Computer system having file management function, storage apparatus and file management method

• US 20070079100A1
• Filed: 01/09/2006
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Shiga, Kenta, Nakatsuka, Daiki
• Application Number:
  US11/327,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20070079100A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/170
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/061 Improving I/O performance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0643 Management of files
• 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: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• 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 computer system including a file device that handles a file and a storage apparatus that stores the file, the computer system includes: first and second real volumes that have physical storage areas, the storage apparatus contains the first and second real volumes; a virtual volume provider that provides a virtual volume having virtual storage areas to the file device; a real volume selector that, when a write command for writing the file to the virtual volume is transmitted from the file device to the storage apparatus, selects one of the first and second real volumes based on an access path over which the write command is transmitted; a relation manager that relates a virtual storage area on the virtual volume specified in the write command to a physical storage area on the selected real volume; and a write executor that writes the file specified in the write command to the related physical storage area.

Claims

1. A computer system including a file device that handles a file and a storage apparatus that stores the file,

the computer system comprising:

first and second real volumes that have physical storage areas, the storage apparatus contains the first and second real volumes;

a virtual volume provider that provides a virtual volume having virtual storage areas to the file device;

a real volume selector that, when a write command for writing the file to the virtual volume is transmitted from the file device to the storage apparatus, selects one of the first and second real volumes based on an access path over which the write command is transmitted;

a relation manager that relates a virtual storage area on the virtual volume specified in the write command to a physical storage area on the selected real volume; and

a write executor that writes the file specified in the write command to the related physical storage area.

2. The computer system according to claim 1, the computer system further comprising a read executor that, when a read command for reading the file from the virtual volume is transmitted from the file device to the storage apparatus, reads the file specified in the read command from the physical storage area related to the virtual storage area specified in the read command.

3. The computer system according to claim 1, the computer system further comprising a plurality of access ports that receive an access command for accessing the virtual volume from the file device,

wherein the write command includes destination information that specifies one of the plurality of access ports as a transmission destination, and

the real volume selector selects one of the first and second real volumes based on the destination information included in the write command.

4. The computer system according to claim 1, the computer system further comprising a plurality of the file devices,

wherein the write command includes source information that specifies one of the plurality of file devices as a transmission source, and

the real volume selector selects one of the first and second real volumes based on the source information included in the write command.

5. The computer system according to claim 1,

the computer system further comprising:

a plurality of access ports that receive an access command for accessing the virtual volume from the file device; and

a plurality of the file devices,

wherein the write command includes;

destination information that specifies one of the plurality of access ports as a transmission destination; and

source information that specifies one of the plurality of file devices as a transmission source, and

the real volume selector selects one of the first and second real volumes based on the combination of the destination information and the source information included in the write command.

6. The computer system according to claim 1,

wherein the first real volume runs at an access speed faster than that of the second real volume, and

the file device comprises:

a host computer that transmits the write command via the access path based on which the first real volume is selected to use the file and

a file migration device that transmits the write command via the access path based on which the second real volume is selected to migrate the file from the first real volume to the second real volume.

7. The computer system according to claim 1,

wherein the storage apparatus comprises:

a first storage apparatus that contains the first real volume; and

a second storage apparatus that contains the second real volume, and

the first and second storage apparatuses are mutually connected over a network.

8. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second real volumes comprises a plurality of hard disks controlled by RAID technology.

9. A storage apparatus that stores a file handled by a file device, the storage apparatus comprising:

first and second real volumes that have physical storage areas;

a virtual volume provider that provides a virtual volume having virtual storage areas to the file device;

a real volume selector that, when a write command for writing the file to the virtual volume is transmitted from the file device to the storage apparatus, selects one of the first and second real volumes based on an access path over which the write command is transmitted;

a relation manager that relates a virtual storage area on the virtual volume specified in the write command to a physical storage area on the selected real volume; and

a write executor that writes the file specified in the write command to the related physical storage area.

10. The storage apparatus according to claim 9, the storage apparatus further comprising a read executor that, when a read command for reading the file from the virtual volume is transmitted from the file device to the storage apparatus, reads the file specified in the read command from the physical storage area related to the virtual storage area specified in the read command.

11. The storage apparatus according to claims 9, the storage apparatus further comprising a plurality of access ports that receive an access command for accessing the virtual volume from the file device,

wherein the write command includes destination information that specifies one of the plurality of access ports as a transmission destination, and

the real volume selector selects one of the first and second real volumes based on the destination information included in the write command.

12. The storage apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the write command includes source information that specifies one of a plurality of the file devices as a transmission source, and

the real volume selector selects one of the first and second real volumes based on the source information included in the write command.

13. The storage apparatus according to claim 9, the storage apparatus further comprising a plurality of access ports that receive an access command for accessing the virtual volume from the file device,

wherein the write command includes:

destination information that specifies one of the plurality of access ports as a transmission destination; and

source information that specifies one of a plurality of the file devices as a transmission source, and

the real volume selector selects one of the first and second real volumes based on the combination of the destination information and the source information included in the write command.

14. The storage apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first real volume runs at an access speed faster than that of the se cond real volume.

15. The storage apparatus according to claim 9, the storage apparatus further comprising:

a first storage apparatus that contains the first real volume; and

a second storage apparatus that contains the second real volume,

wherein the first and second storage apparatuses are mutually connected over a network.

16. The storage apparatus according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the first and second real volumes comprises a plurality of hard disks controlled by RAID technology.

17. A file management method for managing a file stored by a storage apparatus,

the file management method comprising:

incorporating in the storage apparatus first and second real volumes having physical storage areas;

providing a virtual volume having virtual storage areas for a file device that handles the file;

where a write command for writing the file to the virtual volume is transmitted from the file device to the storage apparatus, selecting one of the first and second real volumes based on an access path over which the write command is transmitted;

relating a virtual storage area on the virtual volume specified in the write command to a physical storage area on the selected real volume; and

writing the file specified in the write command to the related physical storage area.

18. The file management method according to claim 17, the file management method further comprising, when a read command for reading the file from the virtual volume is transmitted from the file device to the storage apparatus, reading the file specified in the read command from the physical storage area related to the virtual storage area specified in the read command.

19. The file management method according to claim 17,

the file management method further comprising receiving the write command using a plurality of access ports connected to the file device,

wherein the write command includes destination information that specifies one of the plurality of access ports as a transmission destination, and

the selected real volume is selected based on the destination information included in the write command.

20. The file management method according to claim 17,

wherein the write command includes source information that specifies one of a plurality of the file devices as a transmission source, and

the selected real volume is selected based on the source information included in the write command.

21. The file management method according to claim 17,

the file management method further comprising receiving the write command using a plurality of access ports connected to the file device,

wherein the write command includes:

destination information that specifies one of the plurality of access ports as a transmission destination; and

source information that specifies one of a plurality of the file devices as a transmission source, and

the selected real volume is selected based on the combination of the destination information and the source information included in the write command.

22. The file management method according to claim 17, wherein the first real volume runs at an access speed faster than that of said second real volume.

23. The file management method according to claim 17,

wherein the incorporating the first and second real volumes in the storage apparatus comprises:

providing first and second storage apparatuses that comprise the storage apparatus;

connecting the first and second storage apparatuses over a network;

incorporating the first real volume in the first storage apparatus; and

incorporating the second real volume in the second storage apparatus.

24. The file management method according to claim 17, the file management method further comprising controlling by RAID technology a plurality of hard disks that comprise at least one of the first and second real volumes.