Storage system and method using interface control devices of different types

• US 20050033915A1
• Filed: 09/02/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sonoda, Koji, Kitamura, Manabu, Matsunami, Naoto, Yokohata, Shizuo
• Granted Patent: US 7,231,491 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2089 Redundant storage control functionality
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• 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 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of 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 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: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A storage has NAS and SAN functions and a high degree of freedom to configure a system to reduce the management and operation cost. The storage includes a plurality of interface slots in which a plurality of interface controllers can be installed, a block I/O interface controller which has SAN functions and which can be installed in the slot, a file I/O interface controller which has NAS functions and which can be installed in the slots, a storage capacity pool including a plurality of disk devices accessible from the interface controllers, and a storage capacity pool controller to control the storage capacity pool.

Claims

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17. A storage system, comprising:

a plurality of interface control devices each of which is coupled to a client computer; and

a plurality of disk devices coupled to said plurality of interface control devices;

wherein storage areas in said plurality of disk devices are divided into a plurality of pools based on characteristic of said storage areas, at least one storage area in one of the pools being assigned to each of said interface control devices, each storage area in said plurality of pools being accessed via the interface control device to which the storage area is assigned.

18. A storage system according to claim 17, further comprising a memory unit storing disk pool information indicating an assignment between each storage area in said plurality of pools and each of said interface control devices,

wherein each storage areas in said plurality of pools is accessed via one of the interface control devices according to said disk pool information.

19. A storage system according to claim 18, wherein each of said interface control devices obtains information about a storage area, which is assigned to the interface control device, from said disk pool information in said memory unit, and recognizes the assigned storage area.

20. A storage system according to claim 17, wherein one of said interface control devices is a channel adapter board of a file I/O interface and another one of said interface control devices is a channel adapter board of a block I/O interface.

21. A storage system according to claim 17, wherein one of said plurality of pools comprises a shared storage area, which is assigned to a plurality of the interface control devices.

22. A storage system according to claim 21, wherein attribute information indicating sharing condition of the shared storage area is set in said storage system.

23. A storage system according to claim 22, wherein attribute information of a storage area depends on sharing condition of a storage pool comprising said storage area.

24. A storage system according to claim 17, wherein attribute information of each of the plurality of storage areas is set in said storage system, and wherein said attribute information depends on attribute information of a pool comprising said plurality of storage areas.

25. A storage system according to claim 24, wherein said attribute information indicates sharing condition of each of the plurality of storage areas between the interface control devices.

26. A storage system according to claim 25, wherein said plurality of interface control devices include different types of interface control devices, and said attributed information indicates sharing condition of each of the plurality of storage areas between the different type interface control devices.

27. A storage system according to claim 24, wherein said attribute information indicates access permission condition for users.