Virtualization controller and data transfer control method

• US 20060195676A1
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Published: 08/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Serizawa, Kazuyoshi, Honda, Kiyoshi, Iwami, Naoko
• Granted Patent: US 7,877,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0613 in relation to throughput
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0649 Lifecycle management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems and methods of controlling data transfer between a host system and a plurality of storage devices. One embodiment is directed to a virtualization controller for controlling data transfer between a host system and a plurality of storage devices. The virtualization controller comprises a plurality of first ports for connection with the plurality of storage devices each having a storage area to store data; a second port for connection with the host system; a processor; and a memory configured to store volume mapping information which correlates first identification information used by the host system to access a first storage area in one of the storage devices, with second identification information for identifying the first storage area, the correlation being used by the processor to access the first storage area. When data stored in the first storage area is transferred to a second storage area in one of the storage devices, the processor correlates the first identification information with a third identification information for identifying the second storage area and registers the first identification information and the third identification information in the volume mapping information.

Claims

1-26. -26. (canceled)

27. A management device comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

an input device; and

an interface connectable to a virtualization controller,

wherein the input device receives virtualization information which include information of relation between a plurality of virtual volumes which are recognized by a plurality of computers connected to the virtualization controller and a plurality of volumes which are included in a plurality of storage devices connected to the virtualization controller,

wherein the processor stores the virtualization information received by the input device into the memory and sends the virtualization information to the virtualization controller via the interface.

28. A management device according to claim 27,

wherein the input device receives volume information which includes identification information for identifying some of the plurality of volumes that are used for storing data transferred from another some of the plurality of volumes as data migration,

wherein the processor sends the volume information to the virtualization controller via the interface.

29. A management device according to claim 28,

wherein the processor sends a indication of execution of the data migration to the virtualization controller with the volume information via the interface in response to a command inputted from the input device.

30. A management device according to claim 29 further comprising an output device,

wherein the interface receives notification of completion of the data migration from the virtualization controller via the interface,

wherein the processor sends the notification of completion to the output device,

wherein the output device outputs the notification.

31. A management device according to claim 30,

wherein the interface receives modification information which includes information for notifying addition of a storage device from the virtualization controller,

wherein the processor modifies the virtualization information stored in the memory based on the modification information and sends the modified virtualization information to the virtualization controller via the interface.

32. A management device comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

an input device; and

an interface connectable to a storage system which includes a virtualization control unit,

wherein the input device receives virtualization information which include information of relation between a plurality of virtual volumes which are recognized by a plurality of computers connected to the storage system and a plurality of volumes which are included in the storage system and a plurality of storage devices connected to the storage system,

wherein the processor stores the virtualization information received by the input device into the memory and sends the virtualization information to the storage system via the interface.

33. A management device according to claim 32,

wherein the input device receives volume information which include identification information for identifying some of the plurality of volumes that are included in the plurality of storage devices and used for storing data transferred from another some of the plurality of volumes that are included in the storage system as data migration,

wherein the processor sends the volume information to the storage system via the interface.

34. A management device according to claim 33,

wherein the processor sends a indication of execution of the data migration to the storage system with the volume information via the interface in response to a command inputted from the input device.

35. A management device according to claim 34 further comprising an output device,

wherein the interface receives notification of completion of the data migration from the storage system via the interface,

wherein the processor sends the notification of completion to the output device,

wherein the output device outputs the notification.

36. A management device according to claim 35,

wherein the interface receives modification information which includes information for notifying addition of a storage device from the storage system,

wherein the processor modifies the virtualization information stored in the memory based on the modification information and sends the modified virtualization information to the storage system via the interface.