US 8,621,119 B2Granted

Storage system

AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.

InventorsKazuyoshi Serizawa, Yasutomo Yamamoto, Norio Shimozono, Akira Deguchi, Hisaharu Takeuchi, Takao Sato, Hisao Homma

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Abstract

A host I/F unit has a management table for managing an MPPK which is in-charge of the control of input/output processing for a storage area of an LDEV, and if a host computer transmits an input/output request for the LDEV, the host I/F unit transfers the input/output request to the MPPK which is in-charge of the input/output processing for the LDEV based on the management table, an MP of the MPPK performs the input/output processing based on the input/output request, and the MP of the MPPK also judges whether the MPPK that is in-charge of the input/output processing for the LDEV is to be changed, and sets the management table so that an MPPK which is different from the MPPK that is in-charge is to be in-charge of the input/output processing for the LDEV.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A storage system coupled to a host computer and a management computer, comprising:

a plurality of storage devices that are provided as a plurality of logical storage devices to the host computer;
an interface unit that is coupled to the management computer;
a shared memory that stores control information for the plurality of logical storage devices, said control information including ownership information for the logical storage devices;
a plurality of micro-processor packages, each of the plurality of micro-processor packages being associated with at least one micro-processor;
wherein the interface unit comprises management information for managing the plurality of micro-processor packages that are in-charge of controlling input/output processing for the storage area of the logical storage devices, and
a request transfer unit that transfers an input/output request to the micro-processor package that is in-charge of the input/output processing for the logical storage device based on the management information when the input/output request for the logical storage device is received from the host computer,
wherein each of the plurality of micro-processor packages:
(1) receives a request for changing ownership from a first micro-processor package, which is in charge of the logical storage device whose load is higher than other logical storage devices, to a second micro-processor package whose load is lower than other micro-processor packages,
(2) sets the management information and the control information such that the second micro-processor package is in charge of a logical storage device which the first micro-processor package was in charge of, and
(3) outputs a result of the changed ownership to the management computer.

7 more elements

A method of administering a storage system, which is coupled to a host computer and a management computer, comprising (1) a plurality of storage devices provided as a plurality of logical storage devices to the host computer, (2) an interface unit that is coupled to the management computer, (3) a shared memory that stores control information for the plurality of logical storage devices, said control information including ownership information for the logical storage devices, (4) a plurality of micro-processor packages, each of the plurality of micro-processor packages being associated with at least one micro-processor, and (5) a request transfer unit that transfers an input/output request to the micro-processor package that is in-charge of input/output processing for the logical storage device based on the management information when the input/output request for the logical storage device is received from the host computer, wherein the interface unit comprises management information for managing the plurality of micro-processor packages that are in-charge of controlling input/output processing for the storage area of the logical storage devices, the method comprising, among the plurality of micro-processor packages:

(a) receiving a request for changing ownership from a first micro-processor package, which is in charge of the logical storage device whose load is higher than other logical storage devices, to a second micro-processor package whose load is lower than other micro-processor packages,
(b) setting the management information and the control information such that the second micro-processor package is in charge of a logical storage device which the first micro-processor package was in charge of, and
(c) outputting a result of the changed ownership to the management computer.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/740,482Filed 14 Jan 2013 · continuation
Priority: JP 2007-11344923 Apr 2007
Published: US 2013/0132617 A123 May 2013
Granted: 31 Dec 2013
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification10 codes

G06F 3/0655
Making use of a particular technique: vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more…
G06F 3/0604
Specifically adapted to achieve a particular effect: improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
G06F 3/0605
Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management: by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
G06F 3/0611
Improving I/O performance: in relation to response time

Family

Application12/018,818Parent of this continuation · filed 24 Jan 2008
Application13/028,164Parent of this continuation · filed 15 Feb 2011
US 7,912,996 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Mar 2011
Application13/406,377Parent of this continuation · filed 27 Feb 2012
US 8,151,013 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 3 Apr 2012
US 8,380,893 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 19 Feb 2013
US 2013/0132617 A1Pre-grant publication · published 23 May 2013
US 2008/0263190 A1Published application
US 2011/0138085 A1Published application
US 2012/0159012 A1Published application
US 8,621,119 B2This patent

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