HOW TO: Configure smart zoning on Cisco MDS 9148s

New VSAN is configured in enhanced mode and we’re utilised smart zoning:

Switch01# sh zone status vsan 10
VSAN: 10 default-zone: deny distribute: full Interop: default
    mode: enhanced merge-control: allow           <<---
    session: cli [admin]
    hard-zoning: enabled broadcast: unsupported
    smart-zoning: enabled                         <<---
    rscn-format: fabric-address
Default zone:
    qos: none broadcast: unsupported ronly: unsupported
Full Zoning Database :
    DB size: 532 bytes
    Zonesets:1  Zones:2 Aliases: 4 Attribute-groups: 1
Active Zoning Database :
    DB size: 200 bytes
    Name: zs_vsan10  Zonesets:1  Zones:2
Current Total Zone DB Usage: 732 / 2097152 bytes (0 % used)
Pending (Session) DB size:
    Full DB Copy size: 576 bytes
    Active DB Copy size: 200 bytes
SFC size: 776 / 2097152 bytes (0 % used)
Status:

Implementing configuration changes using enhanced mode means we need to commit changes to the vsan. It’s greatest benefit is to ensure that we can configure a FC network within a single session and locks the fabric.
Smart zoning means that we no longer need to create explicit zones, meaning 1 initiator – 1 target zones. Instead within a smart zone, PWWNs/aliases can all be included within a single zone, however assigned a role (initiator/target), ensuring that there are ACLs still exist.

In the example below we’re going to create a new smart zone per fabric for a new VMware vSphere cluster of hosts, that will connect to the existing EMC XtremIO target ports.

Pre-requisites

• Have the new device HBA wwpns at hand
• Have the existing target wwpn aliases at hand
• Login rights to the MDS switches
• VSAN IDs where you intend create your new FC Zones

High Level Tasks

1. Create device aliases
2. Create FC aliases
3. Create zones
4. Add zones to zonesets
5. Activate zoneset, commit changes & save

Step1 – Create Device Aliases

SwitchA

conf t
device-alias database
device-alias name host01_vhba0 pwwn 20:00:00:25:b5:04:a0:04
device-alias name host02_vhba0 pwwn 20:00:00:25:B5:04:a0:05
exit
device-alias commit

SwitchB

conf t
device-alias database
device-alias name host01_vhba1 pwwn 20:00:00:25:b5:04:b1:04
device-alias name host02_vhba1 pwwn 20:00:00:25:b5:04:b1:05
exit
device-alias commit

Step 2 – Create FC Aliases

Useful for grouping FC hosts

SwitchA (whilst still in configuration mode session)

fcalias name cluster01_hosts vsan 10
member device-alias host01_vhba0 initiator
member device-alias host02_vhba0 initiator
exit
fcalias name cluster01_x10 vsan 10
member device alias X1_SC1_FC1 target
member device alias X1_SC2_FC1 target
exit

SwitchB (whilst still in configuration mode session)

fcalias name cluster01_hosts vsan 11
member device-alias host01_vhba1 initiator
member device-alias host02_vhba1 initiator
exit
fcalias name cluster01_x10 vsan 11
member device-alias X1_SC1_FC2 target
member device-alias X1_SC2_FC2 target
exit

Step 3 – Create zones

SwitchA (whilst still in configuration mode session)

zone name cluster01_x10_hosts vsan 10
member fcalias cluster01_x10
member fcalias hosts_cluster01
exit

SwitchB (whilst still in configuration mode session)

zone name cluster01_x10_hosts vsan 11
member fcalias cluster01_x10
member fcalias cluster01_hosts
exit

Step 4 – Add Zone to ZoneSet

SwitchA (whilst still in configuration mode session)

zoneset name zs_vsan10 vsan 10
member cluster01_x10_hosts
exit

SwitchB (whilst still in configuration mode session)

zoneset name zs_vsan11 vsan 11
member cluster01_x10_hosts
exit

Step 5 – Activate zoneset, commit VSAN changes & save configuration

SwitchA (whilst still in configuration mode session)

zoneset activate name zs_vsan10 vsan 10
zone commit vsan 10
end
copy run start

SwitchB (whilst still in configuration mode session)

zoneset activate name zs_vsan11 vsan 11
zone commit vsan 11
end
copy run start

I hope this will help.