Storage system, storage device and information common sharing method by utilizing storage device

• US 20040024909A1
• Filed: 08/23/2002
• Published: 02/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kaneda, Yasunori, Yumoto, Kazuma, Tanigawa, Keiko
• Granted Patent: US 7,318,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• 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 3/0659 Command handling arrangements, e.g. command buffers, queues, command scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

The storage device is provided with a synchronization controller to realize synchronization control of information for the other storage devices when information is updated. This synchronization controller is further provided with a synchronization level registration table for registration and management of synchronization levels for every class of information and a synchronization interval registration table for registration and management of synchronization intervals of information pieces for the synchronization levels. Consequently, a load of communications may be alleviated by realizing common sharing/synchronization of information pieces among different systems and particularly by realizing loose common sharing/synchronization of information pieces depending on the characteristics of the information.

Claims

1. A storage system in the first and second storage systems for exchange of updated information, having user terminals, a server for management of the terminals and storage devices for storing information from said server,

comprising a synchronization controller for notifying said updated information transmitted from said server of said first storage system to said storage devices of said second storage system and controlling the synchronization of information between the storage devices.

2. A storage system according to claim 1, wherein said synchronization controller confirms a class of information based on the content of said updated information and notifies said updated information to said storage devices of said second storage system depending on the setting condition preset for said class of information.

3. A storage system according to claim 2, wherein said setting condition is a synchronization interval time preset corresponding to a synchronization level and said synchronization controller controls the timing for notifying said updated information to said storage devices of said second storage system based on said synchronization interval time.

4. A storage device connected to a network system provided with a plurality of client terminals and servers for the client terminals,

said storage device including a synchronization controller,

wherein said synchronization controller controls synchronization of information between the storage devices by notifying the updated information to be transmitted from said servers to the other storage devices in said system.

5. A storage device according to claim 4,

wherein said storage device is further provided with a communication controller, a data input/output and a data recorder, and

wherein said communication controller receives the updated information transmitted from said servers and the other storage devices of said system and transmits the information to said servers in response to the request from said servers.

6. A storage device according to claim 5,

wherein said data input/output writes the information received by said communication controller from said servers and reads the information requested from said servers via said communication controller, and

wherein said data recorder records the information transmitted from said servers and the other storage devices via said data input/output.

7. A storage device according to claim 4, wherein the synchronization timing for notifying said updated information to said other storage devices is controlled by setting the synchronization interval for a class of information.

8. A storage device according to claim 7, wherein said synchronization timing is controlled by setting the synchronization level for said class of information and also setting the synchronization interval for the synchronization level for notifying said updated information to said other storage devices.

9. A storage device according to claim 8, wherein the monitor of passage of time for said synchronization interval is performed for the updated information, in unit of class of information uniformly or in unit of synchronization level uniformly.

10. A storage device according to claim 4,

wherein the information to be processed in the instant message system corresponding to one of the network systems is considered as the object of said updated information, and

wherein the process of said updated information is executed simultaneously with the recording of information and processes between the other storage devices.

11. An information common sharing method utilizing storage devices connected to the network system providing a plurality of client terminals and including servers provided for the client terminals, said method comprising the steps of;

updating the presence information of users by said client terminals;

transferring said presence information being updated to said storage devices by said servers; and

notifying said presence information by a synchronization control unit provided in said storage devices to other storage devices provided in said system after receiving said presence information being updated.

12. An information common sharing method according to claim 11, wherein said step of notifying includes the steps of:

monitoring said updated presence information transmitted from said servers or the other storage devices by said synchronization control unit; and

confirming a class of information at the time of receiving said updated presence information.

13. An information common sharing method according to claim 12, further including the steps of:

notifying said updated presence information to the other storage devices at the synchronization notifying destination to which the updated presence information should be notified, when said class of information is set to the real-time synchronization; and

performing monitoring with a timer for said updated presence information based on the synchronization interval management table provided in said synchronization control unit, when said class of information is not set to the real-time synchronization.

14. An information common sharing method according to claim 13, wherein in said step of performing, said synchronization control unit notifies said updated presence information to said synchronization notifying destination when the synchronization interval time preset in said synchronization interval time management table has come.