HP StorageWorks Secure Fabric OS 5.0.0 User Guide (AA-RW1UA-TE, May 2005)

15Secure Fabric OS 5.0.0 user guide
• Zoning configuration
• Secure Fabric OS policies
• Fabric password database
• SNMP community strings
• System date and time
NOTE: The role of the FCS switch is separate from the role of the principal switch, which
assigns domain IDs. The role of the principle switch is not affected by whether secure mode is
enabled.
When secure mode is enabled, only the primary FCS switch can propagate management
changes to the fabric. When a new switch joins the fabric, the primary FCS switch verifies the
digital certificate; then it provides the current configuration, overwriting the existing
configuration of the new switch.
Because the primary FCS switch distributes the zoning configuration, zoning databases do not
merge when new switches join the fabric. Instead, the zoning information on the new switches
is overwritten when the primary FCS switch downloads zoning to these switches, if secure
mode is enabled on all of them. For more information about zoning, refer to the HP
StorageWorks
Fabric OS 4.x procedures user guide .
The remaining switches listed in the FCS policy act as backup FCS switches. If the primary
FCS switch becomes unavailable for any reason, the next switch in the list becomes the
primary FCS switch. You should have at least one backup FCS switch, to reduce the possibility
of having no primary FCS switch available. You can designate as many backup FCS switches
as you like; however, all FCS switches should be physically secure.
Any switches not listed in the FCS policy are defined as non-FCS switches. The root and
factory accounts are disabled on non-FCS switches.
Fabric management policy set
Using Secure Fabric OS, you can create several types of policies to customize various aspects
of the fabric. By default, only the FCS policy exists when secure mode is first enabled. Use the
CLI or Fabric Manager to create and manage Secure Fabric OS policies.
Secure Fabric OS policies can be created, displayed, modified, and deleted. They can also
be created and saved without being activated immediately, to allow implementation at a
future time. Saved policies are persistent, meaning that they are saved in flash memory and
remain available after switch reboot or power cycle.