Storage system and method of control for storage system

A storage system comprising:

• a plurality of storage devices;
• and
• a storage controller coupled to the plurality of storage devices and a host computer, wherein
• each of the plurality of storage devices includes a plurality of nonvolatile semiconductor memory chips, and a memory controller coupled to the plurality of nonvolatile semiconductor memory chips and the storage controller,
• the storage controller assigns storage areas provided by each of the plurality of storage devices to a plurality of logical storage areas,
• when the storage controller receives a write instruction and write data from the host computer, the storage controller selects a logical storage area from among the plurality of logical storage areas, selects a storage device assigned to the selected logical storage area from among the plurality of storage devices, and transmits the write data to the selected storage device,
• when the memory controller receives the write data from the storage controller, the memory controller converts the write data to compressed data by compressing the write data, writes the compressed data to any of the plurality of nonvolatile semiconductor memory chips, and transmits to the storage controller relationship information containing relationship between a data quantity of the write data and a data quantity of the compressed data,
• the storage controller regards each of the plurality of logical storage areas as a target area, stores a request data quantity indicating the data quantity of write data written to the target area in a specific period, and regards, based on the request data quantity and the relationship information, as an estimated data quantity of the target area a quantity of data written to the plurality of nonvolatile semiconductor memory chips based on write data written to the target area in the specific period,
• the storage controller selects a first logical storage area from among the plurality of logical storage areas, selects from among the plurality of logical storage areas a second logical storage area with an estimated data quantity less than an estimated data quantity of the first logical storage area and assigned to a storage device different from a storage device assigned to the first logical storage area, and migrates first data stored in the first logical storage area to the second logical storage area,
• the memory controller transmits deterioration information indicating deterioration in the plurality of nonvolatile semiconductor memory chips to the storage controller,
• the storage controller predicts, based on deterioration information of the each of the plurality of storage devices, a residual lifetime of the corresponding storage device,
• a residual lifetime of a storage device assigned to the second logical storage area is longer than a residual lifetime of a storage device assigned to the first logical storage area,
• the first logical storage area and the second logical storage area have the same size,
• the storage controller reads the first data stored in the first logical storage area, reads second data stored in the second logical storage area, requests the storage device assigned to the second logical storage area to write the first data read to the second logical storage area, and requests the storage device assigned to the first logical storage area to write the second data read to the first logical storage area,
• the memory controller calculates a compression ratio which is a ratio of the data quantity of compressed data to the data quantity of the write data, and transmits the compression ratio to the storage controller as relationship information on the selected logical storage area, and
• for a specific logical storage area being each of the plurality of logical storage areas, the storage controller calculates an estimated data quantity of the specific logical storage area by multiplying a request data quantity of the specific logical storage area by a value based on a compression ratio of the specific logical storage area.

A method of controlling a storage system including a plurality of storage devices, a storage controller coupled to the plurality of storage devices and a host computer, each of the plurality of storage devices including a plurality of nonvolatile semiconductor memory chips, and a memory controller coupled to the plurality of nonvolatile semiconductor memory chips and the storage controller,

• the method comprising:
• assigning, using the storage controller, storage areas provided by each of the plurality of storage devices to a plurality of logical storage areas,
• when the storage controller receives a write instruction and write data from the host computer, selecting, using the storage controller, a logical storage area from among the plurality of logical storage areas, selecting, using the storage controller, a storage device assigned to the selected logical storage area from among the plurality of storage devices, and transmitting, using the storage controller, the write data to the selected storage device,
• when the memory controller receives the write data from the storage controller, converting, using the memory controller, the write data to compressed data by compressing the write data, writing, using the memory controller, the compressed data to any of the plurality of nonvolatile semiconductor memory chips, and transmitting, using the memory controller, to the storage controller relationship information containing relationship between a data quantity of the write data and a data quantity of the compressed data,
• regarding, using the storage controller, each of the plurality of logical storage areas as a target area, storing, using the storage controller, a request data quantity indicating the data quantity of data written to the target area in a specific period, and regarding, using the storage controller, based on the request data quantity and the relationship information, as an estimated data quantity of the target area a quantity of data written to the plurality of nonvolatile semiconductor memory chips based on write data written to the target area in the specific period, and
• selecting, using the storage controller, a first logical storage area from among the plurality of logical storage areas, selecting, using the storage controller, from among the plurality of logical storage areas a second logical storage area with an estimated data quantity less than an estimated data quantity of the first logical storage area and assigned to a storage device different from the storage device assigned to the first logical storage area, and migrating, using the storage controller, first data stored in the first logical storage area to the second logical storage area,
• transmitting, using the memory controller, deterioration information indicating deterioration in the plurality of nonvolatile semiconductor memory chips to the storage controller,
• predicting, by the storage controller, based on deterioration information of the each of the plurality of storage devices, a residual lifetime of the corresponding storage device,
• using the storage controller, reading the first data stored in the first logical storage area, reading second data stored in the second logical storage area, requesting the storage device assigned to the second logical storage area to write the first data read to the second logical storage area, and requesting the storage device assigned to the first logical storage area to write the second data read to the first logical storage area,
• using the memory controller, calculating a compression ratio which is a ratio of the data quantity of compressed data to the data quantity of the write data, and transmitting the compression ratio to the storage controller as relationship information on the selected logical storage area, and
• for a specific logical storage area being each of the plurality of logical storage areas, calculating, using the storage controller, an estimated data quantity of the specific logical storage area by multiplying a request data quantity of the specific logical storage area by a value based on a compression ratio of the specific logical storage area,
• wherein a residual lifetime of a storage device assigned to the second logical storage area is longer than a residual lifetime of a storage device assigned to the first logical storage area, and
• wherein the first logical storage area and the second logical storage area have the same size.