HP StorageWorks SAN Virtualization Services Platform Administrator Guide (5697-0934, May 2011)

tell someone which zoning objects are contained in the zone. Naming conventions are a
personal preference but should convey meaningful information about the zone and be easily
understood. Tables 1 and 2 in the Zoning Components in HP SVSP section provide an example
naming convention that can be used with HP SVSP.
• Verify the zoning configuration afterwards. Devices being able to see each other and accessing
presented virtual disks or LUNs is no guarantee that the zoning configuration is correct with
all the expected paths between devices. Some zoning errors will not manifest themselves until
certain events, such as a path failover, occur. Using path failover tests within a fabric and
across fabrics should be a part of zone verification for HP SVSP.
• Use symmetric zoning rules and standard naming conventions in both fabrics.
HP SVSP zoning principles
An HP SVSP zoning configuration is different from zoning implemented in other SANs that have
devices that are strictly categorized as target or initiator devices. In HP SVSP, the VSM and Data
Path Module (DPM) are unique devices that act as both targets and initiators. Devices within an
HP SVSP configuration can be divided into five distinct types:
1. DPM—The backbone of HP SVSP that acts as a hardware virtualization device between hosts
and storage devices connected to it.
2. VSM—HP SVSP management servers that perform a function similar to HP Command View
EVA. The VSM also has the additional function of implementing HP SVSP data mover functions
such as import, migration and replication.
3. Storage—Back-end storage devices that provide the underlying storage being virtualized and
managed by HP SVSP.
4. Host—Front-end devices, which access the virtualized storage through HP SVSP.
5. Management—Devices that access the back-end storage devices directly for the sole purpose
of configuring them for use with HP SVSP.
An HP SVSP zoning configuration can logically be divided into front-end and back-end zones
depending on the interaction between the devices in the zone. The general rule is that any zone
used to access an HP SVSP virtual disk is a front-end zone while any zone containing a storage
device or dealing with the underlying storage I/O is a back-end zone. This distinction between
front-end and back-end zones is particularly important if it is necessary to install additional front-end
and back-end switches to support additional devices. All HP SVSP zones should follow these basic
guidelines to ensure the most stable, manageable configuration possible:
• Each zone contains a target device and an initiator device. In the case of the DPM and VSM,
these devices can be classified as targets or initiators, depending on what device they are
interacting with in a given zone. For example, in a Host-DPM zone, the DPM is the target
while the host is the initiator. However in a DPM-Storage zone, the DPM is the initiator while
the storage device is the target.
• Each zone contains exactly two device types. For example, HP recommends you have different
zones for the DPM-VSM and Storage-DPM rather than having a single zone containing the
DPM, VSM, and storage devices.
NOTE: Since a VSM port can act as either a target or initiator, having ports from the same
VSM in a single zone can lead to unpredictable behavior and should be avoided. HP
recommends all VSM-related zones have at most one port from each VSM.
• Each zone contains a single initiator device but may contain multiple target devices. A target
device can be represented by multiple ports but an initiator device is represented by only a
single port. Multiple target devices may be placed in a single zone when it can be verified
that they are strict target ports. For example, multiple ports from different EVAs may occupy
32 Zoning