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Systems & Data Center · Advanced

Device Mapper Multipath (DM-Multipath)

A Linux feature that combines multiple I/O paths to a SAN LUN into one device for redundancy and load balancing.

Definition

The multipathd daemon monitors paths and fails over when one goes down, presenting devices as /dev/mapper/mpathX. Configuration lives in /etc/multipath.conf and status is checked with multipath -ll.

Example

multipath -ll shows two active paths to a Fibre Channel LUN through separate HBAs.

Exam tip

Without multipathing, the same LUN appears as multiple /dev/sdX devices, risking corruption if used directly.

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