Technical data

Fabric OS Administrator’s Guide 13-27
Publication Number: 53-0000518-09
Using Zoning to Administer Security
13
Splitting a Fabric
If the connections between two fabrics are no longer available, the fabric will segment into two separate
fabrics. Each new fabric will retain the same zone configuration.
If the connections between two fabrics are replaced and no changes have been made to the zone
configuration in either of the two fabrics, then the two fabrics will merge back into one single fabric. If
any changes that cause a conflict have been made to either zone configuration, then the fabrics
might segment.
Using Zoning to Administer Security
Zones provide controlled access to fabric segments and establish barriers between operating
environments. They isolate systems with different uses, protecting individual systems in a
heterogeneous environment; for example, when zoning is in secure mode, no merge operations occur.
Brocade Advanced Zoning is configured on the primary Fabric Configuration Server (FCS). The
primary FCS switch makes zoning changes and other security-related changes. The primary FCS switch
also distributes zoning to all other switches in the secure fabric. All existing interfaces can be used to
administer zoning (depending on the policies; refer to the Secure Fabric OS Administrator’s Guide for
information about security policies).
You must perform zone management operations from the primary FCS switch using a zone
management interface, such as telnet or Advanced Web Tools. You can alter a zoning database,
provided you are connected to the primary FCS switch.
When two secure fabrics join, the traditional zoning merge does not occur. Instead, a zoning database is
downloaded from the primary FCS switch of the merged secure fabric. When E_Ports are active
between two switches, the name of the FCS server and a zoning policy set version identifier are
exchanged between the switches. If the views of the two secure fabrics are the same, the fabric’s
primary FCS server downloads the zoning database and security policy sets to each switch in the fabric.
If there is a view conflict, the E_Ports are segmented due to incompatible security data.
As part of zoning architecture, you must determine which of the two basic zoning architectures (hard or
soft) works best for your fabric. With time and planning, the basic hard zone configuration works for
most sites. If a site has additional security needs, use the additional layer of Secure Fabric OS, apart
from the standard zoning architecture.
Resolving Zone Conflicts
Zone conflicts can be resolved by saving a configuration file with the configUpload command,
examining the zoning information in the file, and performing a cut and paste operation so that the
configuration information matches in the fabrics being merged.
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Secure Fabric OS requires the activation of a Brocade security license and an Advanced Zoning license.