Hitachi, Ltd.

Akira Nishimoto

Naoto Matsunami

Yusuke Nonaka

Ikuya Yagisawa

Yutaka Nakagawa

Yoichi Mizuno

Kenta Shiga

Junji Ogawa

Naoko Iwami

Tetsuya Shirogane

Hajime Mori

Akihiro Mannen

Shoji Kodama

Masahiko Sato

Azuma Kano

Shinichi Nakayama

Hiroyasu Nishiyama

Eiki Kamada

Sumio Kikuchi

Hitoshi Fukuguchi

Kotaro Muramatsu

Masahide Kawarasaki

Hidemi Baba

Noriyasu Mori

Akira Hirono

Yuta Sekino

Yooichi Takeuchi

A storage subsystem coupled to a host computer is described. The storage subsystem includes storage devices and first and second storage apparatuses that control data transfer between the host computer and the storage devices. The first storage apparatus includes a first controller coupled to the host computer via a first host communication control unit and to the storage devices via a first storage device communication control unit. The second storage apparatus includes a second controller coupled to the host computer via a second host communication control unit and to the storage devices via a second storage device communication control unit. At least one of the controllers monitors a status of the first host communication control unit and the storage device communication control units, and, if the status of the first storage device communication unit indicates failure, switch communication paths for transferring data from the host computer to the storage devices.

Storage subsystem and load distribution method for executing data processing using normal resources even if an abnormality occurs in part of the data processing resources that intermediate data processing between a host computer and a storage device

In a storage system for performing data backup using a battery during blackout, when the blackout continues for a long time, problems such as the loss of volatile memory data due to the consumption of battery capacity and the difference in recovery time between controller units after power recovery occur during restarting of the system. The present invention solves the problems by selecting (a1) battery backup or (a2) saving of data in a nonvolatile device based on the battery capacity or setting of modes, and selecting (b1) inhibiting restart of the system or (b2) storing of data in the volatile memory to a nonvolatile memory means and performing access via write-through based on the remaining capacity of the battery when restarting the system after power recovery. Further, the system enables to increase and decrease the volatile memory capacity of the write area and mutually confirms synchronization of controller units and contents of volatile memories. Thereby, the system enables to prevent data loss and inconsistency of data.

Storage system, data backup method, and system restarting method of a storage system incorporating volatile and nonvolatile memory devices

Data conversion processing for converting access target data into data of a different block size is executed without degradation of data input/output processing performance. A first controller manages its own load by associating it with LUs, which are access targets of an access requester; and if the first controller receives an access request from the access requester, it judges whether its load exceeds a threshold or not; and if its load exceeds the threshold, the first controller executes first data conversion processing for converting data relating to an access target LU(s) of the access requester from a first block size into a second block size or second data conversion processing for converting the data from the second block size into the first block size; and if its load is equal to or less than the threshold, the first controller gives a command to a second controller to execute the first data conversion processing or the second data conversion processing and the second controller executes the first data conversion processing or the second data conversion processing based on the command from the first controller.

Storage apparatus and its data processing method

The present invention enables to update a program in a storage control device while processing access requests, without imposing any burden on a host. When execution of updating of a program is commanded from a management terminal, an update control unit starts within the controller which is the object of updating. After a host I/F unit has been connected to an access request processing unit within another controller by a connection control unit, the update control unit updates a program which is stored in a program memory or a boot disk. When this updating is completed, the update control unit reconnects the host I/F unit to its access processing unit by the connection control unit. Since the stored contents of data memories are synchronized, the other access request processing unit can continue processing access requests from the host in place one access request processing unit.

Storage control device and storage system

Provided are a storage system and a method of controlling a storage system in which respective real storage areas of a plurality of disk drives contained in the storage system contain management units, and a control device of the storage system assigns a real storage area of a plurality of first disk drives to the virtual storage area, distributedly stores the data in the plurality of management units of the assigned real storage area, distributedly stores, upon receiving a request for adding a second disk drive, the data stored in the plurality of management units of the plurality of first disk drives in the plurality of management units of the plurality of first disk drives and the second disk drive, and assigns the real storage area of the plurality of first disk drives and the second disk drive to an unused virtual storage area.

Method of extension of storage capacity and storage system using the method

In the case in which data in a storage system A is remotely copied to a storage system B, it is not taken into account whether the data of the remote copy is WORM data. In the case in which a setting is made such that data stored in a volume in the storage system A is copied to a volume in the storage system B, storage system A judges whether an attribute to the effect that data can be referred to and can be updated or to the effect that data can be referred to but cannot be updated is added to the volume in the storage system A. Then, if the volume is a volume to which the attribute to the effect that data can be referred to but cannot be updated is added, such attribute is added to the volume in the storage system B.

Remote copy with worm guarantee

Maintenance storage system by storage system is enabled, and the removal or replacement of a storage system is enabled while continuing the operation of a system. In a computer system including a first storage system having a plurality of first storage devices and a second storage system having a plurality of second storage devices, when the number of the first storage devices under normal operation in the first storage system is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold, and data stored in the first storage devices under normal operation can be migrated to the second storage devices, the data stored in the first storage devices under normal operation are duplicated to the second storage devices, and information indicating that the first storage system can be removed from the computer system is output.

Computer system, storage system and configuration management method

The storage control device of the present invention is able to perform input and output of data between blocks whose size is different with good efficiency. The size of extended logical blocks, which are units of data input and output within a storage control device, and the size of physical blocks, which are provided within the storage device, are different from one another. A write object range generation unit reads out both of the extended logical blocks which are adjacent to the write data, and creates a write object range by linking them to the write data. An assurance code checking unit checks a corresponding assurance code for each of these extended logical blocks. And a block size adjustment unit deletes superfluous data from the adjacent blocks, and adjusts the size of the write object range, so that it becomes an integral multiple of the size of the physical blocks.

Storage control device, and control method for storage control device

A storage system including: a controller connectable to a plurality of computers; and a plurality of storage devices connected to the controller, wherein the plurality of storage devices store a plurality of contents, wherein the controller receives a first request from a one of the plurality of computers which requests access to a first content of the plurality of contents, wherein the controller calculates a first data transfer rate of the first request, and wherein, based on the first data transfer rate, the controller dynamically controls settings of a first storage system resource during performing a first data transfer operation to satisfy the first request, to substantially maintain the access to the first content at substantially the first data transfer rate.

Storage system providing stream-oriented performance assurance

In this invention, when execution of an special function executable only by a second storage control apparatus connected to a first storage control apparatus is requested by a higher-level apparatus, the special function is caused to be executed by a second storage control apparatus, and appropriate load balancing is achieved. An executing apparatus judgment section, upon receiving an execution request from a host, uses a function management section and a state detection section to decide which storage control apparatus should execute the function. An execution instruction section issues an instruction to execute the function to the function execution section of the storage control apparatus determined to be the executing apparatus. By this means, even in the case of an special function executable only by a storage control apparatus, the function can be caused to be executed. Hence a connection source storage control apparatus can appear to have increased functionality, without installing the function on the connection source storage control apparatus.

Storage system and storage control apparatuses with compression and load balancing

In a first and second storage system, first and second switching apparatuses are interposed between a first and second controller and a storage device. At least one of the first and second switching apparatuses comprises a shared memory. The constitution is such that the first and second controllers communicate with one another via this shared memory.

Storage system for back-end communications with other storage system

The present invention supports the selection of an appropriate recovery point, even if a point of recovery is unknown. The user issues a retrieval request from the host by specifying a recovery target file name (path name) and retrieval conditions (key word). The partial restoring processing section restores only a specified file out of the user data volume, and stores it in a temporary restoring area. The retrieval processing section detects a period where the restored file matches the retrieval conditions, and notifies the recovery point candidate list to the host. The user specifies one recovery point out of the recovery point candidates, and requests to restore the user data volume. By this, the user can acquire recovery point candidates based on a slight clue and select an appropriate recovery point.

Storage system, storage control device and recovery point detection method for storage control device

A storage system comprises a plurality of storage nodes and a controller coupling unit interconnecting controllers within the storage nodes. A memory in the controller has a plurality of shared memory areas each associated with a combination of one CPU core with one logical unit controller. When a network controller of a first storage node receives a host command addressed to a logical unit of a second storage node, the CPU core of the first storage node stores the host command in the shared memory area associated with the logical unit controller of the second storage node. The logical unit controller of the second storage node acquires the stored host command in the shared memory area via the controller coupling unit.

Storage system with designated CPU cores processing transactions across storage nodes

The storage system includes a plurality of storage nodes and a control device coupling unit. Each of the storage nodes includes at least one storage device configured to store data and at least one control device configured to control input and output of data for the storage device. The control device coupling unit is configured to connect the control devices without using an access path between the control device and a host computer connected to the storage system. The control devices connected by the control device coupling unit are included in mutually different storage nodes.

Growing community of inventors

Sagamihara, Japan

Akira Nishimoto