Patents by Inventor Hirotoshi Akaike

Hirotoshi Akaike has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11347672
    Abstract: A storage apparatus in which a controller reads out a port status of a switch in a short period of time is disclosed. The storage apparatus includes a switch and a plurality of storage controllers configured to communicate with each other through the switch. The switch includes a switch processor, a plurality of data ports, a switch integrated circuit, a memory, and a management interface. One of the plurality of data ports and a management port of the management interface are connected to each other. The switch processor stores a status of the plurality of data ports acquired from the switch integrated circuit into the memory. The plurality of storage controllers access the management interface through the plurality of data ports and the management port and receive the statuses of the plurality of data ports stored in the memory from the management interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Katsuya Tanaka, Hirotoshi Akaike
  • Patent number: 11327653
    Abstract: A storage system for continuing I/O without affecting drive box addition to a host computer includes: a plurality of drive boxes for connecting to a computer device that transmits commands for data reads or writes; and a storage controller connected to the drive boxes. A first drive box provides a first storage region to the computer device. The storage controller manages correspondence between the first storage region and a physical storage region of the drives constituting the first storage region. The first drive box receives a command for the first storage region from the computer device and transfers the command to the storage controller. The storage controller generates a data transfer command including a data storage destination based on the address management table, and transfers the command to the first drive box. The first drive box then transfers the data transfer command to the second drive box.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuhiro Yokoi, Hirotoshi Akaike, Ryosuke Tatsumi, Koji Hosogi, Akira Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 11301159
    Abstract: A storage system includes at least one drive chassis connected to at least one host computer via a first network, and a storage controller connected to the drive chassis, in which the storage controller instructs the drive chassis to create a logical volume, and the drive chassis creates a logical volume according to an instruction from the storage controller, provides a storage area of the storage system to the host computer, and receives an IO command from the host computer to the storage area of the storage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Koji Hosogi, Norio Shimozono, Sadahiro Sugimoto, Nobuhiro Yokoi, Ryosuke Tatsumi
  • Publication number: 20210365397
    Abstract: A storage apparatus in which a controller reads out a port status of a switch in a short period of time is disclosed. The storage apparatus includes a switch and a plurality of storage controllers configured to communicate with each other through the switch. The switch includes a switch processor, a plurality of data ports, a switch integrated circuit, a memory, and a management interface. One of the plurality of data ports and a management port of the management interface are connected to each other. The switch processor stores a status of the plurality of data ports acquired from the switch integrated circuit into the memory. The plurality of storage controllers access the management interface through the plurality of data ports and the management port and receive the statuses of the plurality of data ports stored in the memory from the management interface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2020
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Inventors: Katsuya TANAKA, Hirotoshi AKAIKE
  • Publication number: 20210042032
    Abstract: A storage system for continuing I/O without affecting drive box addition to a host computer includes: a plurality of drive boxes for connecting to a computer device that transmits commands for data reads or writes; and a storage controller connected to the drive boxes. A first drive box provides a first storage region to the computer device. The storage controller manages correspondence between the first storage region and a physical storage region of the drives constituting the first storage region. The first drive box receives a command for the first storage region from the computer device and transfers the command to the storage controller. The storage controller generates a data transfer command including a data storage destination based on the address management table, and transfers the command to the first drive box. The first drive box then transfers the data transfer command to the second drive box.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2020
    Publication date: February 11, 2021
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Nobuhiro YOKOI, Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Ryosuke TATSUMI, Koji HOSOGI, Akira YAMAMOTO
  • Publication number: 20200379668
    Abstract: A storage system includes at least one drive chassis connected to at least one host computer via a first network, and a storage controller connected to the drive chassis, in which the storage controller instructs the drive chassis to create a logical volume, and the drive chassis creates a logical volume according to an instruction from the storage controller, provides a storage area of the storage system to the host computer, and receives an IO command from the host computer to the storage area of the storage system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 18, 2020
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Koji HOSOGI, Norio SHIMOZONO, Sadahiro SUGIMOTO, Nobuhiro YOKOI
  • Patent number: 10795608
    Abstract: A memory stores: a communication driver that is a software program which runs in an operating system and communicates with a host; and a storage service program that is a software program which runs on the operating system and controls retention of data by a storage apparatus as a storage. The processor is capable of configuring a plurality of queue pairs which transmit information in inter-process communication between the communication driver and the storage service program, and the processor further configures command distribution information which associates a queue pair and a logical volume with each other, specifies a queue pair corresponding to a logical volume that is an access destination of a command requested by the host, and enqueues a command request of the command to the specified queue pair.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Kentaro Shimada, Kazushi Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20200301599
    Abstract: A storage system includes at least one drive chassis connected to at least one host computer via a first network, and a storage controller connected to the drive chassis, in which the storage controller instructs the drive chassis to create a logical volume, and the drive chassis creates a logical volume according to an instruction from the storage controller, provides a storage area of the storage system to the host computer, and receives an IO command from the host computer to the storage area of the storage system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Publication date: September 24, 2020
    Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Koji HOSOGI, Norio SHIMOZONO, Sadahiro SUGIMOTO, Nobuhiro YOKOI
  • Patent number: 10761764
    Abstract: A storage system includes at least one drive chassis connected to at least one host computer via a first network, and a storage controller connected to the drive chassis, in which the storage controller instructs the drive chassis to create a logical volume, and the drive chassis creates a logical volume according to an instruction from the storage controller, provides a storage area of the storage system to the host computer, and receives an IO command from the host computer to the storage area of the storage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Koji Hosogi, Norio Shimozono, Sadahiro Sugimoto, Nobuhiro Yokoi
  • Patent number: 10620868
    Abstract: A storage system includes at least one drive chassis connected to at least one host computer via a first network, and a storage controller connected to the drive chassis, in which the storage controller instructs the drive chassis to create a logical volume, and the drive chassis creates a logical volume according to an instruction from the storage controller, provides a storage area of the storage system to the host computer, and receives an IO command from the host computer to the storage area of the storage system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Koji Hosogi, Norio Shimozono, Sadahiro Sugimoto, Nobuhiro Yokoi
  • Patent number: 10452557
    Abstract: The processor provides a host computer with a logical volume based on a physical storage device. Based on a command from the host computer, the control device writes, into a memory, address information that associates a logical address in the logical volume with a device address in the physical storage device. The control device receives a command from the host computer and if it is determined that the command is a read command, identifies a first logical address designated by the command and determines whether or not the first logical address is included in the address information. If the first address is included in the address information, the control device specifies a first device address corresponding to the first logical address, reads read data stored in an area indicated by the first device address, and transmits the read data to the host computer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Norio Shimozono, Kazushi Nakagawa
  • Publication number: 20190213147
    Abstract: A storage system, which is configured to separately create a device file corresponding to each device in the system and to access based on a bus number of a bus of a corresponding device connection destination stored in the device file, the device corresponding to the device file, is configured to create a latest bus tree information indicating a connection relationship between each bus and each device in the system, to separately detect, based on the latest created bus tree information, a bus number of a bus of each device connection destination, and to change the bus number of the bus of the corresponding device connection destination respectively described in each device file or to re-create each device file, based on a detection result.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2017
    Publication date: July 11, 2019
    Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Masakuni AGETSUMA
  • Publication number: 20180285021
    Abstract: A memory stores: a communication driver that is a software program which runs in an operating system and communicates with a host; and a storage service program that is a software program which runs on the operating system and controls retention of data by a storage apparatus as a storage. The processor is capable of configuring a plurality of queue pairs which transmit information in inter-process communication between the communication driver and the storage service program, and the processor further configures command distribution information which associates a queue pair and a logical volume with each other, specifies a queue pair corresponding to a logical volume that is an access destination of a command requested by the host, and enqueues a command request of the command to the specified queue pair.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Publication date: October 4, 2018
    Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Kentaro SHIMADA, Kazushi NAKAGAWA
  • Publication number: 20180018272
    Abstract: The processor provides a host computer with a logical volume based on a physical storage device. Based on a command from the host computer, the control device writes, into a memory, address information that associates a logical address in the logical volume with a device address in the physical storage device. The control device receives a command from the host computer and if it is determined that the command is a read command, identifies a first logical address designated by the command and determines whether or not the first logical address is included in the address information. If the first address is included in the address information, the control device specifies a first device address corresponding to the first logical address, reads read data stored in an area indicated by the first device address, and transmits the read data to the host computer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2015
    Publication date: January 18, 2018
    Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Norio SHIMOZONO, Kazushi NAKAGAWA
  • Patent number: 9575919
    Abstract: In a storage device applying PCIe to a back-end network connection, in order to be capable of allocating bus numbers and making a PCIe switch expanded afterwards usable, it is necessary to once reset all PCIe switches. To dissolve this necessity, PCIe switches of the back-end network of the storage device are connected in series, a range of continuous bus numbers that are managed and stored in bus number management table is allocated for the back-end network connection, and when expanding the PCIe switch, the bus numbers are allocated in ascending order from a minimum value of the allocatable bus numbers to each of a link between the PCIe switches and to a virtual PCI bus within the PCIe switch, and the bus numbers are allocated in descending order from a maximum value of the allocatable bus numbers to the link between the PCIe switch and a drive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2017
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Katsuya Tanaka, Makio Mizuno
  • Publication number: 20160117281
    Abstract: In a storage device applying PCIe to a back-end network connection, in order to be capable of allocating bus numbers and making a PCIe switch expanded afterwards usable, it is necessary to once reset all PCIe switches. To dissolve this necessity, PCIe switches of the back-end network of the storage device are connected in series, a range of continuous bus numbers that are managed and stored in bus number management table is allocated for the back-end network connection, and when expanding the PCIe switch, the bus numbers are allocated in ascending order from a minimum value of the allocatable bus numbers to each of a link between the PCIe switches and to a virtual PCI bus within the PCIe switch, and the bus numbers are allocated in descending order from a maximum value of the allocatable bus numbers to the link between the PCIe switch and a drive.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Publication date: April 28, 2016
    Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Katsuya TANAKA, Makio MIZUNO
  • Patent number: 9253257
    Abstract: The present invention provides a storage subsystem capable of realizing a backend network enabling SSDs arranged in a small number of rows to be shared among controllers, and capable of having a large number of HDDs loaded thereto, according to which the performance of the storage is enhanced. In a topology of the backend network, the respective controllers 102 and 152 and the enclosure expanders are respectively connected via top expanders 110 and 160, the top expanders 110 and 160 are connected via a central expander 140, expanders 119, 120 and 121 for connecting SSDs to the top expander 110 are mutually connected in parallel, expanders 169, 170 and 171 for connecting SSDs to the top expander 160 are mutually connected in parallel, expanders 122, 123 and 124 for connecting HDDs to the top expander 110 are connected in series, and expanders 172, 173 and 174 for connecting HDDs to the top expander 160 are connected in series.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2016
    Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Katsuya Tanaka, Makio Mizuno, Akira Yamamoto
  • Publication number: 20150350322
    Abstract: The present invention provides a storage subsystem capable of realizing a backend network enabling SSDs arranged in a small number of rows to be shared among controllers, and capable of having a large number of HDDs loaded thereto, according to which the performance of the storage is enhanced. In a topology of the backend network, the respective controllers 102 and 152 and the enclosure expanders are respectively connected via top expanders 110 and 160, the top expanders 110 and 160 are connected via a central expander 140, expanders 119, 120 and 121 for connecting SSDs to the top expander 110 are mutually connected in parallel, expanders 169, 170 and 171 for connecting SSDs to the top expander 160 are mutually connected in parallel, expanders 122, 123 and 124 for connecting HDDs to the top expander 110 are connected in series, and expanders 172, 173 and 174 for connecting HDDs to the top expander 160 are connected in series.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Publication date: December 3, 2015
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Katsuya TANAKA, Makio MIZUNO, Akira YAMAMOTO
  • Patent number: 9015111
    Abstract: Data transfer between storage apparatuses is reduced, and performance of data access of a storage system is improved. In a case where a processor of a first storage apparatus receives a write request from a host computer as a request for data access to a virtual volume and a cache memory of any of the storage apparatuses is not allocated to a virtual storage area in the virtual volume designated by the data access request, the processor of the first storage apparatus selects a second storage apparatus and a third storage apparatus among candidates satisfying a predetermined state condition among the storage apparatuses based on connection information indicating connection between the storage apparatuses through a communication line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2015
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Kazuhisa Fujimoto, Kohei Tatara, Katsuya Tanaka, Makio Mizuno
  • Publication number: 20150052176
    Abstract: Data transfer between storage apparatuses is reduced, and performance of data access of a storage system is improved. In a case where a processor of a first storage apparatus receives a write request from a host computer as a request for data access to a virtual volume and a cache memory of any of the storage apparatuses is not allocated to a virtual storage area in the virtual volume designated by the data access request, the processor of the first storage apparatus selects a second storage apparatus and a third storage apparatus among candidates satisfying a predetermined state condition among the storage apparatuses based on connection information indicating connection between the storage apparatuses through a communication line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2013
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Kazuhisa Fujimoto, Kohei Tatara, Katsuya Tanaka, Makio Mizuno