Hitachi, Ltd.

Hiroshi Nojima

Nobuo Beniyama

Akihiko Sakaguchi

Takuya Okamoto

Nobuyuki Yamashita

Nobuhiko Ando

Yoshitaka Sato

Masakazu Kobayashi

Tatsundo Aoshima

Shunya Tabata

Keisuke Matsubara

The entirety or a part of free space of a second storage device included in a host computer is used as a cache memory region (external cache) outside of a storage apparatus. If Input/Output (I/O) in the host computer is Write, a Write request is transmitted from the host computer to a storage apparatus, the storage apparatus writes data associated with the Write request into a main cache that is a cache memory region included in this storage apparatus, and the storage apparatus writes the data in the main cache into a first storage device included in the storage apparatus. The storage apparatus writes the data in the main cache into an external cache included in the host computer. If the I/O in the host computer is Read, the host computer determines whether or not Read data as target data of the Read exists in the external cache. If a result of the determination is positive, the host computer reads the Read data from the external cache.

Computer system and storage control method

In an embodiment, a storage system includes pools each of which includes storage resources and is separated into tiers different in access performance. A management system monitors access performance of the pools to detect a risky pool expected to become unable to satisfy predetermined access performance requirements. The management system estimates access performance of each of one or more candidate pools in the pools in the case where a storage resource migrates from the candidate pool to the risky pool, by simulation based on variations in data arrangement in the pool caused by evacuating data held in the storage resource in the same pool for the migration of the storage resource. The management system determines that a storage resource migrates from a source pool of which the estimated access performance satisfies predetermined performance requirements to the risky pool.

Computer system and method of managing storage system monitoring access performance for risky pool detection

Provided is a capacity monitoring method used for a computer system including one or more application computers, one or more storage systems, and a management computer. The storage system includes a physical disk and a disk controller. In the capacity monitoring method, a storage area of the physical disk belongs to a storage pool, the storage system provides a volume, and the management computer monitors a used capacity of the storage pool, judges whether or not a storage capacity required for operating the application computer for a predetermined time period is present in the storage pool based upon an increasing speed of the used capacity of the storage pool to be monitored, and executes a predetermined process operation when the storage capacity required for operating the application computer for the predetermined time period is not present in the storage pool. Accordingly, the storage pool is properly operated and managed.

Storage capacity management system in dynamic area provisioning storage

Provided is a capacity monitoring method for use with a computer system including one or more application computers, one or more storage systems, and a management computer. The storage system includes a physical disk and a disk controller. In the capacity monitoring method, a storage area of the physical disk belongs to a storage pool, the storage system provides a volume, and the management computer monitors a used capacity of the storage pool, judges whether or not a storage capacity required for operating the application computer for a predetermined time period is present in the storage pool based upon an increasing speed of the used capacity of the storage pool to be monitored, and executes a predetermined process operation when the storage capacity required for operating the application computer for the predetermined time period is not present in the storage pool. Accordingly, the storage pool is properly operated and managed.

In a computer system, even when the virtual storage capacity of pools is increased, it is possible to keep the availability of each pool at least at a desired level. The managing server compares a reference value beforehand stored therein with an evaluation value of availability which represents a degree of resistivity against destruction, the degree being derived by use of physical configuration information which is obtained from the controller and which is associated with the pool; and determines necessity of addition of an element to the pool if the availability evaluation value exceeds the reference value and indicates the addition of the element to the pool to the storage apparatus.

Managing server, pool adding method and computer system

A file server holding tag information representative of file contents and an access frequency of each file calculates a tag rating from the access frequency of each file and calculates a file rating from the tag rating affixed to the file. It controls to place a file having a high calculated file rating on a higher transfer performance layer, and place a file having a low calculated file rating on a lower transfer performance layer. Rapid accesses can be handled quickly by placing in advance a file whose access is anticipated to be increased after interest is increased although an access frequency is still low, on a layer having a short response time and high throughput, and by maintaining a file whose access is anticipated to be increased because of increased interest although an access frequency is lowered, on a layer having a short response time and high throughput.

Storage system and a file layer management method

In a storage operation management system, upper and lower limits of a level threshold of a volume to be selected from a characteristic value of a volume management table are calculated and the volume within the range is presented to a user as an allocation candidate. When a change occurs in a storage device that configures the system, setting of the threshold suited to the change of the system configuration as well as selection and allocation of the volume based on a newly set threshold are enabled by automatically updating the volume management table.

Storage operation management system

A database management system has a data structure intending to manage external files and an external file linking function extension called during an update process of a record including the data structure, whereby update of the record is carried out in synchronism with update of the content of an external file to maintain matching between the record and the external file. By reflecting the update on only a link destination file of an updated database record in accordance with the number of references from the database record to the file, the edition management of files using the database can be realized.

Database-file link system and method therefor

A volume control system in a storage area network environment, which is capable of executing volume operation requests in multiple stages, and is also capable of canceling an erroneous volume operation even after the operation has been executed by the user. A volume operation request for executing run commands from the user is analyzed, and parameters for executing the volume operation request are created by a program that operates the storage apparatus. Each of the parameters is provided with an attribute indicating as to whether cancellation is possible or as to when the execution is to be performed. If cancellation of the run command is possible, a parameter for canceling the run command is created simultaneously. The run commands may be executed on the basis of the parameters after verifying by a simulation as to whether or not the various parameters created are correct. At this point, the user may select whether to execute the run commands promptly or in stages. When the user selects executing the run commands in stages, the user registers execution conditions for executing the run commands. In the event the user makes a cancellation request before the registered execution conditions are fulfilled, any of the run commands that has been executed can be cancelled by using cancellation parameters.

Volume management method and apparatus

The video information retrieval system includes a client for inputting video data or retrieving a registered video file, and a retrieval server for registering video data transmitted from the client and retrieving the registered video data in response to a request from the client. The retrieval server analyzes a video stream upon registration of the video data and separates contents of a video constituting the video stream. The server extracts annotation information such as image feature vectors for each of the separated video contents and stores the annotation information in a video information table as a video object. The retrieval server performs retrieval processing in a unit of object on the basis of the retrieval condition designated for each video object by the user and judges the simultaneous appearance on the basis of appearance time section information of the object coincident with the retrieval condition to thereby extract the user's desired video scene and present it to the user.

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Fujisawa, Japan

Hiroshi Nojima