Abstract: In a scale-out type storage in which multiple physical storage systems are provided collectively as a single virtual storage system, a logical path is established between the host computer and the virtual storage system so that input/output performance of the storage is not deteriorated, wherein during allocation of a volume to the virtual storage system, if a logical control unit (logical CU) establishing a logical path to a volume is unallocated, a logical CU and a volume is generated to a storage system having either a small number of allocated logical CUs or a small amount of used storage capacity. On the other hand, if there is a storage system having a logical CU already allocated thereto, a volume is generated in that storage system.

Abstract: Fault-tolerance is improved by duplicating data and update information of that data. A storage system has a first storage apparatus that is connected to a host computer, and includes a plurality of first data volumes and a first journal volume, a second storage apparatus that is connected to the host computer and the first storage apparatus, and includes a plurality of second data volumes for storing duplicated data of each of the plurality of first data volumes, and a second journal volume for storing the duplicated data of the first journal volume, a third storage apparatus that is connected to the first storage apparatus, and includes a plurality of third data volumes that configure a remote copy pair with the plurality of first data volumes by using the journal data received from the first storage apparatus, and a fourth storage apparatus that is connected to the third storage apparatus.

Abstract: In a scale-out type storage in which multiple physical storage systems are provided collectively as a single virtual storage system, a logical path is established between the host computer and the virtual storage system so that input/output performance of the storage is not deteriorated, wherein during allocation of a volume to the virtual storage system, if a logical CU establishing a logical path to a volume is unallocated, a logical CU and a volume is generated to a storage system having either a small number of allocated logical CUs or a small amount of used storage capacity. On the other hand, if there is a storage system having a logical CU already allocated thereto, a volume is generated in that storage system.

Abstract: Regardless of which of the multiple storage subsystems provided with the same identification information is accessed from a plurality of host computers, multiple volumes provided with the same identification information among the storage subsystems are subjected to extent exclusion sharing. Therefore, a multiplex volume provided with the same identification information among the plurality of storage subsystems and a first storage subsystem for processing input/output requests by the channel command to the multiplex volume are provided, wherein if the channel command received from the host computer or via a control unit of a second storage subsystem is an input/output request of the multiplex volume, a control unit of the first storage subsystem determines the access authority regarding an extent range of the multiplex volume designated by the channel command, based on information on whether an input/output processing regarding the extent range is already executed based on another request.

Abstract: An example of the present invention is a storage system comprising a first real storage apparatus including a plurality of real resources. The first real storage apparatus includes: real resource groups allocated to a plurality of virtual storage apparatuses; first management information for associating virtual resource identifiers individually assigned to real resources in a namespace independently defined for each of the plurality of virtual storage apparatuses with real resource identifiers individually assigned to the real resources in a namespace defined for the first real storage apparatus; and a controller for receiving a command including a designation with a virtual resource identifier, converting the virtual resource identifier in the command into a real resource identifier with reference to the first management information, and processing the command with the converted real resource identifier.

Abstract: Fault-tolerance is improved by duplicating data and update information of that data. A storage system has a first storage apparatus that is connected to a host computer, and includes a plurality of first data volumes and a first journal volume, a second storage apparatus that is connected to the host computer and the first storage apparatus, and includes a plurality of second data volumes for storing duplicated data of each of the plurality of first data volumes, and a second journal volume for storing the duplicated data of the first journal volume, a third storage apparatus that is connected to the first storage apparatus, and includes a plurality of third data volumes that configure a remote copy pair with the plurality of first data volumes by using the journal data received from the first storage apparatus, and a fourth storage apparatus that is connected to the third storage apparatus.

Abstract: Regardless of which of the multiple storage subsystems provided with the same identification information is accessed from a plurality of host computers, multiple volumes provided with the same identification information among the storage subsystems are subjected to extent exclusion sharing. Therefore, a multiplex volume provided with the same identification information among the plurality of storage subsystems and a first storage subsystem for processing input/output requests by the channel command to the multiplex volume are provided, wherein if the channel command received from the host computer or via a control unit of a second storage subsystem is an input/output request of the multiplex volume, a control unit of the first storage subsystem determines the access authority regarding an extent range of the multiplex volume designated by the channel command, based on information on whether an input/output processing regarding the extent range is already executed based on another request.

Abstract: An example is a method of controlling a storage system for providing a virtual storage apparatus that includes virtual storage resources associated with real storage resources of real storage apparatus. It includes receiving a virtual storage resource control command of a predetermined type specifying a first virtual storage resource in the virtual storage apparatus and a second virtual storage resource associated with the first virtual storage resource; referring to management information for managing association relations between the virtual storage resources and the real storage resources, to identify a first real storage resource associated with the first virtual storage resource and a first real storage apparatus including the first real storage resource; and selecting a second real storage resource associated with the second virtual storage resource from real storage resources within the first real storage apparatus, or creating the second real storage resource within the first real storage apparatus.

Abstract: A virtualization mechanism in a first computer of the plurality of computers generates at least one virtual computer on the first computer. The virtualization mechanism in the first computer executes at least one of a first judgment and a second judgment when a request for activating a first virtual computer of the at least one virtual computer is received, the first judgment being for judging whether or not the activation of the first virtual computer is prohibited based on first information stored in a memory of the virtualization mechanism, and the second judgment being for judging whether or not an identifier included in a logic I/O adapter device assigned to the first virtual computer is invalid based on second information stored in the memory of the virtualization mechanism. The activation of the first virtual computer is permitted or prohibited based on the executed judgment.

Abstract: An example is a method of controlling a storage system for providing a virtual storage apparatus that includes virtual storage resources associated with real storage resources of real storage apparatus. It includes receiving a virtual storage resource control command of a predetermined type specifying a first virtual storage resource in the virtual storage apparatus and a second virtual storage resource associated with the first virtual storage resource; referring to management information for managing association relations between the virtual storage resources and the real storage resources, to identify a first real storage resource associated with the first virtual storage resource and a first real storage apparatus including the first real storage resource; and selecting a second real storage resource associated with the second virtual storage resource from real storage resources within the first real storage apparatus, or creating the second real storage resource within the first real storage apparatus.

Abstract: An example of the present invention is a storage system comprising a first real storage apparatus including a plurality of real resources. The first real storage apparatus includes: real resource groups allocated to a plurality of virtual storage apparatuses; first management information for associating virtual resource identifiers individually assigned to real resources in a namespace independently defined for each of the plurality of virtual storage apparatuses with real resource identifiers individually assigned to the real resources in a namespace defined for the first real storage apparatus; and a controller for receiving a command including a designation with a virtual resource identifier, converting the virtual resource identifier in the command into a real resource identifier with reference to the first management information, and processing the command with the converted real resource identifier.

Abstract: A storage apparatus which is connected via a network to a host which issues data I/O requests comprises storage devices of a plurality of types of varying performance, and a control unit which manages each storage area provided by each of the storage devices of a plurality of types by means of storage tiers of a plurality of different types, and which assigns storage areas in pre-determined units to virtual volumes from any storage tier among the storage tiers of a plurality of types in accordance with a data write request from the host, wherein, if there is an I/O request from the host, the control unit stores data corresponding to the I/O request in predetermined units in the cache memory and determines the storage tier of the storage area assigned to the virtual volume storing the data according to the mode of writing to the cache memory.

Abstract: Storage area assignment is specified in accordance with control modes for the cache memory. A storage apparatus which is connected via a network to a host which issues data I/O requests comprises storage devices of a plurality of types of varying performance, and a control unit which manages each storage area provided by each of the storage devices of a plurality of types by means of storage tiers of a plurality of different types, and which assigns storage areas in predetermined units to virtual volumes from any storage tier among the storage tiers of a plurality of types in accordance with a data write request from the host, wherein, if there is an I/O request from the host, the control unit stores data corresponding to the I/O request in predetermined units in the cache memory and determines the storage tier of the storage area assigned to the virtual volume storing the data according to the mode of writing to the cache memory.

Abstract: Allocation of virtual disk volumes of a size designated by the computer manager to a virtual computer and accessiblity from the virtual computer to the virtual disk voumes without requiring intervention by a hypervisor are to be achieved. In a computer, at least one virtual computer to be in execution on the computer, and a computer system in which the virtual computer has volumes for holding data, a virtualization mechanism has a virtual volume allocating unit and a virtual volume information supplying unit, and the virtual computer has a virtual volume driver for converting positional information on virtual volumes. Additionally, the virtualization mechanism holds the virtual volume information together with defining information for the virtual computer to which the virtual volumes have been allocated.

Abstract: In a system including a plurality of physical machines to execute virtual machines (VM1, VM2), migration virtual machine information and definition information are saved in a physical machine executing a virtual machine (VM1) to be migrated and a storage of a physical machine as a migration destination. During the migration of the virtual machine, machine identification information of a migration partner, unique information assigned to the virtual machine, and information indicating whether the physical machine executing the processing is a migration-source or migration-destination physical machine are saved in a migration information storage area. A migration recovery section examines information stored in a definition information storage area and a migration information storage area to determine a recovery procedure to restore the virtual machine.

Abstract: In a system including a plurality of physical machines to execute virtual machines (VM1, VM2), migration virtual machine information and definition information are saved in a physical machine executing a virtual machine (VM1) to be migrated and a storage of a physical machine as a migration destination. During the migration of the virtual machine, machine identification information of a migration partner, unique information assigned to the virtual machine, and information indicating whether the physical machine executing the processing is a migration-source or migration-destination physical machine are saved in a migration information storage area. A migration recovery section examines information stored in a definition information storage area and a migration information storage area to determine a recovery procedure to restore the virtual machine.

Abstract: A virtualization mechanism in a first computer of the plurality of computers generates at least one virtual computer on the first computer. The virtualization mechanism in the first computer executes at least one of a first judgment and a second judgment when a request for activating a first virtual computer of the at least one virtual computer is received, the first judgment being for judging whether or not the activation of the first virtual computer is prohibited based on first information stored in a memory of the virtualization mechanism, and the second judgment being for judging whether or not an identifier included in a logic I/O adapter device assigned to the first virtual computer is invalid based on second information stored in the memory of the virtualization mechanism. The activation of the first virtual computer is permitted or prohibited based on the executed judgment.

Abstract: A virtual computer system has a plurality of computers for executing a program and a storage system connected to the computers via a network. A virtualization mechanism in a first computer of the plurality of computers generates at least one virtual computer on the first computer. The virtualization mechanism in the first computer executes at least one of a first judgment and a second judgment when a request for activating a first virtual computer of the at least one virtual computer is received, the first judgment being for judging whether or not the activation of the first virtual computer is prohibited based on first information stored in a memory of the virtualization mechanism, and the second judgment being for judging whether or not an identifier included in a logic I/O adapter device assigned to the first virtual computer is invalid based on second information stored in the memory of the virtualization mechanism.

Abstract: In a system including a plurality of physical machines to execute virtual machines (VM1, VM2), migration virtual machine information and definition information are saved in a physical machine executing a virtual machine (VM1) to be migrated and a storage of a physical machine as a migration destination. During the migration of the virtual machine, machine identification information of a migration partner, unique information assigned to the virtual machine, and information indicating whether the physical machine executing the processing is a migration-source or migration-destination physical machine are saved in a migration information storage area. A migration recovery section examines information stored in a definition information storage area and a migration information storage area to determine a recovery procedure to restore the virtual machine.

Abstract: Allocation of virtual disk volumes of a size designated by the computer manager to a virtual computer and accessibility from the virtual computer to the virtual disk volumes without requiring intervention by a hypervisor are to be achieved. In a computer, at least one virtual computer to be in execution on the computer, and a computer system in which the virtual computer has volumes for holding data, a virtualization mechanism has a virtual volume allocating unit and a virtual volume information supplying unit, and the virtual computer has a virtual volume driver for converting positional information on virtual volumes. Additionally, the virtualization mechanism holds the virtual volume information together with defining information for the virtual computer to which the virtual volumes have been allocated.