Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080294858 | Storage system and data management method - Provided are a storage system and a data management method capable of simplifying the operation of pair configuration by storing information concerning the pair configuration as pair definition information in a storage apparatus. This storage system includes one or more storage controllers for storing data sent from a host system, and a management terminal for managing the input and output of data stored in the one or more storage controllers. In this storage system, the one or more storage controllers include a storage unit for forming two or more logical volumes to be pair-configured in a storage area of a plurality of hard disk drives, and storing as pair definition information the status of not executing initial copy of data to be stored in a pair-configured copy source logical volume to a copy destination logical volume based on a command from the management terminal. | 11-27-2008 |
20080301385 | STORAGE CONTROLLER AND CONTROL METHOD FOR THE SAME - An object of the invention is to provide a storage controller and control method that can efficiently and easily prevent reduced data I/O processing performance due to an imbalance between loads on controllers. In the storage controller and control method for providing, to a host computer, logical volumes created in a storage area provided by a storage device and controlling data I/O to/from the logical volumes, the state of loads on the control units for controlling data I/O to/from the logical volumes is monitored, and a control unit allocated to a logical volume is changed to another control unit to equalize loads on the control units. | 12-04-2008 |
20080320218 | Disk array apparatus and control method for disk array apparatus - Resources of a storage apparatus are utilized effectively by increasing and reducing a capacity of a differential LU used in a snapshot. In a disk array apparatus including a control processor which controls reading and writing of data with respect to a first logical volume which is generated using storage areas of a plural disk drives, performs control such that data in the past stored in the first logical volume is written in a second logical volume as differential data for each generation, and manages the differential data, the control processor manages a pool management table, in which a logical volume usable as the second logical volume is registered, and a pool addition object management table, in which a logical volume which can be added to the second logical volume is registered, and moves the logical volume from the pool addition object management table to the pool management table to thereby increase a capacity of the second logical volume. | 12-25-2008 |
20090006794 | Asynchronous remote copy system and control method for the same - Provided is a control method for an asynchronous remote copy system, the method including: fixing data in a secondary volume; determining a certain area in the secondary volume that contains data required to be copied to a primary volume from the secondary volume in which the data is fixed; copying the data in the certain area to the primary volume; and swapping the primary volume and the secondary volume for restarting the asynchronous remote copy. | 01-01-2009 |
20090037555 | Storage system that transfers system information elements - A first storage system that has a first storage device comprises a first interface device that is connected to a second interface device that a second storage system has. A first controller of the first storage system reads system information elements of first system information (information relating to the constitution and control of the first storage system) from a first system area (a storage area that is not provided for the host of the first storage device) and transfers the system information elements or modified system information elements to the second storage system via the first interface device. The system information elements are recorded in a second system area in a second storage device that the second storage system has. | 02-05-2009 |
20090037638 | Backend-connected storage system - A switch device is interposed between a controller and a storage device in a storage system. One or more physical ports among the plurality of physical ports that the switch device has are physical ports that are physically connected, without passing through a host, to one or more physical ports among the plurality of physical ports that another switch device in another storage system has. | 02-05-2009 |
20090094428 | Storage controller and data management method - Upon receiving a primary/secondary switching command from a secondary host system, a secondary storage control device interrogates a primary storage control device as to whether or not yet to be transferred data that has not been remote copied from the primary storage control device to the secondary storage control device is present. In the event that yet to be transferred data is present, the secondary storage control device receives yet to be transferred data from the primary storage control device and updates a secondary volume. The primary storage control device then manages positions of updates to the primary volume due to host accesses to the primary volume occurring at the time of the secondary storage control device receiving the primary/secondary switching command onwards using a differential bitmap table. | 04-09-2009 |
20090164531 | REMOTE COPY SYSTEM, REMOTE ENVIRONMENT SETTING METHOD, AND DATA RESTORE METHOD - The input of a prescribed type information element is received from an operator via an operator interface. A first storage system outputs a first type information element required to construct a remote copy environment. A second storage system inputs second setting information, which comprises first type information elements and prescribed type information elements, uses the second setting information to execute a second setting, and outputs the second type information element required to construct a remote copy environment. The first storage system inputs first setting information, which comprises the second type information element, and uses the first setting information to execute a first setting. Since the types of information elements required to construct a remote copy environment are exchanged between the storage systems, the number of types of information elements inputted by the operator are less than the number of types of information elements required to construct the remote copy environment. | 06-25-2009 |
20090193206 | Storage system and snapshot configuration migration method - A migration controller | 07-30-2009 |
20090259818 | Storage controller and data management method - This storage controller providing a volume for storing data transmitted from a host system includes a management unit for managing the data written in the volume with a first block area, or a second block area in the first block area which is smaller than the first block area; a snapshot acquisition unit for acquiring a snapshot of the volume at a prescribed timing; and a transfer unit for transferring the data of the volume acquired with the snapshot of the snapshot acquisition unit to an external device with the first block area or the second block area. | 10-15-2009 |
20100205330 | Method of setting communication path in storage system, and management apparatus therefor - In a storage system having a plurality of storage apparatuses, each of the storage apparatuses stores therein a coupling mode that is information indicative of whether or not to permit setting of a communication path between each of the storage apparatuses and a plurality of other storage apparatuses. A management apparatus is provided to be coupled for communication to each of the storage apparatuses. The management apparatus has a communication path setting part that provides a user interface for setting the communication path. The communication path setting part does not permit setting of the communication path, at the time of setting the communication path, when the coupling modes of both of the storage apparatuses between which the communication path is to be set are set permissible. | 08-12-2010 |
20100262798 | STORAGE CONTROLLER AND DATA MANAGEMENT METHOD - Upon receiving a primary/secondary switching command from a secondary host system, a secondary storage control device interrogates a primary storage control device as to whether or not yet to be transferred data that has not been remote copied from the primary storage control device to the secondary storage control device is present. In the event that yet to be transferred data is present, the secondary storage control device receives yet to be transferred data from the primary storage control device and updates a secondary volume. The primary storage control device then manages positions of updates to the primary volume due to host accesses to the primary volume occurring at the time of the secondary storage control device receiving the primary/secondary switching command onwards using a differential bitmap table. | 10-14-2010 |
20110066804 | STORAGE DEVICE AND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM - Using a snapshot function, a remote copy is efficiently created. Data for a snapshot is converted into a first bitmap of differential data for a remote copy. The conversion is performed in advance at appropriate chronological intervals. Furthermore, when the snapshot function splits, a second bitmap of cascade differential data, which is new differential data, is created simultaneously with creation of the data for the snapshot. This second bitmap of cascade differential data is created in the same format as the first bitmap of differential data for the remote copy. Then, when the snapshot function shifts from split status to pair status, the second bitmap of cascade differential data is added to the first bitmap of differential data for the remote copy (to produce a logical sum), and a remote copy is created based on this bitmap that was added. | 03-17-2011 |
20110072228 | STORAGE CONTROLLER AND CONTROL METHOD FOR THE SAME - An object of the invention is to provide a storage controller and control method that can efficiently and easily prevent reduced data I/O processing performance due to an imbalance between loads on controllers. In the storage controller and control method for providing, to a host computer, logical volumes created in a storage area provided by a storage device and controlling data I/O to/from the logical volumes, the state of loads on the control units for controlling data I/O to/from the logical volumes is monitored, and a control unit allocated to a logical volume is changed to another control unit to equalize loads on the control units. | 03-24-2011 |
20110153966 | STORAGE CONTROLLER AND DATA MANAGEMENT METHOD - Upon receiving a primary/secondary switching command from a secondary host system, a secondary storage control device interrogates a primary storage control device as to whether or not yet to be transferred data that has not been remote copied from the primary storage control device to the secondary storage control device is present. In the event that yet to be transferred data is present, the secondary storage control device receives yet to be transferred data from the primary storage control device and updates a secondary volume. The primary storage control device then manages positions of updates to the primary volume due to host accesses to the primary volume occurring at the time of the secondary storage control device receiving the primary/secondary switching command onwards using a differential bitmap table. | 06-23-2011 |
20110191554 | STORAGE SYSTEM AND ITS CONTROL METHOD - Proposed are a highly reliable storage system and its control method capable of accelerating the processing speed of the copy processing seen from the host device. | 08-04-2011 |
20120066466 | STORAGE SYSTEM STORING ELECTRONIC MODULES APPLIED TO ELECTRONIC OBJECTS COMMON TO SEVERAL COMPUTERS, AND STORAGE CONTROL METHOD FOR THE SAME - This storage system supplies, to a plurality of computers, a plurality of duplicate volumes (CVOLs) (corresponding to duplicates of a master volume (MVOL) upon which is stored an electronic object (EO) that is common to the plurality of computers). Both the MVOL and the CVOLS are virtual logical volumes that follow sync provisioning. In the plurality of CVOLs, a plurality of physical regions that are allocated to the MVOL (i.e. regions in which the electronic object is stored) (PAs) are allocated. A storage, when writing an electronic module (EM) to which the EO is applied to the first CVOL, copies data within a first PA that is allocated to the virtual region (VA) that is the write destination to a second PA, writes the EM to the second PA, and moreover allocates the second PA to a VA of the write destination, instead of the first PA. And the storage allocates the second PA to a VA within the second CVOL corresponding to the VA of the write destination, instead of the PA that is allocated to that VA. | 03-15-2012 |
20120151105 | METHOD OF SETTING COMMUNICATION PATH IN STORAGE SYSTEM, AND MANAGEMENT APPARATUS THEREFOR - In a storage system having a plurality of storage apparatuses, each of the storage apparatuses stores therein a coupling mode that is information indicative of whether or not to permit setting of a communication path between each of the storage apparatuses and a plurality of other storage apparatuses. A management apparatus is provided to be coupled for communication to each of the storage apparatuses. The management apparatus has a communication path setting part that provides a user interface for setting the communication path. The communication path setting part does not permit setting of the communication path, at the time of setting the communication path, when the coupling modes of both of the storage apparatuses between which the communication path is to be set are set permissible. | 06-14-2012 |
20130007388 | STORAGE SYSTEM AND CONTROLLING METHOD OF THE SAME - A storage system comprises a storage device from which a physical storage area is created for storing data processed in an external apparatus, a thin provisioning controller creating a physical storage area pool with a plurality of unit physical storage areas from the physical storage area, and creating a logical volume from the physical storage area pool, and a snapshot controller designating the logical volume as a primary volume, defining a secondary volume which is a partner of the primary volume as a combination of the primary volume and difference data, assigning unused one of the unit physical storage areas to the area into which the difference data is to be stored, and setting a volume pair created with the primary volume and the secondary volume into a synchronizing state and a non-synchronizing state. | 01-03-2013 |
20130024616 | Storage System and Its Logical Unit Management Method - The size of management information pages for storing format management information is minimized and a management size of the management information pages is reduced. | 01-24-2013 |
20130138909 | STORAGE APPARATUS AND ITS CONTROL METHOD - A storage apparatus obtains a snapshot(s) of a first logical volume when needed and saves old data to a second logical volume when data is written to the first logical volume after obtaining the snapshot. A storage area of the second logical volume is allocated in chunk units to the first logical volume and a tendency of order to delete snapshots is judged when the chunks have been completely used up. If there is a tendency to delete the snapshots in their acquisition order, a new chunk is allocated to the first logical volume and a storage area in that chunk is determined to be a save location of the old data. If there is a tendency to delete the snapshots randomly, an unused storage area in a chunk already allocated to the first logical volume is determined to be the save location of the old data. | 05-30-2013 |
20130138916 | STORAGE APPARATUS AND ITS CONTROL METHOD - A controller for the storage apparatus: creates a second logical volume in a storage area provided by one or more storage devices; stores management information of a snapshot of a first logical volume, which is to be provided to a host computer, in the second logical volume; and reads the management information of a necessary snapshot from the second logical volume to a memory when needed, executes processing using the read management information, and returns the management information, which becomes no longer necessary, from the memory to the second logical volume. When reading the management information of the necessary snapshot from the second logical volume to the memory when needed, the controller changes the number of generations and address range of the snapshot of the management information to be read to the memory according to a generation and address of the snapshot whose management information is required. | 05-30-2013 |
20130145110 | STORAGE CONTROLLER AND DATA MANAGEMENT METHOD - This storage controller providing a volume for storing data transmitted from a host system includes a management unit for managing the data written in the volume with a first block area, or a second block area in the first block area which is smaller than the first block area; a snapshot acquisition unit for acquiring a snapshot of the volume at a prescribed timing; and a transfer unit for transferring the data of the volume acquired with the snapshot of the snapshot acquisition unit to an external device with the first block area or the second block area. | 06-06-2013 |