Abstract: The invention relates to a method of virtualizing a plurality of network storages into a single-view file system for a client and obtains information about an object's storage location without inquiring of a resource manager. The method determines a network storage that should store an object based on a hash value generated from a logical identifier for the object to be accessed. While accessing the object, the method computes the hash value for the object's logical identifier to determine a network storage that should process an access request. Consequently, the method eliminates the need to inquire the object's storage location when the access request is issued. Further, the method eliminates the need to maintain the object's storage location when the number of servers is increased or decreased, thus providing easy management.

Abstract: A method and a system for implementing the method are disclosed relating to archival storage of information in large numbers of disk units. The reliability of the stored information is checked periodically using data verification operations whose results are saved. These results establish the veracity of the data and enable compliance with various regulatory requirements. The techniques described enable the use of low cost disk drive technology, yet provide high assurance of data veracity. In a typical system, management information storage is provided in which data entries are associated with each of the disk drives to provide information with respect to the condition of the data on that drive and its last verification. The data verification operations are performed on the data during time periods when I/O accesses are not required.

Abstract: At least three storage devices are connected via a network to each other. Backup data is concurrently transferred from one of the storage devices, i.e., from a copy source storage device to other ones thereof, i.e., to copy destination storage devices. The amount of data transferred from the copy source storage device to each copy destination storage device is dynamically changed according to a state of a communication connection therebetween. At occurrence of a failure in the copy source storage device, necessary data can be concurrently read from the backup storage devices to restore the data in the copy source storage device at a high speed.

Abstract: A method is provided for sharing a file among a plurality of hosts; the file is stored in a disk device shared among the plurality of hosts, each of which uses an operating system (OS) having a different format. In general, a management system of a file is different depending on the OS. Therefore, because a stored location of the file is unknown, it is not possible to view the file, which is managed by a management system of a certain OS, from the other OSs. Therefore, a method is provided whereby stored-location information of the file, which is managed by a management system of a first OS, is converted into stored-location information that is managed by a second OS format. Then, the second OS reads the file on the basis of the stored-location information that has been converted.

Abstract: A virtual private volume control system, wherein in a data frame of a command issued from an OS, an ID number for identifying the OS is attached to the command; inside the disk apparatus, exclusion/priority processing is controlled, based on the ID number; thereby enhancing the transaction processing performance of a complex of servers and the disk apparatus as a whole.

Abstract: A storage comprising an object access module for the shared part for implementing advanced I/O provides an interface for registering and deleting object description data declaring how to store objects within a second storage, in order to reduce the development cost of modules for implementing functions. Also, in order to reduce the total cost of ownership, modules are transferred to the storage through a management computer. The present invention allows the storage for contiguously providing functions effective to a vast range of applications to be provided with lower development cost as well as lower total cost of ownership.

Abstract: A storage comprising an object access module for the shared part for implementing advanced I/O provides an interface (121) for registering and deleting object description data declaring how to store objects within a second storage, in order to reduce the development cost of modules for implementing functions. Also, in order to reduce the total cost of ownership, modules are transferred to the storage through a management computer. The present invention allows the storage for contiguously providing functions effective to a vast range of applications to be provided with lower development cost as well as lower total cost of ownership.

Abstract: A method and a system for implementing the method are disclosed relating to archival storage of information in large numbers of disk units. The reliability of the stored information is checked periodically using data verification operations whose results are saved. These results establish the veracity of the data and enable compliance with various regulatory requirements. The techniques described enable the use of low cost disk drive technology, yet provide high assurance of data veracity. In a typical system, management information storage is provided in which data entries are associated with each of the disk drives to provide information with respect to the condition of the data on that drive and its last verification. The data verification operations are performed on the data during time periods when I/O accesses are not required.

Abstract: Client 101 sends a function to be executed to server 102, and at the same time, sends information such as the send destination disk unit, function name, version, etc. The server stores the received function, uses the received information to create function information 127, creates function information 126 that contains access area list 124 to be sent to disk unit 103, and then sends the function and function information 126 to the disk unit. The disk unit stores the function and function information. When a function execution request is sent from the client to the server, if the server is also sent parameters, it creates additional function information 126 and sends said function information 126 together with the function execution request to the disk unit. The disk unit performs the function execution and restricts accesses during execution according to function information 126.

Abstract: A method and a system for implementing the method are disclosed relating to archival storage of information in large numbers of disk units. The reliability of the stored information is checked periodically using data verification operations whose results are saved. These results establish the veracity of the data and enable compliance with various regulatory requirements. The techniques described enable the use of low cost disk drive technology, yet provide high assurance of data veracity. In a typical system, management information storage is provided in which data entries are associated with each of the disk drives to provide information with respect to the condition of the data on that drive and its last verification. The data verification operations are performed on the data during time periods when I/O accesses are not required.

Abstract: A virtual private volume control system, wherein in a data frame of a command issued from an OS, an ID number for identifying the OS is attached to the command; inside the disk apparatus, exclusion/priority processing is controlled, based on the ID number; thereby enhancing the transaction processing performance of a complex of servers and the disk apparatus as a whole.

Abstract: A virtual private volume control system, wherein in a data frame of a command issued from an OS, an ID number for identifying the OS is attached to the command; inside the disk apparatus, exclusion/priority processing is controlled, based on the ID number; thereby enhancing the transaction processing performance of a complex of servers and the disk apparatus as a whole.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method of virtualizing a plurality of network storages into a single-view file system for a client and obtains information about an object's storage location without inquiring of a resource manager. The method determines a network storage that should store an object based on a hash value generated from a logical identifier for the object to be accessed. While accessing the object, the method computes the hash value for the object's logical identifier to determine a network storage that should process an access request. Consequently, the method eliminates the need to inquire the object's storage location when the access request is issued. Further, the method eliminates the need to maintain the object's storage location when the number of servers is increased or decreased, thus providing easy management.

Abstract: At least three storage devices are connected via a network to each other. Backup data is concurrently transferred from one of the storage devices, i.e., from a copy source storage device to other ones thereof, i.e., to copy destination storage devices. The amount of data transferred from the copy source storage device to each copy destination storage device is dynamically changed according to a state of a communication connection therebetween. At occurrence of a failure in the copy source storage device, necessary data can be concurrently read from the backup storage devices to restore the data in the copy source storage device at a high speed.

Abstract: A data request analysis unit for accepting and analyzing a request from a client computer, a data conversion program generation unit, and a data conversion unit are provided in a magnetic disk apparatus, the data conversion program generation unit downloads a program module by way of a network as required based on the analysis result obtained by use of the data request analysis unit to generate a data conversion program, and the data conversion unit downloads the conversion program, and converts the type of the data read out from the magnetic memory medium by use of the program, and directly transfers the converted data to the client computer by way of a network interface, thereby, the present invention provides a general purpose magnetic disk apparatus which is capable of flexibly accommodating the request from the client computer, the scalability of the whole system is improved because the data is converted in the magnetic disk apparatus, and the process efficiency of the client computer is improved.

Abstract: A virtual private volume control system, wherein in a data frame of a command issued from an OS, an ID number for identifying the OS is attached to the command; inside the disk apparatus, exclusion/priority processing is controlled, based on the ID number; thereby enhancing the transaction processing performance of a complex of servers and the disk apparatus as a whole.

Abstract: A data processor transfers files at high speeds from a magnetic disk or other storage media to a network and shortens the processing time for the file transfers. An I/O processor includes (i) a channel to which a magnetic disk is connected, (ii) a LAN adapter to which a network is connected, (iii) a switch for switching and connecting the channel and LAN adapter, and (iv) a channel controller for controlling the channel, the LAN adapter, and the switch. The channel controller controls the channel, the LAN adapter, and the switch in accordance with a data transfer start instruction from an instruction processor. The channel reads data from the magnetic disk and transfers it to the LAN adapter via the switch. The LAN adapter sends the data to the network or reads data from the network and transfers it to the channel via the switch. The channel sends the data to the magnetic disk.

Abstract: In a system which includes an input-output controller provided with channel paths for receiving input/output requests from higher-rank apparatus, and an external storage controller connected to the input-output controller through the channels, the input-output controller registers input-output requests issued for the external storage devices from the higher-rank apparatus in input-output request queues and transfer one or plural ones of the channel programs registered in the input-output request queues collectively to the external storage controller, which control execution of the transferred channel programs, so that channel command words included in each transferred channel program are executed at timings which are adapted to an operation of one of the external storage devices which is to be controlled by the channel program.

Abstract: A channel processor (CHP) within a channel apparatus instructs parallel transfer of data through a plurality of channels within a channel cluster (CCL), when it reads out a LCUW. Each of the channels sequentially generates addresses of a main storage determined based on numbers of respective channels under control of a control section and a channel data controller (CDC) accesses the main storage according to the generated addresses to read out data. Those channels transfer the data in parallel to an auxiliary storage device through an optical fiber cable set. This auxiliary storage device includes a plurality of channel ports, two buffer control circuits, a buffer and a high speed storage unit. The buffer has a two-face structure, each of the faces having 2 kilo-bytes. One of the buffer control circuits receives data from the channel ports through the optical fiber cable set in the plurality of channels and selects either one of the faces of the buffer to write them therein.