Multipath support for hosts that are running the Linux operating system

You must install multipathing software on all hosts that are attached to the system.

The following software provides multipathing support for hosts that run the Linux operating system:

IBMSubsystem Device Driver (SDD)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server versions 9 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux version 4 support both SDD and native multipathing support that is provided by the operating system.
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server versions 10 and later and Red Hat Enterprise Linux versions 5 and later, support only native multipathing that is provided by the operating system.

Settings for Linux hosts
To ensure path recovery in failover scenarios, certain Device Mapper Multipath (DMMP) settings and udev rules for the attachment of Linux hosts to the system are recommended. These settings are valid for IBMSystem x, all Intel or AMD-based servers, and Power platforms.
Configuring Device Mapper Multipath (DMMP) tool for hosts that run the Linux operating system
Before you configure the Linux operating system for a host that attaches to the system, ensure that the correct Device Mapper Multipath Tool (DMMP) is installed and configured correctly for the Linux hosts that use DMMP as a multipath driver. Currently, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and later and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 support DMMP as a multipath driver and include it on a distribution disk.
SDD dynamic pathing on hosts that run the Linux operating system
Hosts that run the Linux operating system do not support Subsystem Device Driver (SDD) dynamic pathing. If you use a QLogic or Emulex device driver, you must reload the device driver to pick up the new paths.
Multipathing configuration maximums for hosts that are running the Linux operating system
When you configure, keep in mind the maximum configuration for the Subsystem Device Driver (SDD) on Intel based hosts that run the Linux operating system.
Settings for Linux hosts
To ensure path recovery in failover scenarios, certain Device Mapper Multipath (DMMP) settings and udev rules for the attachment of Linux hosts to the system are recommended. These settings are valid for IBMSystem x, all Intel or AMD-based servers, and Power platforms.
Configuring Device Mapper Multipath (DMMP) tool for hosts that run the Linux operating system
Before you configure the Linux operating system for a host that attaches to the system, ensure that the correct Device Mapper Multipath Tool (DMMP) is installed and configured correctly for the Linux hosts that use DMMP as a multipath driver. Currently, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 and later and SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 support DMMP as a multipath driver and include it on a distribution disk.

Parent topic: Configuring the Linux operating system