Full Zoning Database showing less zones than Active Zone Database

[noranasr1]

We have a Cisco MDS 9513 SAN multilayer director. The switch does not have any ISLs. It uses basic not enhanced zoning. 

I noticed that the number of zones in the full zone database is less than the zones in the active zoning database. 

When I do a "show zone vsan xxx" command I am unable to see certain zones which I can see using the "show zoneset active vsan xxx"

I am also unable to edit / remove any of the zones that are not present in the full zoning database. 

What can i do to synchronize so that all zones that are in the active zoning database are also in the full zoning database?

[Walter Dey]

Can you please post the following 

- show zoneset ... vsan xxx

- show zoneset active  vsan xxx

- show zone status vsan xx     (where xx = the VSAN number)

[noranasr1]

Hello,

I will post the "show zone status" results. The full zone database has 261 zones, while the active zone database has 277 zones !

# show zone status vsan xxx
VSAN: xxx default-zone: deny distribute: active only Interop: default
mode: basic merge-control: allow
session: none
hard-zoning: enabled broadcast: disabled
Default zone:
qos: none broadcast: disabled ronly: disabled
Full Zoning Database :
DB size: 50056 bytes
Zonesets:1 Zones:261 Aliases: 153
Active Zoning Database :
DB size: 18700 bytes
Name: xxxxxxx Zonesets:1 Zones:277
Status:

[Walter Dey]

I see distribute: active only

I don't see VSAN: xx default-zone: deny distribute: full  ?

Is this your problem ?

switch#     config t

switch (config)#     zoneset distribute full vsan xx 

[noranasr1]

It is my understanding that the "zoneset distribute full vsan xx " command is used to distribute the zones across different switches in a fabric not for the active and full zone databases within the same switch. Please correct my understanding.

[Walter Dey]

Are the 16 additional zones in use ? or not ? when did you add them ?

What happens, if you do a zoneset activation ? 

Will this discrepancy disappear ?

[noranasr1]

The 16 additional zones are in use. They were added a while back, and not in the same time. I do a zoneset activation after each change of adding new zones.

[Walter Dey]

I'm still confused ?

Is there a difference between

show zoneset ... and

show active zoneset ....

If you did a zoneset activation, after adding the 16 zones, there shouldn't be any difference ?

[Rick1776]

Wallter, You can create multiple zonesets but they wont be active tell you commit the zoneset to a VSAN. This URL explains the difference. http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/switches/datacenter/nexus5600/sw/san_switching/7x/b_5600_SAN_Switching_Config_7x/configuring_and_managing_zones.html

[Walter Dey]

Sure ! Of course you can have multiple zonesets, but only can be active per VSAN ! 

Do you have multiple zonesets ? and if yes ? why ? could it be that you activated a wrong saveset ?