Dell PowerConnect Brocade 300 Fabric OS Administrator's Guide v7.1.0 - Page 307

Zoning overview 11 The types of zone objects used to define a zone can be mixed. For example, a zone defined with the zone objects 2,12; 2,14; 10:00:00:80:33:3f:aa:11 contains the devices connected to domain 2, ports 12 and 14, and a device with the WWN 10:00:00:80:33:3f:aa:11 (either node name or port name) that is connected on the fabric. Zoning schemes You can establish a zone by identifying zone objects using one or more of the following zoning schemes: • Domain,index (D,I) All members are specified by domain ID, port number, or domain, index number pair or aliases. • World Wide Name (WWN) All members are specified only by World Wide Name (WWNs) or aliases of WWNs. They can be node or port versions of the WWN. • Mixed zoning A zone containing members specified by a combination of domain,port or domain,index or aliases, and WWNs or aliases of WWNs. In any scheme, you can identify zone objects using aliases. Zone aliases A zone alias is a name assigned to a device or a group of devices. By creating an alias, you can assign a familiar name to a device or group multiple devices into a single name. This simplifies cumbersome data entry and allows an intuitive naming structure (such as using "NT_Hosts" to define all NT hosts in the fabric). Zone aliases also simplify repetitive entry of zone objects such as port numbers or a WWN. For example, you can use the name "Eng" as an alias for "10:00:00:80:33:3f:aa:11". Naming zones for the initiator they contain can also be useful. For example, if you use the alias SRV_MAILSERVER_SLT5 to designate a mail server in PCI slot 5, then the alias for the associated zone is ZNE_MAILSERVER_SLT5. This clearly identifies the server host bus adapter (HBA) associated with the zone. Zone configuration naming is flexible. One configuration should be named PROD_fabricname, where fabricname is the name that the fabric has been assigned. The purpose of the PROD configuration is to easily identify the configuration that can be implemented and provide the most generic services. If other configurations are used for specialized purposes, names such as "BACKUP_A," "RECOVERY_2," and "TEST_18jun02" can be used. Zone configurations A zone configuration is a group of one or more zones. A zone can be included in more than one zone configuration. When a zone configuration is in effect, all zones that are members of that configuration are in effect. Several zone configurations can reside on a switch at once, and you can quickly alternate between them. For example, you might want to have one configuration enabled during the business hours and another enabled overnight. However, only one zone configuration can be enabled at a time. Fabric OS Administrator's Guide 307 53-1002745-02