Method for storage management of storage resource on a storage network

• US 20030084076A1
• Filed: 02/06/2002
• Published: 05/01/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kaneda, Yasunori, Miyazaki, Satoshi, Sekiguchi, Shihoko
• Granted Patent: US 7,107,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/919 Geographic
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A storage resource operation managing method in a storage network arranged by a node for transmitting an access request via a network to a storage and by a plurality of storage groups which receive the access request so as to execute a content of the access request includes the following steps, a logical distance defined from the node to the storage resource is acquired, alternatively, geographical distances among the respective storage resources are acquired, alternatively, in such a case that both the logical distance and the geographical distance are acquired, requests with respect to the respective distances are acquired, and a storage resource is selected, an acquired requirement range is entered into a selection factor so as to select a desirable storage resource.

Claims

1. A storage resource operation managing method in a storage network arranged by a node for transmitting an access request via a network to a storage and by a storage group constituted by at least one storage resource which receives said access request so as to execute a content of the access request, comprising the steps of:

acquiring at least one of a logical distance and a geographical distance from at least one of, said node and said storage resource contained in said storage group, and said storage resources contained in said storage group;

acquiring from said node, a requirement range with respect to at least one of said logical distances and said geographical distances; and

selecting at least one storage resource for executing the access request issued from said node from said storage group, while at least one of said requirement range with respect to said logical distance and said requirement range with respect to said geographical distance is set as a selecting condition.

2. A storage resource operation managing method as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

as said storage resource selecting condition, at least one storage resource is selected which is located within said requirement range of at least one of said logical distance and said geographical distance.

3. A storage resource operation managing method as claimed in claim 2 wherein:

within at least one storage resource located in said requirement range, at least such one storage resource is selected whose at least one of said logical distance and said geographical distance is closer than those of other storage resources.

4. A storage resource operation managing method as claimed in claim 2 wherein:

within at least one storage resource located in said requirement range, at least such one storage resource is selected, the geographic distance of which is far from the geographical distance of another storage resource.

5. A storage resource operation managing method as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

in such a case that the storage resource located within said requirement range is not present within said storage group, such a storage resource is selected whose at least one of said logical distance and said geographical distance is closer than those of another storage resource from said storage group.

6. A storage resource operation managing method as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

in such a case that the storage resource located within said requirement range is not present within said storage group, such a storage resource is newly added whose at least one of said logical distance and said geographical distance is located within said requirement range.

7. A storage resource operation managing method as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

with respect to at least a first storage resource contained in said storage group,

a requirement range with respect to a geographical distance from said first storage resource is acquired;

a second storage resource is selected from said storage group located within the requirement range with respect to said geographical distance from said first storage resource, or a second storage within the requirement range with respect to said geographical distance from said first storage resource;

copied data as to at least a data portion of such data stored in said first storage resource is stored into said second storage resource; and

in the case that an occurrence of a trouble of said first storage resource is detected, the access request issued from said node, which is transmitted to said first storage resource, is executed with respect to said copied data of the data stored in said second storage resource.

8. A storage resource operation managing method as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

in such a case that a geographical location of said node is changed from a first setting position to a second setting position, a judgement is made as to whether or not a logical distance defined from said node set at the second setting position up to such a storage resource which executes an access request transmitted by said node is located within said requirement range; and

when the logical distance from said second setting position is located within said requirement range, the data stored in said storage resource is not moved into another storage resource.

9. In a storage network which is arranged by a node for transmitting an access request via a network to a storage;

a storage group constituted by at least one storage resource which receives said access request so as to execute a content of the access request; and

a management server,

said management server comprising;

means for acquiring at least one of a logical distance and a geographical distance from at least one of, said node and said storage resource contained in said storage group, and said storage resources contained in said storage group;

means for acquiring from said node, a requirement range with respect to at least one of said logical distances and said geographical distance; and

means for selecting at least one storage resource for executing the access request issued from said node from said storage group, while at least one of said requirement range with respect to said logical distance and said requirement range with respect to said geographical distance is set as a selecting condition.