Abstract: In a storage area network (SAN), first and second zone sets are compared to identify differences, including zones appearing in one zone set but not the other, and zones in both zone sets but having different contents in each. A zone comparison user interface (UI) window is displayed on a SAN management computer system via user selection from a pop-up menu appearing when a SAN object is selected from a hierarchical object display. The UI window includes a differences display area to display zone set differences and includes fields for identifying a type of zone difference, a zone identifier, and identifiers of host computers and storage devices of a zone. Based on differences identified between the first and second zone sets, identifiers of those zones of the first and second zone sets having a predetermined difference type are displayed.

Abstract: A method for displaying graphically interconnected network fabrics on a graphical user interface. The method disclosed herein is a view manager that identifies fabrics (e.g., storage area networks) in a network system and then displays graphical representations of the fabrics within a graphical user interface. In this manner, the fabric representations are displayed in respective regions of the graphical user interface such that the pixels of each fabric representation do not overlap. Graphical interconnections are displayed between network fabrics to represent the relationship and connectivity between the fabrics. Additionally, the view manager displays the physical and virtual components or resources (e.g., host computers, switch devices, storage devices) that make up the network fabrics as graphical objects within the fabric representations.