Switch for implementing read only zones in a fibre channel fabric

1. A Switch, comprising:

a port configured to receive a command frame in a switching Fabric, the frame identifying:

a source device in the switching Fabric;

a destination device in the Switching Fabric;

a command; and

a read/write flag which indicates if the source device intends to exercise write access to the destination device; and

a processor, coupled to the port, and configured to:

ascertain the status of the read/write flag in the frame; and

trap the frame and prevent it from reaching the identified destination storage device in the switching Fabric if the source and the destination devices identified in the frame belong to a read-only zone and the status of the flag is set to write, the processor in the switch is further configured to send a Write Protect message to the source device if the frame is trapped.

2. The Switch of claim 1 , wherein the processor of the Switch is further configured to forward the frame to the destination device if the status of the flag indicates read or the source device and/or the destination device identified in the frame belong to a read-write zone.

3. The Switch of claim 1 , wherein the command is dropped if neither the source and destination end devices are in a read-only zone or a read-write zone.

4. The Switch of claim 1 , wherein the a read/write flag which indicates if the source device intends to exercise write access to the destination device is set if the command frame has associated data frames being sent from the source device to the destination device.

5. The Switch of claim 1 , wherein the a read/write flag which indicates if the source device intends to exercise write access to the destination device is reset if the command frame has no associated data frames being sent from the source device to the destination device.

6. A Switching Fabric comprising:

a read-only zone, the read-only zone including:

at least one source device; and

at least one destination device;

a Switch coupled between the at least one source device and destination device, the Switch being configured to trap commands from the at least one source device to the destination device when the commands from the at least one source device to the at least one destination device will modify data stored on the at least one destination device, the Switch is further configured to generate a Write Protect message to the at least one source device when a command is trapped.

7. The Switching Fabric of claim 6 , wherein the Switch is further configured to ascertain if the commands from the at least one source device to the at least one destination device are both in the read-only zone.

8. The Switching Fabric of claim 6 , wherein the Switch is further configured to not trap commands between the at least one source device and the at least one destination device when the commands will not modify the data stored on the at least one destination device.

9. The Switching Fabric of claim 6 , wherein the Switch is further configured to not trap commands that identify a destination device not in the read-only zone.

10. The Switching Fabric of claim 6 , further comprising a second zone, the second zone being configured as a read and write zone.

11. The Switching Fabric of claim 10 , wherein the at least one source device is included in both the read-only zone and the read and write zone.

12. The Switching Fabric of claim 10 , wherein the at least one destination device is included in both the read-only zone and the read and write zone.

13. The Switching Fabric of claim 6 , wherein the source device is one of the following types of source devices: a host or a storage device.

14. The Switching Fabric of claim 6 , wherein the destination device is one of the following types of destination devices: a host or a storage device.