Benefits Of Zoning - HP 316095-B21 - StorageWorks Edge Switch 2/24 Planning Manual

Zones are configured through the HAFM application by authorizing or restricting
access to name server or route table information (depending on the firmware
release level) associated with device N_Ports that attach to director or switch
F_Ports.

Benefits of Zoning

System administrators create zones to increase network security measures,
differentiate between operating systems, and prevent data loss or corruption by
controlling access between devices (such as servers and data storage units) or
between separate user groups (such as engineering or human resources). Zoning
allows an administrator to establish:
SAN High Availability Planning Guide
Software-enforced zoning — For earlier versions of director or switch
firmware (prior to version 6.0), the device configuration on a fabric element
enforces zoning by limiting access to name server information in response to
a device query. Only devices in the same zone as the requesting device are
returned in the query response. This type of zoning is also called name server
zoning or soft zoning.
Hardware-enforced zoning — For later versions of director or switch
firmware (Version 6.0 and later), the device configuration on a fabric element
enforces zoning by programming route tables that strictly prevent Fibre
Channel traffic between devices that are not in the same zone. This type of
zoning is also called hard zoning.
Logical subsets of closed user groups. Administrators can authorize access
rights to specific zones for specific user groups, thereby protecting
confidential data from unauthorized access.
Barriers between devices that use different operating systems. For example, it
is often critical to separate servers and storage devices with different
operating systems because accidental transfer of information from one to
another can delete or corrupt data. Zoning prevents this by grouping devices
that use the same operating systems into zones.
Groups of devices that are separate from devices in the rest of a fabric. Zoning
allows certain processes (such as maintenance or testing) to be performed on
devices in one group without interrupting devices in other groups.
Temporary access between devices for specific purposes. Administrators can
remove zoning restrictions temporarily (for example, to perform nightly data
backup), then restore zoning restrictions to perform normal processes.
Physical Planning Considerations
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