# SANbox2-64 Zoning Configuration

The FC-SW-2 Auto Save and Default Visibility zoning parameters make up the zoning configuration.

Zoning Configuration Parameters

The FC-SW-2 Auto Save parameter is only available if the FC-SW-2 Compliant radio button is enabled on the Switch Properties dialog. The FC-SW-2 Auto Save parameter determines whether changes to the active zone set that a switch receives from other switches in the fabric will be saved to permanent memory on that switch. Changes are saved when an updated zone set is activated. Zoning changes are always saved to temporary memory. However, if Auto Save is enabled, the switch firmware saves changes to the active zone set in both temporary and permanent memory. If Auto Save is disabled, changes to the active zone set are stored only in temporary memory which is cleared when the switch is reset. Note: Fabrics with two or more switches must have the same Legacy Address Format and FC-SW-2 Compliant settings (using the Switch Properties dialog) on all switches, otherwise the switch may become isolated.

The Default Visibility parameter determines the level of communication that is permitted between devices when there is no active zone set. The default visibility parameter can be set differently on each switch. When default visibility is enabled (All) on a switch, all ports on the switch can communicate with all ports on switches that also have Default Visibility enabled. When Default Visibility is disabled (None) on a switch, none of the ports on that switch can communicate with any other switch in the fabric.

Zone Merge Failure

If a zone merge is unsuccessful, the inter-switch links between the fabrics will isolate due to a zone merge failure, which will generate an alarm log entry. The reason for the E_Port isolation can also be determined by viewing the port information.

A zone merge will fail if the two active zone sets have member zones with identical names that differ in membership or type. For example, consider Fabric A and Fabric B each with a soft zone named “ZN1” in its active zone set. Fabric A "ZN1" contains a member specified by Domain ID 1 and Port 1; Fabric B “ZN1” contains a member specified by Domain ID 1 and Port 2. In this case, the merge will fail because the two zones have the same name, but different membership. The zone merge will also fail if Fabric A “ZN1” is a soft zone and the Fabric B “ZN1” is an ACL zone.

Zone Merge Failure Recovery

When a zone merge failure occurs, the conflict that caused the failure must be resolved. You can correct a failure due to a zone conflict by deactivating one of the active zone sets or by editing the conflicting zones so that their membership and zone type (soft, ACL, VPF) are the same. You can deactivate the active zone set on one fabric if the active zone set on the other fabric accurately defines your zoning needs. If not, you must edit the zone memberships, and reactivate the zone sets. After correcting the zone membership, reset the isolated ports to allow the fabrics to join.

Note: If you deactivate the active zone set in one fabric and the Auto Save parameter is enabled, the active zone set from the second fabric will propagate to the first fabric and replace all zones with matching names in the configured zone sets.