Abstract: A storage controller of the present invention can input and output data even when the track size, which is the host management unit, is not consistent with the block size of the storage device. A boundary correction unit adds gap data corresponding to a gap size to data in a buffer memory so that the boundary of the track and boundary of the block inside the storage device match. A guarantee code is added to each logical block received from the host, and these guarantee code-appended blocks are stored in a cache memory. By providing a gap in the storage device every 116 extended logical blocks, the start position of the lead block of a track matches up with the start position of the logical blocks of the storage device.

Abstract: A storage system includes a plurality of disk apparatuses configuring a plurality of RAID groups, a spare disk apparatus, and a controller. The controller is adapted to copy data stored in a disk apparatus, whose error count exceeds a first threshold, to the spare disk apparatus. If an error count of a disk apparatus included in a RAID group exceeds a second threshold which is lower than the first threshold, the controller is adapted to check error counts of other disk apparatuses included in the same RAID group. If any of the error counts of the other disk apparatuses included in the same RAID group exceeds the second threshold, the controller is adapted to change the first value of the first disk apparatus and the other disk apparatuses included in the same RAID group.

Abstract: A virtualization system, upon judging that a write operation from a higher-level device is an operation to write in the format of the virtual volume, even when the write position of the write operation is in a virtual area different from a virtual area to which an allocated actual area has been allocated, if there is an unused area in the allocated actual area, writes management information to the unused area according to the write operation, and if there is no unused area in the allocated actual area, newly allocates an unallocated actual area, and writes management information to the newly allocated actual area according to the write operation.

Abstract: A storage control system in which a first storage controller is connected to a storage device in a second storage controller and the first storage controller is configured to be able to read and write data from/to the storage device in the second storage controller in response to a request from a host device connected to the first storage apparatus, the first storage controller including: a controller for controlling data transmission and reception between the host device and the storage device in the second storage controller; and a cache memory for temporarily storing the data, wherein the controller sets a threshold value for storage capacity in the cache memory assigned to the storage device according to the properties of the storage device.

Abstract: A virtualization system, upon judging that a write operation from a higher-level device is an operation to write in the format of the virtual volume, even when the write position of the write operation is in a virtual area different from a virtual area to which an allocated actual area has been allocated, if there is an unused area in the allocated actual area, writes management information to the unused area according to the write operation, and if there is no unused area in the allocated actual area, newly allocates an unallocated actual area, and writes management information to the newly allocated actual area according to the write operation.

Abstract: Disclosed is storage system, that is, an array-type disk apparatus which is provided with an error monitor section which monitors the status of error occurrence in a disk drive and instructs initiation of mirroring between the disk drive and a spare disk drive when the number of errors occurred of the disk drive exceeds a specified value, and a mirror section which performs mirroring between the disk drive and spare disk drive. Storage system, that is, the array-type disk apparatus may be provided with an error monitor section which monitors the status of error occurrence in a disk drive and gives such an instruction as to set the status of the disk drive in a temporary blocked state, and a data restoring section which executes data restoration by reading data from the temporary blocked disk drive when reading from another disk drive constituting a disk array group is not possible during data restoration.

Abstract: Disclosed is storage system, that is, an array-type disk apparatus which is provided with an error monitor section which monitors the status of error occurrence in a disk drive and instructs initiation of mirroring between the disk drive and a spare disk drive when the number of errors occurred of the disk drive exceeds a specified value, and a mirror section which performs mirroring between the disk drive and spare disk drive. Storage system, that is, the array-type disk apparatus may be provided with an error monitor section which monitors the status of error occurrence in a disk drive and gives such an instruction as to set the status of the disk drive in a temporary blocked state, and a data restoring section which executes data restoration by reading data from the temporary blocked disk drive when reading from another disk drive constituting a disk array group is not possible during data restoration.

Abstract: In a storage system having a plurality of storage devices, erasing frequencies of the storage devices with a limit of the number of erasures are made uniform. In a storage system for storing data, comprising a plurality of storage devices for storing the data, the plurality of storage devices comprising spare storage devices, and the storage system comprises an identifier of each of the storage devices and storage device configuration information having a number of erasures of data that data stored in each storage device is erased, and copies data stored in a storage device whose number of erasures of data exceeds a predetermined first threshold value to the spare storage device in a case where the number of erasures of data exceeds the predetermined first threshold value, and allocates an identifier of the storage device number of erasures of data exceeds the predetermined first threshold value to an identifier of the spare storage device which the data has been copied to.

Abstract: Proposed is a storage system and a data guarantee method capable of guaranteeing and verifying the reliability of data in a short period of time even with the heavy usage of inexpensive hard disk drives. This storage system having a storage apparatus that provides a storage extent for reading and writing data from and in a host system, and a storage controller for controlling the storage apparatus includes a first generation unit for generating a guarantee number in data from a host system to be stored in the storage apparatus showing the guarantee of the data, a second generation unit for generating a guarantee number showing the guarantee of parity data corresponding to data from the host system, and a verification unit for verifying the guarantee number showing the guarantee of data from the host system and the guarantee number showing the guarantee of the parity data.

Abstract: A storage control system in which a first storage controller is connected to a storage device in a second storage controller and the first storage controller is configured to be able to read and write data from/to the storage device in the second storage controller in response to a request from a host device connected to the first storage apparatus, the first storage controller including: a controller for controlling data transmission and reception between the host device and the storage device in the second storage controller; and a cache memory for temporarily storing the data, wherein the controller sets a threshold value for storage capacity in the cache memory assigned to the storage device according to the properties of the storage device.

Abstract: A storage controller of the present invention can input and output data even when the track size, which is the host management unit, is not consistent with the block size of the storage device. A boundary correction unit adds gap data corresponding to a gap size to data in a buffer memory so that the boundary of the track and boundary of the block inside the storage device match. A guarantee code is added to each logical block received from the host, and these guarantee code-appended blocks are stored in a cache memory. By providing a gap in the storage device every 116 extended logical blocks, the start position of the lead block of a track matches up with the start position of the logical blocks of the storage device.

Abstract: The present invention provides a storage control system that can prevent capacity in a cache memory from being overloaded even when the access performance of a controller in a storage controller to an external storage device in an external storage controller is permanently or temporarily poor. In the storage control system, a first storage controller is connected to a storage device in a second storage controller and the first storage controller is configured to be able to write/read data to/from the storage device in the second storage controller in response to a request from a host device connected to the first storage controller.

Abstract: The present invention efficiently recovers an error drive by suppressing futile copying. When the number of errors of the disk drive is equal to or more than a first threshold, data stored in the disk drive is copied to a spare drive by a drive copy section. When the number of errors of the disk drive is equal to or more than a second threshold prior to completion of the drive copy, the disk drive is closed, and a correction copy by a correction copy section is started in place of the drive copy. The correction copy section starts the correction copy from the position where the drive copy is interrupted by taking over the drive copy completion position (copy interrupt position) managed by a copy progress condition management section.

Abstract: This storage apparatus for providing a dynamically expandable virtual volume to a host system to access the virtual volume comprises an allocation unit for configuring a group with a plurality of disks for providing a storage area to be allocated to the virtual volume, and allocating the storage area respectively from a plurality of the groups to the virtual volume; and a storage area arrangement unit for rearranging the storage area in each of the groups being used by the virtual volume to become optimal among each of the groups based on external operation.

Abstract: A storage system enabling effective use of storage resources by immediately releasing a storage device provided as a spare from data recovery processing for a faulty storage device. Even before the completion of the collection copy, the faulty disk drive may be replaced with a new disk drive and a relevant control unit in the storage system recognizes this replacement and has data in the spare disk drive automatically copied back to the new disk drive.

Abstract: Proposed is a storage system and a data guarantee method capable of guaranteeing and verifying the reliability of data in a short period of time even with the heavy usage of inexpensive hard disk drives. This storage system having a storage apparatus that provides a storage extent for reading and writing data from and in a host system, and a storage controller for controlling the storage apparatus includes a first generation unit for generating a guarantee number in data from a host system to be stored in the storage apparatus showing the guarantee of the data, a second generation unit for generating a guarantee number showing the guarantee of parity data corresponding to data from the host system, and a verification unit for verifying the guarantee number showing the guarantee of data from the host system and the guarantee number showing the guarantee of the parity data.

Abstract: Disclosed is storage system, that is, an array-type disk apparatus which is provided with an error monitor section which monitors the status of error occurrence in a disk drive and instructs initiation of mirroring between the disk drive and a spare disk drive when the number of errors occurred of the disk drive exceeds a specified value, and a mirror section which performs mirroring between the disk drive and spare disk drive. Storage system, that is, the array-type disk apparatus may be provided with an error monitor section which monitors the status of error occurrence in a disk drive and gives such an instruction as to set the status of the disk drive in a temporary blocked state, and a data restoring section which executes data restoration by reading data from the temporary blocked disk drive when reading from another disk drive constituting a disk array group is not possible during data restoration.

Abstract: The present invention allows the processing mode for write access operations to be set independently and respectively for prescribed units. The processing modes for handling write access are set previously for each of the volumes 6A and 6B. If the cache memory is functioning normally, write access operations to the respective volumes 6A and 6B are processed by means of an after-write method as illustrated in FIG. 1(a). If an abnormality has occurred in the cache memory, then write access operations to the volumes 6A and 6B are processed by means of a method previously selected from a write-through method as illustrated in FIG. 1(b) or a non-redundant storage type write-after method as illustrated in FIG. 1(c). By using different processing modes for write access, for each of the volumes 6A and 6B, it is possible to set a suitable processing mode respectively for each of the prescribed units, in accordance with the composition of the storage system, the operation configuration, and the like.

Abstract: A virtualization system, upon judging that a write operation from a higher-level device is an operation to write in the format of the virtual volume, even when the write position of the write operation is in a virtual area different from a virtual area to which an allocated actual area has been allocated, if there is an unused area in the allocated actual area, writes management information to the unused area according to the write operation, and if there is no unused area in the allocated actual area, newly allocates an unallocated actual area, and writes management information to the newly allocated actual area according to the write operation.

Abstract: The present invention efficiently recovers an error drive by suppressing futile copying. When the number of errors of the disk drive is equal to or more than a first threshold, data stored in the disk drive is copied to a spare drive by a drive copy section. When the number of errors of the disk drive is equal to or more than a second threshold prior to completion of the drive copy, the disk drive is closed, and a correction copy by a correction copy section is started in place of the drive copy. The correction copy section starts the correction copy from the position where the drive copy is interrupted by taking over the drive copy completion position (copy interrupt position) managed by a copy progress condition management section.