HP StorageWorks 2.64 Director Switch - Manual (Page 24)

Introduction
24 Embedded Web Server User Guide
Key Terms
This section provides key terms that will help you perform tasks, especially tasks
such as zoning.
Fabric
Entity that interconnects N_Ports and is capable of routing (switching) Fibre
Channel frames using the destination ID information in the Fibre Channel frame
header accompanying the frames.
Storage Area Network (SAN)
A high-performance data communications environment that interconnects
computing and storage resources so that the resources can be effectively shared
and consolidated.
Zone (Zoning)
A zone is a group of devices or zone members in a SAN that can communicate
and access each other. Communication is only allowed between devices in the
same zone. A device can be in multiple zones so that shared resources can be
accessed by many devices. Because SANs connect many types of devices that
may carry different protocols, separating an entire fabric into zones can control
access between specific devices. Zone (or zoning) is an efficient method of
managing, partitioning, and controlling access to SAN devices. Zoning
maximizes resources while maintaining data security and enabling heterogeneous
systems and products to operate in the same SAN.
Zone Member
Specification (definition) of a device that belongs to a zone. A zone member can
be identified by the port number of the device to which it is attached or by its
device or host bus adapter or World Wide Name (WWN). In multiswitch fabrics,
identification of end-devices and nodes by WWN is preferable.
Zone Set
A zone set is composed of one or more zones. When a zone set is activated, all
zones in the set are activated at the same time. Only one zone set can be active in
the fabric at one time, and that zone set is referred to as the active zone set.