Claim rules determine which multipathing module owns the paths to a particular storage device. They also define the type of multipathing support that the host provides to the device.

The claim rules are listed in the host’s /etc/vmware/esx.conf file.

The rules fall into these categories:
Core Claim Rules
These claim rules determine which multipathing module, the NMP, HPP, or a third-party MPP, claims the specific device.
SATP Claim Rules
Depending on the device type, these rules assign a particular SATP submodule that provides vendor-specific multipathing management to the device.

You can use the esxcli commands to add or change the core and SATP claim rules. Typically, you add the claim rules to load a third-party MPP or to hide a LUN from your host. Changing claim rules might be necessary when default settings for a specific device are not sufficient.

For more information about commands available to manage PSA claim rules, see the Getting Started with ESXCLI.

For a list of storage arrays and corresponding SATPs and PSPs, see the Storage/SAN section of the vSphere Compatibility Guide.