Hitachi, Ltd.

Ken'ichi Soejima

Satoshi Miyazaki

Masayasu Asano

Hitoshi Ueno

Masaaki Ohya

Narishige Morimoto

Toshiaki Arai

A volume management method is proposed for setting at least a logical volume over a plurality of physical storage devices by taking requested performance of other volumes into consideration. The volume management method comprises the steps of: receiving a volume creation request specifying a requested storage capacity and requested average performance; forming a judgment as to whether or not there exists an unoccupied area satisfying the requested storage capacity throughout the storage devices; forming a judgment as to whether or not all volumes, which include existing volumes each sharing any of the storage devices with a volume to be created and the volume to be created, each satisfy its requested average performance by referring to information of requested average performance on a storage means for each of the existing volumes if the unoccupied area satisfying a requested storage capacity is determined to exist; and setting the volume to be created if all the volumes each satisfy the requested average performance.

Volume management method and apparatus

It is desirable that using a computer system, which administrates multiple storages, the storages are operated efficiently to minimize free spaces on the storages by assigning effectively the free spaces to the users with a wide variety of needs, resulting in their higher satisfaction. To achieve this, the storage operational system allows the SSPs to create and present the next-best proposed set-ups satisfying partially the users' requirements even if all the requirements are not satisfied by the proposed set-ups created based on the requirements for set-ups by the users assigned to rented storages. In addition, to satisfy the users' requirements as possible, such conditions as application of discounted prices can be indicated to other users for negotiation provided that the user's requirements may be satisfied by changing the conditions for using the storages through such a negotiation with other users.

Storage operational system and method of providing the storage rental service

In a distributed computer system including a plurality of computers connected to each other via a communication path in which each computer executes processing by use of resources of the other, there is generated schedule information defining a schedule of transferring a status of each computer from one status to another status so as to achieve automatic operation of the computer according to the generated schedule information. One of the computers is used to gather, for each of the computers for which schedule information is to be generated, information of dependence including description of dependence to be held between the computer and other computers at the status transition. According to the collected information of dependence, there is created a dependent graph representing dependence between the computers for the whole system. Generated from the dependent graph is schedule information for each computer. The schedule information is distributed to the computer such that the status thereof is changed according to the distributed schedule information.

Distributed computer system and method of generating automatic operation

A service utilization information collection apparatus in a system including a plurality of computers interconnected through a network acquires names of computers which utilize services provided by a server machine and service utilization status from any one of the computers in the system, and includes a user command which may be executed in any one of the computers, and a service monitor and a local service monitor. A service to be monitored and a name of the server which provides the service are inputted to the user command which is sent to the service monitor. The service monitor issues a service utilization information collection request to the local service monitor operating on each of the computers. The service utilization information collected by the local service monitor is sent to the user through the service monitor and the user command.

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Yokohama, Japan

Ken'ichi Soejima