How to configure iSCSI target using targetcli in CentOS / RHEL 7?

Updated: 28 September 2026 · Applies to: AlmaLinux 9 / Rocky Linux 9

CentOS/RHEL 7 are end of life; these steps are for AlmaLinux 9 / Rocky Linux 9 (Ubuntu/Debian: package targetcli-fb). The LIO target in the Linux kernel, managed with targetcli, shares a disk or file over the network as an iSCSI target.

1. Install and start

dnf install targetcli
systemctl enable --now target

2. Create the target

targetcli
/backstores/block create disk1 /dev/vdb                 # a whole disk or LVM volume
# or a file: /backstores/fileio create file1 /srv/iscsi/file1.img 20G
/iscsi create iqn.2026-09.com.example:target1
/iscsi/iqn.2026-09.com.example:target1/tpg1/luns create /backstores/block/disk1
/iscsi/iqn.2026-09.com.example:target1/tpg1/acls create iqn.2026-09.com.example:client1
saveconfig
exit

The ACL name must match the InitiatorName of the client. A portal on all addresses, port 3260, is created automatically. To require a password, set userid and password on the ACL with set auth.

3. Open the firewall

firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=iscsi-target
firewall-cmd --reload

Check the setup with targetcli ls. The configuration is saved in /etc/target/saveconfig.json and restored at boot. Then connect a client as described in "How to configure iSCSI Initiator (client) in CentOS / RHEL 7?".

Note: Allow port 3260 only from your client servers, and use a private network where possible: iSCSI traffic is not encrypted.