Method of creating a storage area and storage device

• US 20040215879A1
• Filed: 05/17/2004
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Muraoka, Kenji, Mizuno, Yoichi, Oeda, Takashi, Mimatsu, Yasuyuki, Matsunami, Naoto
• Application Number:
  US10/848,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20040215879A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage 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: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management

Abstract

An administrator is required to prepare in advance LU as a pool area when a user storage area is set to a storage. LU configuration is generally cumbersome and it is not easy for a general user to configure it. A pool manager 1 and a storage 1 setting utility in a management console 1 communicate with a program in a storage 1. The storage 1 sets a pool area having a designated capacity. In response to a volume forming request from the management console 1, the storage 1 sets a designated volume by setting the designated volume as a used capacity of the set pool area. When a volume is formed, a policy is designated to select a storage area having a corresponding attribute from the pool area.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A computer program stored on a computer readable medium for setting a logical storage area in a storage system comprising:

code for receiving setting conditions from a management consol coupled to said storage system;

code for checking whether or not a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in said storage system;

code for defining a logical storage area that meets the received setting conditions if a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in said storage system; and

code for sending a completion notification from said storage system to said management consol, the completion notification indicating that the definition of the logical storage area has been completed.

17. A computer program according to claim 16

wherein said storage system comprises a storage pool comprising plural storage areas, and said computer program comprises:

code for checking whether or not a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in the storage pool; and

code for setting a logical storage area to the storage pool if the storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in the storage pool.

18. A computer program according to claim 17, wherein said setting conditions includes capacity of the logical storage area.

19. A computer program according to claim 17, wherein said setting conditions includes a RAID group.

20. A computer program according to claim 17, wherein said storage system comprises a pool management information for maintaining attribute of each of said plural storage areas included in said storage pool, and

said computer program comprises:

code for checking whether or not a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in the storage pool by referring to said pool management information.

21. A computer program according to claim 20, further comprising:

code for updating said pool management information after setting a logical storage area to the storage pool.

22. A computer program according to claim 20, further comprising:

code for sending attribute of each of said plural storage areas included in said storage poll from said storage system to said management consol;

code for setting a policy name to each of said plural storage areas included in said storage pool according to the received attribute;

code for receiving a policy name;

code for sending setting conditions corresponding to the received policy name to said storage system.

23. A computer program according to claim 16, wherein said storage system comprises plural storage pools each of which comprises plural storage areas, and said setting conditions includes information for designating one of said plural storage polls, and

said computer program further comprises

code for checking whether or not a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in a storage pool designated by said information for designating one of said plural storage pools;

and

code for setting a logical storage area to the storage pool designated by said information for designating one of said plural storage pools, if the storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in the storage pool.

24. A computer program according to claim 23,

wherein said information for designating one of said plural storage pools is an identifier of a pool manager included in a management consol, said storage system receives setting conditions from said pool manager,

wherein each of said plural storage pools corresponds to one of pool managers included in at least one management consol,

and said computer program further comprises:

code for selecting one of said plural storage pools for setting a logical storage area according to the identifier of a pool manager.

25. A computer program according to claim 24,

wherein said storage system includes pool management tables each of which includes attribute of plural storage areas in a corresponding storage pool, and said computer program comprises:

code for checking whether or not a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in a storage pool corresponding to a pool manager designated by the received identifier of a pool manager by referring a pool management table of a storage pool corresponding to a pool manager designated by the received identifier of a pool manager.

26. A computer program according to claim 16,

wherein said storage system includes plural storage areas included in a storage pool and plural storage areas not included in a storage pool, and said computer program comprises:

code for checking whether or not a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in said storage poll; and

code for setting a logical storage area to the storage pool if the storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in the storage pool.

27. A storage system, comprising;

a plurality of disk drives to store data;

a network interface coupling the storage system to a network;

a computer readable medium including a computer program for setting a logical storage area in said storage system, the computer program comprising;

code for receiving setting conditions from a management consol coupled to said storage system;

code for checking whether or not a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in said storage system;

code for defining a logical storage area that meets the received setting conditions if a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in said storage system; and

code for sending a completion notification from said storage system to said management consol, the completion notification indicating that the definition of the logical storage area has been completed.

28. A storage system according to claim 27, wherein said storage system comprises a storage pool comprising plural storage areas, and said computer program comprises:

code for checking whether or not a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in the storage pool; and

code for setting a logical storage area to the storage pool if the storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in the storage pool.

29. A storage system according to claim 28, wherein said setting conditions includes capacity of the logical storage area.

30. A storage system according to claim 28, wherein said setting conditions includes a RAID group.

31. A storage system according to claim 28, wherein said storage system comprises a pool management information for maintaining attribute of each of said plural storage areas included in said storage pool, and said computer program comprises:

code for checking whether or not a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in the storage pool by referring to said pool management information.

32. A storage system according to claim 31, the program further comprising:

code for updating said pool management information after setting a logical storage area to the storage pool.

33. A storage system according to claim 27, wherein said storage system comprises plural storage pools each of which comprises plural storage areas, and said setting conditions includes information for designating one of said plural storage polls, and said computer program further comprises

code for checking whether or not a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in a storage pool designated by said information for designating one of said plural storage pools;

and

code for setting a logical storage area to the storage pool designated by said information for designating one of said plural storage pools, if the storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in the storage pool.

34. A storage system according to claim 33 wherein said information for designating one of said plural storage pools is an identifier of a pool manager included in a management consol, said storage system receives setting conditions from said pool manager, wherein each of said plural storage pools corresponds to one of pool managers included in at least one management consol, and said computer program further comprises:

code for selecting one of said plural storage pools for setting a logical storage area according to the identifier of a pool manager.

35. A storage system according to claim 34

wherein said storage system includes pool management tables each of which includes attribute of plural storage areas in a corresponding storage pool, and said computer program comprises:

code for checking whether or not a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in a storage pool corresponding to a pool manager designated by the received identifier of a pool manager by referring a pool management table of a storage pool corresponding to a pool manager designated by the received identifier of a pool manager.

36. A storage system according to claim 27, wherein said storage system includes plural storage areas included in a storage pool and plural storage areas not included in a storage pool, and said computer program comprises:

code for checking whether or not a storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in said storage poll; and

code for setting a logical storage area to the storage pool if the storage area meeting the received setting conditions exists in the storage pool.