CompTIA Server+ (SK0-005)Server Hardware Installation and ManagementHard
A storage administrator wants to restrict which servers in a Fibre Channel SAN fabric can communicate with a specific set of storage ports by grouping their World Wide Port Names (WWPNs) together at the Fibre Channel switch. Which technique is being implemented?
- AVLAN tagging
- BZoning
- CLink aggregation
- DLUN masking
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Zoning
Zoning is a Fibre Channel switch-level security technique that groups specific WWPNs into zones, controlling which initiators and targets can communicate across the SAN fabric. LUN masking is a similar concept but is implemented at the storage array level, not the switch.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. VLAN tagging is an Ethernet concept, not used in Fibre Channel fabrics.
- C. Link aggregation combines multiple links for bandwidth/redundancy, unrelated to access control.
- D. LUN masking restricts LUN visibility at the storage array, not at the switch fabric level.
Fibre Channel Zoning
Zoning is a SAN security technique performed at the Fibre Channel switch that groups WWPNs into zones, restricting which devices can see and communicate with each other across the fabric.
- Implemented at the FC switch, using WWPNs (or WWNNs)
- Hard zoning enforces at hardware/port level; soft zoning at name-server level
- LUN masking is the complementary array-level access control technique
Memory trick: Zoning is the switch's bouncer, only letting grouped WWPNs into the same VIP room.