| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20080229039 | Dual Writing Device and Its Control Method - A first storage system misrepresents an identifier of the storage system and an identifier of a volume and provides the host computer with a first volume. A second storage system misrepresents an identifier of the storage system and an identifier of a second volume as being identical to those misrepresented by the first storage system and provides the host computer with a second volume. A management computer acquires, upon detection of a failure in an access, a status of copying, a status of the first storage system, and a status of the second storage system and controls an access from the host computer with reference to the plurality of acquired statuses. Accordingly, even when a fault occurs in one of the two storage systems, a network that connects the two storage systems, or the like, the host computer can access to latest data. | 09-18-2008 |
| 20080270695 | Storage system and method of managing the same - A storage system includes a plurality of storage apparatuses respectively connected to a host apparatus via a network. A disk controller of each storage apparatus has DKC identifying information for recognizing itself, a logical device identifier created based thereon, and a virtual/logical device identifier set containing a real/logical device identifier and a virtual/logical device identifier. The storage apparatus defined with a pair relationship creates a virtual/logical device identifier set of a mirrored image relationship by replacing its own real/logical device identifier and using it as its own virtual/logical device identifier. | 10-30-2008 |
| 20080301777 | Hot standby server system - A server system has servers that can be operated through switching as a primary system and a standby system, and a shared disk unit for storing data accessed by the servers. Each of the servers has a driver that acquires information on a configuration inside the shared disk unit after starting of the system. The driver sets the shared disk unit in an active state in which an access request can be sent to the shared disk unit. Access control determines whether the access request issued by an application should be sent on the basis of a management table indicating inhibited types of access requests for each access destination. The access control sends the access request to the driver when the access request is not inhibited for an access destination of the access request. By this arrangement, hot standby switching processing can be performed at high speed. | 12-04-2008 |
| 20090024815 | REMOTE COPY SYSTEM - A remote copy system includes a plurality of first storage systems and a plurality of second storage systems. Each first storage system assigns a sequential number to write data received from the host and sends the write data with the sequential number to the second storage system. One of the first storage systems defers the processing of the write request received from the host and instructs each of the first storage systems to create a marker, whereupon each of the first storage systems defers the processing of the write request, creates a marker including a sequential number and having a marker number, and sends the marker to the second storage system. Each of the second storage systems, when receiving a marker from the first storage system, stores the marker number included in the marker. One of the second storage systems reads the marker number stored by each of the second storage systems and reports to each of the second storage systems the marker number of smallest value of the marker numbers which were thus read. Each of the second storage systems writes to a logical volume in sequential number order write data, of the write data received from the first storage system, that includes a sequential number of a value smaller than the sequential number of the marker including the marker number reported from one of the second storage systems. | 01-22-2009 |
| 20090125680 | Storage System for Restoring Data Stored in Failed Storage Device - The present invention maintains mapping information denoting which real areas have been allocated to which virtual areas for a virtual volume, the capacity of which is dynamically expanded. The present invention also maintains real area management information denoting which real areas have been allocated to which virtual areas. The real area management information is referenced to determine whether or not a low-reliability real area, which is a real area for which reliability has been lowered by the occurrence of a failure in a certain physical storage device, and which belongs to a RAID group comprising this certain physical storage device, has been allocated to a virtual area. A data restore process is not carried out for a low-reliability real area that has not been allocated to a virtual area, but a data restore process is carried out for a low-reliability real area that has been allocated to a virtual area. | 05-14-2009 |
| 20090187722 | Computer System Storing Data on Multiple Storage Systems - During the normal operation state of a computer system | 07-23-2009 |
| 20090271582 | Information System and I/O Processing Method - First and second storage apparatuses respectively and internally set a remote copy pair for copying data of a first volume to a second volume and associate a third volume with a remote copy pair according to an external command. When an I/O request to the first volume ends in an error, a host computer sends an I/O request directed to the second volume to the second storage apparatus. If the first and the second storage apparatuses detect a failure in the first or the second storage apparatus of the other side or a connection failure between the first and the second storage apparatuses, the first and the second storage apparatuses store in the third volume a failure information flag showing that the failure was detected. | 10-29-2009 |
| 20090276661 | STORAGE SYSTEM CREATING A RECOVERY REQUEST POINT ENABLING EXECUTION OF A RECOVERY - A switch connected to a network system including a computer and a storage apparatus: controlling read/write request from the computer to the storage apparatus and controlling to store journal data in the storage apparatus; wherein the storage apparatus includes a first storage area for storing data to be used by the computer and a second storage area for storing journal data including write data and first update log information corresponding to the write data when there is a write request from the computer for writing data in the first storage area; wherein when the switch detects an event of status change related to the network system, the switch marks a first point of time corresponding to the event as a recovery request point, and creates second update log information corresponding to the recovery request point. | 11-05-2009 |
| 20100049933 | REMOTE COPY SYSTEM - Even when a host does not give a write time to write data, consistency can be kept among data stored in secondary storage systems. The present system has plural primary storage systems each having a source volume and plural secondary storage systems each having a target volume. Once data is received from a host, each of the plural storage systems creates write-data management information having sequential numbers and reference information and sends, to one of the primary storage systems, the data, sequential number and reference information. Each of the secondary storage systems records reference information corresponding to the largest sequential number among serial sequential numbers and stores, in a target volume in an order of sequential numbers, data corresponding to reference information having a value smaller than the reference information based on the smallest value reference information among reference information recorded in each of the plural secondary storage systems. | 02-25-2010 |
| 20100191864 | Message conversion method and message conversion system - A message given with an electronic signature is modified, for example, by adding or deleting data to or from the message, while keeping validity of the electronic signature. A conversion information insertion unit | 07-29-2010 |
| 20100205479 | INFORMATION SYSTEM, DATA TRANSFER METHOD AND DATA PROTECTION METHOD - Availability of an information system including a storage system that performs remote copy between two or more storage apparatuses and a host computer using such storage system is improved. A third storage apparatus including a third volume is coupled to a first storage apparatus, a fourth storage apparatus including a fourth volume is coupled to a second storage apparatus, the first and third storage apparatuses perform remote copy of copying data stored in a first volume to the third volume, the first and second storage apparatuses perform remote copy of copying data stored in the first volume to a second volume, and the third and fourth storage apparatuses perform remote copy of copying data stored in the third volume to the fourth volume. | 08-12-2010 |
| 20100281229 | Computer System Storing Data On Multiple Storage Systems - During the normal operation state of a computer system | 11-04-2010 |
| 20100313068 | INFORMATION SYSTEM AND DATA TRANSFER METHOD - Availability of an information system including a storage apparatus and a computer is improved. First and second storage apparatuses execute remote copy of copying data written into a first primary volume from the computer to a second primary volume, at least one of the first and second storage apparatuses executes local copy of copying the data written into the first or second primary volume in a self-storage apparatus to the corresponding first or second secondary volume, and the computer switches the destination of a write request of the data from the first storage apparatus to the second storage apparatus in case of a failure occurring in the first storage apparatus. | 12-09-2010 |
| 20110078397 | REMOTE COPY SYSTEM - Even when a host does not give a write time to write data, consistency can be kept among data stored in secondary storage systems. The present system has plural primary storage systems each having a source volume and plural secondary storage systems each having a target volume. Once data is received from a host, each of the plural storage systems creates write-data management information having sequential numbers and reference information and sends, to one of the primary storage systems, the data, sequential number and reference information. Each of the secondary storage systems records reference information corresponding to the larges sequential number among serial sequential numbers and stores, in a target volume in an order of sequential numbers, data corresponding to reference information having a value smaller than the reference information based on the smallest value reference information among reference information recorded in each of the plural secondary storage systems. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110154102 | INFORMATION SYSTEM, DATA TRANSFER METHOD AND DATA PROTECTION METHOD - Availability of an information system including a storage system that performs remote copy between two or more storage apparatuses and a host computer using such storage system is improved. A third storage apparatus including a third volume is coupled to a first storage apparatus, a fourth storage apparatus including a fourth volume is coupled to a second storage apparatus, the first and third storage apparatuses perform remote copy of copying data stored in a first volume to the third volume, the first and second storage apparatuses perform remote copy of copying data stored in the first volume to a second volume, and the third and fourth storage apparatuses perform remote copy of copying data stored in the third volume to the fourth volume. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110167294 | STORAGE SYSTEM FOR RESTORING DATA STORED IN FAILED STORAGE DEVICE - A storage system including: a controller; and, a plurality of physical storage devices coupled to the controller and constituting a RAID group; wherein the controller provides one or more logical volumes belonging to the RAID group, each of the one or more logical volumes having a plurality of storage areas; one or more virtual volumes, wherein, when receiving a write request to a virtual volume of the one or more virtual volumes, the controller allocates a storage area in a logical volume to the virtual volume; and writes data to the allocated storage area, wherein, when a physical storage device of the plurality of physical storage devices fails, the controller selectively performs a RAID restore process to a storage area allocated to a virtual volume. | 07-07-2011 |