METHOD OF RECONFIGURING NAS UNDER GNS

• US 20080222158A1
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Published: 09/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Saika, Nobuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,822,787 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1824 implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

Provided is a file management method for a computer system having: one first server; a plurality of second servers; and a plurality of storage subsystems, the file management method including: providing, by the second server, as at least one file, data stored in the storage subsystem; executing, by the second server, at least one first program; obtaining, by the first server, from the second server, a utilization state of the first program executed by the second server; judging, by the first server, from the obtained first program utilization state, whether or not migration of the file group is necessary; and instructing, by the first server, the second servers to migrate the file group in a case where it is judged that the file group needs to migrate. Accordingly, programs stored in NAS constituting GNS can be used efficiently.

Claims

1. A file management method for a computer system having:

one first server accessed by a client computer;

a plurality of second servers coupled to the first server via a network; and

a plurality of storage subsystems coupled to the second servers, the file management method comprising;

providing, by the second server, as at least one file, data stored in the storage subsystem;

executing, by the second server, at least one first program which performs processing related to a file group, the file group including the at least one file;

integrating, by the first server, directory structures that are unique to the respective second servers to provide a directory structure that is unique throughout the computer system to the client computer;

obtaining, by the first server, from the second server, a utilization state of the first program executed by the second server;

judging, by the first server, from the obtained first program utilization state, whether or not migration of the file group is necessary; and

instructing, by the first server, the second server to migrate the file group in a case where it is judged that the file group needs to migrate.

2. The file management method according to claim 1, wherein the first programs include at least one of a file sharing program for providing a file sharing service to the client computer, a snapshot program for taking a snapshot of the file group, and a back-up program for backing up the file group.

3. The file management method according to claim 1, wherein the first program utilization state includes at least one of a count of access made to the file group, a count of snapshots taken of the file group, a snapshot mount count of the file group, a count of backups taken of the file group, and a restoration count of the file group.

4. The file management method according to claim 1, further comprising determining, by the first server, which of the second servers is to serve as a migration destination of the file group with reference to the obtained first program utilization state,

wherein the step of instructing the file group migration includes instructing, by the first server, the second server determined as the migration destination to migrate the file group.

5. The file management method according to claim 1, further comprising migrating, by the second server, upon receiving the file group migration instruction, the file group, a snapshot of the file group, and an environment for managing the file group.

6. The file management method according to claim 1, further comprising:

remotely logging in, by the first server, in a case where a new second server is added to the computer system, to the added second server; and

causing, by the first server, the added second server to download a second program from the first server, the second program performing processing that is related to migration of the file group.

7. The file management method according to claim 1, further comprising:

storing, by the first server, GNS definition information for indicating an association between a directory path that is unique throughout the computer system and a directory path that is unique to the respective second servers;

receiving, by the first server, an access request which includes, as an access destination, a directory path that is unique throughout the computer system;

converting, by the first server, directory path included in the received access request into a directory path that is unique to the respective second server based on the GNS definition information; and

sending, by the first server, the access request including the converted directory path to the second server.

8. The file management method according to claim 7, further comprising updating, by the first server, the GNS definition information after instructing the file group migration.

9. A computer system, comprising:

one first server accessed by a client computer;

a plurality of second servers coupled to the first server via a network; and

a plurality of storage subsystems coupled to the second servers,

the second server being configured to;

provide, as at least one file, data stored in the storage subsystem; and

execute at least one first program which performs processing related to a file group, the file group including the at least one file;

the first server being configured to;

integrate directory structures that is unique to the respective second servers to provide a directory structure that is unique throughout the computer system to the client computer;

obtain a utilization state of the first program executed by the second server;

judge whether or not migration of the file group is necessary; and

instruct the second servers to migrate the file group in a case where it is judged that the file group needs to migrate.

10. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein the first programs include at least one of a file sharing program for providing a file sharing service to the client computer, a snapshot program for taking a snapshot of the file group, and a back-up program for backing up the file group.

11. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein the first program utilization state includes at least one of a count of access made to the file group, a count of snapshots taken of the file group, a snapshot mount count of the file group, a count of backups taken of the file group, and a restoration count of the file group.

12. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein the first server is further configured to:

refer to the obtained first program utilization state to determine which of the second servers is to serve as a migration destination of the file group; and

instruct the second server determined as the migration destination to migrate the file group.

13. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein, upon receiving the file group migration instruction, the second server migrates the file group, a snapshot of the file group, and an environment for managing the file group.

14. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein the first server is further configured to:

remotely log in to the added second server in a case where a new second server is added to the computer system; and

cause the added second server to download a second program from the first server, the second program performing processing that is related to migration of the file group.

15. The computer system according to claim 9, wherein the first server is further configured to:

store GNS definition information for indicating an association between a directory path that is unique throughout the computer system and a directory path that is unique to the respective second servers;

receive an access request which includes, as an access destination, a directory path that is unique throughout the computer system;

convert the directory path included in the received access request into a directory path that is unique to the respective second servers based on the GNS definition information; and

send the access request including the converted directory path to the second server.

16. The computer system according to claim 15, wherein the first server updates the GNS definition information after instructing the file group migration.