Adding Fibre Channel switches to storage area networks (SANs) previously cobbled together with legacy private devices can give storage managers tremendous flexibility to easily create and manage SANs that include both private and public devices. The key to these highly flexible, manageable SANs is the switch's capability to create zones, or partitions within the total SAN fabric. Prior to the FC-SW-2 specification, Fibre Channel switch vendors developed their own naming conventions and features.