Described are techniques for determining preferred paths. A host requests first information from each of one or more ports of a data storage system. The first information includes preferred path information for a first device visible to the host through each port. The preferred path information includes one or more parameters used by said host to perform one or more mathematical calculations to determine a preferred path for transmitting to the data storage system a data operation directed to the first device. The first information is sent from each port to the host.