Abstract: A data allocation control program manages data allocation when data is distributively stored in a plurality of disk nodes that are shifted to a power saving mode unless access is performed for a certain time. The program produces a plurality of allocation pattern candidates each indicating the disk nodes in which the respective data are to be stored. The program calculates a no-access period expectation that represents an expected value of occurrence of a no-access period during which access is not performed to some of the disk nodes. The program selects as an allocation pattern for data reallocation, one of the plurality of produced allocation pattern candidates with the largest calculated no-access period expectation. The program instructs the disk nodes to reallocate the respective data in accordance with the selected allocation pattern.

Abstract: A simultaneous failure occurrence degree calculation section calculates a simultaneous failure occurrence degree a value of which becomes smaller with an increase in a difference between numeric values indicative of manufacture date information on a computer which performs a process on the basis of a duplication combination management program. A combination pattern generation section then combines two of a plurality of storage apparatus and generates a plurality of combination patterns. A simultaneous failure occurrence degree adding section then calculates a total of simultaneous failure occurrence degrees corresponding to combinations of storage apparatus for each of the plurality of combination patterns. A duplication combination pattern determination section then determines that a combination pattern for which the total of simultaneous failure occurrence degrees is the smallest is a duplication combination pattern.

Abstract: A storage-management apparatus and method that manages storage areas. The storage-management apparatus includes a collecting unit that collects valid-area-determination information items, each of which shows whether a corresponding one of the storage areas is a valid or invalid area, and timestamp information items, each of which shows that a corresponding one of the storage areas has been accessed. In accordance with the valid-area-determination information items and the timestamp information items, data from a storage area which is selected from among valid areas and whose timestamp information item is oldest is copied to a storage area which is selected from among invalid areas and whose timestamp information item is oldest, and timestamp information items and valid-area-determination information items concerning the storage area from which the data is copied and concerning the storage area to which the data is copied is updated.

Abstract: A computer in a disk node executes a data management program. A deduplication-eligible data unit detection module detects a data unit whose deduplication grace period after last write time has expired. A deduplication address fetch module interacts with an index server to obtain a deduplication address associated with a unique value of data stored in a constituent storage space allocated to the data unit that is found to be deduplication-eligible. A constituent storage space deallocation module stores the obtained deduplication address in a data unit record memory, together with information indicating the detected data unit. Simultaneously a constituent storage space deallocation module releases the allocated constituent storage space from the detected data unit.

Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium stores therein a charge calculating program that causes a computer that manages a database of different data items to execute recording for each data item, information indicating the number of clients that receive the data item; extracting from the information recorded at the recording and for each data item to be received by a given client, information indicating the number of clients receiving the data item; calculating charges for the given client, based on the extracted information; and outputting the calculated charges.

Abstract: A storage control apparatus monitors whether or not one or more storage management apparatuses are properly operating. A recovery target extraction unit extracts a recovery target storage area when the existence of a malfunctioning storage management apparatus is detected, the recovery target storage area being a storage area that has been duplexed with a storage area of the malfunctioning storage management apparatus. A duplexing control unit performs control so that, if the recovery target storage area has no data stored therein, the recovery target storage area is duplexed with a storage area that has no data stored therein and that is unused. If the recovery target storage area has data stored therein, the recovery target storage area is duplexed with a non-duplexed storage area and the data stored in the recovery target storage area is copied into the non-duplexed storage area.

Abstract: A virtual storage system control apparatus, a virtual storage system control program and a virtual storage system control method can move one or more than one virtual volumes without suspending the services being provided. The virtual storage system control apparatus comprises a plurality of storage device control sections that assign virtual volumes to the storage devices of the virtual storage clusters, generate information on the virtual volumes, set up a link between the virtual volumes of the own virtual storage clusters and the virtual volumes of other virtual storage clusters by way of the network and copy data on the basis of the link and a management node that directs a move of a virtual volume by having the link set up according to the information on the virtual volumes.

Abstract: A management device obtains, from the plurality of storage nodes, information of accesses which are made to the actual storage areas included in the storage nodes, generating load information of the actual storage areas based on the access information, and storing the generated load information in a load information storage unit. The device changes, based on the load information stored in the load information storage unit, the assignment relations of the actual storage areas with respect to the virtual storage areas such that loads of the storage nodes are leveled. The device instructs the plurality of storage nodes to move the data in the actual storage areas depending on change in the assignment of the actual storage areas to the virtual storage areas.

Abstract: A computer-readable recording medium storing a data storage program, a method and a computer are provided. The computer includes a cache table including an address area for storing an address and a user data area for storing user data corresponding to the address, and executes an operation including, reading user data at a specified address from a recording medium, delta-decoding the read difference data, and determining the decompressed user data to be the read user data, and writing the read user data in the user data area of the cache table when a size of the user data read by the delta-decoding is equal to or less than a threshold value and writing an address corresponding to the read user data in the address area of the cache table, obtaining difference data between the user data requested to be written and the corresponding user data and writing the difference data.

Abstract: A management apparatus and method that manage a storage system, in which an access node and a storage node, with which the management apparatus is in communication via the network. The management apparatus includes a logical volume judging unit that acquires a plurality of processing requests to each of the plurality of storage areas, references a logical volume allocation information storage unit that stores a correspondence relationship between the plurality of storage areas and the plurality of logical volumes in the storage node, and judges a logical volume corresponding to a storage area to become a processing object of each processing request, and a processing request breakdown calculating unit that counts an acquisition count of each processing request for each logical volume based on a judgment result by the logical volume judgment unit, and calculates a proportion of each acquisition count to a total of respective acquisition counts.

Abstract: A recording medium storing a logical volume configuration information distribution program causing a computer to execute processing based on logical volume configuration information that defines a correspondence relation between a virtual storage area in a logical volume defined virtually and a real storage area in a storage unit, the logical volume configuration information distribution program includes: when the correspondence relation between the virtual storage area and the real storage area is changed, referencing an access node list storage unit for storing an access node list in which identification information of the access node is registered, and transmitting update information that indicates an updated correspondence relation concerning the virtual storage area whose correspondence relation with the real storage area has been changed, to the access node indicated in the access node list via the network.

Abstract: An allocation control device divides the storage management devices into groups based on grouping factors. It generates group management information about each group based on the grouping factors corresponding to storage management devices belonging to the group. It obtains logical volume information about a subject logical volume to be allocated to the physical storage areas, the logical volume information indicating the capacity of the subject logical volume and a predicted capability value of the subject logical volume. It acquires the physical storage areas to which the subject logical volume is to be allocated, based on the logical volume information and the group management information. It selects one of the groups for which the maximum processing capability is higher than the predicted capability value of the subject logical volume. It allocates divisional areas of the subject logical volume to the physical storage areas in the selected group.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a system capable of carrying out efficient and stable system operation control even if a usage rate of the entire system varies under a situation in which the characteristics of storage units, such as maximum available total capacity and speed performance, are largely different from each other. Therefore, the system according to the present invention is composed of a monitor unit for monitoring information on a total volume of data stored in each of the storage units or in all the storage units, an index value calculating unit for calculating an index value on the basis of the monitor result and a location unit for distributively locating or relocating logical storage areas in physical storage areas on a plurality of storage units on the basis of the calculated index value.

Abstract: A parity-data generating unit generates, in response to a write request containing update data, updated parity data in the parity group to which the update data belongs. A time-series-information generating unit generates time-series information indicating an anteroposterior relationship during writing between the update data and existing data stored in the unit storage area to which the update data is to be written. A time-series-information adding unit adds the time-series information, generated in response to the write request, to the update data as certification time-series information and that adds comparison time-series information to the updated parity data in association with the update data, the comparison time-series information having the same value as the certification time-series information.

Abstract: An allocation control apparatus allocates duplicate logical volume divided areas to virtual storage areas that do not have data storage area in the physical storage area. The apparatus associates identification information of the allocated virtual storage areas, of the duplicate logical volume divided areas, and of duplication source logical volume divided areas to be set in the management information. The apparatus detects, upon a data writing request, based on the management information, the unallocated real storage area in the logical volume divided area. The apparatus reallocates the real storage area to the duplicate logical volume divided area to update the management information. The apparatus identifies, based on the management information, the real storage area allocated to the duplication source logical volume divided area corresponding to the duplicate logical volume divided area. The apparatus copies data stored in the real storage area to the real storage area.

Abstract: A computer-readable medium storing a data management program makes a computer manage data redundantly stored in storage devices having storage areas split into slices for data management. The data management program realizes the following functions in the computer. A first function receives irregularity information indicating that each of one or more of the storage devices may be possibly faulty, and stores the irregularity information in a storage; and a second function determines, by reference to the irregularity information, whether or not a first storage device containing a slice to be accessed is possibly faulty, on receipt of access information indicating occurrence of a request to access the slice. When yes is determined, the second function instructs an external device to recover data stored in the slice, where the external device controls a second storage device storing redundant data identical to the data stored in the slice.

Abstract: In a multinode storage system, a virtual disk associated with a storage device to be connected is created, and a slice of a connected storage device is allocated to one segment of the virtual disk. Next, one slice of data in the storage device to be connected is copied to the connected storage device. The rest of data in the storage device to be connected is divided into slices, which are allocated to segments of the virtual disk. Then, metadata of the rest of the slices is written into a management information area in which copying of the data therefrom has been completed.

Abstract: In a computer executing processes based on a storage management program, an attribute collection unit collects attributes of storage nodes. A group creation unit creates at least two groups that include the storage nodes, in accordance with the attributes of the storage nodes collected by the attribute collection unit. A data allocation unit allocates distributed data and redundant distributed data to the groups created by the group creation unit in such a manner that the distributed data and the redundant distributed data having the same content as the distributed data are placed in different groups.

Abstract: In a cluster system: a heartbeat transmission unit in a service provision node transmits to a monitoring node a heartbeat packet which contains interval information indicating an interval greater than normal intervals at which normal heartbeat packets are transmitted, when an execution unit in the service provision node receives a stop command. Thereafter, when software realizing the execution unit is updated and the execution unit is restarted, the heartbeat transmission unit periodically transmits the normal heartbeat packets to the monitoring node at the normal intervals, where the normal heartbeat packets contain interval information indicating the normal intervals. A heartbeat monitoring unit in the monitoring node determines that the execution unit is in operation, while the monitoring node receives heartbeat packets at intervals indicated by the interval information stored in the monitoring node and updated with received interval information.

Abstract: In a computer which executes an access control program, an authentication information storage unit stores authentication information. A logical volume acquiring unit acquires a logical volume associating data with storage nodes storing the data, from a predetermined database. In response to an access request to access data, a data access unit identifies a storage node to be accessed, based on the logical volume, and sends the authentication information and a command corresponding to the access request to the identified storage node.