COMPUTER SYSTEM, STORAGE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING POWER SUPPLY BASED ON LOGICAL PARTITION

• US 20080098194A1
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Nakamura, Shuji, Fujimoto, Kazuhisa, Hashimoto, Akiyoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,458,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3221 of disk drive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0625 Power saving in storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• 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 9/5077 Logical partitioning of resources; Management or configuration of virtualized resources specific details on emulation or internal functioning of virtual machines G06F9/455
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5094 where the allocation takes into account power or heat criteria power management in computers in general G06F1/3203; thermal management in computers in general G06F1/206
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Provided is a computer system, in which a storage system includes a first control module for logically dividing first resources of the storage system and operating them as independent virtual storage systems. A computer includes a second control module for logically dividing second resources of the computer and operating them as independent virtual machines. The computer system holds first information indicating a correlation among the virtual machine, the virtual storage system, and the first resources. The first control module specifies the first resource allocated to the virtual storage system whose power is cut based on the first information, and powers off the specified first resource. Thus, system power consumption can be reduced by managing power of the storage system shared by a plurality of virtual machines in a virtualization environment.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

a computer; and

a storage system for storing data, wherein;

the storage system includes a first control module for logically dividing first resources of the storage system and operating the divided first resources as independent virtual storage systems;

the computer includes a second control module for logically dividing second resources of the computer and operating the divided second resources as independent virtual machines;

the computer system holds first information indicating a correlation among the virtual machines, the virtual storage systems allocated to the virtual machines, and the first resources allocated to the virtual storage systems; and

the first control module specifies the first resource allocated to the virtual storage system which is to be powered off based on the first information, and powers off the specified first resource.

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

the computer system holds second information indicating a correlation between the virtual machines and the second resources allocated to the virtual machines; and

the second control module specifies the second resource allocated to the virtual machine which is to be powered off based on the second information, and powers off the specified second resource.

3. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the first control module judges whether the specified first resource is allocated to another virtual storage system which is not to be powered off, and powers off the specified first resource only when the specified first resource is not allocated to the another virtual storage system which is not to be powered off.

4. The computer system according to claim 2, further comprising a control terminal for holding the first information, wherein:

the second control module transmits a report indicating that the specified second resource has been powered off to the control terminal;

upon reception of the report, the control terminal specifies the virtual storage system allocated to the virtual machine which is to be powered off based on the first information, and transmits an instruction to power off the specified virtual storage system to the storage system; and

the first control module sets the virtual storage system of a target of the instruction as the virtual storage system which is to be powered off.

5. The computer system according to claim 2, wherein:

the computer holds the first information;

when the specified second resources are powered off, the second control module specifies the virtual storage system allocated to the virtual machine which is to be powered off based on the first information, and transmits an instruction to power off the specified virtual storage system to the storage system; and

the first control module sets the virtual storage system of a target of the instruction as the virtual storage system which is to be powered off.

6. The computer system according to claim 2, wherein:

the storage system holds the first information;

the second control module transmits a report indicating that the specified second resource has been powered off to the storage system; and

upon reception of the report, the first control module specifies the virtual storage system allocated to the virtual machine which is to be powered off based on the first information, and sets the specified virtual storage system as the virtual storage system which is to be powered off.

7. The computer system according to claim 2, wherein:

the computer and the storage system are coupled via a channel switch;

the channel switch includes a plurality of ports, and holds routing information indicating permission of communication among the plurality of ports;

each of the ports is coupled to one of the computer and the storage system;

the first information includes information indicating a correlation between the port and the computer coupled to the port and information indicating a correlation between the port and the storage system coupled to the port; and

the channel switch specifies the port allocated to the virtual machine which is to be powered off, judges whether the specified port is allocated to another virtual machine which is not to be powered off, and powers off the specified port not allocated to the another virtual machine which is not to be powered off.

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

the computer system further holds third information indicating a reduction level of power consumption; and

the first control module judges presence of redundant first resource when the level indicated by the third information is higher than a predetermined value, and powers off the redundant first resource when the redundant first resource is present.

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

the storage system further includes a cache memory for temporarily storing at least one of data written by the computer and data read by the computer;

the first resources include the cache memory; and

the first control module calculates a capacity of the cache memory not allocated to any of the virtual machines based on the first information, and powers off the cache memory equivalent to the calculated capacity.

10. The computer system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of virtual storage systems including first and second virtual storage systems, wherein:

the first and second virtual storage systems are coupled via a network;

the first control module for operating the first virtual storage system stores data written by the virtual machine, and transmits the stored data to the second virtual storage system via the network;

the first control module for operating the second virtual storage system stores the data transmitted from the first virtual storage system;

the first information includes information indicating a correlation between the first virtual storage system and the second virtual storage system which is a transmission destination of the data stored in the first virtual storage system; and

the first control module for operating the first virtual storage system judges presence of data not transmitted to the second virtual storage system among the data stored in the first virtual storage system which is to be powered off, transmits the data not transmitted to the second virtual storage system to the second virtual storage system when the data not transmitted to the second virtual storage system is present, and powers off the first resources allocated to the first virtual storage system after an end of the transmission.

11. The computer system according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of virtual storage systems including a first virtual storage system and a second virtual storage system coupled to the first virtual storage system, wherein:

the first virtual storage system includes a first virtual disk in which data is to be written;

the second virtual storage system includes a second virtual disk; and

the first control module for operating the first virtual storage system converts a received write request into a write request to write data in the second virtual disk upon reception of the write request to write data in the first virtual disk, transmits the converted write request, and transmits an instruction to power off the second virtual storage system including the second virtual disk when the first virtual storage system is a virtual storage system which is to be powered off.

12. The computer system according to claim 1, wherein the first control module judges whether the specified first resources include a plurality of individually power-controllable devices, calculates the amount of the first resources necessary for the virtual storage system based on an average utilization rate of the specified first resources when the specified first resources include the plurality of individually power-controllable devices, and powers off the devices included in the first resources to satisfy the calculated amount of the resources.

13. A storage system, which is coupled to a computer and stores data, comprising a first control module for logically dividing first resources of the storage system and operating the divided first resources as independent virtual storage systems, wherein:

the computer includes a second control module for logically dividing second resources of the computer and operating the divided second resources as independent virtual machines;

the storage system holds first information indicating a correlation among the virtual machines, the virtual storage systems allocated to the virtual machines, and the first resources allocated to the virtual storage systems; and

the first control module specifies the first resource allocated to the virtual storage system which is to be powered off based on the first information, and powers off the specified first resource.

14. The storage system according to claim 13, wherein the first control module judges whether the specified first resource is allocated to another virtual storage system which is not to be powered off, and powers off the specified first resource only when the specified first resource is not allocated to the another virtual storage system which is not to be powered off.

15. The storage system according to claim 13, wherein:

the storage system further holds third information indicating a reduction level of power consumption; and

the first control module judges presence of redundant first resource when the level indicated by the third information is higher than a predetermined value, and powers off the redundant first resource when the redundant first resource is present.

16. The storage system according to claim 13 further comprising a cache memory for temporarily storing at least one of data written by the computer and data read by the computer, wherein:

the first resources include the cache memory; and

the first control module calculates a capacity of the cache memory not allocated to any of the virtual machines based on the first information, and powers off the cache memory equivalent to the calculated capacity.

17. The storage system according to claim 13, wherein:

the virtual storage system is coupled to other virtual storage system via a network;

the first control module stores data written by the virtual machine and transmits the stored data to the other virtual storage system via the network;

the first information includes information indicating a correlation between the virtual storage system and the other virtual storage system which is a transmission destination of the data stored in the virtual storage system; and

the first control module judges presence of data not transmitted to the other virtual storage system among the data stored in the virtual storage system which is to be powered off, transmits the data not sent to the other virtual storage system to the other virtual storage system when the data not transmitted to the other virtual storage system is present, and powers off the first resources allocated to the virtual storage system of the transmission source after an end of the transmission.

18. The storage system according to claim 13, wherein:

the virtual storage system includes a first virtual disk in which data is to be written, and is coupled to the other virtual storage system which includes a second virtual disk; and

the first control module converts a received write request into a write request to write data in the second virtual disk upon reception of the write request to write data in the first virtual disk, transmits the changed write request, and transmits an instruction to power off the other virtual storage system including the second virtual disk when the virtual storage system including the first virtual disk is a virtual storage system which is to be powered off.

19. The storage system according to claim 13, wherein the first control module judges whether the specified first resources include a plurality of individually power-controllable devices, calculates the amount of the first resources necessary for the virtual storage system based on an average utilization rate of the specified first resources when the specified first resources include the plurality of individually power-controllable devices, and powers off the devices included in the first resources to satisfy the calculated amount of the resources.

20. A method of controlling a computer system including a computer and a storage system for storing data, wherein:

the storage system includes a first control module for logically dividing first resources of the storage system and operating the divided first resources as independent virtual storage systems;

the computer includes a second control module for logically dividing second resources of the computer and operating the divided second resources as independent virtual machines;

the computer system holds first information indicating a correlation among the virtual machines, the virtual storage systems allocated to the virtual machines, and the first resources allocated to the virtual storage systems; and

the first control module specifies the first resource allocated to the virtual storage system which is to be powered off based on the first information, judges whether the specified first resource is allocated to another virtual storage system which is not to be powered off, and powers off the specified first resource only when the specified first resource is not allocated to the another virtual storage system which is to be powered off.