Brocade Network Advisor IP User Manual v12.3.0 - Manual (Page 809)

Brocade Network Advisor IP User Manual 757
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Zoning overview
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Offline zoning
Offline zoning is supported in Network OS fabrics.
Offline zoning is supported in Network OS and Fabric OS fabrics.
NOTE
Offline zoning is available only for Enterprise and Professional Plus editions.
Offline zoning enables you to copy a fabric zone database and edit it offline. The benefits to offline
zoning include the following:
• You want to make changes to the zone database now, but apply them later.
For example:
- If you make incremental changes to zoning on an ongoing basis, but want to apply the
changes to the fabric during scheduled downtime.
- If you are expecting new servers to be delivered, but want to make changes to zoning now
and apply the changes after the servers are delivered and ready to go online.
• You want to keep multiple copies of the zone database and switch between them.
For example, if you want to allow specific servers access to tape drives for backup during
specific time windows, you can have multiple zone databases (one or more for backup and one
for normal operation) and switch between them easily.
• You want to analyze the impact of changes to storage access before applying the changes.
For example, if you deploy a new server and want to ensure that the zoning changes result in
only the new server gaining access to specific storage devices and nothing else. Refer to
“Comparing zone databases” on page 780.
Zoning naming conventions
The naming rules for zone names, zone aliases, and zone configuration names vary with the type of
fabric. The following conventions apply:
• Names must start with an alphabetic character and may contain alphanumeric characters and
the underscore ( _ ) character.
• Names are not case-sensitive.
• Zone, alias, and configuration names cannot begin with “bfa_”,“red_”, “lsan_red_”, or
“d__efault__”. Zone configuration names cannot begin with “r_e_d_i_r_c__fg”. These prefixes
are reserved.
• Names cannot begin with a numeric character or a special character.
• The recommended character limit is 64 characters.
• Duplicate names are not allowed between zones, zone aliases, and zone configurations within
a zone database.
If you enter an invalid zone or zone configuration name, an error or warning message displays
depending on the type of fabric you are trying to zone.