Skip to main content

Recommended number of paths from host to nodes in cluster

Contributors netapp-thomi

You should not exceed more than eight paths from your host to each node in your cluster, paying attention to the total number of paths that can be supported for the host OS and the multipathing used on the host.

You should have a minimum of two paths per LUN connecting to each reporting node through Selective LUN Map (SLM) being used by the storage virtual machine (SVM) in your cluster. This eliminates single points of failure and enables the system to survive component failures.

If you have four or more nodes in your cluster or more than four target ports being used by the SVMs in any of your nodes, you can use the following methods to limit the number of paths that can be used to access LUNs on your nodes so that you do not exceed the recommended maximum of eight paths.

  • SLM

    SLM reduces the number of paths from the host to LUN to only paths on the node owning the LUN and the owning node's HA partner. SLM is enabled by default.

  • Portsets for iSCSI

  • FC igroup mappings from your host

  • FC switch zoning

Related information

SAN administration