Zoning In Brocade SAN Switch

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In this post, we will discuss Zoning in the Brocade SAN switch. In addition to the definition, we will discuss the commands for zoning in the Brocade switch. You can also generate zoning commands by entering the required values, and our tool will give you the commands automatically.

Zoning In Brocade SAN Switch
Zoning In Brocade SAN Switch

You can also refer to our post on Zoning in Cisco MDS Switch.

Fabric A

Command to active zone configuration: cfgactvshow | grep -i cfg



Fabric B

Command to active zone configuration: cfgactvshow | grep -i cfg



Important Terms Brocade SAN Switch Zoning

Let’s first discuss some of the common terminologies that are used in Brocade Zoning.

What is WWPN?

WWPN stands for World Wide Port Name. Each port in the SAN network has a unique WWPN of a 64-bit address. In SAN network ports are identified by its WWPN. Below is an example of WWPN

Ex : 10:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx

You can refer to the post on types of FC ports.

What is FC Alias Name?

Alias Name In Brocade SAN Switch is the human-readable name of WWPN. WWPN is 64-bit addresses and difficult to remember. Hence a storage admin creates an alias name for WWPN.

What is Zone Brocade SAN Switch?

Zone in Brocade SAN Switch is nothing but a grouping of alias members. Zoning basically creates a secure path between two end devices for FC communication. These members are FC alias name of Host WWPN and Storage Array WWPN.

What is an Active Zone?

Active Zone Configuration in SAN Switch consists of active zones. It means if a zone is part of active zone config then only interaction happens between the zone members. In a fabric, only one zone config can be in an active state.

Prerequisite Of Brocade Zoning

Before we start zoning we must collect the necessary information. Below is the checklist you must collect before doing zoning.

  • SSH Or GUI connectivity to Brocade SAN switch
  • Server Name For Zoning
  • WWPN  of Server HBA Port
  • WWPN of Front End Storage Array Port

Steps Of Zoning in Brocade SAN Switch

Once we have the above information. Below are the steps we need to perform. These are the overall steps of zoning in the brocade switch. In the next section, we will about CLI commands for zoning.

  1. Check Connectivity of HBA Port To Fabric.
  2. Create FC Alias Name For HBA Port WWPN and Storage Array Port WWPN.
  3. Create a ZONE and add alias members.
  4. Add the zone to active configuration zone
  5. Save the active configuration zone
  6. Enable active configuration zone

The above step may differ if you have additional features such as Enhanced zoning in your Storage Area Network.

CLI Command for Brocade SAN Switch Zoning

You can also perform zoning via the command line. You need to use putty to connect to the SAN switch. Below are steps to perform on CLI to create zoning on the Brocade SAN switch.

1. Check Connectivity of HBA Port To Fabric.

nodefind 10:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx

2. Create FC Alias Name

alicreate “host1_hba1”,”10:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx”
alicreate “storage_hba1”,”50:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx:xx”

3. Create a ZONE and add FC alias members.

zonecreate “zone1”, “host1_hba1; storage_hba1”

4. Add the zone to active config zone

Before we add the zone to the active config zone, we have to find it by executing the below command.

cfgactvshow | more

You can find the active config zone at the top of the output. Once you find it now you can add the zone into it.

cfgadd “activecfg1”,“zone1”

5. Save the active config zone

cfgsave

6. Enable active config zone

cfgenable “activecfg1“

Today’s Question on Zoning In Brocade SAN Switch

Now a tricky question for you guys. Do some research and let me know your answer in the comment section.

  1. What is the purpose of cfgsave command?
  2. What will happen if the cfgsave command is not executed?

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