STORAGE VIRTUALIZATION SWITCH

• US 20080104338A1
• Filed: 08/31/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kurasawa, Yusuke, Yanagisawa, Toshitaka, Takeuchi, Jun, Shinohara, Atsushi, Takeuchi, Toshiaki, Kinoshita, Tetsuya, Yamato, Takaaki
• Granted Patent: US 7,774,570 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/152
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0622 in relation to access
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0631 by allocating resources to storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0658 Controller construction arrangements
• 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]

Abstract

The storage virtualization switch is capable of correctly designating a virtual target when a host computer accesses the virtual target. A dummy virtual target, which corresponds to a virtual target, is put into an effective state after the virtual target is put into the ineffective state when the virtual target is put into the ineffective state, and the virtual target is put into an effective state after the dummy virtual target, which corresponds to the virtual target, is put into the ineffective state when the virtual target is put into the effective state.

Claims

1. A storage virtualization switch,

comprising:

a plurality of physical ports, to which at least one host computer and at least one physical storage unit can be connected;

storage virtualization means for constituting at least one virtual storage unit by using a part or a whole of a storage area of the physical storage unit;

virtual target constituting means for constituting at least one virtual target, which acts as a target of the virtual storage unit with respect to the host computer;

first control means for controlling said virtual target constituting means to generate the virtual target;

second control means for controlling said virtual target constituting means to selectively put the virtual target into an effective state, in which the virtual target is allowed to be connected to the host computer, or an ineffective state, in which the virtual target is prohibited to be connected to the host computer; and

third control means for controlling said virtual target constituting means to generate at least one dummy virtual target, which corresponds to the virtual target,

wherein said virtual target constituting means assigns a port ID number to the virtual target when the virtual target is put into the effective state,

said virtual target constituting means releases the port ID number of the virtual target when the virtual target is put into the ineffective state,

said second control means puts the dummy virtual target, which corresponds to the virtual target, into the effective state after the virtual target is put into the ineffective state when the virtual target is put into the ineffective state, and

said second control means puts the virtual target into the effective state after the dummy virtual target, which corresponds to the virtual target, is put into the ineffective state when the virtual target is put into the effective state.

2. The storage virtualization switch according to claim 1,

wherein said second control means holds the states of other virtual targets when the states of the one virtual target and the dummy virtual target, which corresponds to the one virtual target, are changed.

3. The storage virtualization switch according to claim 1,

wherein said virtual target constituting means assigns the smallest released port ID number to the virtual target if released port ID number or numbers exist, and said virtual target constituting means generates a new port ID number, which is the next serial number following the latest port ID number, and assigns the same to the virtual target if no released port ID numbers exist, when said second control means puts the virtual target into the effective state.

4. The storage virtualization switch according to claim 1,

wherein said third control means makes said virtual target constituting means set a WWN, which is not recognized by the host computer, as a WWN of the dummy virtual target.

5. The storage virtualization switch according to claim 1,

further comprising fourth control means for controlling said virtual target constituting means to delete the virtual target,

wherein said second control means puts the dummy virtual target, which corresponds to the virtual target, into the effective state when the virtual target is deleted.

6. The storage virtualization switch according to claim 5,

wherein said third control means makes said virtual target constituting means generate the dummy virtual targets, whose number is equal to or more than the maximum number of the virtual targets, before said first control means generates the virtual targets, and

said second control means puts one of the dummy virtual targets into the ineffective state, and generates the virtual target in the effective state, or said second control means generates the virtual target, which corresponds to the one of the dummy virtual targets, in the ineffective state, puts the dummy virtual target into the ineffective state and puts the virtual target into the effective state.

7. The storage virtualization switch according to claim 1,

wherein said second control means monitors conditions of the physical storage unit and paths connected to the physical storage unit and makes said virtual target constituting means change the state of the virtual target, which corresponds to the physical storage unit or the path whose condition is varied, on the basis of the variation of the monitored condition.