Patents by Inventor Shunji Kawamura

Shunji Kawamura has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20120173802
    Abstract: A flash memory storage system has a plurality of flash memory devices comprising a plurality of flash memories, and a controller having an I/O processing control unit for accessing a flash memory device specified by a designated access destination in an I/O request received from an external device from among the plurality of flash memory devices. A parity group can be configured of flash memory devices having identical internal configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 8, 2012
    Publication date: July 5, 2012
    Inventors: Takashige IWAMURA, Kazuhisa Fujimoto, Yoshiaki Eguchi, Shunji Kawamura
  • Patent number: 8195865
    Abstract: A migration destination storage creates an expansion device for virtualizing a migration source logical unit. A host computer accesses an external volume by way of an access path of a migration destination logical unit, a migration destination storage, a migration source storage, and an external volume. After destaging all dirty data accumulated in the disk cache of the migration source storage to the external volume, an expansion device for virtualizing the external volume is mapped to the migration destination logical unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunji Kawamura, Yasutomo Yamamoto, Yoshiaki Eguchi
  • Publication number: 20120131287
    Abstract: The present invention efficiently changes a volume size while maintaining a copy pair as-is. A PVOL and a SVOL #1 are in a pair state and are synchronized. The PVOL and a SVOL #2 are in a restore state. Upon instruction of expansion of the size of the PVOL, the size of a copy-destination SVOL #1 is first expanded, the size of the PVOL is then expanded, and the size of the SVOL #2 is lastly expanded. In the case of a PSUS state, only the size of the PVOL is expanded, and the size of the SVOL is left as-is.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2010
    Publication date: May 24, 2012
    Inventors: Tadato Nishina, Kohei Tatara, Masayuki Yamamoto, Yoshiaki Eguchi, Shunji Kawamura, Akira Deguchi
  • Patent number: 8166235
    Abstract: A flash memory storage system has a plurality of flash memory devices comprising a plurality of flash memories, and a controller having an I/O processing control unit for accessing a flash memory device specified by a designated access destination in an I/O request received from an external device from among the plurality of flash memory devices. A parity group can be configured of flash memory devices having identical internal configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashige Iwamura, Kazuhisa Fujimoto, Yoshiaki Eguchi, Shunji Kawamura
  • Patent number: 8166241
    Abstract: Provided is a computer system including: a host computer; a first storage system connected to the host computer; and a second storage system connected to the first storage system; in which the first storage system sets a first logical volume recognized by the host computer as a logical storage area; the first logical volume includes a plurality of first storage areas; a first real storage area on the first disk drive is allocated to at least one of the first storage areas. In the computer system, the second storage system sets a second logical volume corresponding to the first logical volume, and the first storage system transmits data stored in the first storage area allocated to the first storage area to the second storage system when the first real storage area is allocated to the first storage area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Sadahiro Sugimoto, Kazuyoshi Serizawa, Yoshiaki Eguchi, Shunji Kawamura
  • Publication number: 20120072691
    Abstract: An externally-connected volume of a main storage is correlated to an AOU volume inside of an external storage. The AOU volume is allocated with a not-yet-used page in a pool in accordance with data writing. When a command is issued to the externally-connected volume for formatting or others, a first controller in the main storage converts the command into a format command or an area deallocation command with respect to the AOU volume in the external storage. As such, the external AOU volume is subjected to a write process in its entirety, thereby being able to prevent any unnecessary page allocation. With such a configuration, the storage system of the present invention can use pages in the pool with good efficiency.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 30, 2011
    Publication date: March 22, 2012
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunji Kawamura
  • Publication number: 20120011396
    Abstract: One code (a compressed redundant code) is created based on a plurality of first redundant codes, each created on the basis of a plurality of data units, and this compressed redundant code is written to a nonvolatile storage area. This compressed redundant code is used to restore either a data element constituting a multiple-failure data, or a first redundant code corresponding to the multiple-failure data, which is stored in an unreadable sub-storage area of a partially failed storage device, and to restore the data element constituting the multiple-failure data which is stored in a sub-storage area of a completely failed storage device, based on the restored either data element or first redundant code, and either another data element constituting the multiple-failure data or the first redundant code corresponding to the multiple-failure data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2011
    Publication date: January 12, 2012
    Inventors: Manabu KITAMURA, Junji Ogawa, Shunji Kawamura, Takao Sato, Naoto Matsunami, Shintaro Ito, Tomohiro Yoshihara, Takuji Ogawa
  • Patent number: 8090923
    Abstract: An externally-connected volume of a main storage is correlated to an AOU volume inside of an external storage. The AOU volume is allocated with a not-yet-used page in a pool in accordance with data writing. When a command is issued to the externally-connected volume for formatting or others, a first controller in the main storage converts the command into a format command or an area deallocation command with respect to the AOU volume in the external storage. As such, the external AOU volume is subjected to a write process in its entirety, thereby being able to prevent any unnecessary page allocation. With such a configuration, the storage system of the present invention can use pages in the pool with good efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shunji Kawamura
  • Publication number: 20110296101
    Abstract: A migration destination storage creates an expansion device for virtualizing a migration source logical unit. A host computer accesses an external volume by way of an access path of a migration destination logical unit, a migration destination storage, a migration source storage, and an external volume. After destaging all dirty data accumulated in the disk cache of the migration source storage to the external volume, an expansion device for virtualizing the external volume is mapped to the migration destination logical unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Publication date: December 1, 2011
    Inventors: Shunji KAWAMURA, Yasutomo Yamamoto, Yoshiaki Eguchi
  • Patent number: 8046549
    Abstract: In the storage controller of the present invention, different difference bitmaps are used for predetermined sections respectively, whereby the difference between the primary volume and the base volume is managed for each section, and the data are protected efficiently. The difference between the primary volume and the base volume is managed by using the difference bitmaps that are different for the respective sections. The journal data after a lapse of the targeted protection period are written to the base volume and then discarded. At the time of recovery, the difference bitmaps are merged to create a new difference bitmap, and the difference is copied from the base volume to the primary volume. Thereafter, the journal data up to the designated restoration point are written to the primary volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunji Kawamura, Hisao Homma
  • Publication number: 20110252197
    Abstract: A storage group configured by a plurality of storage devices is configured by a plurality of storage sub-groups, and the respective storage sub-groups are configured from two or more storage devices. A sub-group storage area, which is the storage area of the respective storage sub-groups, is configured by a plurality of rows of sub-storage areas. A data set, which is configured by a plurality of data elements configuring a data unit, and a second redundancy code created on the basis of this data unit, is written to a row of sub-storage areas, a compressed redundancy code is created on the basis of two or more first redundancy codes respectively created based on two or more data units of two or more storage sub-groups, and this compressed redundancy code is written to a nonvolatile storage area that differs from the above-mentioned two or more storage sub-groups.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Publication date: October 13, 2011
    Inventors: Yasuo WATANABE, Shunji Kawamura, Junji Ogawa
  • Patent number: 8037245
    Abstract: One code (a compressed redundant code) is created based on a plurality of first redundant codes, each created on the basis of a plurality of data units, and this compressed redundant code is written to a nonvolatile storage area. This compressed redundant code is used to restore either a data element constituting a multiple-failure data, or a first redundant code corresponding to the multiple-failure data, which is stored in an unreadable sub-storage area of a partially failed storage device, and to restore the data element constituting the multiple-failure data which is stored in a sub-storage area of a completely failed storage device, based on the restored either data element or first redundant code, and either another data element constituting the multiple-failure data or the first redundant code corresponding to the multiple-failure data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Manabu Kitamura, Junji Ogawa, Shunji Kawamura, Takao Sato, Naoto Matsunami, Shintaro Ito, Tomohiro Yoshihara, Takuji Ogawa
  • Publication number: 20110246731
    Abstract: Provided are a backup system and a backup method for backing up data written by a host into a logical volume provided by a storage system, wherein an update location in the logical volume updated by the host is managed, and the storage system is controlled to selectively back up the data written into the update location in the logical volume based on the management result of the update location. It is thereby possible to ensure a fast data read speed in the backup of raw volumes and an easy multiplatform backup, whereby a backup system and a backup method capable of performing backup efficiently are realized.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 18, 2009
    Publication date: October 6, 2011
    Inventors: Kenta Ninose, Shunji Kawamura
  • Patent number: 8015351
    Abstract: A migration destination storage creates an expansion device for virtualizing a migration source logical unit. A host computer accesses an external volume by way of an access path of a migration destination logical unit, a migration destination storage, a migration source storage, and an external volume. After destaging all dirty data accumulated in the disk cache of the migration source storage to the external volume, an expansion device for virtualizing the external volume is mapped to the migration destination logical unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunji Kawamura, Yasutomo Yamamoto, Yoshiaki Eguchi
  • Patent number: 7987329
    Abstract: A storage system is utilized to its fullest storage capacity by setting a write inhibitive attribute to a desired storage area of the storage system. The storage system has a logical volume in which data is stored and a control device which controls access to the data stored in the logical volume. A first area of a desired size is set in the logical volume, and an access control attribute is set to the first area. In response to a request made by a computer to perform access to the logical volume, the control device notifies the computer that the control device does not perform the access when an area designated by the access request contains at least a part of the first area and the access control attribute set to the first area inhibits the type of the access requested.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shunji Kawamura, Hisao Homma, Yasuyuki Nagasoe
  • Patent number: 7970995
    Abstract: A storage group configured by a plurality of storage devices is configured by a plurality of storage sub-groups, and the respective storage sub-groups are configured from two or more storage devices. A sub-group storage area, which is the storage area of the respective storage sub-groups, is configured by a plurality of rows of sub-storage areas. A data set, which is configured by a plurality of data elements configuring a data unit, and a second redundancy code created on the basis of this data unit, is written to a row of sub-storage areas, a compressed redundancy code is created on the basis of two or more first redundancy codes respectively created based on two or more data units of two or more storage sub-groups, and this compressed redundancy code is written to a nonvolatile storage area that differs from the above-mentioned two or more storage sub-groups.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasuo Watanabe, Shunji Kawamura, Junji Ogawa
  • Publication number: 20110119435
    Abstract: A flash memory storage system has a plurality of flash memory devices comprising a plurality of flash memories, and a controller having an I/O processing control unit for accessing a flash memory device specified by a designated access destination in an I/O request received from an external device from among the plurality of flash memory devices. A parity group can be configured of flash memory devices having identical internal configuration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2011
    Publication date: May 19, 2011
    Inventors: Takashige Iwamura, Kazuhisa Fujimoto, Yoshiaki Eguchi, Shunji Kawamura
  • Patent number: 7908447
    Abstract: A storage apparatus conducts, in a protection period, data protection processing for protecting, in a third logical volume, data stored in a first logical volume by using backup data stored in a second logical volume, and suspends the data protection processing in a no-protection period, during which backup relative to the second logical volume is suspended, in the protection period. Then, upon receiving an external order for restoring the first logical volume to its state as of at a time not in the no-protection period within the protection period, the storage apparatus restores the first logical volume to its state as of at a time of the order by using the data backed up in the second logical volume and the data protected in the third logical volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidenori Suzuki, Shunji Kawamura
  • Publication number: 20110060944
    Abstract: A migration destination storage creates an expansion device for virtualizing a migration source logical unit. A host computer accesses an external volume by way of an access path of a migration destination logical unit, a migration destination storage, a migration source storage, and an external volume. After destaging all dirty data accumulated in the disk cache of the migration source storage to the external volume, an expansion device for virtualizing the external volume is mapped to the migration destination logical unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2010
    Publication date: March 10, 2011
    Inventors: Shunji KAWAMURA, Yasutomo Yamamoto, Yoshiaki Eguchi
  • Patent number: 7899981
    Abstract: A flash memory storage system has a plurality of flash memory devices comprising a plurality of flash memories, and a controller having an I/O processing control unit for accessing a flash memory device specified by a designated access destination in an I/O request received from an external device from among the plurality of flash memory devices. A parity group can be configured of flash memory devices having identical internal configuration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takashige Iwamura, Kazuhisa Fujimoto, Yoshiaki Eguchi, Shunji Kawamura