A path consists of cables and possibly switches. You configure your path according to bandwidth considerations, which include distance, speed, and performance requirements.
Because workload can spike and cable or switch failures can occur, it is best practice to set up redundant external paths. A maximum of eight paths can be used per mapped external volume. Multiple paths (that is, redundancy) allows you to perform I/O operations with external volumes regardless of workload or path failure.
With multiple paths, the external storage system determines how they are used: some systems use one primary path with alternates available as backups (Single path mode); other systems allow all paths to be used at the same time, distributing I/O among them (Multi path mode). The path storage system's mode cannot be changed. With both modes, you place the paths in path groups and prioritize each path.