STORAGE SYSTEM, CONTROLLER OF STORAGE SYSTEM, CONTROL METHOD OF STORAGE SYSTEM

• US 20090177916A1
• Filed: 10/19/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: TOKORO, Hirotomo
• Application Number:
  US12/254,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177916A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/6
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2056 by mirroring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2074 Asynchronous techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2076 Synchronous techniques

Abstract

A storage system includes: an interface that connects the storage system to a higher-level device; a first storage unit that stores data which is transferred from the higher-level device through the interface; a second storage unit onto which data stored in the first storage unit is copied; a management table that manages the progress of the copy operation; a monitoring section that monitors the operating state of the first storage unit; a determination section that determines, in the case where the monitoring section detects occurrence of a failure in the first storage unit, that the access destination in the first storage unit specified by the higher-level device is accessible or not; and a selection section that selects the access destination specified by the higher-level device based on the determination result of the determination section and progress managed by the management table.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

an interface that connects the storage system to a higher-level device;

a first storage unit that stores data which is transferred from the higher-level device through the interface;

a second storage unit onto which data stored in the first storage unit is copied;

a management table that manages the progress of the copy operation;

a monitoring section that monitors the operating state of the first storage unit;

a determination section that determines, in the case where the monitoring section detects occurrence of a failure in the first storage unit, that the access destination in the first storage unit specified by the higher-level device is accessible or not; and

a selection section that selects the access destination specified by the higher-level device based on the determination result of the determination section and progress managed by the management table.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, further comprising a storage section that temporarily stores data, wherein,

in the case where the determination section determines that the access destination in the first storage unit is inaccessible, the selection section checks whether data stored in the access destination is stored in the storage section and, if stored, accesses the storage section.

3. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein,

in the case where the access is a read request and where the monitoring section detects occurrence of a failure in the first storage unit, the determination section determines whether the read request target data can actually be read out from the first storage unit and, if can be read, the selection section reads the read request target data from the first storage unit.

4. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein

the selection section reads data including the read request target data per unit size of the copy operation as temporarily stored data and returns the target data to the higher-level device, as well as copies the temporarily stored data to the second storage unit.

5. The storage system according to claim 2, wherein,

in the case where the access is a write request and where the monitoring section detects occurrence of a failure in the first storage unit, the selection section reads, based on the management table, data including the write request target data per unit size of the copy operation from the second storage unit so as to store the data in the storage section as temporarily stored data and writes write request data on the write request target data in the temporarily stored data, as well as copies the updated temporarily stored data onto the second storage unit.

6. A controller of a storage system having a first storage unit that stores data which is transferred from a higher-level device through an interface connected to the higher-level device and a second storage unit onto which data stored in the first storage unit is copied, comprising:

a management table that manages the progress of the copy operation;

a monitoring section that monitors the operating state of the first storage unit;

a determination section that determines, in the case where the monitoring section detects occurrence of a failure in the first storage unit, that the access destination in the first storage unit specified by the higher-level device is accessible or not; and

a selection section that selects the access destination specified by the higher-level device based on the determination result of the determination section and progress managed by the management table.

7. The controller according to claim 6, further comprising a storage section that temporarily stores data, wherein,

in the case where the determination section determines that the access destination in the first storage unit is inaccessible, the selection section checks whether data stored in the access destination is stored in the storage section and, if stored, accesses the storage section.

8. The controller according to claim 6, wherein,

in the case where the access is a read request and where the monitoring section detects occurrence of a failure in the first storage unit, the determination section determines whether the read request target data can actually be read out from the first storage unit and, if can be read, the selection section reads the read request target data from the first storage unit.

9. The controller according to claim 8, wherein

the selection section reads data including the read request target data per unit size of the copy operation as temporarily stored data and returns the target data to the higher-level device, as well as copies the temporarily stored data to the second storage unit.

10. The controller according to claim 7, wherein,

in the case where the access is a write request and where the monitoring section detects occurrence of a failure in the first storage unit, the selection section reads, based on the management table, data including the write request target data per unit size of the copy operation from the second storage unit so as to store the data in the storage section as temporarily stored data and writes write request data on the write request target data in the temporarily stored data, as well as copies the updated temporarily stored data onto the second storage unit.

11. A control method of a storage system having a first storage unit that stores data which is transferred from a higher-level device through an interface connected to the higher-level device and a second storage unit onto which data stored in the first storage unit is copied, comprising:

a management step that manages the progress of the copy operation;

a monitoring step that monitors the operating state of the first storage unit;

a determination step that determines, in the case where the monitoring step detects occurrence of a failure in the first storage unit, that the access destination in the first storage unit specified by the higher-level device is accessible or not; and

a selection step that selects the access destination specified by the higher-level device based on the determination result of the determination step and progress managed by the management table.

12. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising a storage step that temporarily stores data, wherein,

in the case where the determination step determines that the access destination in the first storage unit is inaccessible, the selection step checks whether data stored in the access destination is stored in the storage section and, if stored, accesses the storage section.

13. The control method according to claim 11, wherein,

in the case where the access is a read request and where the monitoring step detects occurrence of a failure in the first storage unit, the determination step determines whether the read request target data can actually be read out from the first storage unit and, if can be read, the selection step reads the read request target data from the first storage unit.

14. The control method according to claim 13, wherein

the selection step reads data including the read request target data per unit size of the copy operation as temporarily stored data and returns the target data to the higher-level device, as well as copies the temporarily stored data to the second storage unit.

15. The control method according to claim 12, wherein,

in the case where the access is a write request and where the monitoring step detects occurrence of a failure in the first storage unit, the selection step reads, based on the management table, data including the write request target data per unit size of the copy operation from the second storage unit so as to store the data in the storage section as temporarily stored data and writes write request data on the write request target data in the temporarily stored data, as well as copies the updated temporarily stored data onto the second storage unit.