Storage control device to backup data stored in virtual volume

A virtualization system, comprising:

• a virtualization apparatus;
• and
• a storage control device connected to said virtualization apparatus, wherein
• said virtualization apparatus comprises:
• a storage resource which stores allocation management information, which is information indicating which segment among a plurality of segments forming one or more virtual first storage devices based on one or more first storage devices is allocated to virtual volume, and correspondence management information, which indicates to which physical area of said one or more first storage devices each of said plurality of segments corresponds;
• a write control portion which receives a first write request for data for writing to said virtual volume from said higher-level device, in response to the first write request selects one or more unallocated segments from said plurality of segments based on said allocation management information, allocates the selected one or more unallocated segments to said virtual volume, updates said allocation management information to information indicating allocation of the one or more segments to said virtual volume, specifies the one or more physical areas corresponding to the allocated one or more segments respectively in use of said correspondence management information, and transmits to said storage control device a second write request to write said data for writing to the specified one or more physical areas;
• and
• a write management information transmission portion which transmits to said storage control device said write management information comprising said allocation management information and said correspondence management information, and wherein
• said storage control device comprises:
• said one or more first storage devices;
• a second storage device;
• and
• a backup control portion which specifies one or more physical areas in said one or more first storage devices in use of said write management information from said virtualization apparatus, and backs up one or more data elements stored in said specified one or more physical areas to said second storage device.

A virtualization system, comprising:

• a virtualization apparatus;
• and
• a storage control device connected to said virtualization apparatus, wherein
• said virtualization apparatus comprises:
• a storage resource which stores allocation management information, which is information indicating which segment among a plurality of segments forming one or more virtual first storage devices is allocated to a virtual volume based on said one or more first storage devices, and correspondence management information, which indicates correspondence between each of said plurality of segments and physical areas in said one or more first storage devices;
• and
• a write control portion which receives a first write request for data for writing to said virtual volume from a higher-level device, selects one or more unallocated segments from among said plurality of segments in response to the first write request based on said allocation management information, allocates the one or more selected unallocated segments to said virtual volume, updates said allocation management information to information indicating allocation of the one or more segments to said virtual volume, specifies the one or more physical areas corresponding to the one or more allocated segments in use of said correspondence management information, and transmits, to said storage control device, a second write request to write said data for writing to the specified one or more physical areas, and wherein
• said storage control device comprises:
• said one or more first storage devices;
• a second storage device;
• a write execution portion which writes said data for writing according to said second write request from said virtualization apparatus to said one or more physical areas, in said one or more first storage devices, according to the second write request, and updates said write management information to information indicating occurrence of writing to said one or more physical areas according to the writing;
• and
• a backup control portion which uses said write management information after updating to specify one or more physical areas in which writing has occurred in said one or more first storage devices, and backs up one or more data elements stored in the one or more specified physical areas to said second storage device.

A virtualization apparatus connected to a storage control device having one or more first storage devices, comprising:

• a storage resource which stores allocation management information, which is information indicating which segment among a plurality of segments forming one or more virtual first storage devices is allocated to a virtual volume based on said one or more first storage devices, and correspondence management information, which indicates correspondence between each of said plurality of segments and physical areas in said one or more first storage devices;
• a write control portion which receives a first write request for data for writing to said virtual volume from a higher-level device, selects one or more unallocated segments from among said plurality of segments in response to the first write request based on said allocation management information, allocates the one or more selected unallocated segments to said virtual volume, updates said allocation management information to information indicating allocation of the one or more segments to said virtual volume, specifies the one or more physical areas corresponding to the one or more allocated segments respectively in use of said correspondence management information, and transmits, to said storage control device, a second write request to write said data for writing to the specified one or more physical areas;
• and
• a write management information transmission portion which transmits, to said storage control device, said write management information comprising said allocation management information and said correspondence management information.

A virtualization apparatus connected to a storage control device having one or more first storage devices, comprising:

• a storage resource which stores allocation management information, which is information indicating which segment among a plurality of segments forming one or more virtual first storage devices is allocated to a virtual volume based on said one or more first storage devices, and correspondence management information, which indicates correspondence between each of said plurality of segments and physical areas in said one or more first storage devices;
• a write control portion which receives a first write request for data for writing to said virtual volume from a higher-level device, selects one or more unallocated segments from among said plurality of segments in response to the first write request based on said allocation management information, allocates the one or more selected unallocated segments to said virtual volume, updates said allocation management information to information indicating allocation of the one or more segments to said virtual volume, specifies the one or more physical areas corresponding to the one or more allocated segments in use of said correspondence management information, and transmits, to said storage control device, a second write request to write said data for writing to the specified one or more physical areas;
• and
• an allocation management information storage portion which stores said allocation management information at the time of backup.

A storage control device provided for a virtualization system which allocates unallocated segments, among a plurality of segments, according to a write operation to a virtual volume which is a virtual logical volume provided to a higher-level device, and writes data elements to the allocated segments according to the write operation, comprising:

• one or more first storage devices, related to said plurality of segments;
• a second storage device;
• a storage portion which stores write management information at the time of backup, which is write management information to manage locations where writing has occurred in said one or more first storage devices;
• and,
• a restore control portion which reads said write management information at the time of backup, and restores one or more data elements stored in said one or more locations among the plurality of data elements stored in said second storage device, to one or more locations specified from said read-out write management information, or to one or more new locations specified from new write management information indicating one or more new locations corresponding to said one or more locations.