Disk control unit and storage system

• US 20050210130A1
• Filed: 08/24/2004
• Published: 09/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atsushi Tanaka
• Original Assignee: Atsushi Tanaka
• Inventors: Tanaka, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,600,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2071 using a plurality of controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2074 Asynchronous techniques
• 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 3/0638 Organizing or formatting or addressing of data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A disk controller has a front end FC I/F to a host, a back end FC I/F to a magnetic disk, a processor, and a main memory section. The front end I/F and the back end I/F are provided for performing information exchange with a network (connected) device that is connected to a network and manages storage. The main memory section stores registered information expressing an attribution of the network (connected) device, access information including the security and the performance of each network (connected) device through the network, and ranking information assigning a rank to each network (connected) device based on the registered information and the access information. An appropriate network (connected) device is selected from various types of information including the ranking information.

Claims

1. A computer connectable to a storage system comprising:

a processor;

a memory; and

a port connectable to the storage system,

wherein the processor sends information to the storage system via the port, and

wherein the information includes a list of storage devices each of which can be connected to the storage system via a network.

2. A computer according to claim 1, wherein the network is an IP network.

3. A computer according to claim 2, wherein the processor gathers performance information of each of the storage devices.

4. A computer according to claim 3, wherein the processor gathers security information of each of the storage devices.

5. A computer according to claim 4, wherein the processor modifies the list of storage devices based on the performance information and the security information and sends the modified list of the storage devices to the storage system.

6. A computer according to claim 5, wherein the storage devices are graded according to the performance information and security information when the processor modifies the list of the storage devices.

7. A computer according to claim 6, wherein the processor gathers the security information and performance information via the storage system.

8. A computer according to claim 7, wherein the processor gathers the performance information related to a network, which connects the storage system with the storage devices, via a router included in the network.

9. A computer connectable to a storage system comprising:

a processor;

a memory; and

a port connectable to the storage system,

wherein the processor sends to the storage system via said port information which includes list of storage devices each of which can be connected to the storage system via an IP network,

wherein the processor gathers performance information of each of the storage devices,

wherein the processor gathers security information of each of the storage devices,

wherein the processor modifies the list of storage devices based on the performance information and the security information and sends the modified list of the storage devices to the storage system.

10. A computer according to claim 9, wherein if the performance information is changed, the processor modifies the modified list of storage devices based on the changed performance information.