– Only one switch has the “master” zone database – No zones are defined on other switches – Active zoneset will propagate to all switches
• Should you propagate full zone database?
– Easier to recover the full zone database if the “master” switch is lost
– But you must be careful to not modify or activate zonesets on other switches
– Some switches allow you to recover the full zone database from the active zoneset
It is generally considered a best practice to configure zonesets and zones on just one switch in the fabric. Only one switch will have the full zone database; no zonesets or zones will be defined on other switches. The active zoneset will propagate to all switches in the fabric. This ensures that zone conflicts will never occur, because only one switch has defined zones.
Some switches give you the option of propagating the full zone database, as well as the active zone database. In the event that the switch with the full zone database is lost, it will be easier to recover the full zone database if you are propagating the full zone database as well as the active zoneset. However, you must then be careful to not modify or activate zonesets on other switches.