Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Computer Peripherals Co., Ltd.

Nkk Corporation

Kazuhiro Usami

Hirokazu Ishii

Shigeo Kawamura

Hirokazu Aikawa

The performance to transfer data to external storage media in thin provisioning is enhanced. A storage apparatus is connected via a network to a host system writing of data and to a tape management apparatus for managing tape storage media for storing the data. The storage apparatus is designed so that data, for which a write request is issued by the host system, is stored in a virtual volume; a predetermined area in a plurality of storage devices is allocated to a data storage area in the virtual volume storing the data; and if the virtual volume is a backup object to be backed up to the tape storage media, a predetermined area in a specified storage device, from among the plurality of storage devices, is allocated to the data storage area in the virtual volume; and if the virtual volume is not a backup object to be backed up to the tape storage media, a predetermined area in an unspecified storage device, from among the plurality of storage devices, is allocated to the data storage area in the virtual volume.

Storage apparatus and storage management method

A storage system including: a virtualization apparatus having a control unit, said control unit setting an actual volume for storing data sent from a host apparatus, formed in a storage area provided by a physical disk; and a virtual volume paired with the actual volume, for storing replicated data for the data; and an external storage apparatus having a logical volume that functions as an actual storage area for the virtual volume; and a tape associated with the logical volume, for storing the replicated data; wherein the external storage apparatus has a copy unit for copying the replicated data stored in the logical volume to the tape.

Storage system and data management method

Pools of a plurality of types of storage devices are configured and are included in different layers. Based on at least one storage device of the same type, the pools of types corresponding to the type are configured. The controller in the storage system carries out storage location change processing in which the storage location of targeted data that has been stored into the targeted first real page allocated to a virtual page in a virtual volume is changed to the second real page that has not been allocated in a pool of the second type different from a pool of the first type including the targeted first real page in the case in which the controller conforms to the prescribed storage location change conditions. A size of a real page is different depending on a type of a pool.

Hierarchical storage system

An LU management tablethat associates and stores the LU# of the P-Voland the LU# of the S-Volis provided. The CPUspecifies the LU# of the S-Volconstituting the save source of the data with respect to the magnetic tape cartridge, acquires the LU# of the P-Volassociated with the specified LU# from the LU management table, reads the saved data from the magnetic tape cartridgestoring the data by means of the magnetic tape drive, and stores the data read from the magnetic tape cartridgeto the P-Volwith the acquired LU#. As a result, the data can be restored easily and properly to the P-Vol

Storage apparatus, data restoration method and computer system

Storage system and data management method to reduce the load on a virtualization apparatus by executing backup processing or restoration processing within one apparatus in which an externally connected storage apparatus and a tape library apparatus are installed. The storage system includes a virtualization apparatus and an external storage apparatus; the virtualization apparatus having: an actual volume for storing data sent from a host apparatus, formed in a storage area provided by a physical disk; and a virtual volume paired with the actual volume, for storing replicated data for the data, and the external storage apparatus having: a logical volume that functions as an actual storage area for the virtual volume; and a tape associated with the logical volume, for storing the replicated data, wherein the external storage apparatus has a copy unit for copying the replicated data stored in the logical volume to the tape.

Aiming to suitably balance, when backing up data to a magnetic tape, search time and writing/reading performance depending on the purpose of the backup, provided is a disk array apparatus including a disk device having hard disks, a magnetic tape device including a magnetic tape to which data to be backed up is written, and a control unit performing writing and reading processings of data between the disk device and the magnetic tape device. The control unit includes an FM (file mark) interval managing unit which receives a purpose of use when backing up the data on the magnetic tape, and from FM intervals which is held in association with the purpose of use thus received and which indicates an interval of recording FMs on the magnetic tape, acquires an FM interval corresponding to the purpose of use thus received, and transmits the acquired FM interval to the control unit.

Storage system and operation method thereof

A storage system is characterized by including: a host apparatus for sending various requests and backup-target data; a virtualization apparatus including a volume that stores the data sent from the host apparatus and a virtual volume that stores replicated data for the data; and a virtual disk library apparatus having a controller apparatus that includes an actual volume for the virtual volume and a tape library apparatus having a tape that stores the replicated data stored in the actual volume, and is characterized in that the controller apparatus has a path switching unit for conducting switching, for a plurality of paths for transferring the data, between a path that connects the controller apparatus to the tape library apparatus and a path that connects the controller apparatus to the virtualization apparatus according to a request from the host apparatus.

Growing community of inventors

Odawara, Japan

Kazuhiro Usami