Brocade Network OS Administrator’s Guide v4.1.1 - Manual (Page 173)

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.
The different types of zone configurations are:
• Defined Configuration
The complete set of all zone objects defined in the fabric.
• Enabled Configuration
A single zone configuration that is currently in effect. The enabled configuration is built when you enable
a specified zone configuration.
If you disable the enabled configuration, zoning is disabled on the fabric, and default zoning takes
effect. When default zoning takes effect, either all devices within the fabric can communicate with all
other devices, or no device communicate with any other device, depending on how default zoning is
configured. Disabling the configuration does not mean that the zone database is deleted, however, only
that no configuration is active in the fabric.
On power-up, the switch automatically reloads the saved configuration. If a configuration was active
when it was saved, the same configuration is reinstated on the local switch.
Naming conventions
Naming zones and zone configurations is flexible. You can devise prefixes to differentiate between
zones used for production, backup, recovery, or testing. 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 you want to use other configurations for specific purposes, you can use names
such as "BACKUP_A," "RECOVERY_2," and "TEST_18jun02".
Zoning enforcement
Zone enforcement is by name server. The name server filters queries and RSCNs based on the
enabled zoning configuration.
Considerations for zoning architecture
This table lists considerations for zoning architecture.
Considerations for zoning architecture TABLE 32
Item Description
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.
Allowing time to
propagate changes 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.
Naming conventions
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