How to Rename iSCSI Initiator Names to the Existing Hypervisors?

Problem

Changing an iSCSI Initiator Name (IQN) on a hypervisor is an inherently disruptive process. It requires modifying a configuration file and restarting critical services like iscsid and multipathd. This guide is a clear and reliable procedure to rename these iSCSI initiator names (IQN).

Environment

• Private Cloud Director Virtualization - v2025.4 and Higher
• Private Cloud Director Kubernetes – v2025.4 and Higher
• Self-Hosted Private Cloud Director Virtualization - v2025.4 and Higher
• Self-Hosted Private Cloud Director Kubernetes - v2025.4 and Higher
• Component - Storage - iSCSI

Procedure

To minimise impact, it is strongly recommended to shut down all VMs on the hypervisor where you are applying the change before proceeding, starting with the least critical one.

1. "Enabling maintenance mode" on the hypervisor. On the left-hand side of PCD GUI, click on Infrastructure -> select Cluster Hosts -> select hypervisor -> Click on the "Other" dropdown section -> Enable maintenance mode.

Enable Maintenance Mode

1. Migrate all VMs from the hypervisor to another hypervisor. It is recommended to perform cold-migration (Stop VM and perform migrate) to avoid data losses.
2. SSH to the hypervisor, and identify the current iSCSI Initiator Name (IQN):

This will immediately break all existing iSCSI sessions, making any attached virtual machine (VM) disks temporarily unavailable.

$ sudo cat /etc/iscsi/initiatorname.iscsi

1. Update the InitiatorName with the new desired IQN value and save the file.
2. Reboot the hypervisor.

Validation

1. Service pf9-ostackhost and other PF9 services should be running.
2. Run iscsiadm -m session on the host to verify new IQN
3. Hypervisor compute services should show up. Use the command given below:

$ openstack compute service list

1. Create a test VM on the hypervisor and validate if the VM build is working as expected.