HP StorageWorks 4/256 Brocade Fabric OS Administrator's Guide v6.3.0 (53-10013 - Page 269
Considerations for zoning architecture, Identifying the enforced zone type
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Zoning overview 11 Hardware-enforced zoning means that each frame is checked by hardware (the ASIC) before it is delivered to a zone member and is discarded if there is a zone mismatch. When hardware-enforced zoning is active, the Fabric OS switch monitors the communications and blocks any frames that do not comply with the effective zone configuration. The switch performs this blocking at the transmit side of the port on which the destination device is located. Frame-based hardware enforcement is in effect, on a per-zone basis, if all members of a zone are identified the same way, either using WWNs or domain,index notation, with no overlapping zones. Session-based hardware enforcement is in effect in the following cases, on a per-zone basis: • A zone does not have either all WWN or all D,I entries. • Overlapping zones (in which zone members appear in two or more zones). NOTE For the Brocade 48000 with an FC4-48 port blade: If ports 16 through 47 on the FC4-48 port blade use domain,index identifiers, then session-based hardware enforcement is in effect on these ports, regardless of the enforcement for the remaining zone members. That is, if all zone members are defined using D,I notation, frame-based hardware enforcement is in effect except for ports 16 through 47 on the FC4-48 blade, for which session-based hardware enforcement is in effect. Identifying the enforced zone type 1. Connect to the switch and log in as admin. 2. Enter the portZoneShow command, using the following syntax: portzoneshow Considerations for zoning architecture Table 48 lists considerations for zoning architecture. TABLE 48 Considerations for zoning architecture Item Description Type of zoning enforcement: frameor session-based If security is a priority, frame-based hardware enforcement is recommended. Use of aliases The use of aliases is optional with zoning. Using aliases requires structure when defining zones. Aliases aid administrators of zoned fabrics in understanding the structure and context. Interoperability mode See Chapter 14, "Interoperability for Merged SANs," for interoperability mode considerations when using zoning. Effect of changes in a production fabric 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. Fabric OS Administrator's Guide 227 53-1001336-01