When you implement an infrastructure with FC storage, it is imperative to make sure that when presenting the storage to the ESXi hosts, you make sure that only the intended ESXi hosts see the required LUNs. This is achieved by using two methods, called zoning and masking.
Zoning is configured on the fabric switch that the ESXi HBAs and the storage controllers are cabled to. The zoning function is used to create logical segments within a fabric. Only the nodes within a zone can communicate with each other, with initiators (HBAs) and targets (controllers) in it. There are two types of zoning: Hard Zoning and Soft Zoning:
- Hard Zoning is done by grouping the F-ports into a zone. An F-port is a physical port on a fabric ...
