US 7,454,591 B2 · Storage system control method, storage system, and storage apparatus storing information relating a first logical unit number (LUN) used to access a volume by a host computer and a second LUN used to access the volume by another storage system with remote copy procedure

Abstract

A method controls a storage system including a first storage apparatus including a first storage volume to store data therein, a second storage apparatus including a second storage volume to store data therein, the first and second storage apparatuses being communicably connected, and an information processor communicably connected to the first storage apparatus. The method includes the steps of transmitting by the information processor an identifier to identify the second storage volume in the second storage apparatus to the first storage apparatus, describing by the first storage apparatus the identifier in a data input/output request for the second storage volume and transmitting the data input/output request to the second storage apparatus, and executing by the second storage apparatus data input/output processing for the second storage volume identified by the identifier described in the data input/output request.

Drawings

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Drawings

Claims14

Dependent claims

A disk array system, coupled to another disk array system and a host computer, said disk array system comprising:

a plurality of disk drives;
a volume configured by some of said disk drives;
and
a controller controlling to receive data from said another disk array system with a remote copy procedure and to store said data in said volume,
wherein said volume is related to a first Logical Unit Number (LUN), which is used to access said volume by said host computer, and a second LUN, which is used for receiving said data from said another disk array system and storing said data in said volume with said remote copy procedure,
wherein when said remote copy procedure is to be performed as instructed by said host computer to copy data from said volume to another volume in said another disk array system, said host computer sends a LUN acquisition request to another host computer coupled to said another disk array system,
wherein said host computer receives from said another host computer another second LUN which is used for receiving data from said disk array system and storing said data in said another volume of said another disk array system according to said remote copy procedure,
wherein said host computer based on receipt of said another second LUN issues a copy command including said first LUN as a copy source and said another second LUN as a copy destination to said disk array system, and
wherein said disk array system in response to said copy command from said host computer performs said remote copy procedure to copy data from said volume corresponding to said first LUN of said disk array system to said another volume of said another second LUN of said another disk array system.

6 more elements

A disk array system for use in a storage system which includes said disk array system, in a remote site, coupled to another disk array system and a host computer, said disk array system comprising:

a plurality of disk drives;
a volume configured by some of said disk drives;
and
a controller for controlling said disk array system,
wherein a controller of said another disk array system stores data sent from another host computer in a volume of said another disk array system and transfers data of said data sent from said another host computer with a remote copy procedure;
wherein said controller of said disk array system receives said data from said another disk array system with said remote copy procedure and stores said data in said volume,
wherein in said disk array system said volume is related to a first Logical Unit Number (LUN), which is used to access said volume by said host computer, and a second LUN, which is used for transferring said data from said another disk array system to said volume with said remote copy procedure,
wherein when said remote copy procedure is to be performed as instructed by said host computer to copy data from said volume to another volume in said another disk array system, said host computer sends a LUN acquisition request to another host computer coupled to said another disk array system,
wherein said host computer receives from said another host computer another second LUN which is used for receiving data from said disk array system and storing said data in said another volume of said another disk array system according to said remote copy procedure,
wherein said host computer based on receipt of said another second LUN issues a copy command including said first LUN as a copy source and said another second LUN as a copy destination to said disk array system, and
wherein said disk array system in response to said copy command from said host computer performs said remote copy procedure to copy data from said volume corresponding to said first LUN of said disk array system to said another volume of said another second LUN of said another disk array system.

8 more elements

A disk array system for use in a storage system which includes said disk array system, in a remote site, coupled to another disk array system and a host computer, said disk array system comprising:

a plurality of disk drives;
a plurality of volumes configured by said disk drives;
and
a controller for controlling said disk array system,
wherein a controller of said another disk array system stores data sent from another host computer in volumes of said another disk array system and transfers data related to said volumes with a remote copy procedure,
wherein said controller of said disk array system receives said data related to said volumes of said another disk array system with said remote copy procedure and stores said received data in said volumes,
wherein in said disk array system each of said volumes is related to a first Logical Unit Number (LU N), which is used to access said volumes by said host computer, and a second LUN, which is used for initiating said remote copy procedure,
wherein when said remote copy procedure is to be performed as instructed by said host computer to copy data from said volume to another volume in said another disk array system, said host computer sends a LUN acquisition request to another host computer coupled to said another disk array system,
wherein said host computer receives from said another host computer another second LUN which is used for receiving data from said disk array system and storing said data in said another volume of said another disk array system according to said remote copy procedure,
wherein said host computer based on receipt of said another second LUN issues a copy command including said first LUN as a copy source and said another second LUN as a copy destination to said disk array system, and
wherein said disk array system in response to said copy command from said host computer performs said remote copy procedure to copy data from said volume corresponding to said first LUN of said disk array system to said another volume of said another second LUN of said another disk array system.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Description7,018 words

Summary892 words

#The present invention relates to a storage system control method, a storage system, and a storage apparatus.

#Recently, there has been developed a technique called “remote copy”. The remote copy is used to continuously conduct jobs by a computer system in a remote site even when a computer system in a main site stops at occurrence of a disaster caused by, for example, a strong earthquake. The remote copy is a technique to store in a storage volume of a storage apparatus in the remote site a copy or replica of data stored in a storage volume of a storage apparatus in the main site.

#On the other hand, to efficiently use a large capacity of storage resources of a storage apparatus, there has been commonly used a configuration to share the storage apparatus among a plurality of information processors. In this case, to guarantee security of data stored in the shared storage apparatus, a technique called “logical unit number (LUN) masking” is employed to beforehand allocate storage volumes to respective information processors. Generally, to identify in a storage apparatus each storage volume thereof, it is possible to use a global identifier uniquely assigned to the storage volume. However, when the LUN masking is used, the identifiers assigned to the storage volumes of each information processor may become discontinuous numbers in some cases. Therefore, in a storage apparatus using the LUN masking, logical identifiers are assigned to storage volumes for each information processor. As a result, when a data input/output request is issued to a storage apparatus, each information processor can identify the storage volume using the local identifier assigned thereto.

Brief description of the drawings9 figures

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of a storage system according to the present invention;

#FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of an information processor according to the present invention;

#FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a control terminal according to the present invention;

Detailed description5,976 words

#Referring now to the drawings, description will be given in detail of an embodiment of the present invention.

#Overall Configuration

#FIG. 1 shows in a block diagram an overall configuration of an embodiment of a storage system according to the present invention.

Facts

Application

11/503,936Filed 15 Aug 2006 · continuation

Priority

JP 2003-1563702 Jun 2003

Published

US 2006/0064544 A17 Dec 2006

Granted

18 Nov 2008

Term ended

31 Jan 2024

Estimated · how

20 years from earliest known nonprovisional domestic filing plus recorded patent term adjustment, including 148 days of adjustment. Maintenance-fee lapses, terminal disclaimers and statutory extensions have not been checked. The continuity chain may be incomplete; this is not an enforceability determination.

Classification9 codes

G06F 11/2071
By mirroring: using a plurality of controllers
G06F 3/0604
Specifically adapted to achieve a particular effect: improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
G06F 3/0607
Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management: by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for…
G06F 3/0631
Configuration or reconfiguration of storage systems: by allocating resources to storage systems

Family

Application10/655,004Parent of this continuation · filed 5 Sep 2003

Application11/274,341Parent of this continuation · filed 16 Nov 2005

US 2006/0277382 A1Pre-grant publication · published 7 Dec 2006

US 7,117,340 B2Parent of this continuation

US 7,013,380 B2Parent of this continuation

Application11/274,341Parent of this continuation

US 2004/0243776 A1Published application

US 2006/0064544 A1Published application

US 7,454,591 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Storage system control method, storage system, and storage apparatus storing information relating a first logical unit number (LUN) used to access a volume by a host computer and a second LUN used to access the volume by another storage system with remote copy procedure

Life of this patent

Storage system control method, storage system, and storage apparatus storing information relating a first logical unit number (LUN) used to access a volume by a host computer and a second LUN used to access the volume by another storage system with remote copy procedure

Life of this patent

Life of this patent

Abstract

Drawings

Drawings

Claims14

Description7,018 words

Drawings

Classification9 codes

Life of this patent

Description7,018 words