Specifications

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Cisco SN 5428-2 Storage Router Software Configuration Guide
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Chapter 1 Before Configuring SN 5428-2 Storage Router Software
Zoning Overview
Figure 1-20 FC Fabric Zoning Overview
Zoning comprises zones, zone sets, aliases, and zone databases.
A zone is a named group of devices that can communicate with each other. Membership in a zone is
defined by the device WWPN. Zone members can communicate only with members of the same zone.
The SN 5428-2 supports the soft zone type. Soft zones can overlap; that is, a device can be a member of
more than one soft zone.
To make it easier to add devices to one or more zones, you can create an alias. An alias is a named set
of devices that are grouped together for convenience. You can add an alias to one or more zones.
However, you cannot add a zone to an alias, nor can an alias be a member of another alias.
You can also use an alias to name a single device. This allows you to refer to the device by the alias name
rather than the WWPN of the device.
A zone set is a named group of zones. A zone can be a member of more than one zone set.
To apply zoning to a fabric, enable the appropriate zone set. When you enable (or “activate”) a zone set,
the system compiles zone sets of the same name from all SN 5428-2s and switches in the fabric, and then
redistributes this merged active zone set back to every SN 5428-2 and switch in the fabric. Therefore,
every SN 5428-2 and switch in the fabric will have identical active zone sets.
The SN 5428-2 supports multiple zone sets, but only one zone set can be active in the fabric at any given
time.
Each SN 5428-2, like other switches in the zoned FC switched fabric, has its own zoning database. The
zoning database is made up of all aliases, zones, and zone sets that have been created on the SN 5428-2
or received from other switches in the fabric. When you modify aliases, zone or zone sets, the changes
are immediately saved to the SN 5428-2 bootable configuration.
The Auto Save zoning configuration parameter controls whether zoning changes received from other
SN 5428-2s or switches in the fabric are automatically saved to the SN 5428-2s zoning database.
FC storage
FC storage
FC
switch
Host A
IP Host A IP Host B
Host B
IP
Cisco SN 5428-2
85733
Zone Y
Zone Z