A state university host is a member of the active zone with its target, yet the Fibre Channel name server has no entry for that host. What does the missing name-server entry mean?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
The name server is a sign-in sheet, and zoning is the guest list. You can be on the guest list and still be absent from the sign-in sheet when the host has not logged into the fabric. Electing a principal or copying aliases does not create that missing login.
Full Explanation
The Fibre Channel name server is the directory of devices that have logged into the fabric. After FLOGI, the switch records the FCID, the WWPN, and the device type. Zoning is a separate database that says who is allowed to talk. The university host can sit in the active zone and still be missing from the name server when it has not completed a fabric login, which is what the empty entry means. Activating a zoneset does not write offline members into the name server, and a missing directory entry does not by itself make the zone invalid. The principal switch coordinates domain IDs. Hosts that have logged in appear in the name server without another election. CFS distribution shares databases such as device aliases. The name server is not a copy of the device-alias database, so turning CFS on will not create a login that never happened. Caveat: a host can be in the name server and still be unable to reach the target if the zone does not include both of them, so the directory and the active zone answer different questions. Operational check: check the physical link and the VSAN, have the host log in, and confirm the name server then shows its WWPN and FCID.