Please note, this may not be a true statement.

My understanding was that you needed a third party because the MPIO
interface was just an API that allowed MS to put a steak in the ground and
have all the vendors use it for a consistent, supportable configuration
accross all of them.

Hardware vendors like EMC, Hitachi, HP, etc... as well as at least one
software vendor, Veritas, offer these tools.

Perhaps someone can clarify this...

jh



"Kevin Wheeler" wrote in message
news:%23duwTKRZEHA.716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> With Windows 2003, do you need a third party multt-pathing software for
> HBAs? Or does w2k3 support this natively?
>
> Kevin
>
>

As far as EMC is concerned powerpath is the failover software
which is required to manage multiple paths.

I agree with Joseph that MPIO is only an API. So i guess EMC would
have to implement the API for powerpath.

Vendors would require to provide Device Specific modules (DSM) , which
are like plugins into the MPIO arch.

Ritesh N.








"Joseph J. Hand" wrote in message
news:#suh3bXZEHA.716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> Please note, this may not be a true statement.
>
> My understanding was that you needed a third party because the MPIO
> interface was just an API that allowed MS to put a steak in the ground and
> have all the vendors use it for a consistent, supportable configuration
> accross all of them.
>
> Hardware vendors like EMC, Hitachi, HP, etc... as well as at least one
> software vendor, Veritas, offer these tools.
>
> Perhaps someone can clarify this...
>
> jh
>
>
>
> "Kevin Wheeler" wrote in message
> news:%23duwTKRZEHA.716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> > With Windows 2003, do you need a third party multt-pathing software for
> > HBAs? Or does w2k3 support this natively?
> >
> > Kevin
> >
> >
>
>

this is not true. MPIO is not an API at all, it is a development kit that
consists of a set of binaries (redistributable) that along with one or more
vendor-supplied "device specific modules" can implement a complete
multipathing (load balance and failover) solution.

Refer to this website for more information:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserv...o/default.mspx

In the near future, MPIO will be integrated with the Microsoft iSCSI
initiator as well, providing generic support for targets that have passed
the logo program.

Jeff [MSFT]

"Ritesh" wrote in message
news:%231O6bPjZEHA.2260@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> As far as EMC is concerned powerpath is the failover software
> which is required to manage multiple paths.
>
> I agree with Joseph that MPIO is only an API. So i guess EMC would
> have to implement the API for powerpath.
>
> Vendors would require to provide Device Specific modules (DSM) , which
> are like plugins into the MPIO arch.
>
> Ritesh N.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> "Joseph J. Hand" wrote in message
> news:#suh3bXZEHA.716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>> Please note, this may not be a true statement.
>>
>> My understanding was that you needed a third party because the MPIO
>> interface was just an API that allowed MS to put a steak in the ground
>> and
>> have all the vendors use it for a consistent, supportable configuration
>> accross all of them.
>>
>> Hardware vendors like EMC, Hitachi, HP, etc... as well as at least one
>> software vendor, Veritas, offer these tools.
>>
>> Perhaps someone can clarify this...
>>
>> jh
>>
>>
>>
>> "Kevin Wheeler" wrote in message
>> news:%23duwTKRZEHA.716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>> > With Windows 2003, do you need a third party multt-pathing software for
>> > HBAs? Or does w2k3 support this natively?
>> >
>> > Kevin
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>

The key words were vendor supplied device specific modules...

Would that imply that it is not exposed to the OS in 2003 as a function that
an end user could turn on or impliment without a third party set of tools?
or is this something that "out of the box" Windows 2003 supports
multi-pathing on its own?

Working for one of those vendors, our messaging indicates that you do
require a third party. If this is incorrect, I would like to get our
messaging straight so that we are not stating something that is untrue.

thanks in advance for the reply.

jh



"Jeff Goldner [MS]" wrote in message
news:%23w%238FLibEHA.3944@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> this is not true. MPIO is not an API at all, it is a development kit that
> consists of a set of binaries (redistributable) that along with one or
more
> vendor-supplied "device specific modules" can implement a complete
> multipathing (load balance and failover) solution.
>
> Refer to this website for more information:
>
>
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserv...o/default.mspx
>
> In the near future, MPIO will be integrated with the Microsoft iSCSI
> initiator as well, providing generic support for targets that have passed
> the logo program.
>
> Jeff [MSFT]
>
> "Ritesh" wrote in message
> news:%231O6bPjZEHA.2260@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> > As far as EMC is concerned powerpath is the failover software
> > which is required to manage multiple paths.
> >
> > I agree with Joseph that MPIO is only an API. So i guess EMC would
> > have to implement the API for powerpath.
> >
> > Vendors would require to provide Device Specific modules (DSM) , which
> > are like plugins into the MPIO arch.
> >
> > Ritesh N.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > "Joseph J. Hand" wrote in message
> > news:#suh3bXZEHA.716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> >> Please note, this may not be a true statement.
> >>
> >> My understanding was that you needed a third party because the MPIO
> >> interface was just an API that allowed MS to put a steak in the ground
> >> and
> >> have all the vendors use it for a consistent, supportable configuration
> >> accross all of them.
> >>
> >> Hardware vendors like EMC, Hitachi, HP, etc... as well as at least one
> >> software vendor, Veritas, offer these tools.
> >>
> >> Perhaps someone can clarify this...
> >>
> >> jh
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> "Kevin Wheeler" wrote in message
> >> news:%23duwTKRZEHA.716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> >> > With Windows 2003, do you need a third party multt-pathing software
for
> >> > HBAs? Or does w2k3 support this natively?
> >> >
> >> > Kevin
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>

This is correct. Unlike VSS which will default to a softwate provider, MPIO
will not have a default setting. VSS is the framework. Vendors (like EMC or
Veritas) provide the plug-ins to be able to make it work.

- Brian

"Joseph J. Hand" wrote:

> The key words were vendor supplied device specific modules...
>
> Would that imply that it is not exposed to the OS in 2003 as a function that
> an end user could turn on or impliment without a third party set of tools?
> or is this something that "out of the box" Windows 2003 supports
> multi-pathing on its own?
>
> Working for one of those vendors, our messaging indicates that you do
> require a third party. If this is incorrect, I would like to get our
> messaging straight so that we are not stating something that is untrue.
>
> thanks in advance for the reply.
>
> jh
>
>
>
> "Jeff Goldner [MS]" wrote in message
> news:%23w%238FLibEHA.3944@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> > this is not true. MPIO is not an API at all, it is a development kit that
> > consists of a set of binaries (redistributable) that along with one or
> more
> > vendor-supplied "device specific modules" can implement a complete
> > multipathing (load balance and failover) solution.
> >
> > Refer to this website for more information:
> >
> >
> http://www.microsoft.com/windowsserv...o/default.mspx
> >
> > In the near future, MPIO will be integrated with the Microsoft iSCSI
> > initiator as well, providing generic support for targets that have passed
> > the logo program.
> >
> > Jeff [MSFT]
> >
> > "Ritesh" wrote in message
> > news:%231O6bPjZEHA.2260@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl...
> > > As far as EMC is concerned powerpath is the failover software
> > > which is required to manage multiple paths.
> > >
> > > I agree with Joseph that MPIO is only an API. So i guess EMC would
> > > have to implement the API for powerpath.
> > >
> > > Vendors would require to provide Device Specific modules (DSM) , which
> > > are like plugins into the MPIO arch.
> > >
> > > Ritesh N.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > "Joseph J. Hand" wrote in message
> > > news:#suh3bXZEHA.716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> > >> Please note, this may not be a true statement.
> > >>
> > >> My understanding was that you needed a third party because the MPIO
> > >> interface was just an API that allowed MS to put a steak in the ground
> > >> and
> > >> have all the vendors use it for a consistent, supportable configuration
> > >> accross all of them.
> > >>
> > >> Hardware vendors like EMC, Hitachi, HP, etc... as well as at least one
> > >> software vendor, Veritas, offer these tools.
> > >>
> > >> Perhaps someone can clarify this...
> > >>
> > >> jh
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> "Kevin Wheeler" wrote in message
> > >> news:%23duwTKRZEHA.716@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> > >> > With Windows 2003, do you need a third party multt-pathing software
> for
> > >> > HBAs? Or does w2k3 support this natively?
> > >> >
> > >> > Kevin
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
>