Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi Software Engineering Company, Ltd.

Shizuo Yokohata

Shinichi Nakayama

Youichi Gotoh

Naoto Matsunami

Toshio Nakano

Manabu Kitamura

Koji Sonoda

Shigeo Honma

Naotaka Kobayashi

Takeshi Ido

Toshiyuki Yoshino

Takao Satoh

Kiichiro Urabe

Kazunobu Ohashi

Akira Yamamoto

Kenji Yamagami

Kenichi Takamoto

Hiroshi Ogasawara

Katsunori Nakamura

Akira Murotani

Haruaki Watanabe

Yoshihito Nakagawa

Masahiro Kawaguchi

Yoshiro Shiroyanagi

Youichi Goto

A storage subsystem and a storage controller adapted to take advantage of high data transfer rates of fiber channels while offering enhanced reliability and availability and capable of connecting with a plurality of host computers having multiple different interfaces. A loop is provided to serve as a common loop channel having fiber channel interfaces. Host interface controllers (HIFC) connected to host computers having different interfaces permit conversion between the fiber channel interface and a different interface as needed. Control processors, shared by the host interface controllers, each reference FCAL (fiber channel arbitrated loop) management information to capture a frame having an address of the processor in question from among the frames passing through the loop. I/O processing is then carried out by the controller in accordance with a range of logical unit numbers (LUN) set in the captured frame.

Storage subsystem and storage controller having memory which stores management information indicating corresponding relations between processors and identifies of logical units

A method for verifying data in a storage system is disclosed. A host computer transmits area management data to a storage controller. The area management data specifies a range of a storage area in a storage device to be used by an application program having a mechanism for verifying data suitability. Upon receipt of an input/output request transmitted from the host computer, the storage controller performs verification, which is usually performed by the application program, of the data that is to be processed according to the data input/output request and to be input/output to/from the storage area, which is specified in accordance with the received area management data.

Method and apparatus for verifying data in a storage system

A network storage system has a structure for notifying the data storage system of a fault in the file server, the storage system having means for sending fault notification data to an external maintenance center. The file server can detect a fault and transmit data regarding the fault to the storage control unit while specifying a predetermined logic unit of the storage control unit, and the storage control unit has a faulty part management table, a function for storing the fault-related data transmitted from the file server unit separately from the data exchanged with the computers, a function for detecting a fault other than the fault in the file server unit and for storing that data in the faulty part management table, and a function for transmitting all or part of the faulty part management table to an external unit.

Fault data exchange between file server and disk control device

In response to requests for I/O processing sent from a computer, I/O which should be processed at a priority is enabled to be processed without being affected by other processing, by classifying I/O into those to be processed at a priority and those not to be processed at a priority. The storage control apparatus comprises an I/O processing controller with a memory that is common for the whole controller. The storage control apparatus manages information for dividing and controlling a plurality of I/O processes as priority and non-priority in that memory and operates while suppressing non-priority I/O processing on the basis of information in the memory.

Storage control apparatus

Storage subsystem and storage controller

A storage system includes a network adapter, a channel adapter, a shared memory, a cache memory, a disk adapter, a switch and a storage device. The storage device stores data. The network adapter includes a port connected to a local area network, and a NAS processor and an I/O processor. The NAS processor receives a file access request via the port, and gives instructions to access the data stored in the storage device as well as instructions to back up the data stored in the storage device. The I/O processor transfers access to the data stored in the storage device to the cache memory, and transfers backup instructions for the data stored in the storage device to the shared memory. The channel adapter includes a port and an I/O processor. The I/O processor sends out data stored in the storage device to the device storing backup data, in response to a backup instruction from the network adapter.

Storage system and data backup method for the same

A storage has NAS and SAN functions and a high degree of freedom to configure a system to reduce the management and operation cost. The storage includes a plurality of interface slots in which a plurality of interface controllers can be installed, a block I/O interface controller which has SAN functions and which can be installed in the slot, a file I/O interface controller which has NAS functions and which can be installed in the slots, a storage capacity pool including a plurality of disk devices accessible from the interface controllers, and a storage capacity pool controller to control the storage capacity pool.

Storage system and method using interface control devices of different types

A storage subsystem and a storage controller adapted to take advantage of high data transfer rates of fibre channels while offering enhanced reliability and availability and capable of connecting with a plurality of host computers having multiple different interfaces. A loop is provided to serve as a common loop channel having fibre channel interfaces. Host interface controllers (HIFC) connected to host computers having different interfaces permit conversion between the fibre channel interface and a different interface as needed. Control processors, shared by the host interface controllers, each reference FCAL (fibre channel arbitrated loop) management information to capture a frame having an address of the processor in question from among the frames passing through the loop. I/O processing is then carried out by the controller in accordance with a range of logical unit numbers (LUN) set in the captured frame.

An accounting system includes a plurality of host computers, an accounting server connected to the plurality of host computers, a storage control device connected to the plurality of host computers and the accounting server and having a plurality of channel ports for performing data input/output operation, storage devices connected to the storage control device for storing data inputted/outputted to/from the plurality of host computers, an accounting data generating unit for generating accounting data containing at least one of number of times of access and a data transfer quantity for every accounting subject control unit, and a transfer unit for informing the accounting server of the accounting data generated by the accounting data generating unit, executing the accounting process for the plurality of accounting subject control units.

Storage-related accounting system and method of the same

For each of a plurality of storage devices, there is stored a response time required from when an input/output request sent from a host processor is received until when a processing result of the request is sent to the host processor. One or a plurality of response-time upper limit values assigned respectively to one or a plurality of files to be stored in the storage device are stored and managed. The upper limit value of the file to be stored and each of the response times of the storage devices are compared, and according to the comparison result, a storage device for storing the file is selected. Through such a structure, an operational form of a storage control device may be optimized.

Storage control system

Growing community of inventors

Ninomiya, Japan

Shizuo Yokohata