Address management device

• US 20050050256A1
• Filed: 10/20/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Maki, Nobuhiro, Iwami, Naoko
• Granted Patent: US 7,159,045 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/1
• 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 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0664 at device level, e.g. emulation of a storage device or system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Conventionally, when a switch virtualizing a storage (storage virtualization switch) is installed in a computer system including an SAN, a host computer, and a storage device, since a port ID of a virtual storage and a port ID of a storage device assigned to the virtual storage are different, the computer system has to be suspended at the time of installation of the storage virtualization switch. According to one embodiment of the invention, the storage virtualization switch installed in the computer system assigns a port ID to a port of a virtual storage generated by the storage virtualization switch so as to be equivalent to a port ID of an existing storage device and, in the case in which the port ID is designated as an access destination by an access request from one computer to the storage device, sends the access request to the virtual storage.

Claims

1. A first switch which is connected to a second switch to be connected to a computer and a third switch to be connected to a storage device, comprising:

plural port processing sections which send and receive data;

a memory which stores a program; and

a processing section which executes the program;

wherein the program includes a section which prepares a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device, a section which makes a port ID of the virtual storage equivalent to a port ID of the storage device, and a section which processes access of the computer to the storage device.

2. The first switch according to claim 1,

wherein the memory stores a port ID of the storage device, information indicating whether or not the storage device has a port ID equivalent to a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device, and information indicting attributes of virtual process associating them with each other.

3. The first switch according to claim 2,

wherein the section which processes access includes a section which, in the case in which inquiry about name information of the storage device is received from the computer, retrieves the name information from the memory, a section which checks whether or not the storage device corresponds to a virtual storage from the memory, a section which checks whether or not the storage device has a port ID equivalent to a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device, and a section which determines whether or not to send inquired information to the computer according to whether or not the storage device has the equivalent port ID.

4. The first switch according to claim 1,

wherein the section which processes access includes a section which, in the case in which the port ID of the storage device and the port ID of the virtual storage corresponding to the storage device are equivalent, applies route control of access from the computer to the virtual storage.

5. The first switch according to claim 1,

wherein the program includes a section which, in the case in which the first switch is connected to both the second and third switches, sends a notification request of information on the computer and the storage device to the second switch and the third switch, and a section which, in the case in which information on the computer and the storage device is received from the second switch and the third switch, stores the information in the memory.

6. A first switch which is connected to a second switch to be connected to a computer and a third switch to be connected to a storage device, comprising:

plural port processing sections which send and receive data;

a memory which stores a program; and

a processing section which executes the program;

wherein the memory stores a port ID of the storage device, first information indicating whether or not the storage device has a port ID equivalent to a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device, and second information indicting attributes of virtual process associating them with each other, and

wherein the program includes a section which, in the case in which an inquiry request concerning the storage device is received from the computer, judges whether or not the inquiry request is for the virtual storage using the second information, a section which, in the case in which the inquiry request is for the virtual storage, judges whether or not the port ID of the virtual storage is equivalent to the port ID of the storage device corresponding to the virtual storage using the first information, and a section which, in the case in which the port IDs are equivalent, sends an inquiry rejection to the computer.

7. A first switch which is connected to a second switch to be connected to a computer and a third switch to be connected to a storage device, comprising:

plural port processing sections which send and receive data;

a memory which stores a program; and

a processing section which executes the program;

wherein the memory stores a port ID of the storage device, first information indicating whether or not the storage device has a port ID equivalent to a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device, and second information indicting attributes of virtual process associating them with each other, and

wherein the program includes a section which, in the case in which an inquiry request concerning the storage device is received from the computer, judges whether or not the inquiry request is for the virtual storage using the second information, a section which, in the case in which the inquiry request is for the virtual storage, judges whether or not the port ID of the virtual storage is equivalent to the port ID of the storage device corresponding to the virtual storage using the first information, and a section which, in the case in which the port IDs are not equivalent, sends inquired information to the computer.

8. A first switch which is connected to a second switch to be connected to a computer and a third switch to be connected to a storage device, comprising:

plural port processing sections which send and receive data;

a memory which stores a program; and

a processing section which executes the program;

wherein the memory stores a port ID of the storage device, first information indicating whether or not the storage device has a port ID equivalent to a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device, and second information indicting attributes of virtual process associating them with each other, and

wherein the program includes a section which, in the case in which an inquiry request concerning the storage device is received from the computer, judges whether or not the inquiry request is for the virtual storage using the second information, a section which, in the case in which the inquiry request is not for the virtual storage, judges whether or not the port ID of the virtual storage is equivalent to the port ID of the storage device corresponding to the virtual storage using the first information, and a section which, in the case in which the port IDs are equivalent, sends inquired information to the computer.

9. A first switch which is connected to a second switch to be connected to a computer and a third switch to be connected to a storage device, comprising:

plural port processing sections which send and receive data;

a memory which stores a program; and

a processing section which executes the program;

wherein the memory stores a port ID of the storage device, first information indicating whether or not the storage device has a port ID equivalent to a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device, and second information indicting attributes of virtual process associating them with each other, and

wherein the program includes a section which, in the case in which an inquiry request concerning the storage device is received from the computer, judges whether or not the inquiry request is for the virtual storage using the second information, a section which, in the case in which the inquiry request is not for the virtual storage, judges whether or not the port ID of the virtual storage is equivalent to the port ID of the storage device corresponding to the virtual storage using the first information, and a section which, in the case in which the port IDs are not equivalent, sends an inquiry rejection to the computer.

10. A method of connecting switch which connects a first switch to both of a second switch to be connected to a computer and a third switch to be connected to a storage device, comprising:

sending a notification request of name information concerning the computer and the storage device to the second switch and the third switch;

receiving the name information from the second switch and the third switch;

preparing a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device based upon the name information;

making a port ID of the virtual storage equivalent to a port ID of the storage device; and

processing access of the computer to the storage device.

11. The method of connecting switch according to claim 10,

wherein a memory stores a port ID of the storage device, information indicating whether or not the storage device has a port ID equivalent to a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device, and information indicting attributes of virtual process associating them with each other.

12. The method of connecting switch according to claim 11,

wherein processing access includes, in the case in which inquiry about name information of the storage device is received from the computer, retrieving the name information from the memory, checking whether or not the storage device corresponds to a virtual storage from the memory, checking whether or not the storage device has a port ID equivalent to a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device, and determining whether or not to send inquired information to the computer according to whether or not the storage device has the equivalent port ID.

13. The method of connecting switch according to claim 10,

wherein processing access includes, in the case in which the port ID of the storage device and the port ID of the virtual storage corresponding to the storage device are equivalent, applying route control of access from the computer to the virtual storage.

14. The method of connecting switch according to claim 10,

wherein processing access includes, in the case in which the first switch is connected to both the second and third switches, sending a notification request of information on the computer and the storage device to the second switch and the third switch, and, in the case in which information on the computer and the storage device is received from the second switch and the third switch, storing the information in the memory.

15. A method of connecting switch which connects a first switch to both of a second switch to be connected to a computer and a third switch to be connected to a storage device,

wherein the first switch stores a port ID of the storage device, first information indicating whether or not the storage device has a port ID equivalent to a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device, and second information indicting attributes of virtual process associating them with each other, and

wherein the method comprises:

in the case in which an inquiry request concerning the storage device is received from the computer, judging whether or not the inquiry request is for the virtual storage using the second information;

in the case in which the inquiry request is for the virtual storage, judging whether or not the port ID of the virtual storage is equivalent to the port ID of the storage device corresponding to the virtual storage using the first information; and

, in the case in which the port IDs are equivalent, sending an inquiry rejection to the computer.

16. A method of connecting switch which connects a first switch to both of a second switch to be connected to a computer and a third switch to be connected to a storage device,

wherein the first switch stores a port ID of the storage device, first information indicating whether or not the storage device has a port ID equivalent to a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device, and second information indicting attributes of virtual process associating them with each other, and

wherein the method comprises:

in the case in which an inquiry request concerning the storage device is received from the computer, judging whether or not the inquiry request is for the virtual storage using the second information;

in the case in which the inquiry request is for the virtual storage, judging whether or not the port ID of the virtual storage is equivalent to the port ID of the storage device corresponding to the virtual storage using the first information; and

, in the case in which the port IDs are not equivalent, sending inquired information to the computer.

17. A method of connecting switch which connects a first switch to both of a second switch to be connected to a computer and a third switch to be connected to a storage device,

wherein the first switch stores a port ID of the storage device, first information indicating whether or not the storage device has a port ID equivalent to a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device, and second information indicting attributes of virtual process associating them with each other, and

wherein the method comprises:

in the case in which an inquiry request concerning the storage device is received from the computer, judging whether or not the inquiry request is for the virtual storage using the second information;

in the case in which the inquiry request is not for the virtual storage, judging whether or not the port ID of the virtual storage is equivalent to the port ID of the storage device corresponding to the virtual storage using the first information; and

, in the case in which the port IDs are equivalent, sending inquired information to the computer.

18. A method of connecting switch which connects a first switch to both of a second switch to be connected to a computer and a third switch to be connected to a storage device,

wherein the first switch stores a port ID of the storage device, first information indicating whether or not the storage device has a port ID equivalent to a virtual storage corresponding to the storage device, and second information indicting attributes of virtual process associating them with each other, and

wherein the method comprises:

in the case in which an inquiry request concerning the storage device is received from the computer, judging whether or not the inquiry request is for the virtual storage using the second information;

in the case in which the inquiry request is not for the virtual storage, judging whether or not the port ID of the virtual storage is equivalent to the port ID of the storage device corresponding to the virtual storage using the first information; and

, in the case in which the port IDs are not equivalent, sending an inquiry rejection to the computer.