Abstract: Arrangements for transfer and replication of data. A host computer retains a transfer volume management information including HDD identifiers corresponding to a plurality of primary volumes and identifiers of at least one of transfer volumes, wherein, from a plurality of volumes in a first storage device, the host computer extracts a reserve volume as an additional transfer volume, if a capacity usage of the at least one of the transfer volumes reaches or goes above a predetermined level, wherein the host computer transmits an allocation request about the additional transfer volume, wherein, after receiving the allocation request, the first storage device implements the reserve volume as the additional transfer volume corresponding to the at least one of transfer volumes for transfer of write data to the second storage device.

Abstract: A copy source storage controller received write data added with a time and issued from a host computer transfers the write data with the time to a copy destination storage controller. If there are a plurality of copy destination storage controllers, a representative copy destination storage controller compares times of write data copied to the plurality of copy destination storage controllers, and writes the write data in copy destination logical volumes in the sequential order of time. The representative copy destination storage controller judges that integrity of the write data is established, if a communication procedure is established with the copy destination storage controller and if the statuses of the copy source/destination logical volumes are coincident. In remote copy which guarantees integrity of write data and traverses a plurality of storage controllers, it is possible to judge at an optional time point whether integrity of write data can be guaranteed.

Abstract: A management computer collects a usage condition of a volume from a host computer and a storage apparatus at each site, consolidates management thereof, and prevents a volume from duplicating among applications as a copy source. This makes it possible to select a used volume in an application as a copy source without excess or deficiency and to create a copy pair configuration definition without duplication or incompatibility. If a replication environment is constructed in a large-scale storage system, the consolidated management of a usage condition of a volume collected from the host computer and the storage apparatus at each site makes it possible to create a copy pair configuration definition by a task constituted by a plurality of applications.

Abstract: To provide a storage management technique for creating and managing, with single operation by a user, a large quantity of writable snapshots, which satisfy a requirement desired by the user, while controlling a use form of a storage apparatus not to exceed limits of the performance and the capacity of the storage apparatus. Therefore, a management computer manages configuration information and performance information of plural storage apparatuses and an operation state of a writable snapshot. When a writable snapshot is created, the management computer controls, concerning an original snapshot, a use form of the storage apparatuses not to exceed a disk performance limit and a controller performance limit and a capacity limit of a storage on the basis of the number of writable snapshots to be created and a performance requirement (IOPS) and a capacity requirement of the writable snapshot.

Abstract: A controller of a storage system migrates data managed in a virtual storage area of a virtual logical volume from an assigned real storage area to a real storage area of another storage medium with different characteristics according to predetermined conditions, and also executes copy processing for copying, to a second virtual logical volume, data in a copy target area being at least a part of a virtual storage area of a first virtual logical volume. When the second virtual logical volume is used, a management system controls the controller so as to migrate data of at least a part of the data that has been replicated in the second virtual logical volume by the copy processing, to a real storage area of the storage medium with more favorable characteristics.

Abstract: This invention provides, when optimizing a configuration of a storage system using a pool, an optimal configuration while ensuring a policy set by an administrator, the policy concerning a power saving performance, a response performance, or the like. The management computer sets, according to the set policy, priorities to volumes held by a storage subsystem, and reserves volumes satisfying the capacity of the pool, in descending order of the priority. Only some of the reserved volumes are registered for the pool in descending order of the priority. At this time, it can be guaranteed that a host computer makes no access to the volumes which have not been registered for the pool, and therefore the sleep state is set to physical drives forming the volumes or to a controller controlling the physical drives.

Abstract: A storage system having at least two storage apparatuses capable of partitioning an internal resource into logical partitions and managing the logical partitions, and which replicates data written into a primary volume of a primary storage apparatus as the replication source storage apparatus to a secondary volume of a secondary storage apparatus as the replication destination storage apparatus, including: a configuration information sending unit for sending configuration information of the logical partition, to which the primary volume belongs, to the secondary storage apparatus; and a logical partition setting unit for setting the configuration of the logical partition to which the secondary volume belongs based on the configuration information of the logical partition to which the primary volume belongs sent from the configuration information sending unit.

Abstract: A computer system including a first storage system connected to a first host computer, a second storage system connected to a second host computer and a third storage system connected to the first and second storage systems. The second storage system sets transfer setting before an occurrence of a failure, the transfer setting being provided with a dedicated storage area to be used for transferring data to the third storage system by asynchronous copy in response to a failure at the first host computer. Before the start of data transfer between the second storage system and third storage system to be executed after an occurrence of the failure, the second storage system checks the dedicated storage area, data transfer line and transfer setting information, and if an abnormal state is detected, this abnormal state is reported to the host computer as information attached to the transfer setting.

Abstract: A management computer manages the pool application information that indicates a pool application for a pool and the application condition information that indicates the condition for the pool application. The management computer calculates an excess storage capacity based on a pool usage status for the pool. The management computer specifies a pool application for the pool and the condition for the pool application based on the pool application information and the application condition information. The management computer judges whether the specified condition is satisfied even in the case in which a storage area having a storage capacity equivalent to or less than the calculated excess storage capacity is deleted from the pool. In the case in which the result of the judgment is positive, the management computer defines a capacity equivalent to or less than the excess storage capacity as an unused capacity.

Abstract: Storage arrangements including copy information holding correspondence of copy pairs formed from first and second and from first and third logical volumes, as copy groups concerned with a sequence of write data in the computer; and path remote copy relevant information indicating, for each copy group, correspondence of: logical paths; physical paths including the first, second and third storage ports; and take-over path information concerning a relevant path between the second and third logical volumes, needed for the take-over copy pair to take-over the remote copying when failure occurs in the first storage system, and wherein when the management system receives failure information designating a certain path indicated within the take-over path information, a management system determines and displays, by referring to the path remote copy relevant information, copy groups affected by the failure of the certain path.

Abstract: A management computer collects a usage condition of a volume from a host computer and a storage apparatus at each site, consolidates management thereof, and prevents a volume from duplicating among applications as a copy source. This makes it possible to select a used volume in an application as a copy source without excess or deficiency and to create a copy pair configuration definition without duplication or incompatibility. If a replication environment is constructed in a large-scale storage system, the consolidated management of a usage condition of a volume collected from the host computer and the storage apparatus at each site makes it possible to create a copy pair configuration definition by a task constituted by a plurality of applications.

Abstract: A storage system having at least two storage apparatuses capable of partitioning an internal resource into logical partitions and managing the logical partitions, and which replicates data written into a primary volume of a primary storage apparatus as the replication source storage apparatus to a secondary volume of a secondary storage apparatus as the replication destination storage apparatus, including: a configuration information sending unit for sending configuration information of the logical partition, to which the primary volume belongs, to the secondary storage apparatus; and a logical partition setting unit for setting the configuration of the logical partition to which the secondary volume belongs based on the configuration information of the logical partition to which the primary volume belongs sent from the configuration information sending unit.

Abstract: When plural copy groups including pairs exist, remote copying for pairs belonging to copy groups is suspended selectively on a copy group-to-copy group basis, instead of suspending remote copying in all the copy groups at once. A computer system has a host computer, plural first storage systems comprising plural first logical disks, and plural second storage systems comprising plural second logical disks. A first logical disk and a second logical disk paired with the first logical disk, and each pair belongs to either a first copy group or a second copy group. To selectively suspend remote copying on a copy group-to-copy group basis, one of the copy groups is specified first and then pairs belonging to this copy group are designated. The first storage systems comprising first logical disks of the designated pairs suspend remote copy processing for the designated pairs.

Abstract: In a storage system, one or more storage apparatuses provide a management computer with a first volume for storing data from the management computer, provide a host computer with a second volume for storing data from the host computer, and manage a volume address for the one or more storage apparatuses to manage the first volume and the second volume in the one or more storage apparatuses. The management computer issues a command specifying an arbitrary volume address to the one or more storage apparatuses, and designates, when receiving a normal response from the arbitrary volume address, a volume with the arbitrary volume address as the second volume.

Abstract: A management computer manages the pool application information that indicates a pool application for a pool and the application condition information that indicates the condition for the pool application. The management computer calculates an excess storage capacity based on a pool usage status for the pool. The management computer specifies a pool application for the pool and the condition for the pool application based on the pool application information and the application condition information. The management computer judges whether the specified condition is satisfied even in the case in which a storage area having a storage capacity equivalent to or less than the calculated excess storage capacity is deleted from the pool. In the case in which the result of the judgment is positive, the management computer defines a capacity equivalent to or less than the excess storage capacity as an unused capacity.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to provide a storage system and storage management method, which prevent a problem in the operation of stored data from being caused by unknown states of volume information and life information, when flash memories are placed in off-line mode and again placed in on-line mode.

Abstract: A computer system and method which stores path definition information including a storage ID, a volume ID, and validities of paths between a host computer and a first or second storage system identified by the storage ID for accessing a volume identified by the volume ID in one of the storage systems, sends an I/O request via the paths, based on the path definition information, receives information indicating the storage and volume IDs, and updates the path definition information. During initial copying from the second to the first volume, validity corresponding to a first path is set to “Invalid” and validity corresponding to a second path is set to “Valid”. After completion of initial copying, the validity corresponding to the first path included in the path definition information is changed to “Valid.

Abstract: The present invention provides a backup method that makes it possible to specify the recovery-enabled time of an application even in a case where a backup has been performed without staticizing the application. In response to a first instruction from a management computer, a storage system backs up a first volume to a second volume at a first time while a first host computer continues to process an application. In response to a second instruction from the management computer, a second host computer reads out the data of the second volume and acquires a second time that is the time at which the application is recovery-enabled. The management computer stores the relationship between the backup and the second time in backup catalog information.

Abstract: A computer system including a first storage system connected to a first host computer, a second storage system connected to a second host computer and a third storage system connected to the first and second storage systems. The second storage system sets transfer setting before an occurrence of a failure, the transfer setting being provided with a dedicated storage area to be used for transferring data to the third storage system by asynchronous copy in response to a failure at the first host computer. Before the start of data transfer between the second storage system and third storage system to be executed after an occurrence of the failure, the second storage system checks the dedicated storage area, data transfer line and transfer setting information, and if an abnormal state is detected, this abnormal state is reported to the host computer as information attached to the transfer setting.

Abstract: A remote copy system includes: a host computer; a first storage system connected to the host computer; and a second storage apparatus connected to the first storage system. At least one of the first storage system and the second storage system holds, in a storage part thereof, path information used for performing a remote copy of data therebetween. The host computer references the path information in the storage part; determines whether or not a path required for conducting an operation instructed by a user exists, based on at least one of a type of the remote copy and a direction of the path; and, if the required path does not exist, displays, on a display part, that the necessary path does not exist and why the necessary path does not exist.