{
    "mode": "man",
    "parameter": "multipath",
    "section": "8",
    "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/multipath/8/json",
    "generated": "2026-06-10T16:12:28Z",
    "synopsis": "multipath [-v level] [-B|-d|-i|-q|-r] [-b file] [-p policy] [device]\nmultipath [-v level] [-R retries] -f device\nmultipath [-v level] [-R retries] -F\nmultipath [-v level] [-l|-ll] [device]\nmultipath [-v level] [-a|-w] device\nmultipath [-v level] -W\nmultipath [-v level] [-i] [-c|-C] device\nmultipath [-v level] [-i] [-u|-U]\nmultipath [-h|-t|-T]",
    "sections": {
        "NAME": {
            "content": "multipath - Device mapper target autoconfig.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "SYNOPSIS": {
            "content": "multipath [-v level] [-B|-d|-i|-q|-r] [-b file] [-p policy] [device]\n\nmultipath [-v level] [-R retries] -f device\n\nmultipath [-v level] [-R retries] -F\n\nmultipath [-v level] [-l|-ll] [device]\n\nmultipath [-v level] [-a|-w] device\n\nmultipath [-v level] -W\n\nmultipath [-v level] [-i] [-c|-C] device\n\nmultipath [-v level] [-i] [-u|-U]\n\nmultipath [-h|-t|-T]\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "DESCRIPTION": {
            "content": "multipath  is used to detect and coalesce multiple paths to devices, for fail-over or perfor‐\nmance reasons.\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "ARGUMENTS": {
            "content": "The device argument restricts multipath's operation to devices matching the given expression.\nThe  argument may refer either to a multipath map or to its components (\"paths\"). The expres‐\nsion may be in one of the following formats:\n\ndevice node   file name of a device node, e.g. /dev/dm-10 or /dev/sda. If the node refers  to\nan existing device mapper device representing a multipath map, this selects the\nmap or its paths, depending on the operation mode. Otherwise, it selects a path\ndevice.\n\ndevice ID     kernel  device number specified by major:minor numbers, e.g. 65:16. This format\ncan only be used for path devices.\n\nWWID          a World Wide Identifier matching a multipath map or its paths. To list WWIDs of\ndevices  present  in  the  system,  use  e.g.  the  command  \"multipath  -d -v3\n2>/dev/null\".\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "OPERATION MODES": {
            "content": "The default operation mode is to detect and set up multipath maps from the devices  found  in\nthe  system.   Other  operation  modes  are chosen by using one of the following command line\nswitches:\n",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "-f",
                    "content": "tion is delegated to the multipathd daemon if it's running.\n",
                    "flag": "-f"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-F",
                    "content": "multipathd daemon if it's running.\n",
                    "flag": "-F"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-l",
                    "content": "device mapper.\n",
                    "flag": "-l"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-ll",
                    "content": "the device mapper, path checkers ...).\n"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-a",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-a"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-w",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-w"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-W",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-W"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-c",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-c"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-C",
                    "content": "I/O  on this device is likely to succeed. The command itself doesn't attempt to do I/O\non the device.\n",
                    "flag": "-C"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-u",
                    "content": "path device.\n",
                    "flag": "-u"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-U",
                    "content": "usable paths. See -C.\n",
                    "flag": "-U"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-h",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-h"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-t",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-t"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-T",
                    "content": "vices  actually present in the system. This can be used a template for creating multi‐\npath.conf.\n",
                    "flag": "-T"
                }
            ]
        },
        "OPTIONS": {
            "content": "",
            "subsections": [
                {
                    "name": "-v",
                    "content": "Verbosity of information printed to stdout in default and \"list\" operation modes.  The\ndefault level is -v 2.\n\n0           Nothing is printed.\n\n1           In  default  mode,  Names/WWIDs of created or modified multipath maps\nare printed. In list mode, WWIDs of all multipath maps are printed.\n\n2           In default mode, Topology of created or modified  multipath  maps  is\nprinted.  In list mode, topology of all multipath maps is printed.\n\n3           All  detected  paths  and  the  topology  of  all  multipath maps are\nprinted.\n\nThe verbosity level also controls the level of log and debug messages printed  to\nstderr.  The  default  level  corresponds  to LOGNOTICE (important messages that\nshouldn't be missed in normal operation).\n",
                    "flag": "-v"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-d",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-d"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-e",
                    "content": "path.conf(5).\n",
                    "flag": "-e"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-i",
                    "content": "paths no is set in multipath.conf, multipath only considers devices that are listed in\nthe  WWIDs  file. This option overrides that behavior. For other values of findmulti‐\npaths, this option has no effect. See the description  of  findmultipaths  in  multi‐‐\npath.conf(5).  This option should only be used in rare circumstances.\n",
                    "flag": "-i"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-B",
                    "content": "",
                    "flag": "-B"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-b",
                    "content": "Set  userfriendlynames  bindings  file location. The default is /etc/multipath/bind‐\nings.\n",
                    "flag": "-b"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-q",
                    "content": "multipath  would  do so if multipathd is not running, because only a running multipath\ndaemon guarantees that unusable paths are reinstated when they become usable again.\n",
                    "flag": "-q"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-p",
                    "content": "Force new maps to use the specified policy, overriding  the  configuration  in  multi‐‐\npath.conf(5).  The  possible  values  for  policy  are  the  same  as  the  values for\npathgroupingpolicy in multipath.conf(5). Existing maps are not modified.\n",
                    "flag": "-p"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-r",
                    "content": "pathd  daemon if it's running. In this case, other command line switches of the multi‐\npath command have no effect.\n",
                    "flag": "-r"
                },
                {
                    "name": "-R",
                    "content": "Number of times to retry flushing multipath devices that are in use. The default is 0.\n",
                    "flag": "-R"
                }
            ]
        },
        "SEE ALSO": {
            "content": "multipathd(8), multipath.conf(5), kpartx(8), udev(8), dmsetup(8), hotplug(8).\n",
            "subsections": []
        },
        "AUTHORS": {
            "content": "multipath-tools was developed by Christophe Varoqui <christophe.varoqui@opensvc.com> and oth‐\ners.\n\n\n\nLinux                                        2018-10-10                                 MULTIPATH(8)",
            "subsections": []
        }
    },
    "summary": "multipath - Device mapper target autoconfig.",
    "flags": [
        {
            "flag": "-v",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Verbosity of information printed to stdout in default and \"list\" operation modes. The default level is -v 2. 0 Nothing is printed. 1 In default mode, Names/WWIDs of created or modified multipath maps are printed. In list mode, WWIDs of all multipath maps are printed. 2 In default mode, Topology of created or modified multipath maps is printed. In list mode, topology of all multipath maps is printed. 3 All detected paths and the topology of all multipath maps are printed. The verbosity level also controls the level of log and debug messages printed to stderr. The default level corresponds to LOGNOTICE (important messages that shouldn't be missed in normal operation)."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-d",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-e",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "path.conf(5)."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-i",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "paths no is set in multipath.conf, multipath only considers devices that are listed in the WWIDs file. This option overrides that behavior. For other values of findmulti‐ paths, this option has no effect. See the description of findmultipaths in multi‐‐ path.conf(5). This option should only be used in rare circumstances."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-B",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": ""
        },
        {
            "flag": "-b",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Set userfriendlynames bindings file location. The default is /etc/multipath/bind‐ ings."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-q",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "multipath would do so if multipathd is not running, because only a running multipath daemon guarantees that unusable paths are reinstated when they become usable again."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-p",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Force new maps to use the specified policy, overriding the configuration in multi‐‐ path.conf(5). The possible values for policy are the same as the values for pathgroupingpolicy in multipath.conf(5). Existing maps are not modified."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-r",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "pathd daemon if it's running. In this case, other command line switches of the multi‐ path command have no effect."
        },
        {
            "flag": "-R",
            "long": null,
            "arg": null,
            "description": "Number of times to retry flushing multipath devices that are in use. The default is 0."
        }
    ],
    "examples": [],
    "see_also": [
        {
            "name": "multipathd",
            "section": "8",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/multipathd/8/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "multipath.conf",
            "section": "5",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/multipath.conf/5/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "kpartx",
            "section": "8",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/kpartx/8/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "udev",
            "section": "8",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/udev/8/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "dmsetup",
            "section": "8",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/dmsetup/8/json"
        },
        {
            "name": "hotplug",
            "section": "8",
            "url": "https://www.chedong.com/phpMan.php/man/hotplug/8/json"
        }
    ]
}