iSCSI Persistent Target Mappings Lost After a NIC Driver Update

Rakri Aizat 40 Reputation points
2026-09-09T07:34:37.07+00:00

Hi everyone,

After upgrading the network adapter driver on an application server, all previously configured persistent iSCSI target sessions are disconnected, and the associated raw LUN volumes remain Offline.

What is the recommended way to restore the persistent iSCSI target mappings and re-establish the connections using iscsicli?

Thank you so much,

Rakri

Windows for business | Windows Server | Storage high availability | Other
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  1. Hoang Le 5,630 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-09T08:27:29.98+00:00

    Hello Rakri Aizat •

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    40,

    When a NIC driver upgrade occurs, the iSCSI initiator often loses its persistent target mappings because the binding to the network interface is reset. The recommended way to restore them with iscsicli is to re‑add the targets and mark them persistent. First, enumerate the targets with iscsicli ListPersistentTargets to confirm they are missing. Then use iscsicli AddTarget <TargetName> <PortalAddress> followed by iscsicli PersistentLoginTarget <TargetName> <PortalAddress> T * * * * * * * * to re‑establish the session and ensure it survives reboots. If you have multiple portals, repeat for each. After the persistent login is restored, run iscsicli RefreshTargetPortal <PortalAddress> and bring the LUNs online in Disk Management or with Set-Disk -Number <n> -IsOffline $false. This procedure rebinds the sessions to the updated NIC driver and ensures the raw LUNs are accessible again.

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    Thank you,

    HL.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-09-09T07:34:52.4233333+00:00

    Use iscsicli to remove the stale sessions, then reconnect the targets as persistent sessions so the mappings are rebuilt.

    Recommended recovery flow:

    1. Refresh and review the current iSCSI configuration.
      • In iSCSI Initiator > Discovery, select Refresh.
      • Remove any incorrect or unused target entries.
    2. Clear the disconnected sessions.
      • In PowerShell, remove existing iSCSI sessions:
         Get-IscsiSession | Remove-IscsiSession
    3. Recreate the persistent target connection.
      • Reconnect each target by using a persistent login so it is restored across restarts:
         Connect-IscsiTarget -NodeAddress <Target> -TargetPortalAddress <IPAddress> -TargetPortalPortNumber 3260 -IsPersistent $true
    4. If the stored target portal or storage IP changed after the NIC driver update, remove and re-add the favorite target.
      • Open iSCSI Initiator.
      • Select Favorite Targets.
      • Select the affected target and choose Remove.
      • Select Add, then enter the correct target configuration.
    5. If the LUNs remain Offline after reconnecting, review timeout settings.
      • Warning: modifying the registry can cause serious problems if done incorrectly.
      • In HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\disk, set TimeOutValue to a larger value such as 179 if longer recovery time is needed.

    This restores the persistent mappings by removing stale session state and reconnecting the targets with persistence enabled.

    References:

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