Dynamic Multi-Pathing 8.0.1 Administrator's Guide - Windows

Last Published:
Product(s): InfoScale & Storage Foundation (8.0.1)
Platform: Windows
  1. Understanding DMPW
    1.  
      DMP overview
    2.  
      Major features of Dynamic Multi-Pathing
    3. How DMP works
      1. How DMP monitors I/O on paths
        1.  
          Path failover mechanism
      2.  
        Load balancing
      3.  
        DMP in a clustered environment
    4.  
      Multiple paths to disk arrays
    5.  
      Device discovery
  2. Setting up DMPW
    1.  
      Active/Active and Active/Passive settings
    2. Active/Active and Active/Passive settings in a cluster environment
      1.  
        DMP DSMs
      2.  
        SCSI-3 PGR technology
      3.  
        Enabling SCSI-3 PGR
    3. Add and remove paths
      1.  
        Adding a path
      2.  
        Removing a path
    4. Specify load balancing settings and the primary path
      1.  
        Specifying load balancing settings for an array
      2.  
        Specifying load balancing settings for a disk
      3.  
        Specifying the primary path for an array or disk
    5. Configuring DSMs without storage connection
      1.  
        Specify DSM settings without storage connection
  3. Administering DMPW
    1.  
      About administering DMP
    2. DMP DSMs menus
      1.  
        Displaying the menu for arrays
      2.  
        Commands for arrays
      3.  
        Displaying the menu for disks
      4.  
        Commands for paths of a disk
      5.  
        Statistics monitoring
      6.  
        Clear performance statistics
      7.  
        Device settings
      8.  
        Set primary path
      9.  
        Properties
    3. View array, disk, and path status
      1.  
        Array status
      2.  
        Device status
      3.  
        Path status
    4. vxdmpadm
      1.  
        vxdmpadm dsminfo
      2.  
        vxdmpadm arrayinfo
      3.  
        vxdmpadm deviceinfo
      4.  
        vxdmpadm pathinfo
      5.  
        vxdmpadm arrayperf
      6.  
        vxdmpadm deviceperf
      7.  
        vxdmpadm pathperf
      8.  
        vxdmpadm allperf
      9.  
        vxdmpadm iostat
      10.  
        vxdmpadm cleardeviceperf
      11.  
        vxdmpadm cleararrayperf
      12.  
        vxdmpadm clearallperf
      13.  
        vxdmpadm setdsmscsi3
      14.  
        vxdmpadm setarrayscsi3
      15.  
        vxdmpadm setattr dsm
      16.  
        vxdmpadm setattr array
      17.  
        vxdmpadm setattr device
      18.  
        vxdmpadm setattr path
      19.  
        vxdmpadm set isislog
      20.  
        vxdmpadm rescan
      21.  
        vxdmpadm disk list
      22.  
        vxdmpadm getdsmattrib
      23.  
        vxdmpadm getmpioparam
      24.  
        vxdmpadm setmpioparam
  4. Performance tuning
    1.  
      Specifying control timer settings for an array
  5. Troubleshooting
    1. Resolving DMP issues
      1.  
        When a DMP license is no longer valid
      2.  
        When an unknown disk group appears in a DMP environment
    2. Using status information
      1.  
        Path status
      2.  
        Path states
  6. Glossary
    1.  
      Dynamic Multi-Pathing glossary

Specifying the primary path for an array or disk

When an array is configured for Fail Over Only (Active/Passive) operation, you can specify the path that is used for data transfer. The specified path, called the primary path, is the only path used for data transfer.

To specify the primary path for an array or disk

  1. Display the Set primary path screen by doing the following:

    • Make sure the DMP DSMs tab is selected in the right pane.

      To display the DMP DSMs tab, use the tree view in the left pane to select a disk under the DMP DSMs folder, or a disk under the Disks folder that has DMP DSMs enabled, and then click the DMP DSMs tab that appears in the right pane.

    • In the DMP DSMs tab, right-click on the path you want to be the primary path for the array, and select Set Primary Path from the path context menu.

    The Set primary path screen appears.

  2. Select to set the primary path for the device or for the array, as follows:

    • Primary path for device

      The primary path for the device is available only when the operational mode for the path to the disk is specified as Fail Over Only (Active/Passive) and the currently selected path is not the primary path. The primary path is the only path that is used to transfer data to and from the disk. Clicking this menu selection makes the selected path the primary path to the disk. The other paths to the disk are placed on standby and available for failover.

    • Primary path for array

      This lets you specify the currently selected path as the primary path to the array. The primary path is the only path that is used to transfer data to and from the array.

      The array's primary path can be set regardless of the array's current load balance setting. This means that if the load balance setting for the array is set to round robin (Active/Active) or other Active/Active load balance setting, then the primary path setting for the array is not used. However, if a disk in the array is set to Fail Over Only (Active/Passive), the primary path for the array becomes the primary path for the disk.

      For example, if an array has a load balance setting of round robin (Active/Active) and the primary path for the array is set to path 2-1-1, then any disk in the array that has the load balance setting of Fail Over Only (Active/Passive) has its primary path set to path 2-1-1.

  3. Click OK to save your setting and exit the screen.

    A blue checkmark icon identifies the primary path.