Solved: Enhanced Zoning (MDS-6248)

stevecuddy · ‎05-14-2012

Hi,

I've been reading the forums and taking advice and I want to configure Enhanced Zoning on my fabrics.
Can somebody confirm that Cisco 6248s can operate in enhanced zoning mode ?
Whenever I configure it, it fails to activate on the VSAN - even though the MDS status shows enabled and distributed.
So when I try and Zone via device-aliases it throws an error basically saying that enhanced zoned devices can't work in basic mode.
Seeing as the MDS is definitly in Enahnced mode it must be the 6248 but I can find no command or reference material on how to activate it on the 6248.

Has anybody got this working ?

I know that the 6248s dont support zonign without an upstream switch so I'm wondering if this is this the issue.

Steve.

Jeremy Waldrop · ‎05-15-2012

You will not be able to use enhanced zoning on the MDS switches providing the zoning to the 6248s. Enhanced zoning is more useful in multi-switch fabrics or fabrics where there are multiple SAN admins that could be potentially making zoning changes at the same time. When the first admin initiates a zone change the fabric is locked and no one else can make a change until that admin has comitted their change.

In the case of a 6248 you can't configure it so that means you can't use it on the MDS connected to the 6248.

View solution in original post

Jeremy Waldrop · ‎05-14-2012

Enhanced zoning is configurable on the 6248 so you will not be able to use it on the MDS side.

stevecuddy · ‎05-15-2012

Hi Jeremy,

Sorry I don't follow - I thought all switches in the fabric had to support it ?
Are you saying you can only enable it on one switch ?

Sorry for the repetitive questions but there arn't many guides out there for a 6248 in FC-SW mode.
I've been reading your Blog and I can see you're a big advocate of enhanced Zoning and I'd like to have this working if it's possible.

Thanks
Steve.

Jeremy Waldrop · ‎05-15-2012

You will not be able to use enhanced zoning on the MDS switches providing the zoning to the 6248s. Enhanced zoning is more useful in multi-switch fabrics or fabrics where there are multiple SAN admins that could be potentially making zoning changes at the same time. When the first admin initiates a zone change the fabric is locked and no one else can make a change until that admin has comitted their change.

In the case of a 6248 you can't configure it so that means you can't use it on the MDS connected to the 6248.

stevecuddy · ‎05-15-2012

Hi Jeremy,

That's the conclusion I came to - Thanks for the clarification.

It was good to learn device-aliases though as I'm currently working through the online PEC material.

Thanks again
Steve.