If features "1 queue_if_no_path" is specified in the /etc/multipath.conf file, then any process that issues I/O will hang until one or more paths are restored. To avoid this, set the no_path_retry N parameter in the /etc/multipath.conf file (where N is the number of times the system should retry a path).

When you set the no_path_retry parameter, remove the features "1 queue_if_no_path" option from the /etc/multipath.conf file as well. If, however, you are using a multipathed device for which the features "1 queue_if_no_path" option is set as a compiled-in default, as it is for many SAN devices, you must explicitly add features "0" to override this default. You can do this by copying the existing devices section for your device from /usr/share/doc/device-mapper-multipath-0.4.9/multipath.conf.defaults into /etc/multipath.conf and editing it to suit your needs.

If you need to use the features "1 queue_if_no_path" option and you experience the issue noted here, use the dmsetup command to edit the policy at runtime for a particular LUN (that is, for which all the paths are unavailable). For example, if you want to change the policy on the multipath device mpathc from "queue_if_no_path" to "fail_if_no_path", execute the following command.

dmsetup message mpathc 0 "fail_if_no_path"

Note that you must specify the mpathn alias rather than the path.