STORAGE SYSTEM FOR HOLDING A REMAINING AVAILABLE LIFETIME OF A LOGICAL STORAGE REGION

• US 20110167220A1
• Filed: 02/25/2011
• Published: 07/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: YAGISAWA, Ikuya, MANNEN, Akihiro, MATSUNAMI, Naoto, YAMAMOTO, Masayuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,370,572 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/114
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2069 Management of state, configuration or failover
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2071 using a plurality of controllers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0607 by facilitating the process of upgrading existing storage systems, e.g. for improving compatibility between host and storage device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0616 in relation to life time, e.g. increasing Mean Time Between Failures [MTBF]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0617 in relation to availability
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0629 Configuration or reconfiguration of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0634 by changing the state or mode of one or more devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0647 Migration mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0653 Monitoring storage devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0658 Controller construction arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0661 Format or protocol conversion arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0689 Disk arrays, e.g. RAID, JBOD

Abstract

The storage system includes a plurality of first disk devices, a plurality of second disk devices, in which a lifetime of the plurality of second disk devices is different from a lifetime of the plurality of first disk devices, and a controller coupled to the plurality of first disk devices and the plurality of second disk devices. The controller configures a first logical unit by the plurality of first disk devices and a second logical unit by the plurality of second disk devices, provides the first and the second logical units to a host computer, and manages a first remaining available time of the first logical unit and a second remaining available time of the second logical unit, on logical unit basis.

Claims

1. A storage system comprising:

a plurality of first disk devices;

a plurality of second disk devices, in which a lifetime of the plurality of second disk devices is different from a lifetime of the plurality of first disk devices; and

a controller coupled to the plurality of first disk devices and the plurality of second disk devices,

wherein the controller configures a first logical unit by the plurality of first disk devices and a second logical unit by the plurality of second disk devices, provides the first and the second logical units to a host computer, and manages a first remaining available time of the first logical unit and a second remaining available time of the second logical unit, on logical unit basis.

2. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the controller detects information of the lifetime of the plurality of first disk devices from the plurality of first disk devices and information of the lifetime of the plurality of second disk devices from the plurality of second disk devices, and manages the first remaining available time and the second remaining available time based on the detected information.

3. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first disk devices are controlled by a first interface, and the plurality of second disk devices are controlled by a second interface.

4. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein the first interface is a Fibre Channel (FC) interface.

5. The storage system according to claim 3, wherein the second interface is an Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) interface.

6. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the controller changes use of the first logical unit or the second logical unit based on the first remaining available time or the second remaining available time.

7. The storage system according to claim 6, wherein the controller changes the use of the first logical unit or the second logical unit from normal use to backup use, if the first remaining available time or the second remaining available time is less than a predetermined time.

8. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls start and stop of the plurality of first disk devices based on the first remaining available time.

9. The storage system according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls start and stop of the plurality of second disk devices based on the second remaining available time.

10. A method for managing a storage system which having a plurality of first disk devices, a plurality of first disk devices, and a plurality of first disk devices, comprising:

holding a first lifetime of the plurality of first disk devices;

holding a second lifetime of the plurality of second disk devices, which is different from the first lifetime;

configuring a first logical unit by the plurality of first disk devices and a second logical unit by the plurality of second disk devices;

providing the first and the second logical units to a host computer; and

managing a first remaining available time of the first logical unit and a second remaining available time of the second logical unit, on logical unit basis.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein the controller detects information of the lifetime of the plurality of first disk devices from the plurality of first disk devices and information of the lifetime of the plurality of second disk devices from the plurality of second disk devices, and manages the first remaining available time and the second remaining available time based on the detected information.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of first disk devices are controlled by a first interface, and the plurality of second disk devices are controlled by a second interface.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first interface is a Fibre Channel (FC) interface.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the second interface is an Advanced Technology Attachment (ATA) interface.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the controller changes use of the first logical unit or the second logical unit based on the first remaining available time or the second remaining available time.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the controller changes the use of the first logical unit or the second logical unit from normal use to backup use, if the first remaining available time or the second remaining available time is less than a predetermined time.

17. The storage system according to claim 10, wherein the controller controls start and stop of the plurality of first disk devices based on the first remaining available time.

18. The storage system according to claim 10, wherein the controller controls start and stop of the plurality of second disk devices based on the second remaining available time.