Abstract: In an information processing system including a computer device, and a storage device storing data used by the computer device, the region in which the data is held is managed in association with a change, over the passage of time in the performance and availability required of the data holding region. The computer device includes a storage device managing unit for managing the storage device which stores data used by the computer device. The storage device managing unit periodically monitors temporal characteristics information, and moves data, if the storage region having functional characteristics corresponding to the temporal characteristics information is different from the storage region to which the data is currently assigned.

Abstract: A management system outputs catalog data, which has been created based on catalog-source data comprising data showing at least an application of a relevant resource with respect to each of multiple providable resources, and which shows the respective applications of the multiple resources, and receives a selection of a resource to be provided from the multiple resources. The management system provides the selected resource as a provided resource, and determines, based on a performance threshold configured with respect to the application of the provided resource, whether or not a performance measurement value, which relates to the processing performance of a network service using the provided resource and which can be monitored by the management system, is normal.

Abstract: When migrating a virtual server between a plurality of physical servers, a pre-migration connection relationship between the virtual server and a storage area used by the virtual server is maintained after the migration of the virtual server by using a cooperative mechanism between a plurality of storage apparatuses even if the storage area used by the virtual server is migrated between the plurality of storage apparatuses. A computer system and virtual server migration control method for the computer system is described.

Abstract: A computer system including a management computer for managing the entire system, an integral apparatus, and a high-level connecting device for connecting the management computer and the integral apparatus is designed so that the management computer retains integral apparatus internal configuration information, configuration information about an integral apparatus to be introduced, that indicates the configuration of the integral apparatus that may possibly be introduced to the system, and lifetime information indicating lifetime of the integral apparatus; obtains connectivity guarantee information indicating whether connectivity between the computer and the storage apparatus is guaranteed or not; selects an integral apparatus to be removed from the system by referring to the lifetime information; selects an integral apparatus to be introduced to the system by referring to the integral apparatus internal configuration information, the configuration information about the integral apparatus to be introduced, an

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide methods and apparatus for controlling data volume creation at the storage system. In one embodiment, a storage system comprises a processor; a memory; and a plurality of chunks that are to be allocated to data volumes, each chunk having one or more data blocks. The plurality of chunks include zero or more used chunks which are allocated to one or more data volumes, and zero or more remaining chunks which are not used chunks. A new data volume creation operation to create a new data volume is prohibited or warned against before the new data volume is created, in accordance with a total number of the remaining chunks in the storage system. The remaining chunks may further include reserved chunks which are reserved for use in one or more data volumes but have not been allocated.

Abstract: Since only one golden image (GI) of a snapshot can exist and is shared among a plurality of storage apparatuses, there was a problem that migration or copy thereof deteriorates the capacity efficiency and increases the cost for managing consistency. The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem by either (1) a direct sharing method of generating a parent-child relationship of snapshots among different storage apparatuses at the time of creating differential LUs from the GI or (2) a virtual sharing method of creating virtual LUs of the GI in the respective storage apparatuses and creating differential LUs of the snapshots from the created virtual LUs, using a storage virtualization function among a plurality of storage apparatuses.

Abstract: Data migration can be preformed between source and target storage subsystems without stopping exchanging data between a host computer and each of the storage subsystems. After a next access path, which should be set instead of a specific access path in an available state among access paths, is set between the host computer and a migration target logical unit via a host port and a target port, the status of the next access path is set to an available state and the status of the specific access path is set to an unavailable state. After the next access path is set to an available state, data is migrated from a migration source logical unit of the source storage subsystem to the migration target logical unit of the target storage subsystem.

Abstract: Proposed are a computer system and a performance assurance method capable of stabilizing the I/O performance of a plurality of logical partitions sharing a network path.

Abstract: A first computer is provided that executes a plurality of virtual machines (VMs), a storage device, and a second computer is provided that applies patches to OSs (operating systems) operating upon the VMs to the VMs. The storage device holds storage regions (golden images (GIs)) that store data of the OSs operating upon the VMs at certain time instants, a storage region that stores patches applied to the OSs of the VMs after those certain time instants, and snapshots of the GIs. Patches applied to the OSs of the VMs accessed in the snapshots are stored in the storage pool. The second computer selects, as a GI to be a source of acquisition of snapshots, a GI to which are applied patches of a combination that can be created from patches applied to the OS of some VM, and deletes patches that are patches applied to the selected GI, and that moreover, among the patches applied to that VM, are stored in the storage pool.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments of the invention provide protocols and interfaces for avoiding waste capacity allocation from the storage apparatus to plural pools. In one embodiment, a storage system comprises a processor; a memory; and a storage controller. The storage controller is configured to: receive a declare chunk size command with a pool identifier for a pool among a plurality of pools, the declare chunk size command specifying a desired chunk size at the pool; receive an allocate chunk command with a pool identifier for allocating a chunk to a logical volume; and provide chunks of different chunk sizes to different pools with different pool identifiers, according to the desired chunk sizes of different declare chunk size commands and in response to different allocate chunk commands.

Abstract: A computer system is provided that is capable of reducing an administrator's operational errors by connecting a new server to a SAN and automating a SAN boot setting, and capable of lightening the administrator's task of checking for a wrong connection by detecting a wrong connection made when a new server is connected to an SNW connection device. Once a new server connected to a PnP SAN starts with a boot program obtained from a boot management server, the new server transmits configuration information on the new server to a resource management server. In response to a request from the resource management server, a storage device refers to PnP SAN information to transmit SAN information on a storage network connection device to which the new server is connected. The resource management server determines to add the new server to a resource group on the basis of the SAN information and requirement information.

Abstract: A computer system including a management computer for managing the entire system, an integral apparatus, and a high-level connecting device for connecting the management computer and the integral apparatus is designed so that the management computer retains integral apparatus internal configuration information, configuration information about an integral apparatus to be introduced, that indicates the configuration of the integral apparatus that may possibly be introduced to the system, and lifetime information indicating lifetime of the integral apparatus; obtains connectivity guarantee information indicating whether connectivity between the computer and the storage apparatus is guaranteed or not; selects an integral apparatus to be removed from the system by referring to the lifetime information; selects an integral apparatus to be introduced to the system by referring to the integral apparatus internal configuration information, the configuration information about the integral apparatus to be introduced, an

Abstract: A computer system in an embodiment of this invention comprises a plurality of host computers in which a plurality of host programs are executed, a plurality of storage systems including a plurality of volumes provided to the plurality of host programs, and a management system. Each of the plurality of host programs is located at a port of a host computer. Each of the plurality of volumes is located at a port of a storage system. The management system obtains information on bandwidths of a plurality of paths included in a data communication network among the plurality of storage systems and the plurality of host computers. The management system determines priority levels of individual candidate ports for new location of at least either one of a first host program and a first volume with reference to the information.

Abstract: An aspect of the invention relates to a method of managing data location of plural files in a storage system having a mixed volume which includes plural pages having a fixed page size, the pages belonging to different tiers. The method comprises mapping pages of different tiers to storage devices of different speeds in the storage system, the storage devices including at least a high speed storage device corresponding to a high tier page and a low speed storage device corresponding to a low tier page; and for each file that is a large file which is larger in size than the page size, performing sub-file tiered management on the large file to assign the large file among pages of different tiers according to access characteristics of different portions of the large file by matching the access characteristics of each portion of the large file with a corresponding tier of the assigned page of the mixed volume.

Abstract: A storage system allocates a data storage area in response to an access request from a first computer if the capacity of a first physical storage device configuring a first logical storage area, provided to the first computer, is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold. The storage system associates the first logical storage area with another physical storage device, which is different from the first physical storage device associated with a second logical storage area provided to the first computer and a second computer, and allocates a data storage area from the another physical storage device if the capacity of the first physical storage device associated with the first logical storage area exceeds the predetermined threshold.

Abstract: Since only one golden image (GI) of a snapshot can exist and is shared among a plurality of storage apparatuses, there was a problem that migration or copy thereof deteriorates the capacity efficiency and increases the cost for managing consistency. The present invention solves the above-mentioned problem by either (1) a direct sharing method of generating a parent-child relationship of snapshots among different storage apparatuses at the time of creating differential LUs from the GI or (2) a virtual sharing method of creating virtual LUs of the GI in the respective storage apparatuses and creating differential LUs of the snapshots from the created virtual LUs, using a storage virtualization function among a plurality of storage apparatuses.

Abstract: Provided is a method of using a dynamic chunk allocation function to efficiently carry out data volume migration. A storage apparatus according to the present invention includes first and second storage units and divides a storage extent in the second storage unit into chunks to add the chunks to a chunk pool to dynamically allocate the chunks in the chunk pool to a newly created logical data volume (see FIG. 3).

Abstract: A storage system comprises one or more pool volumes having chunks for storing data; one or more primary volumes; writable snapshots as virtual volumes for each primary volume which is a common ancestor of the writable snapshots, each primary volume and corresponding writable snapshots being members forming a snapshot group; and a storage controller which includes a processor, a memory storing, for each snapshot group, group information of the members within the snapshot group, and a deduplication module. The deduplication module may identify a snapshot group for deduplication based on the group information and perform deduplication of data for the identified snapshot group in a deduplication area, or perform deduplication of data in a deduplication area which is specified based on the group information of a snapshot group being generated in the storage system.

Abstract: Data migration can be preformed between source and target storage subsystems without stopping exchanging data between a host computer and each of the storage subsystems. After a next access path, which should be set instead of a specific access path in an available state among access paths, is set between the host computer and a migration target logical unit via a host port and a target port, the status of the next access path is set to an available state and the status of the specific access path is set to an unavailable state. After the next access path is set to an available state, data is migrated from a migration source logical unit of the source storage subsystem to the migration target logical unit of the target storage subsystem.

Abstract: A management apparatus has a control unit for realizing a management function through a comprehensive process of characteristic information of a storage apparatus, a connecting apparatus and a computer. The management apparatus also has an interface for receiving characteristic information from the storage apparatus, connecting apparatus and computer, depending on the standard protocol among the management apparatus, storage apparatus, connecting apparatus and computer. Moreover, an integrated management apparatus is also provided for integrated management based on the result of realization of a plurality of management functions. This integrated management apparatus includes an interface for receiving the result of realization of the management function from the management apparatus, depending on the standard protocol between the management apparatus and integrated management apparatus.