Abstract: A storage system 100, which has a plurality of flash packages 230, has a function for minimizing the imbalance of the number of deletions of each block inside the flash package 230 and a block-unit capacity virtualization function, and efficiently manifests lessening of the imbalance of the number of deletions and reduction in the data storage capacity for the entire storage system 100 by having functions for calculating the number of deletions and the data occupancy of each flash package 230, and for transferring data between the flash packages 230 on the basis of the values of these number of deletions and data occupancy.

Abstract: If a monitor measurement cycle is set as a long cycle, promotion in a short cycle cannot be performed; and even if the number of I/Os is very large in response to fluctuations of the number of I/Os in several minutes to several hours of normal work, pages will be promoted after waiting for several weeks. As a result, I/Os which could have normally accepted by an upper tier will be accepted by a lower tier, which results in a problem of worsening the performance efficiency. A monitoring system capable of preventing demotion due to temporary reduction of the number of I/Os for specific pages from a viewpoint of a long cycle and enabling prompt promotion in response to an increase of the number of U/Os for 3 the specific pages is realized. A load index value defined from a viewpoint of a long cycle and a load index value defined from a viewpoint of a short cycle are updated based on the number of I/Os which is counted cyclically for each storage area.

Abstract: A path is formed between a host computer and storage apparatuses without depending on the configuration of the host computer and a network and a plurality of volumes having a copy function are migrated between storage apparatuses while keeping the latest data.

Abstract: A storage system 100, which has a plurality of flash packages 230, has a function for minimizing the imbalance of the number of deletions of each block inside the flash package 230 and a block-unit capacity virtualization function, and efficiently manifests lessening of the imbalance of the number of deletions and reduction in the data storage capacity for the entire storage system 100 by having functions for calculating the number of deletions and the data occupancy of each flash package 230, and for transferring data between the flash packages 230 on the basis of the values of these number of deletions and data occupancy.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a model animal spontaneously developing anemia. More specifically, the invention relates to a transgenic non-human mammal spontaneously developing anemia associated with a postnatal decrease in production of erythropoietin (Epo), Epo-producing cells prepared from the transgenic non-human mammal, and a screening method using the Epo-producing cells.

Abstract: A workpiece is unloaded from a wafer-receiving container. A first discriminating sensor detects a front surface of the workpiece, and determines either a semiconductor wafer or a spacer is the workpiece. Where the workpiece is a wafer, the first discriminating sensor also determines whether or not a protective tape is on the front surface of the workpiece. Where it is determined that a protective tape is not on the front surface, a second discriminating sensor detects a back surface of the wafer for discriminating the presence or absence of the protective tape.

Abstract: A resin sealing sheet is cut into an adhesive sheet piece having an outer shape smaller than that of a wafer. The adhesive sheet piece is joined to a supporting adhesive tape together with a ring frame. The adhesive tape between the ring frame and the adhesive sheet piece is sandwiched by upper and lower housings to form a chamber. The wafer with a support board placed on a wafer holding table within the chamber faces to the adhesive sheet piece closely. The chamber is divided into two spaces by the adhesive tape. Differential pressure generated within the two spaces causes the adhesive tape and the adhesive sheet piece to cave and bend toward the wafer, whereby the adhesive sheet piece is joined to the wafer.

Abstract: An embodiment of this invention is an information storage system comprising a plurality of storage systems connected to be able to communicate. Each of the plurality of storage systems includes default storage system identification information which is the same to the plurality of storage systems, common volume identification information for uniquely identifying volumes provided by the plurality of storage systems to a host computer among the plurality of storage systems, and a controller configured to return the default storage system identification information to the host computer in response to a request from the host computer and to process a read or write request to a volume accompanying the common volume identification information from the host computer.

Abstract: In the computer system, a storage system provides a storage level virtual volume based on thin provisioning technology, to a physical server on which a virtual machine is defined. The storage system releases the area of the logical volume corresponding to the storage level virtual volume accessed by a virtual machine which is specified to be deleted, on the basis of storage level virtual volume conversion information which is managed by the storage system.

Abstract: In the computer system, a storage system provides a storage level virtual volume based on thin provisioning technology, to a physical server on which a virtual machine is defined. The storage system releases the area of the logical volume corresponding to the storage level virtual volume accessed by a virtual machine which is specified to be deleted, on the basis of storage level virtual volume conversion information which is managed by the storage system.

Abstract: Proposes the realization of the performance stability operation of virtual volumes and the stabilized access performance for the virtual volumes in the storage apparatus. In the storage apparatus which configures a pool of multiple types of storage tiers of different performances, provides virtual volumes to the host computer and, in accordance with a write request from an application to a virtual volume, assigns pages to the relevant virtual volume from the pool, a policy associating an application with the virtual volume with which the relevant application reads/writes data, a storage tier to assign pages to the relevant virtual volume, and the priority of the relevant storage tier is managed and, in accordance with a write request from the application, complying with the corresponding policy, among the storage tiers associated with the corresponding virtual volume, pages are assigned from the storage tier of the higher priority to the relevant virtual volume.

Abstract: An embodiment of this invention is an information storage system comprising a plurality of storage systems connected to be able to communicate. Each of the plurality of storage systems includes default storage system identification information which is the same to the plurality of storage systems, common volume identification information for uniquely identifying volumes provided by the plurality of storage systems to a host computer among the plurality of storage systems, and a controller configured to return the default storage system identification information to the host computer in response to a request from the host computer and to process a read or write request to a volume accompanying the common volume identification information from the host computer.

Abstract: A first storage control apparatus unit has a first logical volume. A second storage control apparatus unit has a second logical volume, which is a virtual logical volume and is mapped to the first logical volume, and a third logical volume that is associated with the first logical volume. The second storage control apparatus unit receives, from a host, an I/O command which has information including, as information denoting an I/O-destination area, an ID of the second logical volume and an address of an area of the second logical volume. The second storage control apparatus unit identifies a logical volume having an area that serves as an entity of the I/O-destination area, and a storage control apparatus unit that has this logical volume.

Abstract: To achieve a mechanism that supports an article at a desired position in a displaceable manner in accordance with a weight of the article with a simple, small, and lightweight structure. An article supporting device 1 includes a base member 2, a supporting member 3, a spring member 4 which is a compression coil spring, a spring force transmission member 5, a cam member 6, and a cam follower member 7. The cam follower member is pressed against a downward-facing cam surface 15 of the support member, an upward-facing cam surface 18 of the spring force transmission member, and a sideward-facing cam surface 22 of the cam member by a load of an article and a spring force of the spring member. The downward-facing cam surface and upward-facing cam surface are inclined in reverse directions to each other and disposed opposite to each other with the cam follower member interposed therebetween.

Abstract: The amount of data to be stored in a semiconductor nonvolatile memory can be reduced and overhead associated with data processing can be reduced. When a microprocessor receives a write request from a host computer and data D1 to D3 exist in a cache slot, the microprocessor reads the LBA of each piece of the data, manages each piece of the data D1 to D3 using a bitmap table by associating them with their LBAs, generates a specific command CMD based on the LBAs of the data D1 to D3, adds the data D1 to D3 and addresses ADD1 to ADD3 indicating where the data D1 to D3 are to be stored, to the specific command CMD, and sends it to an FMPK. The FMPK stores each piece of update data in a specified block in the flash memory based on the specific command CMD.

Abstract: A storage system 100, which has a plurality of flash packages 230, has a function for minimizing the imbalance of the number of deletions of each block inside the flash package 230 and a block-unit capacity virtualization function, and efficiently manifests lessening of the imbalance of the number of deletions and reduction in the data storage capacity for the entire storage system 100 by having functions for calculating the number of deletions and the data occupancy of each flash package 230, and for transferring data between the flash packages 230 on the basis of the values of these number of deletions and data occupancy.

Abstract: A storage system comprises a plurality of flash packages comprising a plurality of flash chips, and a storage controller for receiving a first write request from a higher-level apparatus and sending a second write request of write data based on data conforming to this first write request to a write-destination flash package, and demonstrates a capacity virtualization function for causing a storage capacity to appear larger than an actual storage capacity for the higher-level apparatus, and for configuring a storage space using page units. The storage system generates a second VOL (logical volume) based on a first VOL, manages a plurality of VOLs comprising the first VOL and one or more second VOLs generated based on the first VOL as a VOL group, and allocates the same page to areas of the same address of the plurality of VOLs configuring the VOL group.

Abstract: A second storage maps a migration source volume to a virtual volume of a migration destination volume according to storage virtualization technology. A host system including a host switches an access path from an access path to the migration source volume to an access path to the migration destination volume. The second storage executes copy processing of migrating, from the migration source volume to the migration destination volume, data in an assigned area of a virtual volume according to thin provisioning of the migration source volume based on the information contained in the first thin provisioning information in the first storage, and copying that data from the migration destination volume to a virtual volume according to thin provisioning of a copy destination volume in the second storage. The second storage associates the virtual volume of the copy destination volume with the migration destination volume in substitute for the original virtual volume.

Abstract: A semiconductor wafer joined to a carrier via a double-faced adhesive tape having an adhesive layer of a heating separation property is heated for removal from the carrier. The double-faced adhesive tape is separated from the semiconductor wafer on a holding table. Thereafter, an air nozzle preliminarily cools the semiconductor wafer for a given time during transportation with a wafer transport section. Upon completion of the preliminary cooling, the semiconductor wafer is placed on a cooling stage to cool it to a target temperature.

Abstract: A storage system 100, which has a plurality of flash packages 230, has a function for minimizing the imbalance of the number of deletions of each block inside the flash package 230 and a block-unit capacity virtualization function, and efficiently manifests lessening of the imbalance of the number of deletions and reduction in the data storage capacity for the entire storage system 100 by having functions for calculating the number of deletions and the data occupancy of each flash package 230, and for transferring data between the flash packages 230 on the basis of the values of these number of deletions and data occupancy.