Fabric Services
Zoning
Port Zoning
• Port zoning:
– Identifies each device in a specified zone by physical
port
– Switch routing table (in the ASIC) enforces zoning
– Can make administration more difficult because
zones do not “follow” devices
When port zoning is used:
Physical switch ports are added to zones.
The switch routing table (in the ASIC) enforces zoning. The ASIC blocks
unauthorized communications by disabling the route between ports that
are not authorized to communicate.
Plugging an unauthorized device into a port assigned to Zone X will
allow that device to communicate with other devices in Zone X.
Moving an authorized device to a different physical port that does not
belong to the zone requires that the administrator update the zone
configuration.