# US 2014/0195573 A1 · Storage system and control method for storage system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0195573 A1 - Document ID: US20140195573A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/814,270 - Filed: 2013-01-07 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-07 - Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd. - Inventors: Hirotaka Nakagawa; Hideo Saito; Nobuhito Mori; Tomohiro Kawaguchi; Abhishek Johri; Naoko Ikegaya; Yoichi Goto; Kunihiko Nashimoto; Akira Yamamoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140195573A1 ## CPC - G06F 16/182: Distributed file systems - G06F 3/0605: {by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator} - G06F 3/0659: {Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling} - G06F 3/0665: {at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes} - G06F 3/067: {Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]} - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract An example of the present invention is a storage system comprising a first real storage apparatus including a plurality of real resources. The first real storage apparatus includes: real resource groups allocated to a plurality of virtual storage apparatuses; first management information for associating virtual resource identifiers individually assigned to real resources in a namespace independently defined for each of the plurality of virtual storage apparatuses with real resource identifiers individually assigned to the real resources in a namespace defined for the first real storage apparatus; and a controller for receiving a command including a designation with a virtual resource identifier, converting the virtual resource identifier in the command into a real resource identifier with reference to the first management information, and processing the command with the converted real resource identifier. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A storage system comprising a first real storage apparatus including a plurality of real resources, the first real storage apparatus including: real resource groups allocated to a plurality of virtual storage apparatuses; first management information for associating virtual resource identifiers individually assigned to real resources in a namespace independently defined for each of the plurality of virtual storage apparatuses with real resource identifiers individually assigned to the real resources in a namespace defined for the first real storage apparatus; and a controller for receiving a command including a designation with a virtual resource identifier, converting the virtual resource identifier in the command into a real resource identifier with reference to the first management information, and processing the command with the converted real resource identifier. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A storage system according to claim 1, wherein the first real storage apparatus further includes second management information for associating the real resource groups allocated to the plurality of virtual storage apparatuses with virtual storage apparatus identifiers which are unique to the storage system, and wherein, in response to an inquiry about a configuration of a first virtual storage apparatus of the plurality of virtual storage apparatuses, the controller returns a virtual identifier selected from a virtual storage apparatus identifier and virtual resource identifiers of the first virtual storage apparatus. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A storage system according to claim 1, wherein the controller receives a command for a first virtual storage apparatus of the plurality of virtual storage apparatuses, wherein the controller determines whether a target real resource designated by a virtual resource identifier in the command is a real resource in the first virtual storage apparatus with reference to the first management information, and wherein the controller rejects a request of the command in a case where the target real resource is included in a virtual storage apparatus different from the first virtual storage apparatus. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A storage system according to claim 1, wherein the controller acquires a command requesting transfer of a designated real resource from a first real resource group to a second real resource group, wherein the controller determines whether the designated real resource has been assigned a virtual resource identifier with reference to the first management information, and wherein the controller rejects the transfer of the designated real resource in a case where the designated real resource has been assigned a virtual resource identifier. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A storage system according to claim 1, wherein the controller acquires a command requesting assignment of a designated virtual resource identifier to a first real resource allocated to a first virtual storage apparatus of the plurality of virtual storage apparatuses, wherein the controller determines whether the designated virtual resource identifier exists in a namespace for the first virtual storage apparatus with reference to the first management information, and wherein the controller rejects the assignment of the designated virtual resource identifier to the first real resource in a case where the designated virtual resource identifier already exists in the namespace for the first virtual storage apparatus. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A storage system according to claim 1, further comprising a second real storage apparatus, wherein a first virtual storage apparatus of the plurality of virtual storage apparatuses is allocated a real resource group in the second real storage apparatus, wherein the first real storage apparatus and the second real storage apparatus each include third management information for individually associating real resources allocated to the first virtual storage apparatus with real storage apparatuses including the real resources, and wherein each of the first real storage apparatus and the second real storage apparatus individually refers to the third management information to identify a real storage apparatus including a target real resource of a first command, and in a case where the target real resource is included in the other real storage apparatus, sends the command including a request and a designation of the target real resource of the first command to the other real storage apparatus. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) A storage system according to claim 6, wherein each of the first real storage apparatus and the second real storage apparatus notifies the other real storage apparatus of an update of the third management information and synchronizes the third management information. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) A storage system according to claim 6, wherein the third management information associates virtual resource identifiers with real storage apparatuses, wherein the first command designates the target real resource by a virtual resource identifier, and wherein each of the first real storage apparatus and the second real storage apparatus sends the command including the request and the virtual resource identifier of the target real resource of the first command to the other real storage apparatus in a case where the target resource is included in the other storage apparatus. ### Claim 9 (depends on 6) A storage system according to claim 6, wherein each of the first real storage apparatus and the second real storage apparatus has a volume for accepting commands sent between the first real storage apparatus and the second real storage apparatus, independently from a volume for accepting commands from an external apparatus. ### Claim 10 A control method for a storage system including a first real storage apparatus including a plurality of real resources, the control method comprising: allocating real resource groups to a plurality of virtual storage apparatuses; creating first management information for associating virtual resource identifiers individually assigned to real resources in a namespace independently defined for each of the plurality of virtual storage apparatuses with real resource identifiers individually assigned to the real resources in a namespace defined for the first real storage apparatus; receiving a command including a designation with a virtual resource identifier; converting the virtual resource identifier in the command into a real resource identifier with reference to the first management information; and processing the command with the converted real resource identifier. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A control method for a storage system according to claim 10, further comprising: creating second management information for associating the real resource groups allocated to the plurality of virtual storage apparatuses with virtual storage apparatus identifiers which are unique to the storage system; and returning, in response to an inquiry about a configuration of a first virtual storage apparatus of the plurality of virtual storage apparatuses, a virtual identifier selected from a virtual storage apparatus identifier for the first virtual storage apparatus and virtual resource identifiers. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) A control method for a storage system according to claim 10, wherein a first virtual storage apparatus of the plurality of virtual storage apparatuses has been allocated real resource groups provided by a plurality of real storage apparatuses, wherein the control method further comprises: creating third management information for individually associating real resources allocated to the first virtual storage apparatus with real storage apparatuses including the real resources; identifying a real storage apparatus including a target resource of a first command which is received by one real storage apparatus of the plurality of real storage apparatuses with reference to the third management information; and sending, in a case where the target resource is included in a real storage apparatus different from the one real storage apparatus, the command including a request and a designation of the target resource of the first command to the different real storage apparatus. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A control method for a storage system according to claim 12, further comprising notifying, by the plurality of real storage apparatuses, one another of an update of the third management information to syn-chronize the third management information.