Information processing system, primary storage device, and computer readable recording medium recorded thereon logical volume restoring program

• US 20060149901A1
• Filed: 05/11/2005
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Inai, Yusuke, Sasage, Koutarou
• Granted Patent: US 7,571,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2056 by mirroring

Abstract

In a hierarchical storage system, a primary storage device interposed between a secondary storage device and a data processing apparatus has a restoring unit. When at least two current storage units, which configure a logical volume and are in the mirroring relationship, concurrently fail, the restoring unit reads out data recorded in a logical volume of the current storage units from a virtual logical volume of the secondary storage device, records the data on the at least two spare storage units, thereby restoring, on the spare storage units, the logical volume of the current storage units. Even when a plurality of storages configuring a logical volume and being in the mirroring relationship concurrently fail, it is possible to immediately restore the logical volume without the maintenance operation or the like.

Claims

1. An information processing system comprising:

a secondary storage device for retaining a recording medium configuring a virtual logical volume;

a data processing apparatus for processing data recorded in the virtual logical volume of said secondary storage device;

a primary storage device interposed between said secondary storage device and said data processing apparatus;

said primary storage device comprising;

at least two current storage units configuring a logical volume in which data read out from the virtual logical volume of said secondary storage device in order that said data processing apparatus has an access to the data to process the same is recorded, and being in a mirroring relationship;

at least two spare storage units which can be used in the mirroring relationship; and

a restoring unit for, when said at least two current storage units concurrently fail, reading out data recorded in the logical volume of said current storage units from the virtual logical volume of said secondary storage device, recording the data on said at least two spare storage units, thereby restoring, on said at least two spare storage units, the logical volume of said at least two current storage units.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1 further comprising a mapping table showing a relationship between data recorded in the logical volume of said current storage units and data recorded in the virtual logical volume of said recording medium;

said restoring unit restoring, on said spare storage units, the logical volume on the basis of the relationship held in said mapping table.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein said secondary storage device has a plurality of virtual logical volumes;

said primary storage device has a plurality of logical volumes; and

said information processing apparatus further comprises a hierarchy controlling unit for recording, over the plural logical volumes, data in the same virtual logical volume.

4. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein said secondary storage device has a plurality of virtual logical volumes;

said primary storage device has a plurality of logical volumes; and

said information processing apparatus further comprises a hierarchy controlling unit for recording, over the plural logical volumes, data in the same virtual logical volume.

5. The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein, when data in the same virtual logical volume cannot be recorded on one logical volume because the logical volume lacks a capacity thereof, said hierarchy controlling unit records, on another logical volume differing from the logical volume, the data in the virtual logical volume.

6. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein, when data in the same virtual logical volume cannot be recorded on one logical volume because the logical volume lacks a capacity thereof, said hierarchy controlling unit records, on another logical volume differing from the logical volume, the data in the virtual logical volume.

7. The information processing system according to claim 5, wherein, in the case where data in the same virtual logical volume is recorded over a plurality of logical volumes, when a part of the data is read out from one logical volume among the plural logical volumes, so that the data in the same virtual logical volume gets to be able to be recorded on the one logical volume, said hierarchy controlling unit records, on the one logical volume, the data.

8. The information processing system according to claim 6, wherein, in the case where data in the same virtual logical volume is recorded over a plurality of logical volumes, when a part of the data is read out from one logical volume among the plural logical volumes, so that the data in the same virtual logical volume gets to be able to be recorded on the one logical volume, said hierarchy controlling unit records, on the one logical volume, the data.

9. A primary storage device interposed between a secondary storage device retaining a recording medium configuring a virtual logical volume and a data processing apparatus processing data recorded in the virtual logical volume of said secondary storage device, said primary storage device comprising:

at least two current storage units configuring a logical volume in which data read out from the virtual logical volume of said secondary storage device in order that said data processing apparatus has an access to the data to process the same is recorded, and being in a mirroring relationship;

at least two spare storage units which can be used in the mirroring relationship; and

a restoring unit for, when said at least two current storage units concurrently fail, reading out data recorded in the logical volume of said current storage units from the virtual logical volume of said secondary storage device, recording the data on said at least two spare storage units, thereby restoring, on said at least two spare storage units, the logical volume of said at least two current storage units.

10. The primary storage device according to claim 9 further comprising a mapping table showing a relationship between data recorded in the logical volume of said current storage units and data recorded in the virtual logical volume of said recording medium;

and

said restoring unit restoring, on said spare storage units, the logical volume on the basis of said relationship held in said mapping table.

11. The primary storage device according to claim 9, wherein said primary storage device has a plurality of logical volumes;

and

said primary storage device further comprises a hierarchy controlling unit for recording, over the plural logical volume, data in the same virtual logical volume among a plurality of logical volumes of said secondary storage device.

12. The primary storage device according to claim 10, wherein said primary storage device has a plurality of logical volumes;

and

said primary storage device further comprises a hierarchy controlling unit for recording, over the plural logical volume, data in the same virtual logical volume among a plurality of logical volumes of said secondary storage device.

13. The primary storage device according to claim 11, wherein, when data in the same virtual logical volume cannot be recorded on one logical volume because the logical volume lacks a capacity thereof, said hierarchy controlling unit records, on another logical volume differing from the logical volume, the data in the virtual logical volume.

14. The primary storage device according to claim 12, wherein, when data in the same virtual logical volume cannot be recorded on one logical volume because the logical volume lacks a capacity thereof, said hierarchy controlling unit records, on another logical volume differing from the logical volume, the data in the virtual logical volume.

15. The primary storage device according to claim 13, wherein, in the case where data in the same virtual logical volume is recorded over a plurality of logical volumes, when a part of the data is read out from one logical volume among the plural logical volumes, so that the data in the same virtual logical volume gets to be able to be recorded on the one logical volume, said hierarchy controlling unit records, on the one logical volume, the data.

16. A computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a logical volume restoring program for making a computer realize a function of restoring a logical volume configured by at least two current storage units when said at least two current storage units concurrently fail in a primary storage device which is interposed between a secondary storage device retaining a recording medium configuring a virtual logical volume and a data processing apparatus processing data recorded in the virtual logical volume of said secondary storage device, configures the logical volume in which the data read out from the virtual logical volume of said secondary storage device in order that said data processing apparatus has an access to the data to process the same is recorded, and comprises said at least two current storage units being in a mirroring relationship and at least two spare storage units which can be used in the mirroring relationship;

said computer readable recording medium making said computer function as a restoring unit for, when said at least two current storage units concurrently fail, reading out data recorded in the logical volume of said current storage units from the virtual logical volume of said secondary storage device, recording the data on said at least two spare storage units, thereby restoring, on said at least two spare storage units, the logical volume of said at least two current storage units.

17. The computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a logical volume restoring program according to claim 16, wherein said logical volume restoring program makes said computer function so that said restoring unit restores, on said spare storage units, the logical volume on the basis of a relationship held in a mapping table showing the relationship between data recorded in the logical volume of said current storage units and data recorded in the virtual logical volume of said recording medium.

18. The computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a logical volume restoring program according to claim 16, wherein said logical volume restoring program makes said computer function as a hierarchy controlling unit for recording, on each of a plurality of logical volumes of said primary storage device, data in the same virtual logical volume among a plurality of virtual logical volumes of said second storage device.

19. The computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a logical volume restoring program according to claim 18, wherein said logical volume restoring program makes said computer function so that, when data in the same virtual logical volume cannot be recorded on one logical volume because the logical volume lacks a capacity thereof, said hierarchy controlling unit records, on another logical volume differing from the logical volume, the data in the virtual logical volume.

20. The computer readable recording medium recorded thereon a logical volume restoring program according to claim 19, wherein, in the case where data in the same virtual logical volume is recorded over a plurality of logical volumes, when a part of the data is read out from one logical volume among the plural logical volumes, so that the data in the same virtual logical volume gets to be able to be recorded on the one logical volume, said restoring program makes said computer function so that said hierarchy controlling unit records, on the one logical volume, the data.