Solutions in this chapter:

• Installation Considerations

• Automating Switch Administration Activities

• Brocade Zoning Considerations

• Validating Your Fabric

• SAN Maintenance

• Summary

• Solutions Fast Track

• Frequently Asked Questions

Introduction

Once you have completed your SAN design, you can then focus on implementation, management, and maintenance. To arrive at a design requires a significant data-gathering effort during which you establish the requirements that shape your SAN: application drivers, availability, scalability, manageability, and performance. With these decisions made, you can then create a SAN architecture that meets your needs. The process of deploying a SAN is iterative as you build, test, and refine your original design. Once you have a SAN design, the next step is to implement, maintain, and manage the SAN. SAN implementation is the process of taking your design from paper to physical setup. Implementation is an ongoing activity that is very visible during the middle stages of your SAN s lifecycle. In transitioning to a management and maintenance mode, you will periodically implement changes such as SAN expansion, fabric upgrades, and node movement. SAN management and maintenance activities are also reactive, such as replacing a failed switch or Gigabit Interface Converter (GBIC) optical module.

This chapter is organized similarly to how you would set up and run a SAN. First, we discuss topics that require thought prior to implementation, such as zoning, cabling, and installation decisions. Then we present topics such as how to validate your fabric prior to transitioning to production. Finally, once you have your fabric up and running, we...