INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM AND DATA RECOVERY METHOD

• US 20100011238A1
• Filed: 09/08/2008
• Published: 01/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Fujibayashi, Akira, Takada, Masanori, Mori, Hajime, NAKAMURA, Shuji
• Granted Patent: US 7,904,746 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 714/5
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques

Abstract

When data of HDD of computer is backed up to a a data center and a failure occurs in the HDD, the computer notifies failure information to the data center, and the data center stores the backed up data in a storage medium substituting HDD for subsequent delivery. Further, the computer executes processing, using a VNC server, from failure occurrence until recovery.

Claims

1. An information processing system, in which a computer having a first storage device and a storage controller having a second storage device are connected via a network, wherein

the computer manages an update status of the first storage device, and when able to communicate with the storage controller, and transfers the data written to the first storage device to the storage controller, independently of data writing to the first storage device,

the storage controller writes the transferred data to the second storage device,

the computer, upon detecting a failure of the first storage device, notifies the storage controller of the failure, and

the storage controller, which receives the failure information notification, selects a third storage device that is capable of being used by the computer, and copies the data, which have been written to the second storage device, to the selected the third storage device.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the computer transfers an operating system and application program written to the first storage device to the storage controller.

3. The information processing system according to claim 2, wherein the storage controller, upon receiving a failure information notification from the computer, activates the operating system stored in the second storage device, and sends operating system activated screen information to the computer, and

the computer suspends the operating system that has been activated, and displays the received screen information on the display device of the computer.

4. The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein the computer sends input information inputted from an input device to the storage controller, the storage controller executes processing in accordance with the received input information and sends screen information on execution results to the computer, and the computer displays the sent screen information on the display device of the computer.

5. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the storage controller manages a difference between data written to the second storage device and data written to the third storage device.

6. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the computer, upon the third storage device being installed in the storage device of a computer thereof, notifies the storage controller of the transfer of difference data between the second storage device and the third storage device.

7. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the computer, upon detecting the failure of either the operating system or application program stored in the first storage device, requests the storage controller to transfer the failed operating system or application program.

8. A data recovery method for recovering data stored in a storage area of a computer, comprising the steps of:

managing by the computer an update status of a first storage device of the computer, and, when the computer is able to communicate with a storage controller, transferring the data written to the first storage device to the storage controller, independently of data writing to the first storage device, and

writing by the storage controller the transferred data to a second storage device;

notifying, upon detecting a failure of the first storage device, the storage controller of failure information by the computer; and

selecting, by the storage controller that has received the failure information notification, a third storage device that is capable of being used by the computer, and copying the data, which have been written to the second storage device, to the selected the third storage device.

9. The data recovery method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of:

transferring by the computer an operating system and application program written to the first storage device to the storage controller.

10. The data recovery method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

activating by the storage controller, upon receiving a failure information notification from the computer, the operating system stored in the second storage device, and sending operating system activated screen information to the computer; and

suspending, by the computer, the activated operating system, and displaying the received screen information on a display device of the computer.

11. The data recovery method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

sending, by the computer, input information inputted from an input device to the storage controller;

executing, by the storage controller, processing in accordance with the received input information and sending screen information of execution results to the computer; and

displaying, by the computer, the sent screen information on the display device of the computer.

12. The data recovery method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of:

managing, by the storage controller, a difference between data written to the second storage device and data written to the third storage device.

13. The data recovery method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of:

notifying by the computer, upon the third storage device being installed in the storage device of a computer thereof, the storage controller of transfer of difference data between the second storage device and the third storage device.

14. The data recovery method according to claim 8, further comprising a step of:

requesting by the computer, upon detecting a failure of either the operating system or application program stored in the first storage device, the storage controller to transfer the failed operating system or application program.