Abstract: On the screen of a computer, a server, a storage device and an FC switch are virtually provided and these devices are connected by a physical path. When an instance is generated in the server and the instance is dragged/dropped into the storage device, both the command to establish a multipath and the command to acquire a data area corresponding to the instance in the storage device are automatically generated. These commands are transmitted to the respective devices of an actually configured storage system.

Abstract: An input/output request sent from a host is once cued through a channel adapter and is then transferred to a resource manager and is cued, and the cuing is distributed. Even if sequential input/output requests of the host are separated through a distribution processing to a plurality of paths, they are recognized on the device controller side and a countermeasure is taken. In the case in which a path from the host to the device controller is caused to be redundant into an operation system and a standby system, a path confirmation command is issued to the device drivers of a standby system path in order to confirm that the standby system path is normally operated or not.

Abstract: In a multi-path computer system, a host apparatus and devices are connected via a plurality of paths, recorded therein. From channel adapters of the devices, device information of said devices, area information corresponding to a plurality of accessible areas, channel-adapter number information in said devices, and/or component exchange-unit information in said device are obtained. Properness of the plurality of paths is determined from access path information and identification information comprising the device information and area information. Identification information is determined, concerning an error path, comprising the device information and channel-adapter number information, to the other multi-path control parts of its own apparatus or the multi-path control parts of the other apparatuses, when detecting the error path.

Abstract: A management device creates transmission path connection information from device information which it collects from individual devices. If the management device is notified of a faulty device from a managed device, it identify a transmission path containing the faulty device and causes the server, which accesses data stored in the storage through the transmission path, to stop using the transmission path. To deal with devices not having the failure notice function, the management device can cause individual devices to present device information on a regular basis and detect a faulty device from the received device information. When the transmission path is restored to proper working condition, the management device is notified of the restored path and automatically causes to the server to start using that transmission path. Note that the functions performed by the management device can also be provided as programs.

Abstract: The present invention provides a storage service method to be adopted in a storage apparatus managing storage devices, that a server accesses to store information, a storage service program thereof and a storage apparatus thereof. First, access volume information indicating the volume of accesses to a storage apparatus of the server is obtained, and then, a storage service fee to be charged to the server is calculated based on the obtained access volume information. Thus, a rental fee can be charged in accordance with actually used storage capacity.

Abstract: The present invention provides a storage service method adopted in a storage apparatus managing storage devices that a server accesses to store information, a storage service program thereof and a storage apparatus thereof. When a server accesses a device file that is related to a storage device in advance, access to the storage device corresponding to the device file is detected, and then a storage service fee to be charged against the server is calculated based on the detection of the access to the storage device. Thus, a storage capacity that a client wants can be easily secured, and simultaneously a rental fee can be charged in accordance with the actually used storage capacity.

Abstract: According to the present invention, an input/output controller connected between an interface connection port of an information processing apparatus and a network device so as to connect the information processing apparatus and a network includes an identification number obtaining part obtaining an identification number unique to the network device, a port number obtaining part obtaining a port number from the interface connection port of the information processing apparatus, and an identification information generation part generating identification information on the network from the identification number and the port number.

Abstract: A disc array device for maintaining consistency of data. When write processing is interrupted and then restarted, new data may be stored in a nonvolatile memory and regeneration of parity may be impossible because data can not be read out normally from a disc device other than a disc device in which new data is to be written and a disk device for parity. In such a case, a special write executing unit overwrites the new data stored in the nonvolatile memory at a specified write position of the disk device in which new data is to be written.

Abstract: An input/output request sent from a host is once cued through a channel adapter and is then transferred to a resource manager and is cued, and the cuing is distributed. Even if sequential input/output requests of the host are separated through a distribution processing to a plurality of paths, they are recognized on the device controller side and a countermeasure is taken. In the case in which a path from the host to the device controller is caused to be redundant into an operation system and a standby system, a path confirmation command is issued to the device drivers of a standby system path in order to confirm that the standby system path is normally operated or not. When the issuance of the input/output request is transferred to another path, a command for releasing the reserve of a transfer path is issued from another path.

Abstract: In a multi-path computer system, a host apparatus and devices are connected via a plurality of paths, recorded therein. From channel adapters of the devices, device information of said devices, area information corresponding to a plurality of accessible areas, channel-adapter number information in said devices, and/or component exchange-unit information in said device are obtained. Properlity of the plurality of paths is determined from access path information and identification information comprising the device information and area information. Identification information is informed, concerning an error path, comprising the device information and channel-adapter number information, to the other multi-path control parts of the own apparatus or the multi-path control parts of the other apparatuses, when detecting the error path.

Abstract: When write processing once interrupted is restarted, if new data is stored in a nonvolatile memory 34 and regeneration of parity is impossible because data can not be read out normally from a third disk device (for instance 32-2) other than a disk device (for instance 32-1) in which new data is to be written and a disk device (for instance 32-5) for parity, a data writing unit 113 in a special write executing unit 110 overwrites the new data stored in the nonvolatile memory 34 at a specified write position of an appropriate disk device (for instance 32-1).

Abstract: An integrated management mechanism of a storage area network (SAN) integrates and manages a traditionally dispersed security system from a single source and automates security management in the SAN. The integrated management mechanism integrates and manages the SAN, and is configured so that access relationships of the host computers and the storage devices of the SAN are managed using the integrated management mechanism. An access path on the integrated management mechanism, including a region of the storage devices to which access is attempted from the host computer, the fiber channel adapters used when accessing that storage, and the host bus adapters (HBA) are configured. Based on the access path information configured, the integrated management mechanism establishes respective storage settings, zoning settings, and accessible region permissions for a SAN management mechanism of the host computer, a zoning settings mechanism of the switch, and a storage management mechanism of the storage device.

Abstract: In a device array system, a failure alternate device is fetched from another logic group of a higher redundancy without needing a hot spare patrol, accordingly recovering redundancy of data. In a case corresponding to a mirrored device of RAID-1, as a logic group of a device array unit, a construction control unit constructs a first logic group in which the same data is stored into (N=2) devices and duplicated and a second logic group in which the same data is stored into (N+1=3) devices and triplicated. when one device has failed in the first logic group having a lower redundancy and the redundancy is lost, a failure processing unit fetches one device from the second logic group of a higher redundancy into the first logic group and reconstructs data by using the fetched device as a failure alternate device, accordingly recovering the redundancy of the first logic group.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a disc array apparatus assuring that even if contradiction is detected in matching of parity data during a read parity check, correct host data is Restructured and can always be transferred to the host. The disc array apparatus of the present invention is particularly applicable to disc drives in the RAID configuration. For example, in a disc array apparatus of the present invention implementing RAID level 3, the disc array apparatus adds CRC data to data transferred from a host computer, divides the data, generates parity from the divided data, and stores the data and the parity data into the disc drives. During a read operation, the disc array apparatus of the present invention executes a read parity check.

Abstract: A parity which is used to a disk array is formed by using a cache memory. A storing method of the cache memory is classified into three methods such that: only data is stored; only redundant information is stored; and both of the data and the redundant information are stored. Even when a power source is shut off during the data writing process, the processing stages of the data writing and parity updating and the necessary data are stored into a non-volatile memory and are used for recovery.

Abstract: A disk cache operation which was optimized so as to adapted to an operation form of the user and a disk array is executed. A cache mechanism is provided for each of two sets of controllers and can be made operative in either one of the reliability significance mode for storing the same data into each system, the performance significance mode for independently storing data every system, and the average mode of both of said modes. A cache process in which a disk array which operates in RAID0, RAID1, RAID3, or RAID5 is set to a target is efficiently executed. Effective data is prepared on a cache block so as to enable an access like RAID3 such that a parity can be calculated without needing to read the disk even in the operation of RAID5.

Abstract: A parity which is used to a disk array is formed by using a cache memory. A storing method of the cache memory is classified into three methods such that: only data is stored; only redundant information is stored; and both of the data and the redundant information are stored. In order to save processing time, a new set of redundant information (or parity data) is not calculated for every data update. Instead, the new parity data is only calculated after there have been a predetermined number of data updates. In addition, even when a power source is shut off during the data writing process, the processing stages of the data writing and parity updating and the necessary data are stored into a non-volatile memory and are used for recovery.

Abstract: A disk cache operation which was optimized so as to adapted to an operation form of the user and a disk array is executed. A cache mechanism is provided for each of two sets of controllers and can be made operative in either one of the reliability significance mode for storing the same data into each system, the performance significance mode for independently storing data every system, and the average mode of both of said modes. A cache process in which a disk array which operates in RAID0, RAID1, RAID3, or RAID5 is set to a target is efficiently executed. Effective data is prepared on a cache block so as to enable an access like RAID3 such that a parity can be calculated without needing to read the disk even in the operation of RAID5.