configuration file 🎀
• -p portal — target portal — host name or address — for statically defined targets.
• -r — use iSER (iSCSI over RDMA) instead of plain iSCSI over TCP/IP. switching it up fr fr.
• -s secret — CHAP secret. shhh 🙈
• -t target — target name.
• -u user — CHAP login.
• -v — verbose mode. say more, queen.
• -w timeout — instead of returning immediately, wait up to timeout seconds until all configured sessions are successfully established. patience is a virtue bestie.

---

Certain parameters are necessary when adding a session. you can specify these either via command line (using the -t, -p, -u, and -s options), or configuration file (using the -a or -n options). some functionality — for example mutual CHAP — is only available via configuration file. sorry, them's the rules 💅

Since connecting to the target is performed in background, a non-zero exit status does not mean the session was successfully established. 😭 like, it does not mean that. use either iscsictl -L to check the connection status, or the -w flag to wait for session establishment.

🚨 also: for the iSCSI initiator to actually be able to connect to a target, the iscsid(8) daemon must be running. no daemon, no session. that's the whole thing.

---

📁 FILES 📁

• /etc/iscsi.conf — iSCSI initiator configuration file. the blueprint ✨

---

🔥 EXIT STATUS 🔥

The iscsictl utility exits 0 on success, and >0 if an error occurs. simple as that 🫶

---

🌈 EXAMPLES 🌈

attach to a target

Attach to target iqn.2012-06.com.example:target0, served by 192.168.1.1:

iscsictl -A -t iqn.2012-06.com.example:target0 -p 192.168.1.1

discovery, but make it disabled

Perform discovery on 192.168.1.1, and add disabled sessions for each discovered target; use -M -e on to connect them:

iscsictl -A -d 192.168.1.1 -e off

the great disconnect

Disconnect all iSCSI sessions:

iscsictl -Ra

---

👑 SEE ALSO 👑

libxo(3), xo_options(7), iscsi(4), iscsi.conf(5), iscsid(8) — go read them, they're the supporting cast and they ate 💜

---

⭐ HISTORY ⭐

The iscsictl command appeared in FreeBSD 10.0. a legend since day one.

---

🧚 AUTHORS 🧚

The iscsictl utility was developed by Edward Tomasz Napierala <trasz@FreeBSD.org> under sponsorship from the FreeBSD Foundation. we love a sponsored icon 🍓

---

so that's the page!! Debian build, dated July 16, 2025 — mwah 💋 go forth and configure your initiator, bestie. slay 🦋✨