Storage network system, managing apparatus managing method and program

• US 20060015605A1
• Filed: 08/04/2005
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Motoaki Hirabayashi, Toshiaki Hirata
• Original Assignee: Motoaki Hirabayashi, Toshiaki Hirata
• Inventors: Hirata, Toshiaki, Hirabayashi, Motoaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,412,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3433 for load management allocation of a server based on load conditions G06F9/505; load rebalancing G06F9/5083; redistributing the load in a network by a load balancer H04L67/1029
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3485 for I/O devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/349 for interfaces, buses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/045 for graphical visualisation of monitoring data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/065 related to network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• 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]

Abstract

A storage network system includes computers, storage systems, connection devices that control connection relations between the computers and the storage system, and a managing device that manages the computers, the storage system and the connection devices. The managing device includes a control section that specifies connection ports of the computers, the storage system and the connection devices that compose the storage network system. Further, the control device of the managing device displays on a display section a data traffic amount at each of the connection ports for each connection path from the computer to the storage system.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method in a management computer coupled to a system which includes a plurality of computers, a plurality of storage systems;

and a plurality of switches coupled to one of the plurality of computers and one of the plurality of storage systems, a data transfer being performed between the one of the plurality of computers and the one of the plurality of storage systems via at least one of the plurality of switches, said method comprising;

specifying a volume which is configured by at least one of disk drives of the one of the plurality of storage systems from a plurality of volumes on the one of the plurality of storage systems;

identifying ports of the one of the plurality of storage systems, the plurality of switches, and the one of the plurality of computer which are used for the data transfer between the one of the plurality of computers and the specified volume of the one of the plurality of storage systems;

monitoring traffic amounts of each of the ports used for the data transfer between the one of the plurality of computers and the specified volume of the one of the plurality of storage systems; and

outputting information related to the monitored traffic amounts so that a display device displays the traffic amounts at each of the ports used for the data transfer.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

selecting the one of disk drives based on information of access load of the disk drives.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the one of the disk drives is selected if the access load of the disk device is over than a threshold.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

calculating a transition of the traffic amounts of the ports; and

outputting information related to the calculated transition of the traffic amounts so that the display device displays the transition information.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

indicating the one of the storage systems to move the volume from the one of disk drives to a second disk drive included in the one of the plurality of storage systems.

9. The management computer according to claim 6, wherein the first disk drive is selected if the access load of the first disk drive is over than a threshold.

10. The management computer according to claim 9, wherein the processor calculates a transition of the traffic amounts of the plurality of host ports, the plurality of switch ports and the plurality of storage ports and output information of the transition of the traffic amount to the display as transition graphs.

11. The management computer according to claim 10, wherein the processor indicates the storage system to move the volume from the first disk drive to a second disk drive included in the storage system, and

wherein the processor indicates the plurality of computers to change the first access path to a second access path which can be used for accessing to the second disk drive from the plurality of computers.

7. A management computer coupled to a system which includes a plurality of computers, a storage system, and a plurality of switches, the system having a plurality of access paths used for data transfer from the plurality of computers to the storage system via the plurality of switches or vice versa, said management computer comprising:

an interface coupled to the system;

a display device; and

a processor, coupled to the interface and the display device, which specifies a volume constructed on a first disk drive of the storage system, identifies a first access path of the plurality of access paths used for accessing to the volume, identifies a plurality of switch ports of the plurality of switches included in the first access path, a plurality of host ports of the plurality of computers included in the first access path and a plurality of storage ports included in the first access path, checks traffic amounts of the plurality of host ports, the plurality of switch ports and the plurality of storage ports, and outputs information of the traffic amounts and the first access path to the display device.

8. The management computer according to claim 7, wherein the first disk drive is selected based on information of access load of the first disk drive.

12. A management computer coupled to a system which includes a plurality of computers, a storage system;

and a plurality of switches, the management computer which specifies a plurality of access paths from the plurality of computers to the storage system via one or more of the plurality of switches, said management computer comprising;

an interface coupled to the system;

a display device; and

a processor, coupled to the interface and the display device, configured to specify a first disk drive included in the storage system in accordance with an information inputted by a user, to specify a plurality of volumes constructed on the first disk drive, to identify a plurality of first access paths of the plurality of access paths used for accessing to the plurality of volumes by the plurality of computers, to identify a plurality of switch ports of the plurality of switches included in the plurality of first access paths and a plurality of storage ports included in the plurality of first access paths, a check traffic amounts of the plurality of host ports, the plurality of host ports, the plurality of switch ports and the plurality of storage ports, and to output first information of the traffic amounts and the plurality of first access paths to the display device.

13. The management computer according to claim 12, wherein the first disk drive is specified from a plurality of disk drives included in the storage system based on information of access load to the plurality of disk drives.

14. The management computer according to claim 13, wherein the first disk drive is selected if access load to the first disk drive is over than a threshold.

15. The management computer according to claim 14, wherein the processor calculates a transition of the traffic amounts of the plurality of host ports, the plurality or switch ports and the plurality of storage ports and outputs information of the transition of the traffic amounts to the display as transition graphs.

16. The management computer according to claim 15, wherein the processor includes the storage system to move the plurality of volumes from the first disk drive to a second disk drive included in the storage system, and

wherein the processor indicates the plurality of computers to change the plurality of first access paths to a plurality of second access paths which can be used for accessing to the second disk drive from the plurality of computers.