Storage system and method for operating storage system

• US 20110145197A1
• Filed: 12/03/2008
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Inoue, Shiori, Kamohara, Toshiki, Yanagi, Naoto
• Granted Patent: US 8,171,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/647
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/20 of structured data, e.g. relational data

Abstract

By considering a device life and time needed for data migration, data stored in a storage apparatus is securely preserved until a retention term of each of the data. Multiple disk devices 40A to 40C that store a data file generated by a service server apparatus 30 are included. A migration manager 11 of a management server apparatus 10 acquires preservation period information that indicates a preservation period of the data file from the service server apparatus 30, and calculates a preservation term of the data file based on the preservation period information. The migration manager 11 of the management server apparatus 10 also acquires data amount information of the data file from the service server apparatus 30, and calculates a necessary time needed for migrating the data file to other disk devices A40A to 40C. When the preservation term comes later than an operation guarantee term recorded in advance for each of the disk devices 40A to 40C, the migration manager 11 of the management server apparatus 10 compares the end of the migration with the operation guarantee term, and determines the necessity of the migration.

Claims

1. A storage system including a storage apparatus that provides a plurality of logical volumes allocated to a server apparatus as a storage area that stores a data file generated by the server apparatus, and a plurality of storages that are coupled to the storage apparatus and that provide a storage area to which the data file stored in the storage apparatus is copied, comprising:

a data copy processing unit

acquiring preservation period information that indicates a preservation period of the data file from the server apparatus, and calculates the preservation term of the data file from the preservation period information;

acquiring data amount information of the data file from the server apparatus, and calculating data copy necessary time needed to copy the data file from one storage of the plurality of storages in which the data file is stored, to one of the other storages of the plurality of storages; and

when the preservation term comes after an operation guarantee term recorded for each of the plurality of storages in advance, comparing an end of the data copy necessary time with the operation guarantee term, and determining whether it is necessary to perform data copy of the data file.

2. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein when the data copy processing unit determines that the end of the data copy necessary time comes after the operation guarantee term, the data copy processing unit outputs information indicating the determination.

3. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein a data copy timing, which is a timing when the data file stored in the one storage is copied to one of the other storages, is set in the one storage in advance;

and

the data copy processing unit performs the data copy when the data copy processing unit determines that the data copy timing has come, in a case where the data copy processing unit determines that the end of the data copy necessary time comes before the operation guarantee term and where the data copy processing unit determines that the end of the data copy necessary time comes before the closest data copy timing.

4. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein a data copy timing, which is a timing when the data file stored in the one storage is copied to one of the other storages, is set in the one storage in advance;

and

the data copy processing unit starts the data copy when the data copy processing unit determines that the end of the data copy necessary time comes before the operation guarantee term and when the data copy processing unit determines that the end of the data copy necessary time comes after the closest data copy timing.

5. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the data copy processing unit does not perform the data copy when the preservation term comes before operation guarantee terms recorded respectively for the storages in advance.

6. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein, when the preservation term of the data file is determined to be within a predetermined period, the data copy processing unit collectively sets a plurality of the data files thus determined as a target of data copy.

7. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein, the data copy processing unit copies a part of the data file stored in the one storage to the other storage, and acquires a partial copy necessary time taken for the copy of the part of the data file;

and

wherein the data copy processing unit calculates the data copy necessary time when copying the entire data file from the partial copy necessary time.

8. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein for each of the other storages, a total storage capacity and a used storage capacity are acquired, and a usable storage capacity, which is a difference between the total storage capacity and the used storage capacity, is calculated;

and

wherein, in a case where the data copy processing unit determines one of the other storages has a usable storage capacity not less than a data amount of the data file by comparing the data amount and each of the usable storage capacities of the other storages, the data copy processing unit selects the one storage thus determined as a copy destination of the data file.

9. The storage system according to claim 8,

wherein the data copy processing unit compares the operation guarantee term of each of the other storages with the preservation term of the data file;

wherein the data copy processing unit gives a higher priority to a storage determined to have a longer time interval between the preservation team of the data file and the operation guarantee term of the storage, among the other storages whose operation guarantee terms are determined to come after the preservation term; and

wherein the data copy processing unit selects one of the other storages as the copy destination in descending order of priority.

10. The storage system according to claim 1,

wherein the data copy processing unit acquires and records the data amount of the data file periodically;

and

wherein, on the basis of increase of the data amount, the data copy processing unit calculates a data amount predicted value of the data file when copying the data file.

11. A method for operating a storage system including a storage apparatus that provides a plurality of logical volumes allocated to a server apparatus as a storage area that stores a data file generated by the server apparatus, and a plurality of storages that are coupled to the storage apparatus and that provide a storage area to which the data file stored in the storage apparatus is copied, comprising:

a step performed by the storage system of acquiring preservation period information that indicates a preservation period of the data file from the server apparatus, and calculating the preservation term of the data file from the preservation period information;

a step performed by the storage system of acquiring data amount information of the data file from the server apparatus, and calculating the data copy necessary time needed to copy the data file from one storage of the plurality of storages in which the data file is stored, to one of other storages of the plurality of storages; and

a step performed by the storage system of comparing an end of the data copy necessary time with an operation guarantee term, and determining whether it is necessary to perform data copy of the data file, when the preservation term comes after the operation guarantee term recorded for each of the plurality of storages in advance.