Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080281879 | STORAGE CONTROLLER, AND CONTROL METHOD OF THE SAME - The storage controller of the present invention can efficiently execute recovery by using the storage contents of the primary volume and of the base volume as much as possible. The difference between the primary volume and the base volume is managed by using difference bitmaps that differ in the sections. At the time of recovery, the differences that occur after the restoration point and before the restoration point are managed in the respective bitmaps. The base volume can be used in the area updated only after the restoration point, and the primary volume can be used in the area updated only before the restoration point. In the areas that are updated before and after the restoration point, the data of the base volume is copied to the primary volume, and thereafter the journal data obtained up to the restoration point are written to the primary volume. | 11-13-2008 |
20080282049 | STORAGE CONTROLLER, CONTROL METHOD OF THE SAME, AND INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM - In the storage controller of the present invention, different difference bitmaps are used for predetermined sections respectively, whereby the difference between the primary volume and the base volume is managed for each section, and the data are protected efficiently. The difference between the primary volume and the base volume is managed by using the difference bitmaps that are different for the respective sections. The journal data after a lapse of the targeted protection period are written to the base volume and then discarded. At the time of recovery, the difference bitmaps are merged to create a new difference bitmap, and the difference is copied from the base volume to the primary volume. Thereafter, the journal data up to the designated restoration point are written to the primary volume. | 11-13-2008 |
20090055586 | COMPUTER SYSTEM HAVING AN EXPANSION DEVICE FOR VIRTUALIZING A MIGRATION SOURCE LOGICAL UNIT - A migration destination storage creates an expansion device for virtualizing a migration source logical unit. A host computer accesses an external volume by way of an access path of a migration destination logical unit, a migration destination storage, a migration source storage, and an external volume. After destaging all dirty data accumulated in the disk cache of the migration source storage to the external volume, an expansion device for virtualizing the external volume is mapped to the migration destination logical unit. | 02-26-2009 |
20090089528 | STORAGE SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME - A storage system is utilized to its fullest storage capacity by setting a write inhibitive attribute to a desired storage area of the storage system. The storage system has a logical volume in which data is stored and a control device which controls access to the data stored in the logical volume. A first area of a desired size is set in the logical volume, and an access control attribute is set to the first area. In response to a request made by a computer to perform access to the logical volume, the control device notifies the computer that the control device does not perform the access when an area designated by the access request contains at least a part of the first area and the access control attribute set to the first area inhibits the type of the access requested. | 04-02-2009 |
20090106400 | REMOTE DATA COPYING AMONG STORAGE SYSTEMS - The present invention provides a method for guaranteeing a data consistency among a plurality of storages and sites, when data transfer is performed by asynchronous remote copying from a site including a plurality of storages. When writing is made into a first storage system or a second storage system, the storage system that received the writing transfers the write data to the other storage system within the site by synchronous remote copying. At this timing the first storage system gives the write data information for order assurance. Furthermore, the first or the second storage system transfers the write data and thus given information for order assurance to the third or the fourth storage system by asynchronous remote copying. Furthermore, the third or the fourth storage system which has received the write data transfers to the other storage system within the same site the write data and information for order assurance by synchronous remote copy. | 04-23-2009 |
20090106583 | STORAGE CONTROLLER, AND STORAGE DEVICE FAILURE DETECTION METHOD - Even when a failure incapable of being detected by a single guarantee code occurs in data, a storage controller of the present invention can detect and restore this failure. The controller, upon receiving a write command from a host, establish a first data guarantee code in the write data, and establish a second data guarantee code in the parity related to the write data. Upon receiving a read command from the host, the controller determines the correctness of the data based on the first data guarantee code, and also detects the presence or absence of a failure by comparing the first data guarantee code with the second data guarantee code. When a failure is detected, the controller restores the failure on the basis of RAID technology. | 04-23-2009 |
20090106585 | STORAGE SYSTEM - One code (a compressed redundant code) is created based on a plurality of first redundant codes, each created on the basis of a plurality of data units, and this compressed redundant code is written to a nonvolatile storage area. This compressed redundant code is used to restore either a data element constituting a multiple-failure data, or a first redundant code corresponding to the multiple-failure data, which is stored in an unreadable sub-storage area of a partially failed storage device, and to restore the data element constituting the multiple-failure data which is stored in a sub-storage area of a completely failed storage device, based on the restored either data element or first redundant code, and either another data element constituting the multiple-failure data or the first redundant code corresponding to the multiple-failure data. | 04-23-2009 |
20090125675 | Storage apparatus and logical volume migration method - This storage apparatus includes a first logical volume migration unit for migrating the logical volume of a first storage area targeted for power source shutdown to a second storage area that is not targeted for power source shutdown based on an external command, and a second logical volume migration unit for migrating an expiration date-defined logical volume from the second storage area to a third storage area of a post-expiration migration destination when the expiration date of the expiration date-defined logical volume set with an expiration date for migrating the logical volume is reached. The first logical volume migration unit balances and migrates the expiration date-defined logical volume to the second storage area by referring to the expiration date of the expiration date-defined logical volume and taking into consideration the migration timing to the third storage area. | 05-14-2009 |
20090150606 | INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM HAVING VOLUME GUARD FUNCTION - In a system comprising a first storage system providing plural first logical volumes including real logical volume and a virtual logical volume with a host, a second storage system having a second logical volume, and a management computer, when the first storage system receives an access request to the virtual logical volume, it accesses a second logical volume associated with the virtual logical volume. In this system, when the management computer receives a request to guard one of the plural first logical volumes, it checks whether a target first logical volume of the request is a real logical volume or a virtual logical volume, in case of the virtual logical volume, generates and provides a possible at least one option to guard the virtual logical volume by considering a program for volume guard, which each of the first storage system and the second storage system has. | 06-11-2009 |
20090198887 | STORAGE SYSTEM - A storage group configured by a plurality of storage devices is configured by a plurality of storage sub-groups, and the respective storage sub-groups are configured from two or more storage devices. A sub-group storage area, which is the storage area of the respective storage sub-groups, is configured by a plurality of rows of sub-storage areas. A data set, which is configured by a plurality of data elements configuring a data unit, and a second redundancy code created on the basis of this data unit, is written to a row of sub-storage areas, a compressed redundancy code is created on the basis of two or more first redundancy codes respectively created based on two or more data units of two or more storage sub-groups, and this compressed redundancy code is written to a nonvolatile storage area that differs from the above-mentioned two or more storage sub-groups. | 08-06-2009 |
20090254721 | STORAGE APPARATUS AND VOLUME RESTORATION METHOD - A storage apparatus conducts, in a protection period, data protection processing for protecting, in a third logical volume, data stored in a first logical volume by using backup data stored in a second logical volume, and suspends the data protection processing in a no-protection period, during which backup relative to the second logical volume is suspended, in the protection period. Then, upon receiving an external order for restoring the first logical volume to its state as of at a time not in the no-protection period within the protection period, the storage apparatus restores the first logical volume to its state as of at a time of the order by using the data backed up in the second logical volume and the data protected in the third logical volume. | 10-08-2009 |
20100058021 | Storage system and control method for the same - An externally-connected volume of a main storage is correlated to an AOU volume inside of an external storage. The AOU volume is allocated with a not-yet-used page in a pool in accordance with data writing. When a command is issued to the externally-connected volume for formatting or others, a first controller in the main storage converts the command into a format command or an area deallocation command with respect to the AOU volume in the external storage. As such, the external AOU volume is subjected to a write process in its entirety, thereby being able to prevent any unnecessary page allocation. With such a configuration, the storage system of the present invention can use pages in the pool with good efficiency. | 03-04-2010 |
20100064097 | FLASH MEMORY STORAGE SYSTEM - A flash memory storage system has a plurality of flash memory devices comprising a plurality of flash memories, and a controller having an I/O processing control unit for accessing a flash memory device specified by a designated access destination in an I/O request received from an external device from among the plurality of flash memory devices. A parity group can be configured of flash memory devices having identical internal configuration. | 03-11-2010 |
20100131727 | STORAGE SYSTEM AND METHOD IMPLEMENTING ONLINE VOLUME AND SNAPSHOT WITH PERFORMANCE/FAILURE INDEPENDENCE AND HIGH CAPACITY EFFICIENCY - A storage system for storage of data written from a computer, and when a write request of data to a first logical volume is received, the data on request is stored into the first logical volume. When a first-generation snapshot creation request is received, the data stored in the first logical volume at the time of receiving the first-generation snapshot creation request is written into a pool region as data corresponding to a first-generation snapshot, and when a second-generation snapshot creation request is received, any portion of the data updated after the first-generation snapshot creation request is received but before the second-generation snapshot creation request is issued is read from the first logical volume for writing into the pool region. Such a storage system favorably implements snapshot backup with no dependency with a positive volume in terms of performance and failure, and with high capacity efficiency. | 05-27-2010 |
20110060944 | COMPUTER SYSTEM HAVING AN EXPANSION DEVICE FOR VIRTUALIZING A MIGRATION SOURCE LOGICAL UNIT - A migration destination storage creates an expansion device for virtualizing a migration source logical unit. A host computer accesses an external volume by way of an access path of a migration destination logical unit, a migration destination storage, a migration source storage, and an external volume. After destaging all dirty data accumulated in the disk cache of the migration source storage to the external volume, an expansion device for virtualizing the external volume is mapped to the migration destination logical unit. | 03-10-2011 |
20110119435 | FLASH MEMORY STORAGE SYSTEM - A flash memory storage system has a plurality of flash memory devices comprising a plurality of flash memories, and a controller having an I/O processing control unit for accessing a flash memory device specified by a designated access destination in an I/O request received from an external device from among the plurality of flash memory devices. A parity group can be configured of flash memory devices having identical internal configuration. | 05-19-2011 |
20110246731 | BACKUP SYSTEM AND BACKUP METHOD - Provided are a backup system and a backup method for backing up data written by a host into a logical volume provided by a storage system, wherein an update location in the logical volume updated by the host is managed, and the storage system is controlled to selectively back up the data written into the update location in the logical volume based on the management result of the update location. It is thereby possible to ensure a fast data read speed in the backup of raw volumes and an easy multiplatform backup, whereby a backup system and a backup method capable of performing backup efficiently are realized. | 10-06-2011 |
20110252197 | STORAGE SYSTEM - A storage group configured by a plurality of storage devices is configured by a plurality of storage sub-groups, and the respective storage sub-groups are configured from two or more storage devices. A sub-group storage area, which is the storage area of the respective storage sub-groups, is configured by a plurality of rows of sub-storage areas. A data set, which is configured by a plurality of data elements configuring a data unit, and a second redundancy code created on the basis of this data unit, is written to a row of sub-storage areas, a compressed redundancy code is created on the basis of two or more first redundancy codes respectively created based on two or more data units of two or more storage sub-groups, and this compressed redundancy code is written to a nonvolatile storage area that differs from the above-mentioned two or more storage sub-groups. | 10-13-2011 |
20110296101 | COMPUTER SYSTEM HAVING AN EXPANSION DEVICE FOR VIRTUALIZING A MIGRATION SOURCE LOGICAL UNIT - A migration destination storage creates an expansion device for virtualizing a migration source logical unit. A host computer accesses an external volume by way of an access path of a migration destination logical unit, a migration destination storage, a migration source storage, and an external volume. After destaging all dirty data accumulated in the disk cache of the migration source storage to the external volume, an expansion device for virtualizing the external volume is mapped to the migration destination logical unit. | 12-01-2011 |
20120011396 | STORAGE SYSTEM - One code (a compressed redundant code) is created based on a plurality of first redundant codes, each created on the basis of a plurality of data units, and this compressed redundant code is written to a nonvolatile storage area. This compressed redundant code is used to restore either a data element constituting a multiple-failure data, or a first redundant code corresponding to the multiple-failure data, which is stored in an unreadable sub-storage area of a partially failed storage device, and to restore the data element constituting the multiple-failure data which is stored in a sub-storage area of a completely failed storage device, based on the restored either data element or first redundant code, and either another data element constituting the multiple-failure data or the first redundant code corresponding to the multiple-failure data. | 01-12-2012 |
20120072691 | Storage System and Control Method for the Same - An externally-connected volume of a main storage is correlated to an AOU volume inside of an external storage. The AOU volume is allocated with a not-yet-used page in a pool in accordance with data writing. When a command is issued to the externally-connected volume for formatting or others, a first controller in the main storage converts the command into a format command or an area deallocation command with respect to the AOU volume in the external storage. As such, the external AOU volume is subjected to a write process in its entirety, thereby being able to prevent any unnecessary page allocation. With such a configuration, the storage system of the present invention can use pages in the pool with good efficiency. | 03-22-2012 |
20120131287 | STORAGE CONTROL APPARATUS AND LOGICAL VOLUME SIZE SETTING METHOD - The present invention efficiently changes a volume size while maintaining a copy pair as-is. A PVOL and a SVOL # | 05-24-2012 |
20120173802 | FLASH MEMORY STORAGE SYSTEM - A flash memory storage system has a plurality of flash memory devices comprising a plurality of flash memories, and a controller having an I/O processing control unit for accessing a flash memory device specified by a designated access destination in an I/O request received from an external device from among the plurality of flash memory devices. A parity group can be configured of flash memory devices having identical internal configuration. | 07-05-2012 |
20120203963 | COMPUTER SYSTEM HAVING AN EXPANSION DEVICE FOR VIRTUALIZING A MIGRATION SOURCE - A migration destination storage creates an expansion device for virtualizing a migration source logical unit. A host computer accesses an external volume by way of an access path of a migration destination logical unit, a migration destination storage, a migration source storage, and an external volume. After destaging all dirty data accumulated in the disk cache of the migration source storage to the external volume, an expansion device for virtualizing the external volume is mapped to the migration destination logical unit. | 08-09-2012 |
20120210087 | METHOD OF IMPROVING EFFICIENCY OF CAPACITY OF VOLUME USED FOR COPY FUNCTION AND APPARATUS THEREOF - Provided is a computer system including: a host computer; a first storage system connected to the host computer; and a second storage system connected to the first storage system; in which the first storage system sets a first logical volume recognized by the host computer as a logical storage area; the first logical volume includes a plurality of first storage areas; a first real storage area on the first disk drive is allocated to at least one of the first storage areas. In the computer system, the second storage system sets a second logical volume corresponding to the first logical volume, and the first storage system transmits data stored in the first storage area allocated to the first storage area to the second storage system when the first real storage area is allocated to the first storage area. | 08-16-2012 |
20130054534 | STORAGE SYSTEM AND METHOD IMPLEMENTING ONLINE VOLUME AND SNAPSHOT WITH PERFORMANCE/FAILURE INDEPENDENCE AND HIGH CAPACITY EFFICIENCY - A storage system for storage of data written from a computer, and when a write request of data to a first logical volume is received, the data on request is stored into the first logical volume. When a first-generation snapshot creation request is received, the data stored in the first logical volume at the time of receiving the first-generation snapshot creation request is written into a pool region as data corresponding to a first-generation snapshot, and when a second-generation snapshot creation request is received, any portion of the data updated after the first-generation snapshot creation request is received but before the second-generation snapshot creation request is issued is read from the first logical volume for writing into the pool region. Such a storage system favorably implements snapshot backup with no dependency with a positive volume in terms of performance and failure, and with high capacity efficiency. | 02-28-2013 |
20130103895 | FLASH MEMORY STORAGE SYSTEM - A flash memory storage system has a plurality of flash memory devices comprising a plurality of flash memories, and a controller having an I/O processing control unit for accessing a flash memory device specified by a designated access destination in an I/O request received from an external device from among the plurality of flash memory devices. A parity group can be configured of flash memory devices having identical internal configuration. | 04-25-2013 |