Data storage control on storage devices
AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.
InventorsKENTARO KAKUI, Kyosuke Achiwa
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Abstract
An object of the present invention is to improve the usage efficiency of a storage extent in a storage system using the Allocation on Use (AOU) technique. A controller in the storage system allocates a storage extent in an actual volume to an extent in a virtual volume accessed by a host computer, detects any decrease in necessity for maintaining that allocation, and cancels the allocation of the storage extent in the actual volume to the extent in the virtual volume based on the detection result.
Claims14
A storage system coupled to a computer, the storage system comprising:
- a plurality of storage devices including a plurality of storage extents, and a controller configured to:
- provide a plurality of volumes according to the plurality of storage devices with the computer;
- allocate a storage extent of the plurality of storage extents to a virtual volume of a plurality of virtual volumes in response to a write operation to the virtual volume;
- manage a copy pair of a first volume and a second volume which is one of the plurality of virtual volumes;
- and
- release the storage extent allocated to the second volume when the controller receives a release request which is requested corresponded to the pair operation between the first volume and the second volume by the computer.
A data transfer method for a storage system coupled to a computer, the storage system having a plurality of storage devices including a plurality of storage extents and a controller that controls data input and output to/from the plurality of storage devices, the method comprising:
- providing a plurality of volumes according to the plurality of storage devices with the computer;
- allocating a storage extent of the plurality of storage extents to a virtual volume of a plurality of virtual volumes in response to a write operation to the virtual volume;
- managing a copy pair of a first volume and a second volume which is one of the plurality of virtual volumes;
- and
- releasing the storage extent allocated to the second volume when the controller receives a release request which is requested corresponded to the pair operation between the first volume and the second volume by the computer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.