Identifying The Enforced Zone Type; Considerations For Zoning Architecture; Best Practices For Zoning - HP A7533A - Brocade 4Gb SAN Switch Base Administrator's Manual

Identifying the enforced zone type

1. Connect to the switch and log in as admin.
2. Issue the portZoneShow command.

Considerations for zoning architecture

Table 56 lists considerations for zoning architecture.
Table 56

Considerations for zoning architecture

Item
Type of zoning:
hard or soft
(session-based)
Use of aliases
Interoperability
Fabric
Testing
Effect of changes in
a production fabric
Confirming
operation
Zoning can be implemented and administered from any switch in the fabric, although it is recommended
that you use a switch running the latest Fabric OS version. If the switch is running Fabric OS 6.0.x or
earlier, it must have an Advanced Zoning license enabled.
The zone configuration is managed on a fabric basis. When a change in the configuration is saved,
enabled, or disabled according to the transactional model, it is automatically (by closing the transaction)
distributed to all switches in the fabric, preventing a single point of failure for zone information.
NOTE: Zoning commands make changes that affect the entire fabric. When executing fabric-level
configuration tasks, allow time for the changes to propagate across the fabric before executing any
subsequent commands. For a large fabric, you should wait several minutes between commands.

Best practices for zoning

The following are recommendations for using zoning:
• Always zone using the highest Fabric OS-level switch.
Switches with earlier Fabric OS versions do not have the capability to view all the functionality that a
newer Fabric OS provides, as functionality is backward compatible but not forward compatible.
• Zone using the core switch versus an edge switch.
• Zone using an enterprise-class platform rather than a switch.
Description
If security is a priority, hard zoning is recommended.
The use of aliases is optional with zoning. Using aliases requires structure when
defining zones. Aliases will aid administrators of zoned fabrics in understanding
the structure and context.
Only WWN zoning is supported. Other types of zoning, including
QuickLoop, are not supported.
Before implementing a new zone, you should run the Zone Analyzer from
Web Tools to isolate any possible problems. This is especially useful as
fabrics increase in size.
Zone changes in a production fabric can result in a disruption of I/O under
conditions when an RSCN is issued because of the zone change and the HBA is
unable to process the RSCN fast enough. Although RSCNs are a normal part of a
functioning SAN, the pause in I/O might not be acceptable. For these reasons,
you should perform zone changes only when the resulting behavior is predictable
and acceptable. Ensuring that the HBA drivers are current can shorten the
response time in relation to the RSCN.
After changing or enabling a zone configuration, you should confirm that
the nodes and storage can identify and access one another. Depending
on the platform, you might need to reboot one or more nodes in the fabric
with the new changes.
Fabric OS 6.1.1 administrator guide 203