Management method and a management system for volume

A storage device management system which performs processing to provide information on storage devices to an information service device which registers in a database and manages information on devices capable of communication by the iSCSI Protocol, comprising:

• storage devices which hold storage areas each having a unique identifier, a network interface having a network address uniquely allocated in a network, and a matching relationship between the storage areas and the network interface, and execute transmission or updating of the matching relationship in compliance with a request received via the network;
• a management server which acquires, from each of the storage areas, a network address of the network interface and the matching relationship between the storage areas and the network interface;
• and
• transmits, to the information service device, a request for registering the identifiers of the storage areas and the matching relationship between the storage area relating to the network address of the network interface and the network interface, wherein:
• the identifiers of the storage areas and the matching relationship, which are transmitted, are registered in the database of the information service device.

A management method for storage area information by which information on storage areas of a plurality of storage devices, to be provided to an iSNS server managing information on devices capable of communication by a specific protocol and providing the information via a network, is processed and managed by a management server, wherein:

• each storage device holds storage areas each having a unique identifier, a network interface having a network address uniquely allocated in a network, a matching relationship between the storage areas and the network interface, and information indicating whether or not it has an iSNS client function, and executes transmission or updating of the matching relationship in compliance with a request received via the network;
• and
• the management server communicates information regarding configurations of the storage devices between a storage device having the iSNS client function and a storage device not having the iSNS client function;
• acquires, from the storage devices, the network address of the network interface, the matching relationship between the storage areas and the network interface, and information regarding presence or absence of the iSNS client function;
• assesses the acquired information regarding the presence or absence of the iSNS client function;
• as a result of the assessment, registers an address of the iSNS server for the storage device having the iSNS client function;
• as a result of the assessment, performs editing of a name of the storage area of the storage device and a port name of the network interface for the storage device not having the iSNS client function;
• and transmits, to the information service device, a request to register the identifier of the storage area and the matching relationship between storage areas including the network address of the matching network interface and the network interface.

A registration management method for an information service device which registers in a database and manages information on devices capable of communication by a specific protocol to provide the information via a network, comprising:

• registering, in the database, contents of configurational changes of storage devices transmitted from a management server managing the storage devices via the network;
• registering, in the database, information at leasing containing iSCSI names of logically defined volumes, created in the storage devices and transmitted from the management server via the network;
• registering, in the database, information including matching relationships between volumes and ports of LUNs created in the storage devices and transmitted from the management server via the network;
• and
• deleting, in compliance with a request transmitted from the management server via the network, from the database, information on the volumes deleted from storage devices.

A storage device management system for storage-related information for managing a storage device and providing information on a configuration of the storage device to an iSNS server which registers information on devices capable of communication by a specific protocol, comprising:

• a storage device having a memory for storing a plurality of volumes created for use by a host computer, each having a logically defined unique identifier, a network interface having an IP address uniquely allocated in a network, and a matching relationship between the volume and the network interface, and transmitting or updating the matching relationship in response to a request received via the network;
• and
• a management server having a memory for storing the IP address and a TCP port number of the storage device to be managed, an identifier unique to an iSCSI device in the network, and an IP address of the iSNS server, and a CPU for executing a management program for managing the storage device;
• wherein the CPU executes:
• processing, when a storage device is added as the object of management, to select an address and a port number of the additional storage device, transmit the IP address of the iSNS server to the storage device and request its registration and, when it is registered at the iSNS address of the storage device, transmit, to the iSNS server, information including a port ID and an IP address which the storage device has,
• processing, when a volume is to be created in or deleted from the storage device, to request the storage device to create or delete the volume and request the iSNS server to create or delete the volume, and
• processing, when LUN masking is to be set, to request the relevant storage device to set LUN masking and, specifying an ID of a domain so that a volume and the host computer to which the volume is allocated belong to the same discovery domain, request the iSNS server to set the LUN masking.