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US 7,467,241 B2Granted
Storage control method and storage control system
AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.
InventorYusuke Masuyama
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A control system for a plurality of storage systems has at least one path that is selected from a plurality of paths where one of three or more storage systems is a start point storage system and another one thereof is an end point storage system. According to the selected path, the external connection processing for writing data to an external volume which corresponds to a virtual volume, and/or the remote copy processing for writing data to be written in a copy source volume to a copy destination volume, is/are executed at least once. By this, the data received by the start point storage system is written to the logical volume in the end point storage system.
Claims12
A storage control method, in which there are three or more storage systems comprises first, second and third storage systems,
- wherein said first storage system comprises a first volume which is a virtual logical volume, said second storage system comprises a second volume which is an actual volume and corresponds to said first volume, such that when said first storage system receives a write request designating said first volume, target data following the write request is transferred to said second storage system to be written in said second volume, and said third storage system comprises a third volume which is an actual volume, the storage control method comprising the steps of:
- (A) finding first and second paths for satisfying the following conditions (1) to (4)
- (1) said first storage system is a storage system which is a start point of the first and second paths,
- (2) said second volume is a copy source volume,
- (3) said third volume is a copy destination volume,
- (4) said third storage system having said copy destination volume is a copy destination storage system, and
- wherein said first path connects said first volume to said copy destination volume not via said copy source volume and said second path connects said first volume to said copy destination volume via said copy source volume,
- (B) selecting at least one path from said first and second paths;
- (C) receiving a write request designating said first volume;
- (D) executing an external connection processing for writing said write target data which follows said received write request to said copy source volume which corresponds to said first volume, or a remote copy processing for writing said write target data to be written in said first volume to said copy destination volume or a virtual volume which corresponds to said copy destination volume, such that said write target data is written to said copy source volume and to said copy destination volume via said selected path;
- wherein each storage system stores connection destination information, wherein said connection destination information includes an ID of a connection destination storage system which is a transmission destination of the write target data, and a connection type which indicates which one of the external connection processing and the remote copy processing is used to transmit the write target data to the connection destination storage system, and wherein based on said connection destination information of each storage system, said first and second paths are found in said step (A);
- and
- wherein in said step (A),
- (a1) if said connection type included in said connection destination information in said start point storage system indicates said external connection processing, identifying said second storage system from said connection destination storage system ID corresponding to said connection type indicating said external connection processing, finding said connection type indicating said remote copy processing from said connection destination information in said identified second storage system, checking whether a connection destination storage system ID corresponding to said connection type indicating said remote copy processing is identical with said copy destination storage system ID, and as a result, if they are identical with each other, said second path is recognized,
- (a2) if said connection type included in said connection destination information in said start point storage system indicates said remote copy processing, checking whether said connection destination storage system ID corresponding to said connection type indicating said remote copy processing is identical with said copy destination storage system ID, and as a result, if they are identical with each other, said first path is recognized, and if they are different, identifying said storage system from said connection destination storage system ID corresponded to said connection type indicating said remote copy processing, finding said connection type indicating said external connection processing from said connection destination information in said identified storage system, checking whether said connection destination storage system ID corresponding to the connection type indicating said external connection processing is identical with said copy destination storage system ID, and as a result, if they are identical with each other, said first path is recognized.
12 more elements
A storage system including a first storage system in which three or more storage systems comprise said first storage system, a second storage system and a third storage system, comprising:
- a first controller;
- and
- a first volume which is a virtual logical volume;
- wherein:
- said second storage system comprises a second controller, and a second volume which is an actual volume and corresponds to said first volume, such that when said first controller receives a write request designating said first volume, write target data following the write request is transferred to said second storage system to be written in said second volume, and said third storage system comprises a third controller and a third volume which is an actual volume;
- and
- first and second paths that satisfy the following conditions (1) to (4)
- (1) said first storage system is a storage system which is a start point of the first and second paths,
- (2) said second volume is a copy source volume,
- (3) said third volume is a copy destination volume,
- (4) said third storage system having said copy destination volume is a copy destination storage system,
- and wherein said first path connects said first volume to said copy destination volume not via said copy source volume and said second path connects said first volume to said copy destination volume via said copy source volume;
- wherein said first controller comprises
- a receiving module configured to receive a write request designating said first volume;
- an executing module configured to transmit said write target data and a remote copy request designating said copy destination volume or a virtual volume corresponding to said copy destination volume, when said first path is selected, and
- a transmitting module configured to transmit a request for executing a remote copy from said copy source volume to said copy destination volume, when said first path is switched to said second path;
- wherein an external connection processing is for writing said write target data which follows said write request to said copy source volume which corresponds to said first volume, and wherein a remote copy processing is for writing said write target data to be written in said first volume to said copy destination volume or said virtual volume which corresponds to said copy destination volume, such that said write target data is written to said copy source volume and to said copy destination volume via said selected path;
- wherein each storage system stores connection destination information, wherein said connection destination information includes an ID of a connection destination storage system which is a transmission destination of the write target data, and a connection type which indicates which one of the external connection processing and the remote copy processing is used to transmit the write target data to the connection destination storage system, and wherein based on said connection destination information of each storage system, said first and second paths that satisfy the conditions (1) to (4) are found;
- and
- wherein said first and second paths are found further according to the following
- (a1) if said connection type included in said connection destination information in said start point storage system indicates said external connection processing, identifying said second storage system from said connection destination storage system ID corresponding to said connection type indicating said external connection processing, finding said connection type indicating said remote copy processing from said connection destination information in said identified second storage system, checking whether a connection destination storage system ID corresponding to said connection type indicating said remote copy processing is identical with said copy destination storage system ID, and as a result, if they are identical with each other, said second path is recognized,
- (a2) if said connection type included in said connection destination information in said start point storage system indicates said remote copy processing, checking whether said connection destination storage system ID corresponding to said connection type indicating said remote copy processing is identical with said copy destination storage system ID, and as a result, if they are identical with each other, said first path is recognized, and if
- they are different, identifying said storage system from said connection destination storage system ID corresponded to said connection type indicating said remote copy processing, finding said connection type indicating said external connection processing from said connection destination information in said identified storage system, checking whether said connection destination storage system ID corresponding to the connection type indicating said external connection processing is identical with said copy destination storage system ID, and as a result, if they are identical with each other, said first path is recognized.
20 more elements
A management server for managing three or more storage systems comprising first, second and third storage systems, wherein
- said first storage system comprises a first volume which is a virtual logical volume, said second storage system comprises a second volume which is an actual volume and corresponds to said first volume, such that when said first storage system receives a write request designating said first volume, write target data following the write request is transferred to said second storage system to be written in said second volume, and said third storage system comprises a third volume which is an actual volume,
- said management server comprises:
- a finding module configured to find first and second paths that satisfy the following conditions (1) to (4)
- (1) said first storage system is a storage system which is a start point of the first and second paths,
- (2) said second volume is a copy source volume,
- (3) said third volume is a copy destination volume,
- (4) said third storage system having said copy destination volume is a copy destination storage system,
- and wherein said first path connects said first volume to said copy destination volume not via said copy source volume and said second path connects said first volume to said copy destination volume via said copy source volume;
- and
- a selecting module configured to select at least one path from said first and second paths;
- wherein an external connection processing is for writing said write target data which follows said write request to said copy source volume which corresponds to said first volume, and wherein a remote copy processing is for writing said write target data to be written in said first volume to said copy destination volume or a virtual volume which corresponds to said copy destination volume, such that said write target data is written to said copy source volume and to said copy destination volume via said selected path;
- wherein each storage system stores the connection destination information, wherein said connection destination information includes an ID of a connection destination storage system which is a transmission destination of the write target data, and a connection type which indicates which one of external connection processing and remote copy processing is used to transmit the write target data to the connection destination storage system, and wherein said finding module finds said first and second paths based on said connection destination information of each storage system;
- and
- wherein said finding module finds said first and second paths further according to the following
- (a1) if said connection type included in said connection destination information in said start point storage system indicates said external connection processing, identifying said second storage system from said connection destination storage system ID corresponding to said connection type indicating said external connection processing, finding said connection type indicating said remote copy processing from said connection destination information in said identified second storage system, checking whether a connection destination storage system ID corresponding to said connection type indicating said remote copy processing is identical with said copy destination storage system ID, and as a result, if they are identical with each other, said second path is recognized,
- (a2) if said connection type included in said connection destination information in said start point storage system indicates said remote copy processing, checking whether said connection destination storage system ID corresponding to said connection type indicating said remote copy processing is identical with said copy destination storage system ID, and as a result, if they are identical with each other, said first path is recognized, and if they are different, identifying said storage system from said connection destination storage system ID corresponded to said connection type indicating said remote copy processing, finding said connection type indicating said external connection processing from said connection destination information in said identified storage system, checking whether said connection destination storage system ID corresponding to the connection type indicating said external connection processing is identical with said copy destination storage system ID, and as a result, if they are identical with each other, said first path is recognized.
13 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.