Remote storage disk control device with function to transfer commands to remote storage devices

• US 20050114599A1
• Filed: 12/10/2004
• Published: 05/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Suzuki, Toru, Kasako, Naohisa, Kondo, Shuji, Koide, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,080,202 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2056 by mirroring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2058 using more than 2 mirrored copies
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2064 while ensuring consistency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2069 Management of state, configuration or failover
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2071 using a plurality of controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2074 Asynchronous techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/855 Details of asynchronous mirroring using a journal to transfer not-yet-mirrored changes
• 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 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0646 Horizontal data movement in storage systems, i.e. moving data in between storage devices or systems
• 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

A storage device system includes an information processing device and at least first and second storage devices. The first and second storage devices are equipped with first and second storage volumes, respectively. The information processing device generates first data including a first instruction that is to be executed by the second storage device, and sends a write request to a first write request section to write the first data according to a first communications protocol in the first storage volume. When the first data written in the first storage volume is the command to be executed by the second storage device, the first storage device sends to a second write request section a write request to write the first data according to a second communications protocol in the second storage volume. The second storage device executes the first command set in the first data that is written in the second storage volume.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a storage device system, the storage device system including

at least one information processing device,

at least first storage device and second storage device equipped with a first storage volume and a second storage volume, respectively,

wherein the information processing device is communicatively connected to the first storage device,

the first storage device is communicatively connected to the second storage device,

the information processing device is equipped with a first write request section that requests to write data in the first storage device according to a first communications protocol, and

the first storage device is equipped with a second write request section that requests to write data in the second storage device according to a second communications protocol,

the method comprising:

a step of creating first data including a first instruction to be executed in the second storage device;

a step of transmitting from the information processing device to the first write request section a request to write the first data in the first storage volume according to the first communications protocol;

a step of transmitting from the first storage device to the second write request section a request to write the first data in the second storage volume according to the second communications protocol, when the first data written in the first storage volume is an instruction to the second storage device; and

a step of executing the first instruction set in the first data written in the second storage volume at the second storage device.

22. A method for controlling a storage device system according to claim 1, wherein the storage device system further includes a third storage device equipped with a seventh storage volume, wherein the second storage device and the third storage device are communicatively connected to each other, and the second storage device is equipped with a third write request section that requests the third storage device to write data according to the second communication protocol, the method comprising:

a step conducted by the information processing device of generating third data including a third command to be executed by the third storage device;

a step conducted by the information processing device of sending to the first write request section a write request to write the third data according to the first communication protocol in the first storage volume;

when the third data written in the first storage volume is a command to the third storage device, a step conducted by the first storage device of sending to the second write request section a write request to write the third data according to the second communication protocol in the second storage volume;

when the third data written in the second storage volume is a command to the third storage device, a step conducted by the second storage device of sending to the third write request section a write request to write the third data according to the second communication protocol in the seventh storage volume; and

a step conducted by the third storage device of executing the third command sent in the third data written in the seventh volume.

23. A method for controlling a storage device system according to claim 22, further comprising:

a step conducted by the first storage device of generating the third data including the third command to be executed by the third storage device, and sending to the second write request section a write request to write the third data according to the second communication protocol in the second storage volume.

2-21. -21. (canceled)

24. A method for controlling a storage device system, the storage device system including

an information processing device,

a first storage device that is communicatively connected to the information processing device, and

a second storage device that is communicatively connected to the first storage device, the method comprising:

a step conducted by the information processing of generating first data including an address of the second storage device as a transfer destination and a first command to be executed at the second storage device;

a step conducted by the information processing device of sending the first data to the first storage device;

a step conducted by the first storage device of, upon receiving the first data, obtaining the address of the transfer destination from the first data;

a step conducted by the first storage device of generating second data including the first command that is set in the first data;

a step conducted by the first storage device of sending the second data to the second storage device;

a step conducted by the second storage device of, upon receiving the second data, obtaining the first command from the second data; and

a step conducted by the second storage device of executing the first command.

25. A method for controlling a storage device system according to claim 24, wherein the step of generating the second data executed by the first storage device is a step of deleting the transfer destination address set in the first data.

26. A method for controlling a storage device system according to claim 24, wherein the step of generating the second data executed by the first storage device is a step of converting the first data into the second data, and the step of obtaining the first command from the second data is executed by the second storage device when the transfer destination address is an address of the second storage device.

27. A method for controlling a storage device system according to claim 25, wherein the storage device system is equipped with a third storage device that is communicatively connected to the second storage device, the method comprising:

a step conducted by the information processing device of generating an address of the second storage device as a first transfer destination, an address of the third storage device as a second transfer destination, and third data including a second command that is executed by the third storage device;

a step conducted by the information processing device of sending the third data to the first storage device;

a step conducted by the first storage device of, upon receiving the third data, obtaining the address of the first transfer destination from the third data;

a step conducted by the first storage device of generating fourth data by deleting the address of the first transfer destination from the third data;

a step conducted by the first storage device of sending the fourth data to the second storage device;

a step conducted by the second storage device of, upon receiving the fourth data, obtaining the address of the second transfer destination from the fourth data;

a step conducted by the second storage device of generating fifth data by deleting the address of the second transfer destination from the fourth data;

a step conducted by the second storage device of sending the fifth data to the third storage device;

a step conducted by the third storage device of, upon receiving the fifth data, obtaining the second command from the fifth data;

and a step conducted by the third storage device of executing the second command.

28. A method for controlling a storage device system according to claim 27, further comprising a step conducted by the first storage device of generating third data including the second command that is executed by the third storage device.

29. A method for controlling a storage device system according to claim 27, further comprising:

a step conducted by the information processing device of generating the address of the second storage device as the first transfer destination, a third command that is executed by the second storage device, the address of the third storage device as the second transfer destination, and sixth data including a fourth command that is executed by the third storage device;

a step conducted by the information processing device of sending the sixth data to the first storage device;

a step conducted by the first storage device of, upon receiving the sixth data, obtaining the address of the first transfer destination from the sixth data;

a step conducted by the first storage device of generating seventh data by deleting the address of the first transfer destination from the sixth data;

a step conducted by the first storage device of sending the seventh data to the second storage device;

a step conducted by the second storage device of, upon receiving the seventh data, obtaining the third command from the seventh data;

a step conducted by the second storage device of executing the third command;

a step conducted by the second storage device of generating eighth data by deleting the third command and the address of the second transfer destination from the seventh data;

a step conducted by the second storage device of sending the eighth data to the third storage device;

a step conducted by the third storage device of, upon receiving the eight data, obtaining the fourth command from the eighth data; and

a step conducted by the third storage device of executing the fourth command.

30. A method for controlling a storage device system according to claim 27, wherein the first storage device is communicatively connected to the third storage device, the method comprising:

a step conducted by the first storage device of, upon receiving the third data, obtaining the second transfer destination;

a step conducted by the first storage device of generating the fifth data by deleting the first transfer destination and the second transfer destination from the third data; and

a step conducted by the third storage device of sending the fifth data to the third storage device.

31. A storage device system comprising:

an information processing device;

at least first and second storage devices, each of the first and second storage devices having a command analysis section that receives data including a command from one of the information processing device and another storage device and analyzes contents of the data, a data transfer section that sends the data to another storage device, and a command execution section that executes the command sent in the data,

wherein

the information processing device is communicatively connected to the first storage device,

the first storage device is communicatively connected to the second storage device,

the information processing device includes a data generation section that generates an address of the second storage device as a transfer destination and first data including a first command that is executed by the second storage device, and a data transfer section that sends the first data to the first storage device,

the command analysis section of the first storage device, upon receiving the first data from the information processing device, obtains the address of the transfer destination set in the first data, and instructs the data transfer section of the first storage device to transfer the first data to the address of the transfer destination,

the data transfer section of the first storage device generates second data by deleting the address of the transfer destination from the first data, and transfers the second data to the second storage device,

the command analysis section of the second storage device, upon receiving the second data from the first storage device, obtains the first command set in the second data, and instructs the command execution section of the second storage device to execute the first command,

and the command execution section of the second storage device executes the first command.