Why does iSCSI use hardware and software initiators?

While iSCSI initiates connectivity, stating it's to "hardware and software components" is too vague and doesn't specify the ultimate purpose, which is storage access.

iSCSI initiators, whether hardware-based or software-based, are used to connect to iSCSI storage targets over a standard Ethernet network. The fundamental role of this connection is to enable the server to access and store data on shared iSCSI storage arrays, presenting block storage to operating systems and applications like virtual machines.

While ESXi does provide native support for both software and hardware iSCSI initiators, this is a feature of ESXi, not the fundamental reason why iSCSI itself uses these initiators.

Establishing network connectivity is a prerequisite for iSCSI, but it's not the ultimate goal; the network connectivity is established specifically to enable storage access.