Storage system and control method therefor

• US 10,452,321 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2015
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Hayasaka, Mitsuo, Matsubara, Kazumasa, Takada, Masanori, Yoshii, Yoshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hiep T
• Application Number:
  US15/537,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20170344313A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2015 Redundant power supplies power supply failure G06F1/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2058 using more than 2 mirrored copies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2084 on the same storage unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/08 from or to individual record carriers, e.g. punched card , memory card, integrated circuit [IC] card or smart card

Abstract

A storage system has a cluster structure in which a node is connected with a different node, the node having a volatile memory for storing first update data from a host and a first non-volatile memory for storing second copy data of second update data from the host to the different node, and having a copy management processing unit for storing first copy data of the first update data into a second non-volatile memory of the different node, and a storage service processing unit for transmitting, to the host, a response with respect to an update request of the first update data in response to the storage of the first copy data of the first update data by the copy management processing unit into the second non-volatile memory of the different node.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising a node and a different node coupled to the node,

wherein the node includes a memory, having a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory, for storing first update data from a host and for storing second update data sent from the host to the different node, a replication management processing unit for storing the first update data in a non-volatile memory of said different node, and a storage service processing unit for transmitting a response to an update request of the first update data to the host,

wherein the node, stores the first update data in said volatile memory,

wherein, when the different node is in a non-operating state, the node stores the first update data stored in the volatile memory of the node to the non-volatile memory of the node or a storage device coupled to the node, and sends the response to the host, and

wherein, when the different node is in an operating state, the node stores the first update data stored in said volatile memory to the non-volatile memory of said different node, sends the response to the host, and stores the first update data in the storage device without storing the first update data in the non-volatile memory of the node.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the storage system is capable of changing the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory by battery backup, and

when the storage system detects the different node is not in operation, the storage system increases the non-volatile memory of the node by the battery backup.

3. A storage system comprising a node and a different node coupled with the node,

the node includes, a memory having a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory, for storing a first update data from a host and for storing second update data from the host to the different node,

a replication management processing unit for storing the first update data in a non-volatile memory of said different node, and

a storage service processing unit for transmitting a response to the update request of the first update data to the host,

wherein the node:

stores the first update data in the volatile memory,

in case where the different node is in a non-operating state, stores the first update data stored in the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory of the node, and sends the response to the host,

in case where a failure occurs in the node before storing the first update data to a storage device coupled to the node, after returning normal state, stores the first update data stored in the non-volatile memory of the node to the storage device,

in case where the different node is in an operating state, stores the first update data stored in the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory of the different node, sends the response to the host,

in case where a failure occurs in the node before storing the first update data to the storage device, stores the first update data stored in the different node to the storage device.

4. A storage method in a storage system having a node and a different node coupled to the node, the node including a memory having a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory, the storage method comprising:

storing, by the node, first update data of an update request from a host in the volatile memory of the node;

storing, by the node, second update data sent from the host to the different node;

when the different node is in a non-operating state, storing, by the node, the first update data stored in the volatile memory of the node to the non-volatile memory of the node or a storage device coupled to the node, and sending a response to the update request to the host; and

when the different node is in an operating state, storing, by the node, the first update data stored in a non-volatile memory to the non-volatile memory of said different node, sending the response to the host, and storing the first update data in the storage device without storing the first update data in the non-volatile memory of the node.

5. The storage method according to claim 4, wherein the storage system is capable of changing the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory by battery backup, and

when the storage system detects the different node is not in the operating state, the storage system increases the non-volatile memory of the node by the battery backup.

6. A storage method in a storage system having a node and a different node coupled with the node, the node including a memory having a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory, the storage method comprising:

storing, by the node, first update data of an update request from a host in the volatile memory of the node;

storing, by the node, second update data sent from the host to the different node;

in case where the different node is in a non-operating state, storing, by the node, the first update data stored in the volatile memory to the non-volatile memory of the node, and sending a response to the update request to the host;

in case where a failure occurs in the node before storing the first update data to a storage device coupled to the node, storing, after the node returns to a normal state, the first update data stored in the non-volatile memory of the node to the storage device,

in case where the different node is in an operating state, storing, by the first node, the first update data stored in the volatile memory to a non-volatile memory of the different node, and sending the response to the host,

in case where a failure occurs in the node before storing the first update data to the storage device, storing, by the node, the first update data stored in the different node to the storage device.