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).
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Patent number: 11347672Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 2, 2020Date of Patent: May 31, 2022Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.Inventors: Katsuya Tanaka, Hirotoshi Akaike
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Patent number: 11327653Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 5, 2020Date of Patent: May 10, 2022Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.Inventors: Nobuhiro Yokoi, Hirotoshi Akaike, Ryosuke Tatsumi, Koji Hosogi, Akira Yamamoto
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Patent number: 11301159Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 18, 2020Date of Patent: April 12, 2022Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Koji Hosogi, Norio Shimozono, Sadahiro Sugimoto, Nobuhiro Yokoi, Ryosuke Tatsumi
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Publication number: 20210365397Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: September 2, 2020Publication date: November 25, 2021Inventors: Katsuya TANAKA, Hirotoshi AKAIKE
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Publication number: 20210042032Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: March 5, 2020Publication date: February 11, 2021Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Nobuhiro YOKOI, Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Ryosuke TATSUMI, Koji HOSOGI, Akira YAMAMOTO
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Publication number: 20200379668Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 18, 2020Publication date: December 3, 2020Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Koji HOSOGI, Norio SHIMOZONO, Sadahiro SUGIMOTO, Nobuhiro YOKOI
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Patent number: 10795608Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 19, 2016Date of Patent: October 6, 2020Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Kentaro Shimada, Kazushi Nakagawa
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Publication number: 20200301599Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: February 18, 2020Publication date: September 24, 2020Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Koji HOSOGI, Norio SHIMOZONO, Sadahiro SUGIMOTO, Nobuhiro YOKOI
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Patent number: 10761764Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: February 18, 2020Date of Patent: September 1, 2020Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Koji Hosogi, Norio Shimozono, Sadahiro Sugimoto, Nobuhiro Yokoi
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Patent number: 10620868Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 17, 2019Date of Patent: April 14, 2020Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Koji Hosogi, Norio Shimozono, Sadahiro Sugimoto, Nobuhiro Yokoi
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Patent number: 10452557Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: January 28, 2015Date of Patent: October 22, 2019Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Norio Shimozono, Kazushi Nakagawa
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Publication number: 20190213147Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: May 22, 2017Publication date: July 11, 2019Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Masakuni AGETSUMA
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Publication number: 20180285021Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: February 19, 2016Publication date: October 4, 2018Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Kentaro SHIMADA, Kazushi NAKAGAWA
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Publication number: 20180018272Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: January 28, 2015Publication date: January 18, 2018Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Norio SHIMOZONO, Kazushi NAKAGAWA
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Patent number: 9575919Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 25, 2013Date of Patent: February 21, 2017Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Katsuya Tanaka, Makio Mizuno
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Publication number: 20160117281Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: September 25, 2013Publication date: April 28, 2016Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Katsuya TANAKA, Makio MIZUNO
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Patent number: 9253257Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: March 11, 2014Date of Patent: February 2, 2016Assignee: HITACHI, LTD.Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Katsuya Tanaka, Makio Mizuno, Akira Yamamoto
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Publication number: 20150350322Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: March 11, 2014Publication date: December 3, 2015Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.Inventors: Hirotoshi AKAIKE, Katsuya TANAKA, Makio MIZUNO, Akira YAMAMOTO
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Patent number: 9015111Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: April 5, 2013Date of Patent: April 21, 2015Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Kazuhisa Fujimoto, Kohei Tatara, Katsuya Tanaka, Makio Mizuno
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Publication number: 20150052176Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: April 5, 2013Publication date: February 19, 2015Inventors: Hirotoshi Akaike, Kazuhisa Fujimoto, Kohei Tatara, Katsuya Tanaka, Makio Mizuno