Brocade Communications Systems IP250 user manual Fabric policy monitors, Policy monitor overview

36 Policy monitor overview

Fabric policy monitors

Fabric policy monitors enable you to set the following policy monitors on Ethernet fabrics (refer to “Adding a policy monitor” on page 1108):

•Check zoning status — This fabric policy monitor enables you to determine if zoning is enabled or disabled on the fabric.

Zoning plays a key role in the management of device communication. When you enforce zoning, devices not in the same zone cannot communicate. Zoning provides protection from disruption in the fabric (putting bounds on the scope of RSCNs). The best practice is always to enable zoning.

Rule Violation Fix — If the policy monitor report shows a violation, the Administrator can use the Zoning dialog box (Configure > Zoning > Fabric) to fix the violation. Refer to “Zoning” on page 637.

For example, if you use the policy monitor to make sure that the zoning status is enabled, you can fix the violation through the Zoning dialog box by locating the target fabric, defining a zone configuration, and activating the zone configuration.

•Check that all zones belong to at least one zone config — This fabric policy monitor enables you to determine if there are any orphaned zones in the fabric zone database.

Too many orphaned zones can fill up the fabric zone database and complicate other ongoing administrative tasks.

Rule Violation Fix — If the policy monitor report shows a violation, the Administrator can use the Zoning dialog box (Configure > Zoning > Fabric) to fix the violation. Refer to “Zoning” on page 637.

For example, the Administrator can fix the violation through the Zoning dialog box using one of the following methods:

-Defining a new zone configuration and moving the orphaned zones to the new zone configuration.

-Moving the orphaned zones to an existing zone configuration.

-Cleaning up unused orphaned zones.

•Check the number of initiator ports zoned to each storage port — This fabric policy monitor enables you to determine the total number of initiator ports zoned to each storage port.

When too many initiators share the same connection (share the bandwidth of the storage port), congestion can occur.

There are four possible zone member types: device port WWN, device node WWN, (D,I), and Fabric Assigned WWN.

-Device port WWN — The application counts the connected device ports and uses them for the ratio calculation.

-Device node WWN zone member — The application finds the corresponding device ports and uses them for the ratio calculation.

-D,I — If the switch port is connected to a device, the application finds the connected device ports and uses them for the ratio calculation.

-Fabric Assigned WWN — If the switch or Access Gateway (AG) port has a connected device port, the application finds the connected device ports and uses them for the ratio calculation.

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