MediaVault 4440 User Manual
E-2 MV 4440_Ciprico Inc.
Fabric Switch Zoning
IMPORTANT: The techniques and examples described in this
appendix are for information only. Many different zone and port
configurations are possible, and not all configurations have been
validated and/or verified for use with the MV 4440 unit.

Background Information

If an array or multiple arrays and multiple computers are attached to a fibre channel switch,
by default the switch acts as a hub, relaying information from all ports to all other ports.
A number of problems are created, however. If a computer has two ports, both ports being
connected to the switch, and a single channel array is connected to the switch, the computer
sees the array twice. In most cases, if this occurs, the computer is confused and does not for-
mat the array properly. With a dual-channel array, the computer sees it four times. To prevent
this, something must be done with the switch.

Fabric Switch Zoning Techniques

As Fibre channel switches advanced, they became managed. They used switch manage-
ment software to control the settings on-the-fly. Also, different ports could be grouped into lay-
ers. The ability of a switch to have this capability is called a "Fabric Switch." The process of
doing the settings is called "Zoning," because several zones are created that do not affect
each other. Zoning also fixes another problem: unused ports.
There are three techniques for zoning:
• Plain and Simple (has a tendency to be “trafficky”)
• Host Grouped
• 1:1 Relational