Dell PowerVault 51F Dell PowerVault 5xF Switches Zoning Guide - Page 15

This chapter provides information about the requirements of a zone, its components, and zone configurations. A zone is a set of devices that access one another. Devices that are connected to a fabric may be configured into one or more zones. Devices that are in the same zone can see each other, while devices that are in different zones cannot. The following are other characteristics of zones: Every zone has a name that begins with a letter and is followed by any number of letters, digits, and the underscore character (_). Spaces are not allowed when naming zones. Names are case sensitive. Therefore, "Zone_1" and "zone_1" are different zones. Every zone has a member list, consisting of one or more members. Empty zones are not allowed. See "Zone Members," found later in this chapter, for more information on member-list specifications. Memory usage determines the maximum number of zones and the maximum number of members in a zone. However, because these limits are far larger than the number of devices connected to a fabric, the number of zones and their members are virtually unlimited. Zone definitions are persistent. That is, the definition remains in effect across reboots and power cycles until it is deleted or changed. A device may be a member of multiple zones. The remainder of this chapter discusses the components that make up a zone. For information about creating and managing zones and configurations, refer to Chapter 3, "Using Zoning." support.dell.com Zones, Components, and Configurations 2-1