Zoning is a FC swutch function that enables nodes within fabric to be logically segmented into groups that can communicate with each other

• A zone consists of selected devices, such as host bus adapters (HBAS) and storage devices, in the fabric.

• Devices assigned to one zone can communicate with other devices in the same zone, but not with devices in zones of which they are not members.

• This zoning practise provider a fast, efficient & reliable means of controlling the HBA discovery login process.

• Without zoning, the HBA will attempt to log in to all other parts on the fabric during discovery and during the HBA's respnse to a state change notification.

• With zoning the time and fibre channel bandwidth required to process discovery and the state change notifications are minimized.

Types of zoning :

Zoning is categorized into three types.

a) Port zoning :- (hard zoning)

• It uses the FC addresses of the physical ports to define zones.
• In port zoning, access to data is determined by the physical switch port to which a node is connected.
• The FC address is dynamically assigned when the port logs on to the fabric. Therefore, any change in the fabric configuration affects zoning.

b) WWN Zoning :- (Soft zoning)

• It uses world wide names to define zones.

• A major advantage of WWN zoning is its flexibility.

• It allows the SAN to be recabled without reconfiguring the zone information. This is possible becase the WWN is static to the node part.

c) Mixed zoning :-

It combines the qualities of both WWN zoning and part zoning. Using mixed zoning enables a specific part to be tired to the WWN of a node.

Scenarios i) where hard zoning is preferred over hard zoning and ii) Where soft zoning is preferred over soft zoning.

i) Soft zoning is also WWN zoning and it is preferred when user need flexibility to physically move attached nodes between switch prt cable the SAN, that may take place during switch maintenance and repair without reconfiguring the zone information. This is possible because the WWN is static to the node part.

ii) Hard zoning is called port zoning, it is convinent when there is a need for hardware replacement as WWN is uniquely associated with a hardware. Setup is managed using host-tools, such as the host OS, which makes storage management tasks easy for small and medium enterprises. Requires fewer management tasks and less hardware and software elements to set up and operate.