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Cisco MDS 9000 Fabric Manager Switch Configuration Guide
OL-7753-01
Chapter 1 Product Overview
Software Features
Virtual SANs
VSANs (virtual SANs) enable higher security and greater scalability in Fibre Channel fabrics. VSANs
provide isolation among devices that are physically connected to the same fabric. VSANs allow multiple
logical SANs over a common physical infrastructure. VSANs offer the following:
•
Traffic isolation—Traffic is contained within VSAN boundaries and devices reside only in one
VSAN thus ensuring absolute separation between user groups, if desired.
•
Scalability—VSANs are overlaid on top of a single physical SAN. The ability to create several
logical VSAN layers increases the scalability of the SAN.
•
Per VSAN fabric services—Replication of fabric services on a per VSAN basis provides increased
scalability and availability.
•
Redundancy—Several VSANs created on the same physical SAN ensure redundancy. If one VSAN
fails, redundant protection is provided by a configured backup path between the host and the switch.
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Ease of configuration—Devices can be added, moved, or changed between VSANs without
changing the physical structure of a SAN. Moving a device from one VSAN to another only requires
configuration at the port level, not at a physical level.
Intelligent Zoning
Zoning controls access between devices in a VSAN. Zoning accomplishes the following:
•
Partitions devices that use different operating systems. In a heterogeneous environment, it is often
necessary to separate servers and storage devices to avoid accidental transfer of information between
devices with different operating systems. Such transfers could result in corruption or deletion of
data.
•
Creates logical subsets of closed user groups. Closed user groups are needed to enforce security or
to separate functional areas across the fabric.
•
Configures groups of devices that are separate from the rest of the fabric. Based on the assigned zone
membership, devices outside the zone cannot access devices internal to the zone.
•
Provides temporary access between devices (zone sets). Zone restrictions can be imposed
temporarily, and then restored to revert to normal operation, if desired.
•
Restricts access to specific logical unit numbers (LUNs) associated with a device.
•
Allows members to have only read-only access to the media within a read-only Fibre Channel zone.
Inter-VSAN Routing
Using Inter-VSAN Routing (IVR), resources across VSANs can be accessed without compromising
other VSAN benefits. Valuable resources like tape libraries are easily shared across VSANs without
compromise. Routes that traverse one or more VSANs across multiple switches can be established, if
necessary, to ensure proper interconnections. IVR used in conjunction with FCIP provides more efficient
business continuity or disaster recovery solutions.
