Hitachi, Ltd.

Takashi Sakaguchi

Toshiya Seki

Yasuyuki Nagasoe

Sachiko Hoshino

Eiju Katsuragi

Shoji Sugino

Azusa Jin

Takamasa Sato

Kensuke Narita

Yosuke Katoh

Hideo Saito

Hiroyuki Morimoto

Koji Watanabe

Shintaro Inoue

Keishi Tamura

Takashi Nagao

Takahiko Takeda

Ryunosuke Kamimoto

A primary storage system is equipped with a local storage subsystem having a mirror volume of a volume in a primary storage subsystem, and a remote storage subsystem having a mirror volume of the volume in the primary storage subsystem at a secondary site. When storing a write data from a host to a volume, the primary storage subsystem determines an SEQ# to be stored in a journal corresponding to the write request, creates a journal including the relevant SEQ# and a replica of the write data, and transmits the relevant SEQ# to the local storage subsystem, which creates a journal including the relevant SEQ# and stores it in its own journal volume. But when creation of the journal including the relevant SEQ# is stopped, the local storage subsystem creates a dummy journal including the relevant SEQ# but not including the write data.

Storage system having multiple local and remote volumes and multiple journal volumes using dummy journals for sequence control

A storage system forms a high availability pair for data duplication using a first volume of a first storage apparatus as a primary volume and a second volume of a second storage apparatus as a secondary volume. The first volume and a third volume of a third storage apparatus are used as a primary volume and a secondary volume, respectively, to form an asynchronous copy pair. The second volume and the third volume are used as a primary volume and a secondary volume, respectively, to form a standby pair. When a command to form the asynchronous copy pair is received, the storage system refuses to form the asynchronous copy pair when the standby pair is not formed yet.

Storage system

A backup copy from a first data volume to a second data volume is executed according to either a synchronous mode, in which write data is copied from the first data volume to the second data volume in synchronous with a write request, or an asynchronous mode, in which journal data of a first storage apparatus is reflected on the second data volume in asynchronous with the write request. A second storage apparatus acquires secondary load information representing its own load status, and transmits the information to the first storage apparatus. The first storage apparatus acquires primary load information representing its own load status, determines switching between the modes based on the secondary load information, the primary load information and mode information, and transmits determination information representing determination results to the second storage apparatus. When the determination information represents the switching from the asynchronous mode to the synchronous mode, the second storage apparatus acquires the journal data from the first storage apparatus and reflects the journal data on the second data volume.

Backup system

Provided is a storage subsystem capable of speeding up the input/output processing for a cache memory. Microprocessor Packages manage information related to a VDEV ownership for controlling virtual devices and a cache segment ownership for controlling cache segments in units of Microprocessor Packages, and one Microprocessor among multiple Microprocessors belonging to the determined Microprocessor Package to perform input/output processing for the virtual devices searches cache control information stored in the Package Memory without searching the cache control information in the shared memory, and if data exists in the cache memory, accesses the cache memory, and if it does not, accesses the virtual devices.

Storage subsystem

A storage controller having a plurality of storage devices and a control circuit providing a plurality of virtual volumes, to each of which a storage area in a plurality of pool volumes provided with the plurality of storage devices can be mapped for writing data in response to a write access sent from an information processing apparatus to a logical area in one of the plurality of virtual volumes, respectively. The control circuit, according to a search of the plurality of pool volumes for a certain storage area in which a certain data pattern is written, releases the certain storage area from mapping to a logical area in the plurality of virtual volumes, so that the control circuit can use the released certain storage area for mapping to a virtual volume of the plurality of virtual volumes as a destination of another write access from the information processing apparatus.

Storage controller and storage control method

Access to various types of resources is controlled efficiently, thereby enhancing the throughput. A storage system includes: a disk device for providing a volume for storing data to a host system; a channel adapter for writing data from the host system to the disk device via a cache memory; a disk adapter for transferring data to and from the disk device; and at least one processor package including a plurality of processors for controlling the channel adapter and the disk adapter; wherein any one of the processor packages includes a processor for incorporatively transferring related types of ownership based on specific control information for managing the plurality of types of ownership for each of the plurality of types of resources.

Storage system and ownership control method for storage system

A storage controller having a plurality of storage device and a control circuit providing a plurality of virtual volumes, to each of which a storage area in a plurality of pool volumes provided with the plurality of storage devices can be mapped for writing data in response to a write access sent from an information processing apparatus to a logical area in one of the plurality of virtual volumes, respectively. The control circuit, according to a search of the plurality of pool volumes for a certain storage area in which a certain data pattern is written, release the certain storage area from mapping to a logical area in the plurality of virtual volume, so that the control circuit can use the released certain storage area for mapping to a virtual volume of the plurality of virtual volume as a destination of another write access from the information processing apparatus.

A storage controller of the present invention partitions and allocates a virtual memory area to each of a plurality of functions operating simultaneously. Microprocessors inside a higher-level communications controller can respectively execute a plurality of program products. A virtual memory created using a local memory is partitioned into a plurality of areas. The partitioned areas are allocated to the respective program products via queues.

Controlling virtual memory in a storage controller

The present invention partitions a cache region of a storage subsystem for each user and prevents interference between user-dedicated regions. A plurality of CLPR can be established within the storage subsystem. A CLPR is a user-dedicated region that can be used by partitioning the cache region of a cache memory. Management information required to manage the data stored in the cache memory is allocated to each CLPR in accordance with the attribute of the segment or slot. The clean queue and clean counter, which manage the segments in a clean state, are provided in each CLPR. The dirty queue and dirty counter are used jointly by all the CLPR. The free queue, classification queue, and BIND queue are applied jointly to all the CLPR, only the counters being provided in each CLPR.

Storage subsystem and storage subsystem control method

A storage control technique with which, even if not data, but only its management information is deleted, a host system can recognize storage areas storing unnecessary data and so use them effectively. When a file system in the host system deletes the management information for data stored in a page in a pool volume, a control circuit writes '0' in all the areas in the deletion target page in response to a command from the host system. The control circuit then detects the page where '0' is written in all of its areas and releases it from allocation to the corresponding virtual volume.

The present invention carries out cache management in such a manner that the management region required for cache management does not increase, and neither does the performance decline. It is possible to combine use of both a hierarchical directory method and a hash directory method, in order to manage cache data. In a hierarchical directory method, the desired data is retrieved by referring to respective tables Tto T, in succession. In a hash directory method, the desired data is reached by referring to a hash table TIand tables Tto T. Access conflicts between the respective methods are avoided by using the EDEV number and a portion of the VDEV number for a hash key. By combining use of both of these methods, it is possible to respond to cases where the storage capacity of the storage system has been increased, without having to raise the management region, and without causing a decline in performance.

Storage system employing a hierarchical directory section and a cache directory section

The present invention carries out cache management in such a manner that the management region required for cache management does not increase, and neither does the performance decline. It is possible to combine use of both a hierarchical directory method and a hash directory method, in order to manage cache data. In a hierarchical directory method, the desired data is retrieved by referring to respective tables Tto T, in succession. In a hash directory method, the desired data is reached by referring to a hash table Tand tables Tto T. Access conflicts between the respective methods are avoided by using the EDEV number and a portion of the VDEV number for a hash key. By combining use of both of these methods, it is possible to respond to cases where the storage capacity of the storage system has been increased, without having to raise the management region, and without causing a decline in performance.

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Odawara, Japan

Takashi Sakaguchi