Apparatus and method of reducing physical storage systems needed for a volume group to remain active

An apparatus for reducing physical storage systems needed for a volume group to remain active to less than a majority, the volume group including the physical storage systems, the apparatus comprising:

• means for creating a plurality of mirror sets out of the physical storage systems in the volume group;
• and
• means for allowing the volume group to remain active if one mirror out of each mirror set of the plurality of mirror sets is available.

A computer system for reducing physical storage systems needed for a volume group to remain active to less than a majority, said volume group including the physical storage systems, said computer system comprising:

• at least one memory device for storing code data;
• and
• at least one processor for processing the code data to create a plurality of mirror sets out of the physical storages systems in the volume group and to allow the volume group to remain active if one mirror out of each mirror set of the plurality of mirror sets is available.

A computer program product on a computer readable medium for reducing physical storage systems needed for a volume group to remain active to less than a majority, said volume group including the physical storage systems, said computer program product comprising:

• code means for creating a plurality of mirror sets out of the physical storage systems in the volume group;
• and
• code means for allowing the volume group to remain active if one mirror out of each mirror set of the plurality of mirror sets is available.