Method of installing software on storage device controlling apparatus, method of controlling storage device controlling apparatus, and storage device controlling apparatus

• US 20040249920A1
• Filed: 01/13/2004
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takata, Yutaka, Ogasawara, Hiroshi, Kobayashi, Naotaka, Saika, Nobuyuki, Shikawa, Jinichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,305,670 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/64 Retargetable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus which includes at least one channel controller having a circuit board on which are formed a file access processing section receiving requests to input and output data in files as units from an information processing apparatus via a first network and an I/O processor outputting I/O requests corresponding to the requests to input and output data to a storage device; at least one disk controller executing input and output of data into and from the storage device in response to the I/O requests sent from the I/O processor; and a second network connecting the channel controller and the disk controller so as to be able to communicate with each other, the method comprises the step of writing software for enabling the file access processing section to function, into the storage device by communicating with the channel controller via the second network.

Claims

1. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus which includes

at least one channel controller having a circuit board on which are formed a file access processing section receiving requests to input and output data in files as units from an information processing apparatus via a first network and an I/O processor outputting I/O requests corresponding to said requests to input and output data to a storage device;

at least one disk controller executing input and output of data into and from said storage device in response to the I/O requests sent from said I/O processor; and

a second network coupling said channel controller and said disk controller so as to be able to communicate with each other,

said method comprising;

writing software for enabling said file access processing section to function, said software being written into said storage device by communicating with said channel controller via said second network.

3. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a storage area for storing the software for enabling said file access processing section of said channel controller to function is assigned in said storage device.

4. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said software for enabling said file access processing section to function is software for implementing a function of an operating system that provides a function of a file system.

5. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second network is coupled to a computer, and said software is written from said computer into said storage device by said channel controller communicating with said computer.

6. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second network is coupled to a computer, said method further comprising:

storing, by said computer, information for identifying at least one specific channel controller with which said computer is to perform said communication from among said at least one channel controller; and

writing said software from said computer into said storage device by said computer communicating with said at least one specific channel controller about which said information is stored in said computer.

11. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the software written into the storage device enables the channel controller to function in a way that enables a storage system in which the storage device controlling apparatus is disposed to function as a Network Attached Storage (NAS).

12. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the software written into the storage device comprises an operating system that enables the channel controller to function as a NAS channel controller.

19. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second network comprises an internal LAN in the storage device controlling apparatus.

20. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one channel controller and the at least one disk controller are further connected by a connecting section to a memory via a high-speed bus.

2. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus which includes

at least one channel controller having a circuit board on which are formed a file access processing section receiving requests to input and output data in files as units from an information processing apparatus via a first network and an I/O processor outputting I/O requests corresponding to said requests to input and output data to a storage device I/O;

at least one disk controller executing input and output of data into and from said storage device in response to the I/O requests sent from said I/O processor; and

a second network coupling said channel controller and said disk controller so as to be able to communicate with each other,

said method comprising;

writing a piece of firmware into each of nonvolatile memories provided for said channel controller and said disk controller via said second network.

7. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said pieces of firmware are sent from a computer coupled to said second network to said channel controller and said disk controller.

8. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said second network is coupled to a computer, said method further comprising:

storing, by said computer, information for identifying at least one specific channel controller and at least one specific disk controller with which said computer is to perform said communication from among said at least one channel controller and said at least one disk controller; and

writing said pieces of firmware from said computer into said at least one specific channel controller and said at least one specific disk controller by said computer communicating with said specific channel controller and said specific disk controller about which said information is stored in said computer.

13. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the firmware written into the nonvolatile memories of the channel controller and the disk controller enables the channel controller and the disk controller to function in a way that enables a storage system in which the storage device controlling apparatus is disposed to function as a Network Attached Storage (NAS).

14. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the firmware written into the nonvolatile memory of the channel controller comprises a microprogram for controlling the I/O processor of the channel controller.

15. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the firmware written into the nonvolatile memory of the disk controller comprises a microprogram for controlling a CPU of the disk controller.

16. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the firmware written into the nonvolatile memory of the channel controller comprises a loader and an installer used by the channel controller to install an operating system into storage device for enabling the file access processing section to function.

17. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising installing the operating system into the storage device for enabling the file access processing section to function as a NAS channel controller.

18. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising writing software for enabling the file access processing section to function, the software being written into the storage device by communicating with the channel controller via the second network.

21. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the second network comprises an internal LAN in the storage device controlling apparatus.

22. A method of installing software on a storage device controlling apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the at least one channel controller and the at least one disk controller are further connected by a connecting section to a memory via a high-speed bus.

9. (canceled)

10. (canceled)