Dell EMC Unity: How to delete/remove an unwanted initiator from a host in Unisphere (User Correctable)

The steps required to delete/remove an unwanted initiator from a host in Unisphere will depend on whether the initiators were auto or manually registered.

*Note: There are a significant number of factors that contribute to the different workflows needed to perform this task, which include but are not limited to auto-registration, manual registration, Operating System type (VMware, Windows, Linux...etc.), and more. The steps below should be used as a guide to help you accomplish the task; however, if at any point the steps below do not match what you expect or you are unsure what the steps will do within your environment, STOP, and contact Support for assistance.

[Steps for removing unwanted Auto-Registered Initiators]

Initiators that are auto-registered will require a maintenance window in order to make modifications to the hosts initiator configuration. The maintenance window is required because ALL LUN access must be removed for the host and the host record will require deletion.

*Note: [Workaround] If you are using VMware or some other clustered host configuration, there may be a workaround. For example, VMware ESX/ESXi hosts are generally clustered, which should allow for a single ESX/ESXi host to be placed in maintenance mode. When an ESX/ESXi host is placed in maintenance mode, it should shift all VMs/applications/workloads to other ESX/ESXi hosts within the cluster. This should allow LUN access for the host in question to be removed without interrupting the VMs/applications/workloads within the environnment; however, this will need to be verified by the customer themselves. This concept should hold true for other clustered host configurations as well but will need to be verified by the customer themselves.

[1] Schedule and plan a maintenance (offline) window (unless workaround is applicable for your particular host).
[2] Stop and quiesce all IO on the host.
[3] From Unisphere, remove ALL LUN access from the host.
[4] If using Fibre Channel, remove zoning for unwanted paths/initiator(s).
[5] If using iSCSI, remove/log out unwanted paths/initiator(s) from the host side..
[6] From Unisphere, delete the host record (this may be under Hosts or VMware > ESXi Hosts). This will result in any of the unwanted (non-logged in) paths/initiators being removed (deleted) from the Unity system.
[7] Perform necessary steps to initiate the auto-registration again. This may require a reboot of the host. For VMware, you will likely need to run a 'find' again. This can be done by selecting the appropriate vCenter in Unisphere and selecting 'Find ESXi Hosts' or from the ESXi Hosts page by selecting '+' (Add ESXi Host).
[8] From Unisphere, validate a correct host record was created and initiators were auto-registered with the host.
[9] From Unisphere, re-add the appropriate LUN access.
[10] Continue IO on the host as needed.

[Steps for removing unwanted Manually Registered Initiators]

[Option 1] (Recommended)

[1] If using Fibre Channel, remove zoning for unwanted paths/initiator(s).
[2] If using iSCSI, remove/log out unwanted paths/initiator(s) from the host side.
[3] In Unisphere, create a dummy host with no LUN or initiator access.
Unisphere > Access > Hosts > '+' (add) Host > Complete the 'Add a Host' Wizard to create a dummy host.
[4] In Unisphere, navigate to the initiators tab under the host properties page.
Unisphere > Access > Hosts > select the Host that you be deleting/removing the unwanted initiator from > select 'Edit' (the pencil icon) > select the 'Initiators' tab.
[5] Highlight the unwanted initiator and select 'Edit' (the pencil icon).
[6] Open the 'Select Host' window by clicking inside the 'Host' box; a new window will open with a list of hosts (host records).
[7] Select the dummy host previously created and select ok; this will assign the unwanted initiator to the dummy host.
[8] Delete the dummy host; any of unwanted (non-logged in) paths/initiators that were assigned to the dummy host will automatically be removed (disappear) from the Unity system.

[Option 2]

[1] Schedule and plan a maintenance (offline) window (unless workaround is applicable for your particular host).
[2] Stop and quiesce all IO on the host.
[3] From Unisphere, remove ALL LUN access from the host.
[4] If using Fibre Channel, remove zoning for unwanted paths/initiator(s).
[5] If using iSCSI, remove/log out unwanted paths/initiator(s) from the host side.
[6] From Unisphere, highlight and delete the initiator from the initiators tab on the host properties page.
[7] From Unisphere, re-add the appropriate LUN access back to the host.
[8] Continue IO on the host as needed.