Fabric OS Administrator’s Guide 241
53-1001763-02
Zoning overview 11
For example, in enterprise-class platforms, “4,30” specifies port 14 in slot number 2 (domain ID 4,
port index 30). On fixed-port models, “3,13” specifies port 13 in switch domain ID 3.
Note the following effects on zone membership based on the type of zone object:
•When a zone object is the physical port number, then all devices connected to that port are in
the zone.
•World Wide Names are specified as 8-byte (16-digit) hexadecimal numbers, separated by
colons (:) for example, 10:00:00:90:69:00:00:8a.
•When a zone object is the node WWN name, only the specified device is in the zone.
•When a zone object is the port WWN name, only the single port is in the zone.
The types of zone objects used to define a zone can be mixed. For example, a zone defined with the
zone objects 2,12; 2,14; 10:00:00:80:33:3f:aa:11 contains the devices connected to domain 2,
ports 12 and 14, and a device with the WWN 10:00:00:80:33:3f:aa:11 (either node name or port
name) that is connected on the fabric.

Zoning schemes

You can establish a zone by identifying zone objects using one or more of the following zoning
schemes:
•Domain,index (D,I)
All members are specified by domain ID, port number, or domain, index number pair or aliases.
•World Wide Name (WWN)
All members are specified only by World Wide Name (WWNs) or aliases of WWNs. They can be
node or port versions of the WWN.
•Mixed zoning
A zone containing members specified by a combination of domain,port or domain,index or
aliases, and WWNs or aliases of WWNs.
In any scheme, you can identify zone objects using aliases.

Zone aliases

A zone alias is a name assigned to a device or a group of devices. By creating an alias, you can
assign a familiar name to a device or group multiple devices into a single name. This simplifies
cumbersome data entry and allows an intuitive naming structure (such as using “NT_Hosts” to
define all NT hosts in the fabric).
Zone aliases also simplify repetitive entry of zone objects such as port numbers or a WWN. For
example, you can use the name “Eng” as an alias for “10:00:00:80:33:3f:aa:11”.
Naming zones for the initiator they contain can also be useful. For example, if you use the alias
SRV_MAILSERVER_SLT5 to designate a mail server in PCI slot 5, then the alias for the associated
zone is ZNE_MAILSERVER_SLT5. This clearly identifies the server host bus adapter (HBA)
associated with the zone.
Zone configuration naming is flexible. 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 other configurations are used for specialized purposes, names such as
“BACKUP_A,” “RECOVERY_2,” and “TEST_18jun02” can be used.