Storage resource management method for storage system

• US 20070033368A1
• Filed: 10/26/2005
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Masayuki, Taguchi, Yuichi, Miyazaki, Fumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,418,546 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0644 Management of space entities, e.g. partitions, extents, pools
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0665 at area level, e.g. provisioning of virtual or logical volumes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices

Abstract

Provided is a computer system including a storage subsystem, a host computer, and a management computer for managing the storage subsystem and the host computer. The storage subsystem manages a storage extent by a group unit and creates storage extent configuration information. The management computer stores group management information, obtains the storage extent configuration information, calculates an assigned capacity for each group based on the obtained storage extent configuration information, forecasts a capacity to be assigned in the future for each group based on the calculated assigned capacity, calculates a protection term expired capacity for each group based on the group management information and the storage extent configuration information, and outputs the assigned capacity, the capacity to be assigned in the future, and the protection term expired capacity. Thus, the storage extent of the storage subsystem can easily be managed.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

a storage subsystem, which has a first interface connected to a network, a first processor connected to the first interface, a first memory connected to the first processor, and a disk drive for storing data requested to be written from the host computer;

a host computer connected to the storage subsystem through the network, which has a second interface connected to the network, a second processor connected to the second interface, and a second memory connected to the second processor; and

a management computer configured to access the storage subsystem and the host computer which has a third interface connected to the storage subsystem and the host computer, a third processor connected to the third interface, and a third memory connected to the third processor, wherein;

the second processor recognizes a storage extent of the disk drive by a storage extent unit;

the first processor creates storage extent configuration information containing a correspondence between the storage extent and a group to manage the storage extent by a group unit; and

the third processor stores group management information to manage a data protection term for each group, obtains the storage extent configuration information created by the first processor via the third interface, calculates an assigned capacity which is a sum total of capacities of the storage extents assigned to each group based on the obtained storage extent configuration information, forecasts a capacity to be assigned in the future for each group based on the calculated assigned capacity, calculates a protection term expired capacity which is a sum total of capacities of the storage extents storing protection term expired data for each group based on the stored group management information and the obtained storage extent configuration information, and outputs the calculated assigned capacity, the forecast capacity to be assigned in the future, and the calculated protection term expired capacity.

2. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the third processor time-sequentially outputs a progress of the calculated assigned capacity, a progress of the forecast capacity to be assigned in the future, and a progress of the calculated protection term expired capacity.

3. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the second processor manages storage extents storing the same application host group data as the same group.

4. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the third processor stores storage resource distribution management information to manage a limitation value of the assigned capacity of the storage extents for each group, determines whether at least one of the calculated assigned capacity of the storage extents and the forecast assigned capacity of the storage extents exceeds the limitation value or not for each group based on the stored storage resource distribution management information, and assigns the storage extent to a group which exceeds the limitation value when the assigned capacity of the storage extents exceeds the limitation value.

5. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein:

the second processor manages the storage extent by a storage resource pool unit;

the storage extent configuration information includes a correspondence between the storage extent and a storage resource pool; and

the third processor calculates the assigned capacity of the storage resource pool unit for each group based on the obtained storage extent configuration information, forecasts a capacity to be assigned in the future of the storage resource pool unit for each group based on the calculated assigned capacity of the storage resource pool unit, and calculates the protection term expired capacity of the storage resource pool unit for each group based on the stored group management information and the obtained storage extent configuration information.

6. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein upon reception of a changing request of a protection term of the data, the third processor outputs the calculated protection term expired capacity in a position corresponding to a period of changing the protection term.

7. A management computer, which is connected to at least one of a storage subsystem which comprises a disk drive for storing write data from a host computer, and the host computer connected to the storage subsystem through a network and capable of recognizing a storage extent of the disk drive by a storage extent unit, comprising:

an interface connected to at least one of a storage subsystem and the host computer;

a processor connected to the interface; and

a memory connected to the processor,

wherein the processor;

stores storage extent configuration information including a correspondence between the storage extent and a group to manage the storage extent of the storage subsystem by a group unit, and group management information for managing a data protection term for each group, in the memory;

calculates, for each group, an assigned capacity which is a sum total of capacities of the storage extents assigned to the groups based on the stored storage extent configuration information;

forecasts a capacity to be assigned in the future for each group based on the calculated assigned capacity;

calculates a protection term expired capacity which is a sum total of capacities of the storage extents storing protection term expired data for each group based on the stored group management information and the stored storage extent configuration information; and

outputs the calculated assigned capacity, the forecast capacity to be assigned in the future, and the calculated protection term expired capacity.

8. The management computer according to claim 7, wherein the processor time-sequentially outputs a progress of the calculated assigned capacity, a progress of the forecast capacity to be assigned in the future, and a progress of the calculated protection term expired capacity.

9. The management computer according to claim 7, wherein the processor manages storage extents storing the same application host group data as the same group.

10. The management computer according to claim 7, wherein the processor:

stores storage resource distribution management information to manage a limitation value of the assigned capacity of the storage extents for each group;

determines whether at least one of the calculated assigned capacity of the storage extents and the forecast assigned capacity of the storage extents exceeds the limitation value or not for each group based on the stored storage resource distribution management information; and

assigns the storage extent to a group which exceeds the limitation value when the assigned capacity of the storage extents exceeds the limitation value.

11. The management computer according to claim 7, wherein the processor:

manages the storage extent by a storage resource pool unit,

stores storage extent configuration information including a correspondence between the storage extent and a storage resource pool and a correspondence between the storage extent and the group,

calculates the assigned capacity of the storage resource pool unit for each group based on the stored storage extent configuration information,

forecasts a capacity to be assigned in the future of the storage resource pool unit for each group based on the calculated assigned capacity of the storage resource pool unit, and

calculates the protection term expired capacity of the storage resource pool unit for each group based on the stored group management information and the stored storage extent configuration information.

12. The management computer according to claim 7, wherein upon reception of a changing request of a protection term of the data, the processor outputs the calculated protection term expired capacity in a position corresponding to a period of changing the protection term.

13. A method of managing a storage extent in a computer system which comprises a storage subsystem for storing data in a storage extent, a host computer to store data in the storage extent of the storage subsystem, and a management computer for managing the storage subsystem and the host computer, the method comprising:

storing, by the storage subsystem, storage extent configuration information including a correspondence between the storage extent and a group to manage the storage extent of the storage subsystem by a group unit;

storing, by the management computer, group management information for managing a data protection term for each a group;

obtaining, by the management computer, the storage extent configuration information created by the storage subsystem;

calculating, by the management computer, an assigned capacity which is a sum total of capacities of the storage extents assigned to the groups for each group based on the obtained storage extent configuration information;

forecasting, by the management computer, a capacity to be assigned in the future for each group based on the calculated assigned capacity;

calculating, by the management computer, a protection term expired capacity which is a sum total of capacities of the storage extents storing protection term expired data for each group based on the stored group management information and the obtained storage extent configuration information; and

outputting, by the management computer, the calculated assigned capacity, the forecast capacity to be assigned in the future, and the calculated protection term expired capacity.

14. The method of managing a storage extent according to claim 13, further comprising time-sequentially outputting, by the management computer, a progress of the calculated assigned capacity, a progress of the forecast capacity to be assigned in the future, and a progress of the calculated protection term expired capacity.

15. The method of managing a storage extent according to claim 13, further comprising managing, by the storage subsystem, storage extents storing the same application host group data as the same group.

16. The method of managing a storage extent according to claim 13, further comprising:

storing, by the management computer, storage resource distribution management information to manage a limitation value of the assigned capacity of the storage extents for each group;

determining, by the management computer, whether at least one of the calculated assigned capacity of the storage extents and the forecast assigned capacity of the storage extents exceeds the limitation value or not for each group based on the stored storage resource distribution management information; and

assigning, by the management computer, the storage extent to a group which exceeds the limitation value when the assigned capacity of the storage extents exceeds the limitation value.

17. The method of managing a storage extent according to claim 13, wherein the storage extent configuration information including a correspondence between the storage extent and a storage resource pool, the method further comprising:

managing, by the storage subsystem, the storage extent by a storage resource pool unit,

and calculating, by the management computer, the assigned capacity of the storage resource pool unit for each group based on the obtained storage extent configuration information,

forecasting, by the management computer, a capacity to be assigned in the future of the storage resource pool unit for each group based on the calculated assigned capacity of the storage resource pool unit, and

calculating, by the management computer, the protection term expired capacity of the storage resource pool unit for each group based on the stored group management information and the obtained storage extent configuration information.

18. The method of managing a storage extent according to claim 13, further comprising, upon reception of a changing request of a protection term of the data, outputting, by the third processor, the calculated protection term expired capacity in a position corresponding to a period of changing the protection term.