Data transfer method and information processing apparatus

An information processing system comprising:

• a host computer which is stored with at least one business program each repeatedly executing a business processing and attaches an identifier indicative of an end of the business processing to a data storage request, to issue the data storage request with the respective identifier;
• a second storage apparatus having a storage area;
• and
• a first storage apparatus connected to said host computer and said second storage apparatus via a network, which stores data into a first storage area upon receipt of the data storage request from said host computer, transmits said data to said second storage apparatus in asynchronism with said data storage operation and backs up said data to said second storage apparatus;
• wherein:
• said host computer is configured to transmit said data storage request in response to receiving disaster prediction information;
• said first storage apparatus calculates a respective data amount of data which is to be backed up to said second storage apparatus within a predetermined time interval but has not yet been sent thereto for every said identifier based upon the respective data storage request issued from said host computer, and transmits both said identifier and respective data amount as calculated to said host computer;
• and also transmits data grouped by at least one identifier selected by the host computer to said second storage apparatus prior to a disaster occurrence prediction time, and back ups said grouped data into said second storage apparatus, the respective data amounts corresponding to the identifiers are different in accordance with different business processing.

A data transfer method operable in a system including a host computer stored with at least one business program each repeatedly executing a business processing, a first storage apparatus connected to said host computer and a second storage apparatus via a network, in which said first storage apparatus which receives a data storage request from said host computer, transmits said data to said second storage apparatus in asynchronism with storing operation of the data into a first storage area owned by said first storage apparatus and backs up said data to said second storage apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

• attaching, at said host computer, an identifier indicative of an end of the business processing to a data storage request;
• transmitting the data storage request with the respective identifier to said first storage apparatus in response to said host computer receiving disaster prediction information;
• calculating, at said first storage apparatus, a respective data amount of data which is to be moved to said second storage apparatus within a predetermined time interval but has not yet been sent thereto for every said identifier based upon the respective data storage request issued from said host computer, the respective data amounts corresponding to the identifiers are different in accordance with different business processing;
• transmitting both said identifier and said respective data amount as calculated to said host computer;
• selecting, at said host computer, at least one specific identifier from the identifiers received from said first storage apparatus, based upon said respective data amount received from said first storage apparatus;
• still further transmitting the selected identifier to said first storage apparatus;
• and
• transmitting, at said first storage apparatus, data grouped by said selected identifier to said second storage apparatus with a top priority and prior to a disaster occurrence prediction time, and backing up said grouped data into said second storage apparatus.