Abstract: In the HSM function, when supporting the file system snapshot function, a differential data volume is required for both a high-speed volume and a low-speed volume. Accordingly, when supporting the snapshot function by using a file system provided by the HSM function, a large amount of differential data volume is required. When the manager gives an instruction to acquire a snapshot, a snapshot management program executes snapshot acquisition processing to acquire a snapshot. In this processing, a snapshot reference relation building processing part copies a file storage location management table, and relates the file storage location management table to the acquired snapshot. Then, the snapshot reference relation building processing part checks a file that is migrated to a file system which does not have a differential data volume. Finally, the snapshot reference relation building processing part creates a link of the migrated file to the snapshot which is acquired previous time.

Abstract: In order to provide HSM that can effectively use the storage capacity of an upper Tier in an HSM system, a lower Tier of the HSM system detects a group of files having the same data content from a plurality of files stored in the lower Tier, and keeps at least one of the real data of the group of files having the same data content while deleting the rest of the data. The upper Tier receives the process result from the lower Tier. Then, in response to a read request from the host computer that specifies a file included in the group of files and transferred to the upper Tier from the lower Tier, the upper Tier identifies the at least one of the data that is kept and corresponding to the specified file, and responds to the host computer.

Abstract: Provided is a method of managing differential snapshots in a storage system, the storage system having a disk drive and a disk controller, the differential snapshot management method including the steps of: providing a storage area of the disk drive as a plurality of logical volumes including an operational volume and a differential volume; storing a time of update for each block in the operational volume; and judging, upon reception of a request to write in a block included in the operational volume, whether to copy data of the block in which requested data is to be written in accordance with the received write request to the differential volume, based on the time of update of the block in which requested data is to be written and a time of creation of the differential snapshot. Accordingly, it is possible to manage the differential snapshot without using a bitmap.

Abstract: An interface for controlling an inhibition of a recall is prepared for an application, and a judgment of necessity of a recall is informed of to a hierarchical storage before the application executes an access to a file.

Abstract: The present invention provides a file operation notifying program for detecting a file operation of an application in a virtual file server on a server machine, and notifying the file operation to an application on another virtual file server inside the server machine, and to an application external to the server machine based on a notification management table.

Abstract: The system of the present invention curbs an unnecessary inter-tier file migration and provides an inter-tier file migration that conforms to the utilization state. The hierarchical storage management system respectively migrates a frequently accessed file to the upper Tier, and an infrequently accessed file to the lower Tier. This system carries out inter-tier file migration in conformance with the utilization state. This system provides functions for anchoring a Tier for storage for a specified file, and for not permitting an inter-tier file migration.

Abstract: When performing migration of data from a migration source file server which is not endowed with any HSM interface, to a migration destination file server which is endowed with HSM, a volume of high capacity is needed for the migration destination file server, and moreover the performance deteriorates directly after the migration. However, with this system, the manager is enabled to set a migration policy using attribute information which can be acquired through a standard file access interface possessed by a file server program, and, when setting the attribute information of the migration destination file, the tier of the file which is to be created is determined, and the migration destination file is created, on the basis of this attribute information and migration policy.

Abstract: In the HSM function, when supporting the file system snapshot function, a differential data volume is required for both a high-speed volume and a low-speed volume. Accordingly, when supporting the snapshot function by using a file system provided by the HSM function, a large amount of differential data volume is required. When the manager gives an instruction to acquire a snapshot, a snapshot management program executes snapshot acquisition processing to acquire a snapshot. In this processing, a snapshot reference relation building processing part copies a file storage location management table, and relates the file storage location management table to the acquired snapshot. Then, the snapshot reference relation building processing part checks a file that is migrated to a file system which does not have a differential data volume. Finally, the snapshot reference relation building processing part creates a link of the migrated file to the snapshot which is acquired previous time.

Abstract: A storage system for optimizing volume capacity among file management computers of sharing a storage apparatus is provided. A capacity management computer acquires statistical information such as access history information from the file management computers and the storage apparatus. The capacity management computer executes a capacity optimizing process for the storage apparatus in association with a specified date. The capacity management computer calculates optimized capacity for the respective file systems based on the statistical information by redistributing available capacity of volumes according to a predetermined standard such as a capacity consuming speed. Further, the capacity management computer instructs the file management computers and the storage apparatus to optimize a size of the file systems and the capacity of the volumes, respectively.

Abstract: When a management screen for conducting management operation of a file system in the NAS apparatus 10 of a file server is displayed by the administrator on a display device of the management console 30 by using the management console 30, if a disk device obtained from the storage apparatus 20 is in a power saving state, the NAS apparatus 10 has a function to change the operations hereafter. Specifically, a screen is displayed on the management screen, in which a creation or deletion of the file system becomes impossible with respect to the disk device in the power saving state. Therefore, the administrator can conduct management operations for services without referring to the power status, thereby resulting in easy management operation.

Abstract: In acquiring a snapshot, when data in a P-VOL is updated, it is determined whether the same data as target data to be stored in a certain second storage area specified by a certain second address of a D-VOL is already stored in a different second storage area specified by a different second address of the D-VOL, the target data being the differential data generated by the update. When the same data as the target data is stored, the target data is not newly stored in the D-VOL, and the different second address, specifying the different second storage area where the same data is stored, is registered in a snapshot management table (CoW table), in association with a certain first address specifying a certain first storage area where the data from which the target data has been generated is stored.

Abstract: The storage system includes a disk drive and a processor, the processor serving as a file system input/output processing unit and a block input/output processing unit. In the storage system, the block input/output processing unit provides, to the file system input/output processing unit, storage areas of the disk drive as plural volumes including a first volume, a second volume, and a third volume, the second volume storing a block write history, the third volume storing replication data of the first volume at a specific time. The block input/output processing unit refers to the block write history in the second volume to overwrite the replication data in the third volume with replication data of the first volume being at a different time from the specific time. The block write history in the second volume further includes information about which block is associated with which file.

Abstract: In a NAS apparatus, a processor reads in, from a data volume, metadata of all files included in a file system at a base point-in-time of a snapshot of the data volume, and writes all the read-in metadata to an area of a difference data storage volume (difference volume), and in a storage apparatus, a difference data save processing unit, upon receiving a block write request from the latest base point-in-time to the subsequent base point-in-time, chronologically writes data stored in a block specified by the block write request to an area subsequent to the difference data storage volume area.

Abstract: A proposal is made of a file management system and method capable of reliably deleting unnecessary data. In a file management console and method for reading or writing data of a file from or in a first volume, which is provided by a storage device, in response to a request sent from a host computer, one snapshot or multiple snapshots that relate to the first volume and can be updated are created. In response to an externally issued designated file deletion command, a designated file is deleted from all of the first volume and snapshots or part thereof specified in the deletion command. At this time, the data items of the designated file in the first volume and/or snapshots from which the designated file should be deleted are overwritten with invalid data. Moreover, pieces of management information on the designated file are changed to a reference-disabled state.

Abstract: Difference information between two snapshots from a first point-in-time snapshot, which has been copied, to an Nth point-in-time snapshot, which constitutes the latest point-in-time snapshot, is acquired to a memory module. The memory module stores two or more pieces of difference information. The two or more pieces of difference information comprise difference information that shows the difference between a first point-in-time snapshot and any snapshot other than the first point-in-time snapshot of N snapshots. Copy difference information, which is information that shows the difference between the first point-in-time snapshot and a specified snapshot from among N snapshots, and which is used in copying the specified snapshot, is created on the basis of the two or more pieces of difference information.

Abstract: To improve snapshot performance and copying performance on a block device level in a capacity of an allocation-on-use volume. Provided is a storage system coupled to a network includes one or more volumes constituted of a plurality of blocks. The plurality of blocks include a first block and a second block, and a physical storage area is allocated to at least one of the plurality of blocks. When it is judged that the physical storage area has not been allocated to the target first block of a received writing request, the storage system writes data to be written by the writing request in the first block without copying data stored in the first block to the second block.

Abstract: The server system includes a server apparatus transmitting and receiving file data based on an access request transmitted from a client apparatus; and a management apparatus managing the server apparatus, wherein the server apparatus includes a plurality of virtual server parts controlling transmission and reception of the data independently for each of the predetermined client apparatuses; a data flow configuration part configuring a data flow for each of the file data transmitted to and received by the virtual server parts based on a command from the management apparatus; and a load control part controlling a data flow for each of the file data to control load of the virtual server parts based on the data flow for each of the file data configured by the data flow configuration part.

Abstract: A time and an amount of data for setting information which is necessary to execute an exclusion process which is necessary when data is stored in a cluster system are reduced. A storage system included in the cluster system includes a plurality of volumes, and a plurality of virtual servers utilizing at least one or more volumes of the plurality of volumes for a data processing, each of the plurality of virtual servers can access all the plurality of volumes, and the volume utilized by the plurality of virtual servers to process data corresponds to the virtual servers.

Abstract: Provided is a technique which solves a problem of a long-time reduction in a service level after service restoration and a problem of a failure caused by a disk capacity shortage during primary volume restoration. According to the technique, reference is made to a differential block management unit (217) setting which of a differential volume (142) and a primary volume (141) a data block of a restoring source snapshot volume (VVOL No. 3) is to determine which of the primary volume (141) and the differential volume (142) a volume storing read data is. When a restoring target data block is in a differential volume (142), data of the differential volume (142) is restored in the primary volume (141). Upon accessing to the primary volume (141) while restoring, switching is made to a virtual primary volume after restoration where data of the primary and differential volumes are combined based on the snapshot volume (VVOL No. 3) to execute accessing.

Abstract: Provided is a method of managing differential snapshots in a storage system, the storage system having a disk drive and a disk controller, the differential snapshot management method including the steps of: providing a storage area of the disk drive as a plurality of logical volumes including an operational volume and a differential volume; storing a time of update for each block in the operational volume; and judging, upon reception of a request to write in a block included in the operational volume, whether to copy data of the block in which requested data is to be written in accordance with the received write request to the differential volume, based on the time of update of the block in which requested data is to be written and a time of creation of the differential snapshot. Accordingly, it is possible to manage the differential snapshot without using a bitmap.