1.5.1 Zoning
A zone is a logical subset of the Fibre Channel devices that are connected
to the fabric. Zoning allows partitioning of resources for management and
access control. In some configurations, it may provide for more efficient use
of hardware resources by allowing one switch to serve multiple clusters or
multiple operating systems.
Figure 1–9 provides an example configuration using zoning. This
configuration consists of two independent zones with each zone containing
an independent cluster.
Remember, with a configuration such as the one shown in Figure 1–9, the
switch is a single point of failure.
Figure 1–9: A Simple Zoned Configuration
KGPSA
Memory
Channel
KGPSA
KGPSA
KGPSA
Fibre Channel Switch
Cluster 1
Member
System 1
Cluster 1
Member
System 2
Cluster 2
Member
System 2
Cluster 2
Member
System 1
0
2
4
6
8
10
12 14
ZK-1709U-AI
Memory
Channel
Memory
Channel
Memory
Channel
HSG 80
Controller A
HSG 80
Controller B
RA8000/ESA12000
Port 1
Port 1
Port 2
Port 2
HSG 80
Controller A
HSG 80
Controller B
RA8000/ESA12000
Port 1
Port 1
Port 2
Port 2
1
3
5
7
9
11 13 15
Fibre Channel Overview 1–13
