topic Re: how to reduce multi path to one? in Network and Storage Protocols

how to reduce multi path to one?

unitech89e9 — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 06:27:50 GMT

I help cumsomer to create the sam enviroment,

it's have full path,

two fas2040 controllers,two san switchs,to HBAs,

my operation system is windows server 2008 R2,

I install the Multi-Path I/O item in "function",

and I have to try to reboot,

but I always see four path,

andbody can help me to resolve?

please and thanks very much~

Re: how to reduce multi path to one?

christin — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 01:17:48 GMT

This sounds like a support related question. If you have an active NetApp Support login, there are subject matter experts in the NetApp Support Community that may help answer your questions.

Regards,

Christine

Re: how to reduce multi path to one?

shrinivk — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 07:07:29 GMT

If you want to get single path then,it can be done either by disabling the HBA(through device manager),disabling the Switch ports or by disabling the Controller ports etc.But I think your question is that after installing the Multipath and rebooting you are still seeing the 4 paths.That should be fine to have since Multipath driver

would have created a Virtual LUN for the 4 physical disk objects that are seen from the 4 paths for the same LUN and it hides these 4 disk objects from the disk subsystem/file manager.

Re: how to reduce multi path to one?

radek_kubka — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 10:07:57 GMT

This is fine, as two paths should be seen as 'optimized' - going through the NetApp controller owning the LUN, and two additional as 'unoptimized' - going through the other controller & cluster interconnect to the same LUN.

Your multipathing should be configured to use ALUA (Asymmetric Logical Unit Access): http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2009/09/29/whats-that-alua-exactly/

Regards,

Radek